Leah Alviar

My name is Leah Alviar and I would like to share a little bit about myself with you.  Degrees, Certifications, and Professional Experience:  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.   I am both a Licensed Professional Counselor and certified professional school counselor with over 22 years of counseling experience.  I 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.   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 as the 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.  I have over 15 years’ experience teaching university students in both the online and face-to-face environments and have authored courses and taught classes at the undergraduate and graduate level for over 17 years. 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.  I am solution-focused and client-centered.  I feel the counselor serves as the guide and facilitator for the clients as they move through their journey.  I use a humanistic approach to counseling, but also integrate cognitive behavior therapy techniques as deemed appropriate.  I 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 25 years and together we have three amazing sons.  We enjoy fishing, being outdoors, reading, traveling, and catching the latest movie together as a family.  When practicing self-care, I enjoy ultrarunning, reading, skydiving and quilting.