We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ronnie Costa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ronnie, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Here is my story in short. I could share a lot more, but I’m not sure exactly how much you need.
I have been working in the mental health field close to 20 years. I started in 2005 working at juvenile hall in Los Angeles then transitioned to a youth offender reentry program helping young adults transitioning from juvenile Hall to adult probation and parole. I also volunteered with father Greg Boyle at Homeboy industries. From there, I moved to case management with adult probation and parole and I also worked at a substance abuse treatment center. in close to 20 years I have worked lots of different jobs in the mental health industry. In 2018 I decided to go back to a residential substance abuse program and truly enjoyed it, but I wanted to do more so in 2022 I quit my job and I decided to start my own company. The first 6 months were very tough I considered going back to a regular 9-5 a few times, but slowly work started to pick up. At the start of 2023 I was very busy and needed to bring two other coaches on full time. At the start of 2024 we are up to 4 full time staff and 4 part time. I am currently working a big contract with clients on the spectrum and it’s truly an honor and a privilege to watch these clients grow. I started my own company because I saw the need for honest ethical coaches that would give families everything they were paying for plus some.
I could write a book on my journey in the mental health field because it has truly been an honor and privilege to help so many people change their lives.
I always get the calls for the clients that are non compliant or treatment resistant and I always take them because that’s who I was when I was a young adult..
I also train coaches and to work with clients and that is also an honor.
In my off time I enjoy volunteering with my daughter at the Santa Monica Salvation Army feeding the unhoused and mentally ill that are on the streets. My daughter was not a fan when I first started taking her, but now loves it and looks forward to volunteering with the unhoused and those in need.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born in 1975 and grew up in a tough neighborhood in Providence, RI. At a young age I got into gangs and then drugs. In 2003 I moved to Long Beach because I wanted to change the way I was living my life. In 2005 I started college to become a substance abuse counselor and the rest is history.
I started CounselingUNLMTD because I wanted to because I saw a need for coaches and case management when a client discharges residential treatment.
Today we provide wrap around services. We provide transportation to and from residential treatment. We provide full time sober companions and part time coaches. CounselingUNLMTD has psychiatrists, social workers and MFT’s that we work with. We put a full treatment together for our clients to give them the best possible chances of long term recovery. We have also branched into the ASD world of coaching and we have a team that works primarily with ASD clients.
As I said earlier we give 150% to all clients.
In my logo I use the slogan “Transparency equals Freedom” because we work along side our clients to help them achieve their treatment plan goals.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As I shared earlier work was slow at first, but once it picked up it was nonstop so I had to bring on a team and do it quickly. In addition I was also asked to work with clients on the spectrum with a history of aggression. I knew nothing about working with ASD clients, but I was eager to learn and that I did. Today we have a full team that works primarily with these types of clients and watching them grow and heal is truly an honor.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I came from absolutely nothing and wanted better for myself and my family and did everything it would take to get me there. It hasn’t always been easy and I have the tendency to always take the hard of longest road, but I do it with integrity and laser focus. My story is what has been the catalyst for me to be able to help clients from LA gang members to Fortune 500 ceos. This was the gift that God truly gifted me with.
Contact Info:
- Website: CounselingUNLMTD.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselingunlmtd?igsh=cnl0MTYwa3JoaWIx&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronniecosta3?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-costa-22809a4b?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app