Counseling, Recovery & Grief: Notes from a Counseling Student

Moses Sanchez, graduate counseling student, University of Mary · ACA member · NAADAC member

I’m a graduate counseling student, not a licensed counselor. I don’t provide counseling or treatment, and nothing here is medical or clinical advice. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.

Welcome. This is the part of my site where I write about grief, faith, recovery, and what I’m learning as I train to become a counselor. I’m not writing as an expert. I’m writing as a student who is learning on purpose, with my sources linked so you can check me.

Why I’m on this road

Counseling wasn’t a lifelong dream for me. I’ve spent my working life in other things, including running an SEO agency, and I’m still new to this field.

What changed was my parish. Over the past year I’ve helped facilitate the support group of the Mental Health Ministry at Corpus Christi, my parish. It’s a peer support group, not counseling. Walking alongside the people in that group, I started to feel called to learn how to serve people like them better, and I decided to answer that call.

So I’m doing what any beginner should do: going back to school, learning the field from people who know it, and sharing what I learn along the way.

Where I am today

I’m a student in the graduate counseling program at the University of Mary. I’m in the Master of Science in Counseling program, which is CACREP-accredited.

In Arizona, the usual path after a counseling master’s degree is a supervised associate license first and then, after supervised experience, independent licensure. I’m at the very beginning of that road. Until I hold a license, I won’t use any license title, and I don’t see clients.

Professional memberships

Membership means I belong to these associations and follow their codes of ethics. It isn’t a certification or a license.

Start here: topics

Pick the topic that fits where you are. Pages marked “coming soon” are planned but not written yet.

Grief and the art of dying

Prayer, Scripture, and practical words for the bedside, drawn from the Church’s old tradition of Ars Moriendi, the art of dying well.

Faith and recovery

How prayer, community, and professional help can work together, and what the saints can teach us about mental health.

Families facing addiction

Addiction touches the whole family. These pages are for the parents, spouses, and children who love someone who is struggling.

Treatment explained

Plain-language explainers on the kinds of addiction treatment people ask about, so you know the words before you talk with a professional.

If you want to learn about addiction medicine from a physician, my wife, Maria Manriquez, MD, writes about it on her own site: addiction medicine at mariamanriquez.com. That’s her practice, not mine.

Becoming a counselor in Arizona

Notes from the road: what the different Arizona counseling licenses mean and how people earn them, written by someone walking that path now.

Counseling ethics, explained for clients

What the counseling code of ethics protects for you: confidentiality, boundaries, informed consent, faith in counseling, and what to do if a therapist crosses a line.

Frequently asked questions

Are you a counselor?

Not yet. I’m a graduate counseling student at the University of Mary, and I’m not a licensed counselor. I don’t provide counseling or treatment. What you’ll find here is education and reflection, with sources, from someone who is still learning.

Can I book counseling with you?

No. I don’t offer counseling, sessions, or advice about anyone’s personal situation. If you’re looking for help, the resources below are a good place to start. For treatment options, SAMHSA’s free helpline and FindTreatment.gov can point you to licensed providers. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988.

Crisis and help resources

Diocese of Phoenix Mental Health Ministry

“The focus of this ministry is education, accompaniment, and advocacy.”

These organizations run their own services. Listing them here isn’t an endorsement by them of this page.