Counselor Education and Family Life Center

The Counselor Education and Family Life Center (CEFLC) is a training center for graduate students in the Department of Counseling and Human Services at St. Mary's University.

Quality counseling for individuals, couples and families is provided on a sliding scale. Clients receive the highest quality of services from clinicians-intraining under the supervision of University faculty. Spanish-speaking clinicians also are available upon request.

Quality counseling for individuals, couples, and families is provided by advanced graduate students from the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs (MFT master's and doctoral programs) and the Counseling programs (master's Clinical Mental Health Counseling and doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision programs).

Click here to see more about services available at the Counselor Education and Family Life Center.

Click here to read about the Counselor Education and Family Life Center's history.

The MFT programs at St. Mary's are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and the Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).

Click here for a copy of the Counselor Education and Family Life Center Intern Handbook

You can also download the brochure for the Counselor Education and Family Life Center (in English and Spanish) for redistribution.

COMMON ISSUES ADDRESSED

Daytime and evening appointments available:
Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Closed on holidays.
Call for an appointment at (210) 438-6411

Additional Services Available

Play Therapy
Play is a natural way for children both to learn from and communicate with adults. Research has shown that play is an essential part of child development. Through play, children can learn creativity, self-control, emotional expression, and social skills. There are many different therapeutic treatment modalities for children referred to as play therapy that are utilized by family therapists, social workers, counselors, and other mental health professionals. All of these methods use play as a way of engaging children in the therapeutic process. Also, because children learn and process experiences through play, play therapy is utilized to communicate with children and help them with a wide variety of issues.

Neurofeedback Therapy
Neurofeedback training (NFB) is a cutting-edge approach used to treat a wide variety of issues in adults and children, such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders. Operating somewhat like a video or computer game, NFB alters the client's brainwaves by rewarding the client with points, sounds, or visual images on the computer screen when "healthy" brainwaves are produced. Research has found NFB to be an effective treatment for many issues, especially when utilized along with psychotherapy. Call for more information to find out if NFB might be a helpful treatment.

Relationship Workshops
We offer two types of workshops for people in relationships. Both workshops are one Saturday for 8 hours (9-5). The workshops are available for a $20 donation, and participants receive a workbook to take with them. Snacks are provided, but lunch is "on your own." Both members of the couple should attend the entire workshop. Description of workshops:

• Development: These workshops are focused on new relationships, those that are in the building stages, maybe dating or engaged, maybe deciding whether to get married or whether to move in together. These workshops focus on building a strong foundation for the relationship.
• Enrichment: These workshops are for couples who have been together a longer period of time or have children who live with them. Couples may or may not be married, but have been living in a committed relationship. Workshops for these couples focus on strengthening the relationship and skills for solving problems that may have already developed.

For couples who are thinking of getting married, participants who complete either of these workshops will be able to waive the Texas marriage license fee ($60) for up to one year, and will also be able to waive the wait time to get married (72 hours). In order to qualify for the waivers, both members of the couple must attend the entire workshop.

Call the Counselor Education and Family Life Center at 210-438-6411 for workshop dates and to register.

Cost of Therapy Services

In order to accommodate the needs of clients with limited resources, the Counselor Education and Family Life Center offers high quality services on a sliding scale based on a client's household income and personal financial situation. Fees are determined when a client's first therapy session is scheduled.

Clients interested in scheduling an appointment can simply call the Counselor Education and Family Life Center (210-438-6411) and provide some basic information. Appointments can often be scheduled within one week, and sessions are conducted in a comfortable setting in a residential area near the campus of St. Mary's University.

Supervising Faculty

Laura Bryan, Ph.D., LMFT
Counselor Education and Family Life Center Clinical Administrator
Marriage and Family Therapy Internship Coordinator
(210) 438-6401

Carolyn Y. Tubbs, Ph.D., LMFT
Program Director for Marriage and Family Therapy
(210) 438-6400
ctubbs@stmarytx.edu

Dan A. Ratliff, Ph.D.
Marriage and Family Therapy Internship Coordinator
(210) 438-6400
dratliff@stmarytx.edu

Julie Anne Strentzsch, Ph.D., LPC-S
Program Director for Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Counselor Education and Supervision
Neurofeedback Coordinator
(210) 438-6400
jstrentzsch@stmarytx.edu

Melanie Harper, Ph.D., NCC, LPC
Counseling Internship Coordinator
(210) 438-6404
mharper@stmarytx.edu

Location

The Counselor Education and Family Life Center is located at 251 W. Ligustrum, just a few blocks from the St. Mary's University campus (between Bandera Road and Woodlawn Avenue). If you are coming from the front of the campus on Camino Santa Maria, turn left onto Woodlawn Avenue, and then turn right onto W. Ligustrum. The Counselor Education and Family Life Center building will be on the left side of the street. Parking is available in the back of the building.

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