Magdalena Benavides (Maggie)

Magdalena Benavides (Maggie) M. Ed., M. S. C.

 Supervised By: Alice Payne, LPC-S, RPT-S

My mission:
To help individuals through counseling, guidance, and education and meet each client where they are emotionally and in any other state when they come into see me.

My focus:

To work with individuals in navigating everyday situations and challenges in a positive and fulfilling manner.

My education:

I have an Associates of Arts from Laredo Junior College, now known as Laredo Community College. My Bachelor of Science degree is from Laredo State University, now known as Texas A&M International, where I majored in Elementary Education with specializations in bilingual and ESL education, as well as Spanish. My Master of Education in Counseling is from Sam Houston State University (2003). I am currently attending Houston Christian University, previously known as Houston Baptist University, where I am working towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

My experience:

I have 31 years’ experience in education and school counseling in an elementary setting. As a teacher, I taught 4^th grade and kindergarten. The last17 years of my career were as an elementary school counselor where I worked with children, parents, and the community. I worked with children, with their parents, grandparents, and guardians. In my former district, I was trained and conducted parent trainings and counseled parents on parenting techniques that allowed parents to have better parent/child relationships.

About me:

I was raised in Laredo, Texas and relocated to Katy in 2001. I have two supportive, adult daughters and two, beautiful grandchildren. I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I enjoy learning new things and am an avid dancer.

Areas of Specialty: 

My expertise is in relationship building. As a mother, a teacher, a counselor, friend and so on, I have been rewarded with cherished, long-lasting relationships. I believe that through healthy relationships, heavy burdens need not feel so heavy.

Also, through the parenting trainings I have trained in and presented on, I believe that I can assist parents/guardians build healthy relationships with their children and with other individuals that also work with the children.

I have worked with elementary-aged children and with the adults responsible for them. One of the greatest treasures of my career experience has been the great relationships fostered with each family in those elementary schools.

I look forward to working with you.