Leah Alviar

My name is Leah Alviar and I would like to share a little bit about myself with you.u00a0 Degrees, Certifications, and Professional Experience:u00a0 Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from the University of the Incarnate Word M.A. in Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio B.S. in Generic Special Education from Our Lady of the Lake University. u00a0 I am both a Licensed Professional Counselor and certified professional school counselor with over 22u00a0years of counseling experience. u00a0I have held leadership roles in local, regional, and state counseling organizations, am a published author, present at local, state, and national conferences and served as editor for Ph.D. student dissertations. u00a0 Currently I am a Senior Director at the University of the Incarnate Word and teach graduate counseling courses as well as undergraduate prep courses at various universities. I previously served asu00a0the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, an instructional designer, adjunct professor for the M.A. in Counseling program, Director of Field Experience, and assistant professor of education at OLLU, as well as professional school counselor in various ISDs in San Antonio. u00a0I have over 15u00a0years’ experience teaching university students in both the online and face-to-faceu00a0environments and have authored courses and taught classes at the undergraduate and graduate level for over 17u00a0years. Theoretical Perspective: Over the course of my counseling career, I have worked with people who were anxious, depressed, stressed, and simply burned out; I have helped adolescents and couples who have struggled with communication issues and relationship barriers; I have worked with families regarding parenting, abuse, grief, and death; and I have helped individuals with career planning, self-esteem building, goal setting, and wellness strategies to cope with major life changes. Throughout my work, I have used many techniques and applied multiple theories, as each person is as unique as the theories and techniques. u00a0I am solution-focused and client-centered. u00a0I feel the counselor serves as the guide and facilitator for the clients as they moveu00a0through their journey. u00a0I use au00a0humanistic approach to counseling, but also integrate cognitive behavior therapy techniques as deemed appropriate. u00a0I adapt my counseling strategies to meet the needs of the client. A Little About Me: I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for almost 25u00a0years and together we have three amazing sons.u00a0 We enjoy fishing, being outdoors, reading, traveling, and catching the latest movie together as a family.u00a0 When practicing self-care, Iu00a0enjoy ultrarunning, reading, skydiving and quilting.u00a0u00a0