PERSONAL  GROWTH  TEAM

Mario Duran, LCP 1499, MS in Substance Abuse Treatment. 
Licensed Therapist, Personal Growth Clinical Director, Co-Founder

Mario Duran completed his Licensure degree in Psychology at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), where he graduated with honors and went on to become one of the youngest professors in the School of Psychology of the University of Costa Rica. Mario completed a Masters program on Substance Abuse Treatment hosted by the Organization of American States (OAS) where he developed a residential treatment model for adolescents and eventually became part of the teaching staff, focusing on research models and best practices for residential programs.
Mario has a lot of experience, having served as clinical coordinator at Villa San Jose, a drug and alcohol treatment center. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Vida y Sociedad Foundation , a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing substance abuse prevention programs to elementary and secondary schools throughout Costa Rica. He has consulted for mental health and educational institutions, NGO’s and international organization and has published several articles and research reports on behavioral health, best practices and addiction. Prior to NSA, Mario was the Clinical Director at Coronado Academy a therapeutic boarding school serving adolescent boys and girls.

Mario invests himself in building healthy relationships with students by interacting with them in our milieu, creating opportunities to model patience, sensitivity and empathy. He also believes in helping adolescents boys become respectful, tolerant and responsible young men by providing mentorship and constant support. Mario uses a strength based approach in therapy and believes in finding opportunities instead of threats when it comes to family dynamics and change.
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Mario has lived in Costa Rica most of his life and has had the opportunity to also live in the United States and France. He is a proud husband and father, and he enjoys mountain biking, nature, ​and indoor soccer.

Dr. Danny Recio, PhD
Co-Founder, Therapist / Case Manager, Bridge Program Director

Danny co-founded NSA in 2005 and the Bridge in July 2012. He has been guiding young men to open up their worlds to find more fulfilling paths for over 15 years. Danny is a native of Costa Rica but studied abroad in South Africa where he "came of age" in a way that further fed his passion for humanistic, experiential growth, specifically through exploration, discovery, adventure and cross-cultural experiences.

Danny is trained in Clinical Psychology both in Costa Rica and in the USA, but he chose to step outside of its confines for his doctoral work, which was on Integrated Ecology. He has found that just like nature thrives on diversity, knowledge does too. Some of the most exciting perspectives he uses for his work did not come from Psychology, but from various fields, such as Anthropology, Evolutionary Biology, Education (especially constructivism), Systems Theory, Neuroscience, and of course Ecology. 
He has an astounding well of patience and passion for working with and engaging everyone he meets. ​​In his personal life, he tries to take in all the shades of color life has to offer and to seize the precious opportunity of being alive. Being a kid again when playing with his children, sharing a life’s mission with his wife, spending time in nature, sharing with people from other cultural worlds, and trying to radiate as much passion with the least amount of fear are some of ways in which he feels the most alive.

​Caleb Cortes, BA, LCP.
Licensed Therapist / Case Manager

Caleb completed his clinical psychology degree and license to practice in 2010. He is currently completing his Masters in Clinical Psychology at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica.

Caleb brings diverse experiences to NSA, from working at the Ministerio de Educacion Publica to working in rehabilitation centers and private practice. He is experienced in group therapy, substance abuse counseling, diagnostics, and implementing didactic trainings and workshops.
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In his free time, Caleb he enjoys spending time with his wife and young children.

​Marcel Brenes, BA, LCP.
​Licensed Therapist / Case Manager

Marcel has a BA degree and licensure in Psychology from Universidad de Costa Rica. He is interested in several aspects of social and cognitive sciences, such as philosophy, linguistics, psychosocial development and neuroscience.

Marcel is trilingual (Spanish, English, and Italian) and is passionate about chess, the history of art and adventure sports which include hiking, mountain biking, rafting, rappel, etc.. He enjoys team work, facing new challenges that have to do with physical activities and sports, and helping others become better human beings. 

Marcel is a peaceful, empathetic person who has the ability to bond with people and build relationships thanks to his respect of individual differences, his loyalty, and his unconditionally warm disposition.  

Julia López S., BA, MA (in progress), LCP.
​Licensed Therapist / Case Manager

Julia López S. was born and raised in the city of Alajuela, Costa Rica. At a professional level, her main interests have always involved Cognitive Sciences and Psychology. This led to her receiving a Bachelor's degree in psychology as well as an advanced (licenciate) degree in psychology with an emphasis on Clinical Psychology. Her professional experiences include: Working in correctional facilities and in treatment centers for substance abuse and practicing private clinical therapy. Thanks to these experiences, Julia has focused her areas of expertise on Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) certifications from the Albert Ellis Institute of New York and receiving a professional technical degree in The Management of Addictive Behaviors. Julia is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. 
Since childhood, her greatest passion has always been music and she enjoys playing the guitar in her spare time. She also has a deep love and respect for animals and nature. Some of her hobbies include activities involving art, reading historical novels, watching documentaries, and socializing with family and friends. ​Her friends and colleagues describe Julia as being a very analytical and outgoing person.

​Ignacio Vasquez, Licensed Therapist / Case Manager

Ignacio grew up in a small Costa Rican town called Palmares. He earned his Bachelors degree and Licensure in Psychology in 2015 and he is currently incorporated in the Colegio Profesional de Psicólogos de Costa Rica. In 2017, Ignacio completed a technical certificate in Human Resources in the Universidad de Costa Rica to improve his knowledge of organizational psychology.

He has been part of the NSA team since 2016 -first as an Experiential Education mentor who facilitated cultural activities, Student Council, Aventuras, and served as the Experiential Education/Personal Growth liaison. After learning all the ins and outs of NSA life, Ignacio joined the Personal Growth team full time as a case manager. 

Ignacio enjoys playing the guitar, exercising, gardening, traveling and spending time with his friends and family.

Jorge Morales, Personal Growth Coordinator
​Orientation & Transition Team

Jorge Morales joined NSA in 2019 to put to use his wonderful organizational and communication skills as the PG Coordinator. He is interested in cultural differences and how they help to shape us into who we are among other aspects of this important social component. Jorge is himself a mixture of Costa Rican and Panamanian heritage and has pursued his interests by studying English as a Second Language and most recently Psychology at UCACIS.

His work experiences vary from publicity to most recently working with socially and economically-challenged communities in Costa Rica. He has worked mainly in group settings with children and young adults. Jorge has great respect for these populations and the particularities they face in our modern society.
At a personal level, Jorge discovered music at a very young age and became passionate about it, especially singing. Jorge also enjoys being outdoors on hikes where nature can be experienced on a more in-depth level. He also likes to dance swing, practice yoga, take walks with his dog, read, and likes having the chance to sit down and have a conversation (especially with a good cup of coffee).

Dr. Steven Kogel, MD Psychiatrist, Medication Manager

Dr. Steven Kogel has his MD in Psychiatry from the University of Costa Rica and has been in private practice for about 30 years. Dr. Kogel worked as the General Director of the National Institute of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse in the 1990’s, and has worked with American adolescents at-risk for the last 9 years.
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He is a native English speaker with over 40 years of speaking Spanish. Dr. Kogel also brings unique interests to his practice, including composition of music and the juxtaposition of psychiatry & spirituality.

Shakira

Shakira was adopted as a puppy around 2007 by Quincho, an NSA student at the time. After being spoiled into misbehavior, Shakira attended her own therapeutic doggie boarding school and came back with better behavior and a purpose - to guard and protect NSA students (probably inspired by her German Shepherd genetic roots); she can be found wherever the largest group of students is convened. There is no one more depressed during Aventura weeks when students are not on campus. She jumps excitedly and licks lots of toes upon the students' return. In her free time, she loves barking at squirrels, possums, and monkeys.

Luna                                                      

From an NSA Graduate who helped to choose and adopt Luna:

Luna is the newest edition to the NSA pet family. We adopted her from a local shelter with the help of two students. She instantly connected with the community as a quirky, loving and fun friend for everyone. She loves to run around with Estrella and play with the students. Among the numerous activities that she partakes in, her favorite by far is sleeping. You can find her taking a nap in various locations around campus during the day. Luna is an equal-opportunity buddy, and a fun and loving member of the NSA community who instantly connects with anyone who she interacts with. 
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