Dr. Monica Hernandez, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist who graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Walden University and received her Postdoctoral MS in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degrees were completed at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley.  She is bilingual and a Valley native.  Since 2000, Dr. Hernandez has been working in the mental health field across various specialties and disciplines, including but not limited to, learning disabilities and cognitive disorders, affective/mood/bipolar and anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, pain management, substance-related and addictive disorders, adjustment and trauma-related disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, behavioral issues and conduct disorders, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders.  Dr. Hernandez has been with Valley Psychological Services since 2008.  She currently conducts psychological evaluations across all age groups and all diagnoses, in addition to psychological evaluations for CPS and presurgical psychological evaluations for gastric bypass/weight loss surgery and spinal cord stimulator implants.  Aside from her licensure as a Psychologist in Texas, Dr. Hernandez is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Board Approved Supervisor, a National Certified Counselor, a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist, and has training in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Hernandez also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and is a Certified Advanced Mediator and Arbitrator in the State of Texas.  She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Prescribing Psychology, Neuroscience Education Institute, National Society of Leadership and Success, the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the International Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychology. Dr. Hernandez is also an active volunteer for Soldiers’ Angels, a national non-profit organization that provides support, comfort, aid, and resources to the military, veterans, and their families.

Dr. Alfonso Mercado, Ph.D., originally from Los Angeles, California, currently provides psychological services to children, adolescents, and adults including individual therapy, specialized group therapies, and conducts psychological evaluations. Dr. Mercado received his BS and MS degrees in psychology at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. Dr. Mercado completed his doctoral academic studies at Fielding Graduate University, an APA accredited program, receiving a PhD in Clinical Psychology and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Multicultural Psychology Internship Program of Massachusetts and his postdoctoral fellowship at Valley Psychological Services. His current research interests focus on Latino mental health, clinical treatment outcome studies, and multicultural interventions. He is a Licensed Psychologist in Texas. In addition to his professional career, Dr. Mercado also serves his community in several capacities. He is an active member of the Texas Psychological Association where he serves as the Diversity Division Co-Chair, member of the American Psychological Association, and is a board member at two different non-profit organizations.

Dr. Gary Leka, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist who graduated from the Walden University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. As a clinician at Valley Psychological Services he provides psychological evaluations for all age ranges including evaluations for (but not limited to): general psychological evaluations; autism spectrum disorders; AD/HD; cognitive functioning; pre-gastric bypass procedures, pre-spinal cord stimulator implants; and law enforcement pre-employment screenings. Dr. Leka also has close to 20 years of experience as a psychology lecturer with a local university.

Dr. Kim Nguyen-Finn, Ph.D., LPC-S has over 16 years of experience as a mental health counselor and Texas Licensed Professional Counselor Board-approved Supervisor. Aside from providing individual, family, and couples counseling for a wide range of issues, including anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, trauma resolution, and gender identity, she is a lecturer at UT-Pan American in Rehabilitation Services. Prior to joining VPS, she was a supervising clinical therapist at UTPA for over 15 years. Ms. Finn was raised in a military household and earned her Master’s of Arts in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, before moving to the Valley as soon as she could. She recently was awarded her Doctorate in Rehabilitation Counseling from UTRGV in December of 2018.

Maria S. Portillo, M.S., LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas who joined Valley Psychological Services in 2020.  Ms. Portillo believes that successful therapy begins with the client-counseling relationship strengthened with respect, honesty, and authenticity. She believes that with the right tools and support, clients are able to create and achieve realistic goals as well as discover solutions for their problems.  Ms. Portillo utilizes researched based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and as a former school teacher, assists her clients in learning life-long techniques which they can continue utilizing even after therapy has ended. As a therapist, she continually strives to work with her clients to develop healthy ways to cope with daily life struggles and past trauma. Although, she services adults and children, her passion is assisting adolescents with their unique struggles, such as depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm behavior, and oppositional defiance.  In addition, Ms. Portillo provides treatment for other mental health conditions such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, anger management, ADHD, divorce issues and grief counseling.  Other treatment approaches she uses include Client-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focus, Christian Counseling and Mindfulness.  Ms. Portillo studied most of her undergraduate studies in Chicago, Illinois, however, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1999 and her Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2013 from The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Ms. Portillo offers therapy in both English and Spanish.