Olivia Ríos

Olivia joined CAPS in the spring of 2026 and has been working in university counseling centers since 2016. She is a generalist by training, with her formative experiences focusing on the mental health of college students, sexual health, and work with Latinx/e communities. Her specialties include providing services in Spanish and treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) with exposure and response prevention (ERP). She especially enjoys working with BIPOC students, grad students and non/post-traditional age students.

As a therapist, Olivia describes herself as warm and supportive, yet gently challenging when opportunities for growth arise. She fundamentally believes that most mental health concerns occur in response to oppressive environments, histories and situations. She approaches therapy through a lens that examines power and oppression and centers the therapeutic relationship in the healing process. As a clinical supervisor, she enjoys cultivating the “art” of therapy with a strength in weaving in ethical, legal and systemic considerations.

Outside of the therapy room, Olivia is utterly obsessed with climbing. When she’s not climbing, thinking about climbing or watching climbing videos, she really enjoys leisurely time, traveling, paddle boarding, and trying out food trucks and hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

Pronouns: she/her/ella

Place you'd most like to see or thing you'd most like to do:

Experience the land from a hot air balloon, visit new countries, and meet Lady Gaga.

Areas of interest: 

Working with historically marginalized communities, BIPOC students, Latinx/e students, First-gen students, Non-traditional/older students, Grad students, providing services in Spanish, Boundary work, OCD, Women's issues, Sex/Sexuality, Non-traditional relationships

Education:

PhD: Counseling Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
MA: Counseling & Guidance, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
BA: Psychology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM