奥卡纳被评为年度最佳辅导员

As a student, Rhonda O'Cana came to 帕洛阿尔托学院 to pursue her dream of becoming a counselor. Starting a private practice after graduating, O'Cana knew that if a counseling opportunity ever opened at 帕洛阿尔托学院, 她会渴望回来的.

“帕洛阿尔托大学给了我第二次机会. I see a lot of students here who are starting with a new beginning – this is their chance,奥卡纳说. "You can start all over once you're in college. It's nice to be in on that piece of their journey."

O'Cana returned to the 大学 in 2015 to lead a dedicated personal counseling office, which would be housed at the college's newly developed S.H.A.R.E. Center.

"Ms. O'Cana [arrived to the] 大学 with a vision, 令人难以置信的知识, 激情, 最重要的是, 学生关注,凯瑟琳·多斯说, 学生成功主任. "The Office of Personal Counseling has become so much more than what anyone envisioned when this journey began just three years ago, 而这完全是因为. O'Cana和她的领导."

O'Cana's three years of hard work paid off this fall, as she was named 2017-2018 Outstanding 大学 Counselor at the 2018 Texas 大学 Counseling Association (TCCA) luncheon during the Texas Counseling Association (TCA) Growth Conference.

"It's really meaningful to me because I feel like this is my calling, to be here with this population in particular,奥卡纳说. "It's a special atmosphere here [at 帕洛阿尔托学院], so to be commended for something that's so important to me is pretty cool."

O'Cana was selected for the award based on providing holistic approaches to student support, 实施咨询最佳实践, being actively engaged with professional agencies, and providing clinical supervision and training of LPC interns and graduate students.

She played a crucial role in bringing the Healthy Minds Study to the 大学 in spring 2018, which is the national benchmark assessment of college students' mental health and wellness. O'Cana is actively working to tear down the negative perception of mental health care by visiting classrooms and hosting group sessions to make mental health a regular conversation.

"You don't have to have a mental health disorder to come talk to us. 你可以直接进来发泄,奥卡纳说, adding that she hopes the mental health programs she and her team are implementing end up "normalizing it for [students]. It doesn't necessarily have to be a diagnosis."

In addition to her efforts in mental health awareness, O'Cana has created innovative programming in collaboration with faculty, 比如《十大网赌正规网址官网》这个节目. She also uses counseling techniques such as positive psychology as a sort of preventative care to help students overcome the challenges they face in school and life.

"Our students overcome tremendous obstacles just to get here. 他们有这种独特的动力, and a lot of times they just need a little bit of encouragement,奥卡纳说. "Being able to help with the little things they need at that moment is a good opportunity."

通过她的倡导和努力, Counseling Services at 帕洛阿尔托学院 has grown to include new opportunities, 合作伙伴关系, 最近, an opportunity for a new second full-time counselor position. Her previous knowledge as a private-practice Licensed Professional Counselor, now coupled with her continual consultation and treatment with students, assure she is continuing to foster developmental opportunities that benefit her institution and clients. Despite all her achievements in building the program, O'Cana says she was humbled to receive the statewide award.

"I was just so humbled because I know how talented and dedicated the other counselors [in the state] are,奥卡纳说. "Just to be included in that group ¬– I felt really blown away by it."

To learn more about Counseling Services at 帕洛阿尔托 Colege, visit 阿拉莫.edu/pac/share.