Christen Coco Guzman, LMFT

Christen Coco Guzman, LMFT (she/her/hers), is a Marriage and Family Therapist and passionate mental health advocate who joined Child Care Council in 2024 to launch its mental health clinic—advancing the organization’s mission to strengthen families and support the well-being of children and families in the community.

Christen earned her bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology from The George Washington University and her master’s in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. Over the past two decades, she has served as a clinician, supervisor, and leader in nonprofit mental health, with a primary focus on children, adolescents, and families. She is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P), Seeking Safety, and ASIST, and has a special interest in strengthening family systems, promoting resilience, and delivering culturally responsive, trauma-informed care. Drawing from her family systems background, Christen attends to the relationships between people coming to therapy, helping families better understand one another, improve communication, and build healthier, more connected relationships.

Christen has worked with clients from diverse backgrounds and is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and allyship as essential components of compassionate, equitable care. She approaches leadership through a trauma-informed and self-aware lens, recognizing how lived experiences shape individuals, relationships, and systems. She fosters a culture grounded in empathy, accountability, and resilience—where staff feel supported and clients receive thoughtful, responsive care.

Christen believes that access to exceptional mental health care is a fundamental right. She is committed to expanding access to high-quality services in the Rochester community, ensuring care is accessible regardless of income, race, or gender. She views supporting children as both a privilege and a responsibility and believes that nurturing their mental health helps shape a future where all people can live full, healthy lives.

Christen brings her authentic self to her work, striving to create an environment where both clients and clinicians are met with honesty, vulnerability, transparency, and unconditional positive regard. Outside of work, she is a wife and mother who enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and being outdoors, especially in the sunshine.