Taína Collazo

Social Work Student

Dr. Taína (ty-ee-na) Collazo (she, her, hers) graduated with an honorary bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Cultural Anthropology. She earned her MA in Early Childhood Development and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a concentration in Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice Teacher Education. She is an RYT200 and RCYT-certified yoga instructor and has obtained mindfulness teacher training from Mindful Schools. Dr. Collazo participates in ongoing studies in the area of meditation, mindfulness, and mindful communication with Oren J. Sofer and in non-violent communication through the Center for Nonviolent Communication. 

Dr. Collazo is currently a master of social work candidate through the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, participating in the Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Pathway that focuses on total health and the connection between physical, mental, and behavioral health. This pathway uniquely integrates the concepts of privilege, oppression, diversity, and social justice (P.O.D.S.), providing a framework for keeping justice as the center of our work as social workers. 

Dr. Collazo applies P.O.D.S. to her therapeutic work with the intention to promote social justice and eliminate injustice. Her interest lies in working with “third wave” cognitive behavioral therapies such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Both therapies integrate acceptance-based mindfulness approaches with change-based cognitive and behavioral therapies to create efficacious treatments. Dr. Collazo’s work is rooted within experiential and person-centered frameworks and integrates techniques from narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and gestalt therapy.

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