DR. MARIA RODRIGUEZ

MEET OUR FOUNDER

A National Leader Advancing Trauma-Informed Justice

PhD, Licensed Professional Counselor | Nationally Recognized Mental Health Leader

Dr. Maria Rodriguez is a nationally recognized mental health leader addressing one of the most overlooked gaps in the U.S. immigration system: the lack of accessible, trauma-informed, and clinically rigorous mental health evaluations in legal decision-making.

With more than two decades of experience as a licensed professional counselor, Dr. Rodriguez has worked extensively at the intersection of mental health, immigration, and underserved communities. Her work focuses on ensuring that psychological trauma is ethically assessed, culturally understood, and accurately represented within legal and institutional processes that profoundly impact individuals, families, and communities.

As Founder of the Care Counseling Access Foundation, Dr. Rodriguez leads a growing national effort to elevate mental health from a secondary consideration to essential infrastructure for fairness, dignity, and informed legal outcomes.

PERSONAL JOURNEY

The Story Behind the Foundation

As a first-generation American, Dr. Rodriguez brings lived experience to her leadership. Growing up navigating cultural barriers, language challenges, and the complexities of bicultural identity provided her with firsthand insight into how systems can unintentionally exclude those they are meant to serve.

These early experiences shaped her understanding of resilience, empathy, and the importance of culturally responsive care. They inform her clinical practice, guide her advocacy, and strengthen her ability to lead at a systems level—bridging human experience with institutions that too often overlook the role of trauma in decision-making.

Dr. Rodriguez's personal journey does not stand apart from her professional work; it reinforces her commitment to building structures that recognize lived experience as essential to ethical and effective outcomes.

OUR TEAM

Dedicated Professionals Advancing Change

Isabel Urgilez

Isabel Urgilez is a graduate student at Montclair State University, where she also completed her undergraduate degree. She has over two years of experience working as a Behavioral Assistant, supporting individuals and families through behavioral interventions. Isabel is committed to growth, advocacy, and client-centered mental health care.

Maria L. Tapia-Burch

Maria L. Tapia-Burch is the Vice President of Care Counseling Access Foundation and brings twenty five years of experience in health education, community relations and outreach, program development and leadership. She also served as president of the Hispanic Caucus for the Somerset County Democratic Committee from 2020 -2024. During her tenure the caucus played an active role in GOTV events and worked closely with the county, churches, and hospitals to provide access and schedule Covid vaccines for high risk and minority county residents.

Yamilky Crisostomo

Yamilky Crisostomo is a trailblazing advocate, entrepreneur, and community champion whose life's work has been rooted in breaking down barriers and creating access for those who need it most. A proud Latina leader based in Clifton, New Jersey, Yamilky brings an extraordinary breadth of experience across law, finance, government, and community service to her role with the Care Counseling Access Foundation.

Yamilky currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer at the Law Offices of Franklin S. Montero, where she leads efforts to ensure that diverse and underserved communities receive equitable legal representation and access to justice. Simultaneously, she is the founder and CEO of YNC TAX, LLC — a thriving tax and financial services firm she built from the ground up in 2020, dedicated to empowering individuals and families with the financial knowledge they deserve.

Her path to leadership was built through years of hands-on public service. As Latino Outreach Community Coordinator for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, Yamilky was a trusted liaison between local government and Brooklyn's Latino community — advocating fiercely for resources, programming, and a seat at the table. Earlier in her career, she served as a Funeral Director at Ponce Funeral Homes, Inc., providing compassionate, culturally sensitive care to families in their most vulnerable moments.

Yamilky's commitment to the mission of the Care Counseling Access Foundation is personal. She understands firsthand that access to mental health counseling and support services can be life-changing — and that far too many communities are left without it. She is dedicated to changing that reality, one family at a time.

Richard Blaise

Richard Blaise is a current board member of Care Counseling Access Foundation and brings 25 years of experience in mental health services and social work. Past history includes DCP&P, Isaih House Residential, Rutgers-UBHC, SERV Behavioral Health, Epic Health Serv, Triple C Housing, HMH-Carrier Clinic Hospital. Richard recently earned LSW in 2026. Richard is a graduate of Walden University, MSW 2024.

OUR FOUNDATION'S PURPOSE

Why This Work Matters

Dr. Rodriguez founded the Care Counseling Access Foundation to address a critical gap in immigration-related legal processes: the inequitable access to high-quality, trauma-informed mental health evaluations for individuals facing legal uncertainty, financial hardship, and systemic barriers.

She believes that mental health evaluations are far more than clinical documents. When conducted with integrity and cultural competence, they become pathways to dignity, stability, and informed legal decision-making—providing courts and legal professionals with essential insight into the psychological realities shaping each case.

Under Dr. Rodriguez's leadership, the Foundation is building a scalable national model that ensures mental health is no longer treated as optional or peripheral, but recognized as a core component of justice. Every individual served is approached with the same clinical rigor, compassion, and respect that have defined her career.

Our Leadership Team