We are enjoying getting to know our members through this question and answer format and would love to hear from you!  If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please email us at houstonlpcassociation@gmail.com.

This month's spotlight is on one of our members, Olarewaju Theresa Adeboye.  Read on to learn more about her!

Tell us a little about yourself

I have a BA in English/Education in Nigeria. Currently in a graduate program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling track at the University of Houston, Main Campus. I work as a GED Instructor at East Side University community learning center, Houston.

How long have you been a member of HLPCA and why did you join?

I joined this association June 2020 and as an avenue of network. I hope to connect with colleagues, grow professionally by sharing and learning from the experiences of members.

Are there other populations you would like to work with or specializations you would like to pursue?

I would like to work in outpatient facilities such as Community Mental Health Clinics, schools and private practices.

Tell us something about yourself other members may not know

I am from Edo State, Nigerian, West Africa. I am a Nun of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel.

Ashley Hamm, LPC, CCATP is a past-President of HLPCA. She did an interview on dealing with Covid-19 stress and anxiety. Click here to watch. It's about 11 minutes.  https://youtu.be/-N5sFPzTeGo 

Programming update:

The HLPCA August 2017 program focused on the Netflix fictional account of suicide and the drama "13 Reasons Why".   Almost 2 years later, the effect of the drama on teen suicide rates are now evident. Please click on this link to read a story posted just this week by NIH discussing the seeming connection between 13 Reason Why, the media and teen behavior.  https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/release-13-reasons-why-associated-increase-youth-suicide-rates

The article concludes with "The second season of “13 Reasons Why” was released in May 2018, and a third season is currently in production and is expected to be released sometime this year. The findings from this study should serve as a reminder to be mindful of the possible unintended impacts of the portrayal of suicide, and as a call to the entertainment industry and the media to use best practices when engaging with this topic."

It's time for our next installment of our member spotlight!  We are enjoying getting to know our members through this question and answer format and would love to hear from you!  If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please email us at houstonlpcassociation@gmail.com.

This month's spotlight is on one of our board members, Patti Lawlor.  Read on to learn more about her!

Tell us a little about yourself.

My undergraduate majors at the University of Delaware were Criminal Justice and Sociology with a Welfare Specialization. My first job was as a Child Counselor in a group home for teenage girls. What a wild 2 ½ years that was. Then I worked in social services for 10 years in Kansas.

In Corpus Christi, I worked with a population of GED and Del Mar College students. It was here I had my first real exposure to adults with mental illness and hospitalization, and I felt ill-prepared to help them. After we moved to Sugar Land, I decided to pursue a graduate degree in counseling.  I attended UH- Go Coogs, and after I received my Master’s, I worked 3 years at Texana MHMR as a child and youth therapist. I recently retired after working as a counselor at Wharton County Junior College for almost 19 years. Time has certainly flown!!

How long have you been a member of HLPCA and why did you join?

I have been a member of HLPCA for longer than I care to admit… but if you do the math, it’s almost 26 years!! I joined after an assignment in my first graduate class had me interview a counselor with an M. Ed. She was a member and the rest is history. I have been on the Board for most of those years, and recommend serving on the Board as a great way for networking, exploring program presenters and getting to know our HLPCA members better.

Are there other populations you would like to work with or specializations you would like to pursue?

Now that I’m retired, I’m not sure what my next phase of life will bring. I’ve always had an interest in Wellness topics, so maybe I’ll look into consulting or ??

Tell us something about yourself other members may not know.

My husband Dan and I are Fort Bend County Master Gardeners. We love plants and flowers that encourage visits by hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds. We are also members of the Houston Rose Society. We crewed for hot air balloons for many years, and helped with the initial inflation of the Space Shuttle hot air balloon INSIDE the Astrodome!!

I’m stealing Janet’s line…I love the ASTROS too!     

If you have any questions or ideas to improve YOUR HLPCA, please contact me at PLawlorLPC2018@gmail.com      

We had a fantastic time mingling and celebrating the holidays with our members last month!  We enjoyed delicious bites and drinks at Franks Americana Revival, and a few lucky members went home with some door prizes!

Here are a few photos from the event:

It's time for our next installment our new member spotlight!  We are enjoying getting to know our members through this question and answer format and would love to hear from you!  If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please email us at houstonlpcassociation@gmail.com.

This month's spotlight is on one of our board members, Janet Sullivan.  Read on to learn more about her!

Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have any special license(s) or certification(s)?

We moved here from Chicago 5 years ago and I have been licensed in Texas as an LPC since 2015. I am also licensed in Illinois as an LCPC and in Minnesota as a Licensed Psychologist. In 2015, I started a solo private practice inside the loop near Memorial Park. I’ve worked in the mental health field for over 25 years in many different settings. I’ve worked with adolescents, adults and families most of my career. Today, I work primarily with adults, individually and as couples. Most of my work focuses on stress management, coping with anxiety and depression, and improving relationships.

How long have you been a member of HLPCA and why did you join?

I joined HLPCA in 2014 shortly after moving to Houston. My primary goal was to network with other professionals; hoping to learn as much as I could about becoming licensed in Texas and starting a private practice in Houston. The very first meeting I attended was the Intern Welcome and Networking event which was awesome!

I’ve been an HLPCA Board member for 3 years. I volunteered on the Social Committee for a year and became Social Committee Chair the following year. I was Chair of the Bylaws Committee this year. I am currently serving as Secretary. This is a great group of people and I encourage everyone to take a turn serving on the Board, if possible.

Are there other populations you would like to work with or specializations you would like to pursue?

I am interested in becoming a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and hope to complete training in “Applied Neuroscience for Treating Anxiety, Panic and Worry” this fall or spring.

Tell us something about yourself other members may not know.

My first job out of grad school was working in a residential treatment program for male adolescent sex offenders where I worked for over 12 years, both residential and outpatient. I supervised a post adoption family counseling program in Chicago for 9 years.

I love the ASTROS!

To connect with Janet, message her on her HLPCA directory profile or by visiting her website at https://www.sullivanhoustoncounselor.com/

It's time for our second installment our new member spotlight!  We would love to get to know our members through this question and answer format.  If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please email us at houstonlpcassociation@gmail.com.

This month's spotlight is on one of our board members, Ashley Hamm.  Read on to learn more about her!

Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have any special license(s) or certification(s)?

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in the Heights neighborhood.  At my practice I see adults for counseling for concerns including stress, anxiety, burnout, and life transitions.  I also work part-time as a mobile assessor for Westpark Springs Hospital.

Prior to opening my practice, I was a counselor for a hospital employee wellness program.  I have also worked in a partial hospitalization program, at a college counseling center, and at a crisis hotline.

I am also certified as a Registered Health Coach.  I enjoy helping people change their habits for the better through health coaching!

How long have you been a member of HLPCA and why did you join?

I have been a member of HLPCA since 2011. I joined because I wanted to connect with other counselors.  As a student, I was hoping to learn more about what life is like after graduation.  I also love learning and enjoyed coming to the CEU presentations long before I needed them!

I have been active on the board since 2012 when I became Communications Chair.  I have served in several roles including President.  Right now I am on the communications committee helping to manage the website.

Are there other populations you would like to work with or specializations you would like to pursue?

I'm really interested in helping people impacted by compassion fatigue.  Compassion fatigue is a particular type of chronic stress that comes with working with people who are physically or emotionally suffering.  I became interested in this when I was counseling hospital employees in my previous job.  I think it's an under-recognized problem among several industries (including our own!)

As far as specializations, I love Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and I am planning on attending a multi-day training in November to advance my knowledge of that modality.  I have attended a few trainings on Compassion Focused Therapy and would love to continue to learn more about it.  I also have my eye on Somatic Experiencing and Internal Family Systems therapies - those are therapies that have really resonated with me as I've learned more about them.

Tell us something about yourself other members may not know.

I fell in love with running a few years ago and I'm training to run my 3rd marathon in December.  I also have a beautiful lazy cat who helps me slow down and focus on self-care!

To connect with Ashley, message her on her HLPCA directory profile or by visiting her website!

Join us for a fun time raising money and connecting with each other at the Walk for Mental Health Awareness on October 6!  Register now to start raising money and walk with us on October 6!  Plus, if you raise $100 or more, you'll get a free HLPCA t-shirt!!

We are participating for our 4th year and we have set a goal of $1000 which will be donated to the Fort Bend Clubhouse.  HLPCA is also sponsoring a tent at the Walk and we will provide information about mental health and hand out some freebies.  Please consider registering to walk and join our Team.  If you cannot participate in the Walk, please consider making a donation to our Team to help us reach our $1000 goal!

The Walk for Mental Health Awareness – Houston is a community based event that helps raise awareness and funding for Greater Houston area non-profit agencies and programs that provide mental health services; creating an environment for our positive public dialogue.

There are two options to participate, donating to our team, or walking/fundraising, see below for instructions on how to get involved:

Instructions for donating:

Click on the link below to make a donation to the HLPCA Team.  Thank you for all your support!

https://my.reason2race.com/HLPCA/TheWalkHouston2018

Instructions for walking and fundraising:

Registering for the walk requires registering in two places.

1. First you’ll register on The Driven site, where you’ll pay $25.  This allows you to participate in The Walk and guarantees your free t-shirt.  

Register here:  https://thedriven.net/event.race_reg2/eid/9757016789/rid/15478

2.       Second you’ll register on Reason 2 Race.  This will create your fundraising profile.  Make sure you select "HLPCA - Fort Bend Clubhouse" to join our team!

Register here: https://my.reason2race.com/account/register/thehoustonwalk/TheWalkHouston2018

3.       Once you’ve registered in both places you are all set to raise money and walk with us on October 6!  We’ll be in touch with all our teammates closer to the walk to arrange meeting up.

 

Location: Stude Park – 1031 Stude St., Houston, Texas 77007

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2018

Registration at 7:00 A.M.

Walk starts at 8:00 A.M.

Mental Health Expo and door prizes start at 9:30 A.M.

Finished by 11 A.M.

If you have any questions or have any trouble signing up, please contact Janet Sullivan at jahs999@gmail.com.  Thank you so much for your support!

Introducing a new member feature, our member spotlight!  We would love to get to know our members through this question and answer format.  If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please email us at houstonlpcassociation@gmail.com.

Our first spotlight is on one of our board members, Bjana Adams.  Read on to learn more about her!

Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have any special license(s) or certification(s)?

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Sex Offender Treatment Provider.  I have worked with several populations to include, children, individuals infected with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS, and clients within a partial hospitalization program.

My most recent population was sex offenders. For nearly seven years I worked with men and women serving sentences in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for committing sex crimes. I was also contracted to provide treatment and assessment to sex offenders living in the community on parole or probation.

Now, my most rewarding work is as mom to my seven-month old daughter.

How long have you been a member of HLPCA and why did you join?

I have been a member of HLPCA since October 2015. I joined because I wanted to be part of a professional organization for mental health counselors with whom I could network. It was also helpful that CEU's were offered monthly.

Shortly after joining I became active on the Board of Directors. I have held the positions of Communications Chair and Social Chair.

Are there other populations you would like to work with or specializations you would like to pursue?

Yes, I have a few different populations of interest. I'm interested in working with survivors of sexual assault (as I've worked with the perpetrators) and survivors of domestic violence. I'm also interested in teaching at the community college level and have also considered working as a counselor at the college level. I have many other interests!

Tell us something about yourself other members may not know.

As a member of Toastmasters International, a world leader in communication and leadership development, I have earned the distinction of Competent Communicator. Also, although I haven’t had much time for it lately, I really enjoy West Coast Swing dancing.

To connect with Bjana, message her on her HLPCA directory profile!

Every year our board gathers to thank those who served on the previous year and welcome incoming board and committee members.  Usually we have this dinner in the summer, but thanks to our busy schedules and Hurricane Harvey, we did not meet until December.  We enjoyed dinner and drinks at Cane Russo.  The 2016-2017 board honored our President for that term, Patti Lawlor, for her incredible service with an engraved clock.

If you would like to learn more about our board and how you can get involved, visit our board page.  We'd love to have your help.