Rich Rodriguez

Dedicated, culturally responsive Marriage and Family Therapist applicant with extensive experience delivering systemic, trauma-informed care within high-volume LGBTQ+ and community mental health settings. Combines strong clinical conceptualization and crisis triage skills with a robust corporate background as a multi-million dollar ($13M+) Operations and General Manager. Grounded in social justice-oriented psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and groups, with direct clinical competency utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Satir Experiential, Narrative Therapy, CBT, Person-Centered, and somatic frameworks (Window of Tolerance).

Highly proficient in conducting psychological intakes, diagnostic treatment planning, HIPAA-compliant EHR documentation (EPIC, Veradigm), crisis telephone/walk-in counseling, and staff training roadmap development.

Mental Health Trainee - Los Angeles LGBT Center - Hollywood, CA

(2024-08)

• Conduct individual, couple, and group counseling services for clients presenting to Mental Health Services (MHS), documenting progress in client records immediately following each session.
• Collaborate with clients to establish clinical goals and develop comprehensive treatment plans that integrate diagnosis, theoretical frameworks, and social justice considerations.
• Maintain a consistent active caseload of 10 to 12 clients weekly.
• Serve on-duty during designated hours each week to manage crisis-oriented walk-in care, triage general inquiries, and handle crisis telephone calls.
• Conduct intake assessments, prepare required clinical documentation, and route client records to the supervisor for review.
• Participate in weekly individual and group clinical supervision to review cases, monitor ethical standards, and ensure quality of care.
• Utilize Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC) theories for clinical conceptualization.
• Provide appropriate referrals to external community resources and internal department services (e.g., psychiatric evaluations), following up with clients to ensure the appropriateness of referrals and continuity of care.

Linkage to Care Specialist - Los Angeles LGBT Center - Hollywood, CA

(2023-10 - 2025-03)

• Coordinated financial screening appointments, initial medical visits, and wraparound services—including mental health programs, legal aid, housing assistance, and general relief—for newly diagnosed HIV patients.
• Conducted HIV status disclosures for newly diagnosed patients, offering immediate counseling support and ensuring comprehensive aftercare linkages.
• Recruited participants, formulated outreach strategies, collected data, and conducted clinical intakes and exit interviews for the MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) Seeking Safety group focused on HIV prevention and harm reduction.
• Co-facilitated weekly Seeking Safety evidence-based groups to support clients navigating trauma and substance use.
• Attended monthly collaborative meetings with Heluna Health and partner agencies to evaluate programmatic progress and share clinical best practices.
• Developed a comprehensive training roadmap outlining administrative processes and data collection protocols for the Seeking Safety group.

Clinical Liaison - Los Angeles LGBT Center - Hollywood, CA

(2023-02 - 2023-10)

• Managed appointment scheduling for PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) patients, coordinating provider visits, enrollment meetings, and laboratory appointments.
• Provided comprehensive patient education regarding insurance navigation, financial assistance programs, medication efficacy, and the biological mechanisms of action.
• Collaborated closely with healthcare providers, enrollment specialists, PrEP navigators, and pharmacy staff to ensure high-quality, multidisciplinary care and seamless continuity.

Customer Service Representative (Contract) - Health Net - Woodland Hills, CA

(2022-10 - 2022-12)

• Delivered high-quality customer service and administrative support within a fast-paced medical care environment.
• Processed physician and clinic assignments, managed patient grievances, fulfilled ID card orders, and executed enrollment, disenrollment, and proof-of-eligibility verifications for medical provider groups and physicians.
• Provided accurate eligibility verification directly to patients and healthcare providers to ensure seamless access to care.
• Scheduled non-emergency medical transportation for patients and distributed requested educational literature and plan documentation within the authorized scope of practice.

Area Sales / Operations Manager - Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH - Woodland Hills, CA

(2017-06 - 2019-06)

• Managed daily customer service initiatives, store operations, visual merchandising, and cash room efficiencies for a high-volume $13 million retail location.
• Spearheaded the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes, implementing customer-centric training to build high-performing teams focused on enhancing client experiences and driving business outcomes. Partnered consistently with Human Resources to manage employee relations and talent development.
• Analyzed business reporting, key performance indicators (KPIs), and market trends to identify growth opportunities, construct strategic action plans, and implement client-based strategies that steadily increased revenue.
• Directed comprehensive store operations, including labor scheduling, cash room audits, supply procurement, compliance and legal regulation audits, and end-to-end inventory management (processing, receiving, and loss prevention). Resolved IT infrastructure issues and coordinated facility maintenance and repairs.

Flagship Visual General Manager - GAP – The Grove - Los Angeles, CA

(2013-10 - 2019-06)

• Support Sr. General Manager with the business strategy, operations, customer engagement, people management, and merchandising and growing the business to $13 million store with double digit increases year after year.
• Oversee all tasks and processes related to merchandising, styling, window displays, promotional set up, marketing, and logistics/operations. PowerPoint presentations of store were used to influence other stores in the LA market and company.
• Analyze business reporting and trends to effectively increase business, identify opportunities to create action plans for improved business. Conducted weekly walk throughs to dissect specific categories, inventory ownership, and percentage contribution to strategize product placement, sizing, styling, and service model.
• Lead a team of direct reports to ensure all tasks are effectively and efficiently planned & executed to company standard and analyze business reporting to drive top line sales through all things merchandising, styling, shipment, operations, and replenishment.
• Create developmental plans in support of career planning for leaders and associates.
• Partner with Sr. General Manager and District Visual Manager to ensure the merchandising presentation is compelling, creating an aspirational shopping experience for the customer and rated Top presentation in the west. Highly visible location hosting visits with CEO, President, Zone Visual Director, and Regional Director alongside with Sr. General Manager.
• Awarded the opportunity to train all new visual managers for the Los Angeles Market.

Master of Science - Marriage and Family Therapy - California State University, Dominguez Hills (2026-05)