'An agent of change'

Bernardo Garcia graduating with master’s in counseling psychology

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 17^th, 2023

Bernardo Garcia vividly remembers the first time he saw a client at CSUB’s University Counselor Training Clinic.

“At first, it was super scary. I remember sweating profusely in that first session,” he said. “You think you’re confident because you learned a lot in the classroom, but then you’ve got to put what you’ve learned into practice. It was a nerve-wracking experience.”

Garcia overcame his fears and went on to become a manager at the clinic this academic year. He is now about to graduate from California State University, Bakersfield with his master’s in counseling psychology, with a focus on marriage and family therapy.

“It’s a bittersweet moment because I don’t want it to end. I really appreciate everything CSUB has to offer,” he said. “I think the program really set me up for my future. Now we get to go out into the world and use what we’ve learned here.”

That will happen sooner rather than later for Garcia, who already has a job lined up at Clinica Sierra Vista. He is starting on June 5 as an associate behavioral health therapist, working with adults struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues.

“I’m excited. I think it’ll be a cool learning experience,” he said. “I really want to focus on developing a diverse set of skills.”

Garcia will be the first in his family to graduate from college. While he is excited about that, he noted that being a first-generation student has been both a blessing and a challenge during his time at CSUB.

“Going through this whole process and learning as I go has been really difficult, so I’m proud I’ve been able to make it this far,” he said.

Garcia didn’t originally intend to pursue a career in counseling. When he began attending the University of California, Merced for his bachelor’s degree, he initially majored in human biology and planned to get a career in physical therapy.

After taking a few classes, however, Garcia realized that the major wasn’t a good fit for him. It was at that time that he began looking more closely at psychology and a possible career as a therapist.

“When I started my college career, I knew I always wanted to be in a helping profession,” he said. “An opportunity to be an agent of change is a big thing.”

Garcia went on to graduate with his bachelor’s in psychology from UC Merced in 2019, after which he came back home to Bakersfield and decided to go for his master’s at CSUB. He enrolled at the university in fall 2020.

Growing up in a traditional Hispanic household, Garcia said he saw firsthand how there was a lack of understanding in his family about the importance of mental health.

“My older sister was clinically diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and at the time this was something my family didn’t really understand,” he said. “Despite supporting her and taking her to her psychiatrist and therapy appointments, my family was not able to offer much emotional support to my sister, as mental health wasn’t something we understood in our culture.”

That is something Garcia has only come to understand now that he’s gone through the three-year counseling psychology program at CSUB.

“My education and experience have destigmatized mental health for me,” he said. “Looking back now and finding myself in environments that promote mental health awareness, I think this information would have benefited my family in being able to advocate for a better level of care and what good treatment might look like for treating my sister’s condition. I learned a lot about mental health throughout my college education. That was a big catalyst for me in deciding this is what I want to do.”

‘You’re dealing with real people, real lives’

Garcia has spent the past two years working part-time in the University Counselor Training Clinic (UCTC). Garcia and other students in the program provide low-cost individual, couple, family and group counseling services to the public under supervision of a licensed therapist.

The clinic offers confidential counseling relating to issues such as stress management, career changes and relationship problems.

Students work in the UCTC to meet training requirements for the counseling psychology graduate program. On average, Garcia has been working 16-20 hours a week in the clinic this year and sees seven to ten clients at any one time.

“It’s a very intense, rigorous program. You have to be focused because you’re dealing with real people, real lives,” he said. “It can be super nerve-wracking, but the support we have is great. Our supervisors are top-notch and they provide a lot of feedback and support for us in applying our skills for the first time in a counseling setting.”

Jason Giffard — a psychology lecturer and supervisor at the UCTC — said Garcia has done great work at the clinic, including overseeing its social media page to ensure advertisements go out in English and Spanish as well as spearheading a Spanish-speaking therapist consultation group so students could develop their competency in providing treatment to Spanish-speaking clients.

“He has shown a commitment to excel at whatever task is before him,” he said. “From the academic side of graduate school to the practical application of being a therapist, Bernardo has put in the time and effort to succeed and assist his fellow students and colleagues along the way. He has gone above and beyond to ensure that people in our community have access to culturally appropriate mental health treatment.”

Through his classes, Garcia said his professors also helped prepare him and other students in the graduate program for success in the clinic.

“Having professors that are well-established in the therapy community makes for a really easy transition from seeing clients in a training level to now getting set up to get a job in the real world,” he said.

Garcia has also enjoyed getting to know the other students in the program, both in the classroom and at the clinic.

“I feel very fortunate to have gotten in and meet the people I’ve met,” he said. “My cohort really lent itself to a place for growth and creating a safe space. Most of our classes have been really open where we’re able to have some difficult discussions. We respect each other.”

While Garcia is sad to be leaving CSUB behind, he hopes it won’t be forever. He would eventually like to return to the university as a professor or supervisor at the UCTC.