Counseling Center - Texas A&M University-Commerce

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Counseling Center intro

Support. Connect. Empower.

We are licensed mental health care professionals with extensive multicultural training. Our goal is to help you achieve academic and personal growth while promoting a healthy campus learning environment. Our staff represents a diverse range of identities, backgrounds and theoretical orientations, with many intersecting identities. We utilize a holistic approach to student development and foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding where everyone feels welcome.

Counseling Center :: Big Easy Links

Our Services

Emergency Resources

FAQ

Counseling :: Emergency Resources

Emergency Resources

Are you experiencing a crisis? Concerned for the safety of another student?

The Counseling Center offers immediate assistance to students experiencing mental health crises. We’re here to listen. Your health and safety are our number one priority. Call us at 903.886.5145.

Learn about emergency resources

Counseling Center :: Services

What We Do

Clinical

We provide individual, couples, and group counseling. We also provide crisis intervention and psychiatric medication management for ongoing counseling clients.

A group of consolers having a conversation siting down at a table.

Consultation and Referral

We consult with students, parents, faculty and staff. We work to create and maintain meaningful connections with campus partners, and serve a major role in the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) for crisis response.

Outreach and Prevention

We offer psychoeducational programming on various mental health topics, skill-building workshops, suicide prevention gatekeeper training, anonymous mental health screenings, campus-wide mental health programs, and more. Request an outreach event.

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A student studying at a computer with the help of assistance technology.

Training and Education

We serve as a training site for master’s and doctoral level mental health professionals while also engaging in staff development and continuing education. Learn more about our graduate training program.

Counseling Services

What is Counseling?

The American Counseling Association defines counseling as a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals.

Counseling Center :: Individual Counseling

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling is a personal opportunity to receive support and experience growth during challenging times. Individual counseling can help you deal with many personal topics including:

Depression and anxiety
Grief and loss
Substance misuse

Suicidal thoughts
Stress management

Call 903.886.5145 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Counseling Center :: Couple Counseling

Couples Counseling

Over time, every couple will experience fluctuations in their level of closeness and harmony. Couples counseling can help resolve conflicts and heal wounds ranging from basic concerns of stagnation to serious expressions of aggressive behavior. Overall, couples counseling can slow your downward spiral and establish realistic expectations and goals for a healthy relationship.

Call 903.886.5145 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Counseling Center :: Group Counseling

Group Counseling

A significant benefit of group counseling is the understanding that you are not alone in the life challenges you’re facing. Being involved in a group of peers who are experiencing similar situations increases your understanding of struggles surrounding the topic and illustrates the variety of possible solutions available. Groups typically have up to eight participants and one or two group leaders. Discussions revolve around common topics including:

Emotional regulation
Social Anxiety

Self-esteem
Grief and loss

Call 903.886.5145 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Counseling Center :: Find a Counselor

Meet our Counselors

My approach to therapy is warm, caring and of a sincere desire to assist the client in achieving their individual goals.

Nick P. Patras, Ph.D., LPC-S Director of the Counseling Center

My approach to counseling is to meet the client where they are at, and collaboratively, we explore and understand the strengths and challenges that are present in their life.

Tina Yang, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist Associate Director of Clinical Services

My approach to therapy is grounded in a reality-based model. This provides the lens by which I listen to and help organize the concerns and problems you are experiencing.

Adam Metts, M.S., LPC-S Assistant Director of Training & Supervision

I am a solution-focused counselor, influenced by person-centered and Jungian theories. I believe that my clients are essentially healthy and capable of creating their own solutions.

Dean Mattox, M.S., LPC Counselor

Whether you are looking to explore your experience or have specific mental health concerns, I want to center what matters to you.

Juliana Dewitt, M.S., LPC Counselor and BIPOC Specialist

My approach to therapy integrates person-centered and dialectical behavioral therapy. I strive to meet clients where they are in their day-to-day lives and guide them on their journey of healing.

Billie Watson, M.S., LPC-Associate Counselor

My approach to therapy is grounded in person-centered therapy. I believe that trust is essential in the therapeutic relationship and that clients have within them the capacity for self-growth.

Zuzi Gomez-Chang, M.S., LPC-Associate Veterans and Military Specialist; Supervised by Adam Metts, M.S., LPC-S

Counseling Center :: Lion House Calls

ONLINE COUNSELING

Receive Care Anywhere^*

You can access our counseling services face-to-face or from anywhere. Online or over the phone, our counselors are here for you. Schedule one-on-one appointments, participate in workshops or join a group counseling session remotely. As a student, our services are available to you at no cost, including:

New client appointments
Ongoing counseling appointments
Crisis triage
Drop-in hours
Psychiatric evaluation

Call 903.886.5145 to schedule an appointment

_{*You must currently be in the state of Texas to receive counseling services.}

Counseling Center:: Educational Outreach

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OUTREACH AND PREVENTION

educating our university

We are eager to share educational resources with your classroom or campus organization. We customize our outreach services to meet your specific group or classroom presentation needs. Frequent topics include:

Mental health and wellbeing
Resilience
Academic stressors
Creating boundaries and healthy relationships
Anxiety, social anxiety, and depression
Suicidal thoughts
Finding balance

Please request outreach events at least two weeks in advance to ensure our ability to accommodate your needs. Zuzi Gomez-Chang is available for any questions you have.

Request an Outreach Event

Counseling Center::JED Campus

JED Campus

A&M-Commerce is proud to partner with the JED Campus initiative.

JED Campus is a national program designed to ensure schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets by evaluating and strengthening their mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs. Offered by the JED Foundation, the program focuses on decreasing suicides, increasing help-seeking behavior and lowering substance abuse numbers.

Learn More About JED Campus

Counseling Center- Statement of Philosophy

About Us

Our Mission

Support. Connect. Empower.

We provide mental health services to assist in maximizing your potential for personal growth and academic success. We strive to complement the university’s academic mission by initiating interventions to promote a healthy campus environment and meet the psychological and educational needs of the university community. Our challenge is to nurture and support you while addressing the evolving issues and concerns ever-present in a diverse university community.

Our Vision

We will provide holistic, individualized mental health and wellness services operating from four pillars of service, including clinical services, outreach and prevention, consultation, and clinical training for future mental health professionals. With cultural humility, our purpose is to deliver innovative, empirically proven, trauma-informed support in support of a diverse student body.

We will provide holistic, individualized mental health and wellness services operating from four pillars: clinical services, outreach and prevention, consultation and as a training site for future mental health professionals. With cultural humility, our purpose is to deliver innovative, empirically proven, trauma-informed support as we serve a diverse student body.

Core Values

INTEGRITY AND ETHICS: We provide services based on the highest professional standards. We anchor our efforts in integrity, adhere to ethical expectations of conduct and safe-guard your therapeutic relationship and well-being. The cornerstone of our practice is maintaining the confidentiality of those we serve.
PROFESSIONALISM AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE: We pursue excellence as a guiding principle in our work. We strive to provide high quality, culturally competent, evidence-based programs and services in a proactive, timely and flexible manner. We are committed to remaining current in our practices by engaging in ongoing professional development.
DIGNITY AND RESPECT: We value the inherent worth and dignity of all people, honor the right and responsibility of individual choice, and respect and care for each other and those we serve.
DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: We serve as advocates for social justice, embracing and celebrating diversity. We support a campus culture that encourages safety, inclusiveness, respect and awareness. We enhance the campus climate by seeking new approaches and strategies that instill an inclusive university experience.
COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK: We seek to understand one another. We practice open, empathic and authentic communication and seek-out partnerships and opportunities for teamwork in support of enhanced services to students.
INNOVATION AND STEWARDSHIP: We strive to be thoughtful and responsible with resources by utilizing sustainable approaches and valuing creativity as a conduit to provide innovative services relevant to student needs.

Contact Us :: Counseling Center

We are Here to Help!

Nick P. Patras, Ph.D., LPC-S Director of the Counseling Center

Tina Yang, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist Associate Director of Clinical Services

Adam Metts, M.S., LPC-S Assistant Director of Training & Supervision

Dean Mattox, M.S., LPC Counselor

Juliana Dewitt, M.S., LPC Counselor and BIPOC Specialist

Billie Watson, M.S., LPC-Associate Counselor

Zuzi Gomez-Chang, M.S., LPC-Associate Veterans and Military Specialist; Supervised by Adam Metts, M.S., LPC-S

Matthew Richardson, PA-C Certified Physician Assistant

Jay Garrett, J.D. Assistant Professional Track Faculty

Bettie Kennedy Administrative Associate

Kristi Phillips, B.S., TX Teaching License Marketing and Administrative Associate

Counseling Center :: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Counseling Center be open during this time?

As the current pandemic related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, the Counseling Center is here for you. These are unprecedented times and there is ample anxiety and concern over this rapidly changing illness. The Counseling Center is currently open and utilizing distance counseling for clients for all services including crisis triage, drop-in hours, psychiatric evaluation and regular counseling appointments. If you are a current client, you and your provider will work out your appointment schedule. If you are a new client, you can schedule an online intake appointment by calling the Counseling Center at 903.886.5145.

The Counseling Center uses a HIPAA compliant platform to provide distance counseling and the Counseling Center staff has received the required additional training to be able to provide distance counseling within the State of Texas. Laws governing licensed clinical professionals prohibit the delivery of services outside of Texas. Watch this space as well as the Counseling Center website www.tamuc.edu/counsel for more information related to current services or distance counseling.