Maritza Gallardo-Cooper obtained a BA from the University of Puerto Rico, an MA from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. She is a school psychologist and marriage family therapist with over twenty-five years experience as a clinician in the private sector practicing in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Florida. In addition, Dr. Gallardo-Cooper has supervised, developed, and directed a variety of mental health treatment programs in Florida. Currently, she is the program director of an outpatient clinic for a large consortium in Florida, a position she has held for the past twelve years. She was a member of the Hispanic Task Force in the 1978 President’s Commission of Mental Health and has been involved in numerous professional training programs al the local, state and national level in areas such as child and family therapy, marital interventions, Latino psychology, and organizational development. Dr. Gallardo-Cooper’s research interests focus on brief therapy models, treatment outcomes, biculturalism and bilingual therapy.