SERVING THOSE FACING CHALLENGING TRANSITIONS
Mr. Waguespack grew up in Covington, LA, a small city on New Orleans’ Metro Northshore. He attended St. Peter’s Grade School and St. Paul’s High School. His ancestry goes back more than 300 years in Louisiana (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) and has helped fortify a strong capacity to interpret a broad continuity of dynamics in society and business. He is prepared to utilize these insights expanded by decades of involvement in healthcare and education to serve clients and patients as a Life Coach and Pastoral Clinical Counselor. He is a Christian as well as an innovative problem solver who finds joy and deep satisfaction in helping others.
Richard completed a BA in Theology from Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL (1983). After three years as a Realtor in a family business and other self-employment, he transitioned to earn an MSW in Gerontology from Louisiana State University School of Social Work, Baton Rouge, LA (1988). His master thesis was an analysis of patterns of volunteer retention in stations aligned with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program under the auspices of the West Baton Rouge Council on Aging. Richard received the Kim-Witte Scholarship Award for winning an essay contest in gerontology (1987) and special recognition for Big Buddy volunteering through the East Baton Rouge Family Court (1988).
In addition to post masters employment in Clinical Social Work combined with Pastoral Counseling for Hospice, Home Health, Church, Psychiatric Hospital and Private Practice (serving children, teens and adults), Mr. Waguespack taught Sociology as an adjunct instructor for the University of South Carolina Upstate (1989) and quite a few Social Work and Psychology courses for the Limestone College Block Program (Upstate SC) (1993-1996). Soon after, he served as a Campus Minister and World Religions Teacher at St. Anne-Pacelli High School in Columbus, GA (1996-1997).
From 1998 through the early 2000s Richard served children, teens, and adults through Pastoral Counseling Services in Big Spring, Canyon, and Amarillo, TX. This work included individual, marriage, family and career counseling as well as clinical social work for several nursing homes. He also produced live education supported by partnerships with healthcare and academic entities [1 2 3 4] and independently through Waguespack Seminars (authorized by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners since 1998).
From 2000-2006 Richard partnered with several entities in higher education to offer dozens of online continuing education courses covering topics ranging from coaching to history of family, to history of drug use, abuse and addiction to topics in geriatrics. Alliances included Texas State San Marcos’ Continuing Education Department and Austin Community College’s Health Professions Institute that awarded a grant sponsored by the Texas Workforce Commission on two online CE courses for nurse education: One was Getting a Handle on Dementia: Disease and Treatment and the other was Treatment and Documentation in a Nursing Home.
Between 2004-2007, Mr. Waguespack attended Texas Teachers and West Texas A & M Canyon as well as Amarillo College and San Antonio College to accomplish certification requirements that included educator training, college coursework, extensive substitute teaching, and passing numerous state examinations. Before the end of 2007, Richard earned the following Texas teaching certificates (valid 2008-2014): 9-12 Science, 8-12 Health Science Technology, 9-12 Social Studies, EC-12 Special Education, 4-8 Generalist, and EC-4 Generalist. Extensive substitute experience was obtained Amarillo ISD, San Antonio ISD, and Northside ISD. The most significant long term assignments were teaching Rocketry and Aeronautics to 7th graders at Krueger Middle School K-SAT Program and Health Science Technology for future healthcare professionals at Reagan High School.
Richard went on to teach high school Health Science Technology at San Marcos High School in San Marcos, TX (2007-08), Physics and Chemistry at Tulia High School in Tulia, TX (2008-09), and American and World History at Dalhart High School in Dalhart, TX (2009-10). In these teaching positions, he served as an UIL Debate Team Coach, UIL Science Coach, and consultant for the San Marcos School Health Advisory Council.
Besides roles in education, Mr. Waguespack held employment as a mental health clinician and at some intervals, a supervisor for healthcare organizations like Scenic Mountain Medical Center and Vista Care Family Hospice in Big Spring TX (1997-1998). From 1988-1996, Richard provided specialty programs, workshops, and instruction for parishioners of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Taylors, S.C. as well as court ordered groups for “grey offenders” (DWI/DUI, Domestic Violence and Bad Check) for the Greenville, SC branch of American Community Corrections Institute headquartered in Austin, TX.
After earlier mentioned period of public school substituting, certification training and teaching (2004-2010), from 2010 to 2012 Richard lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where he worked with Hospice and Home Health entities. He also participated in a wide variety of networking and training events sponsored by professional associations, corporations and career development groups. The most memorable include the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) (member for a year), Association for Training and Development (member for a year), Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (associate member for a year), JPS Health Network, and Accretive Solutions (recently absorbed by RGP). A number of lesser known entities attended included a wide variety of Church sponsored career development groups as well as those formed around constellations of professional activity such as healthcare, human resources more nebulous groupings that contained many in project management. Many such groups can be identified by viewing the CareerDFW directory.
After transitioning out of earlier mentioned public school teaching (2004-2010), Richard provided counseling and consulting for nursing homes, home health, and hospice entities in Texas and Oklahoma (2010-2018). This included five years of contract work as a staff social worker with Deer Oaks (2013-2018).
Mr. Waguespack’s background supports a fertile platform aligned with Pastoral Support, Coaching, Mental Health, Healthcare, Performance, Developmental Psychology, Science, K-12 and College Education, Interdisciplinary Ontology, Gerontology and Applied Social Science attending at-risk populations including individuals in difficult transitions. Applications include special support for those seeking help to function with ADD/ ADHD, achieve goals pertaining to academic and career development and vocational rehabilitation.
Richard is oriented to serve corporations seeking assistance in employee retention, special inclusion programs and outplacement consulting. He currently offers services through New Life Coaching and is also preparing to practice through the clinical extension of New Life Counseling. He is highly skilled and motivated to help clients find and actualize their best potential and to uncover opportunities to match motivations, inner convictions, interests, aptitudes, and more!
Call Mr. Waguespack for a free initial consultation: 580-500-8050
Richard attended Spring Hill College (founded in 1830) in Mobile, AL. It is oldest Catholic College in the South and the 5th oldest in the United States. As an upperclassman, Richard taught a study skills and orientation course for freshman for college credit and pay, served as a peer counselor, freshman orientation leader, and tutor for Logic and other subjects. As a member of the Knights of Columbus and independently, he worked with displaced youth in a couple of shelters in the city. He graduated in 1983 with a BA in Theology.
Mr. Waguespack attended the LSU School of Social Work between 1986-88 and graduated with an MSW with a specialty in Gerontology. He then lived in NC and SC for a number of years before relocating to AL and shortly after to TX where he remained nearly 20 years before relocating to OK in 2016. Richard obtained an advanced Clinical License in SC in 1992 which was subsequently activated in AL and then in TX and OK as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
