Today@Sam Article

Here to Help: Jack Staggs Counseling Clinic

Aug. 29, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

As it approaches its 20-year anniversary, Sam Houston State University’s Jack Staggs Counseling Clinics are gearing up for a new semester of training counselor education students while addressing the mental healthcare needs of Huntsville and The Woodlands.

Named after retired Professor Emeritus Jack Staggs, the clinics carry on the work he started during his 34-year tenure leading the education department. After becoming an SHSU faculty member in 1959, he combined courses in developmental psychology with his department to eventually create a counselor education program. Now, the clinics that bear his name serve as proving ground for post-graduate students in the counselor education program and as a safe space for members of the Bearkat community to take care of their mental health.

Operating on a semester-to-semester basis, the clinics offer adolescent, couple, family, group and individual counseling as well as play and sand tray therapy. These services are offered for free to SHSU students, faculty, staff and community members, with no insurance check required. The quality of the care is guaranteed thanks to the highly skilled faculty members overseeing the sessions. 

“Our counselors-in-training are in that advanced stage where they’re ready to see real clients, they’re going to be able to help you and they’re being closely supervised,” said Felicia Mirghassemi, a licensed professional counselor and assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education. “So this is really an opportunity for people to get free counseling and for it to be a really quality service for them.”

To Mirghassemi, the clinics offer a win-win scenario for those visiting and the counselors-in-training, especially for the students who reach out for support. She acknowledges the struggles that freshmen face as they take on the responsibilities that come with adult life, potentially far from their support system. 

“I think that starting college is such a season of change. You’re discovering who you are as an adult and being on your own while also making these new connections, friendships and relationships.” Mirghassemi said. “I think that having someone that you can talk to, just to process all of the change that’s going on is a really great way for you to organize your thoughts, process your emotions and make progress toward goals. In these sessions, we like to ask the students, ‘How can we help you flourish?’” 

For Bearkats needing an emotional boost, the clinics are here to uplift them. Mirghassemi is a firm believer in the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and encourages people to reach out as soon as they begin to notice stress weighing on them or their mental health beginning to decline.

“If we’re regularly doing a mental wellness check-in, then we’re able to make sure that we have all of the resources, coping strategies and tools we need,” Mirghassemi said. “Because if we wait until life throws too many curveballs at us then it can be really challenging for us to cope in that moment of stress.” 

Those interested in utilizing the clinics’ services undergo a brief phone screening to ensure the counselors-in-training will be able to address their needs. While they are capable of addressing issues ranging from stress, anxiety, loneliness and more, they are not able to diagnose, prescribe medication or provide crisis services. In cases where crisis or psychiatric assistance is needed, visitors will be referred to local healthcare partners that offer sliding scale pricing and low-cost care.

The Jack Staggs Counseling Clinics have their latest batch of counselors-in-training ready to help people start their therapy journeys this fall. Space is limited and those interested are encouraged to call soon. To schedule an appointment with the Huntsville clinic, call 936.294.1121, for an appointment at the Conroe/The Woodlands clinic, call 936.202.5012.

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