Raul Manzo, MFT Trainee

Raul Manzo, MFT Trainee Graduate Student in Practicum at Hope International University

Raul is passionate about caring for people and helping them find a sense of worth and purpose that allows them to experience God’s love. He offers hope and encouragement to those that have been beaten up by life when working from Christian and secular perspectives.  Raul, who speaks English and Spanish, was born and raised in East Los Angeles where he was surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and gang activity. The only thing that kept him out of trouble was getting involved with skateboarding. Skating kept him from running with the wrong crowds and gave him an opportunity to blow off steam when things were not going so well at home.

At 20 years old, Raul found himself at a church where someone shared the gospel with him, and he surrendered his life to Jesus. Since then he has actively served in different churches in their Youth and Young Adult groups.  He has had plenty of experience with teens and young adults. He helps people navigate the pitfalls of life and offers support and encouragement for making healthy decisions.  Additionally, he has experience as a behavior therapist implementing program and behavior intervention strategies developed by a BCBA to support people with autism. His experience providing Biblical counseling to teens and adults sparked his interest in a career in Marriage and Family Therapy and he is now finishing the final year of his masters program at Hope International University. In his spare time, Raul loves to spend time with his family and often skates to the coffee shop. As a pre-licensed therapist, Raul is supervised by Kathleen Shanahan, MA, LMFT and Dr. Toni Dunning, MA, DMFT, LMFT.