Dr. Richard A. Martinez is a psychologist at the Counseling Center and has served as the Educational Programming and Outreach Coordinator for the past three years. He has experience at multiple universities and has been working with college students to improve their mental health for 13 years.
In his free time, you can find Dr. Martinez outside in his garden harvesting fresh fruits and veggies including green chilis, eggplant, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Read the interview below to learn how the Counseling Center is supporting the mental health of the Bobcat community.
Q: What is the counseling center’s mission in regard to supporting mental health?
A: We have multiple ways to address mental health big picture. One of our overarching goals is to help students be the best versions of themselves academically, and mental health is a big part of that. We support students not just through crisis support or individual & group therapy, but we also go out and do preventative work. We go to classrooms, student orgs, and offer online programming. We host workshops that teach students practical skills that they can use in their everyday life, not just at school. We want people to learn how to recognize and manage early symptoms of stress or anxiety before it escalates. Another thing we make efforts to do is empower and educate other people outside of the Counseling Center who deal with students like faculty and staff. We do trainings for them to help them be prepared as best they can to support students who may be distressed.
Q: Why is maintaining a #StigmaFreeTXST important? How does the Counseling Center contribute to this Stigma-Free culture?
A: It’s important because the longer we wait and just sit with a problem, the bigger it often becomes. Stigma is a big reason why people avoid seeking help. Getting rid of the stigma will help people feel more comfortable reaching out early to not only a professional counselor or therapist, but even to just their social support system like family, friends, and coworkers. There’s a lot of misinformation out there as well that contributes to the stigma, so that’s another thing we try to combat with our educational outreach and programming. Many people grew up with certain values or beliefs that might’ve contributed to the stigma, so we try our best to just meet students where they’re at and encourage them to use us a safe space.
Q: What’s the best way for students to make an appointment at the Counseling Center?
A: There’s a couple of different ways. For non-crisis appointments, the best way is to go to our website to fill out paperwork and book an appointment all online. But students can also call us or walk in to schedule an appointment as well.
Q: What resources does the counseling center have for Faculty and Staff?
A: We can serve as consultants for Faculty and Staff. If they see something happening in the classroom or in their interactions with students and need advice on how to deal with students experiencing mental health concerns, they can always pick up the phone and give us a call. We can walk through the situation with them to see what’s going on and we can coach them on what best practices they could use to handle it. We also have a lot of self-help resources available for non-students. Kongito’s “At-Risk” program helps train faculty and staff on how to recognize the signs that a student is having a crisis. Staff can also utilize Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), a self-help website and app. We also have on-demand mental wellness videos that anyone can use and will be launching mindfulness workshops in the fall. I encourage faculty and staff to check out our website to see all the resources we offer.
What immediate help is available to a student who is experiencing an acute psychological crisis?
Visit the Counseling Center’s Crisis information website for resources including on-campus and off-campus crisis hotlines.