About me
Maria “Yadira” Regla is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) currently serving as a School-Based Mental Health Therapist for the Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD). With over 20 years of experience in the mental health field, Yadira has been a driving force in developing comprehensive support models. While her extensive background includes working with incarcerated youth in clinic settings and supporting secondary students with Emotional Disabilities, she currently provides vital support to three elementary schools. Her career includes a pivotal tenure at Palm Springs Unified (2013–2019), where she developed and implemented the Therapeutic Educational Program (TEP) at Palm Springs High School.
At DSUSD, Yadira was instrumental in designing the district’s pilot program to embed mental health therapists at every secondary school site, significantly expanding student access to care. Her clinical expertise is backed by extensive training in evidence-based practices, including Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Steps A & E (Adolescent and Elementary), Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (C-BITS), PREPaRE crisis response model, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and MindSet safety management and Behavioral Coaching. She also recently integrated her Yoga certification into her holistic approach to treatment.
A dedicated advocate, Yadira’s commitment to the Trisomy 21, Down syndrome community began in 2015 following her son Ezekiel’s diagnosis. In 2017, she founded the Ezekiel’s Gift of Love Coachella Valley Down Syndrome Foundation, where she serves as President. Her leadership extends to the global Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network and the local SELPA CAC where she recently completed her 5th year. Outside of her professional work, she remains active in her community as a coach for her son’s baseball team, "Kelsey’s Heroes."
