Dr. Amir Abbassi,
Associate Professor
Director of Training & Placement
Phone: 903-468-3272
E-mail: amir_abbassi@tamu-Commerce.edu

Dr. Amir Abbassi, joined the faculty in 2001. Dr. Abbassi's clinical background includes work with adolescents, adults, couples, and families and he was a college counselor for 15 years before joining the Department. Dr. Abbassi is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Board-Approved Supervisor in Texas. He is currently member of American Counseling Association, clinical member of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and member of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA). He is the past president of Texas College Counseling Association and currently is serving as member of Communication Committee of TCA and as the secretary for Texas Association for Counselor Educator and Supervisor (TACES). His primary research interests include family violence, communication in marriage, anxiety, depression and suicide. In the department he frequently teaches the clinical courses, introduction to the counseling profession, marriage and family counseling, group counseling, advanced theories, and research. Website

Dr. Stephen A. Armstrong,
Doctoral Program Coordinator
Doctoral Admissions Coordinator
Associate Professor
Phone: 214-324-0644
E-mail: Steve_Armstrong@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Stephen A. Armstrong joined the faculty in 2002. He has been a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas for 25 years and is a Board Approved Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Dr. Armstrong's clinical background includes work in community agencies, private practice, and school counseling. He was a school counselor for 11 years and has been in private practice for 18 years. He has extensive training in Gestalt therapy, play therapy, and expressive art therapy. Dr. Armstrong has served as the editor of the International Journal of Play Therapy. His primary research interests include school-based interventions, play and sandtray therapy, group counseling, and grief. His publications include a new book, Sandtray Therapy: A Humanistic Approach. In the department he most frequently teaches supervision, play therapy courses, clinical courses and human development. Website

Dr. Sam Bore
Assistant Professor
Department of Counseling
Sam_Bore@tamu-commerce.edu
903-886-5142

Dr. Samuel K. Bore joined the faculty in fall of 2008. Before joining the faculty, Dr. Bore was a school counselor for eight years and his clinical background includes work with children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Bore is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a member of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA). He has extensive group work experience with adolescents and parents. Dr. Bore’s primary research interest include self-injury among adolescents, group work in schools, school counselors’ leadership role in schools, and multicultural and diversity issues. He teaches the school counseling courses, practicum, internship, multicultural and diversity, and counseling theories and techniques. Website

Dr. Linda Ball,
Assistant Professor
Phone: 903-886-5649
E-mail: Linda_Ball@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Linda Ball, joined the faculty in 1993 after a long career in the private sector. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor, and a Board-Approved Supervisor in Texas. She has extensive experience in a variety of mental health settings, from inpatient acute psychiatric care to residential care, working with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing psychiatric and addiction concerns. She currently serves as a Texas Counseling Association senator (representing the Texas Association of Marriage and Family Counselors) and chairs the Texas Counseling Association Ethics Committee. Her research interest includes outcome clinical research and its relationship to supervision and the developing counseling professional and the relationship among ethical conduct, moral development and spirituality. Within the Department, she serves as the Director of the Community Counseling Center, coordinator of doctoral internship, and frequently teaches community counseling and clinical courses. Dr. Ball chairs several doctoral dissertation committees. Website

Dr. Stephen Freeman,
Professor
Phone: 903-886-5613
E-mail: Stephen_Freeman@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Stephen Freeman,joined the faculty in 2004. Dr. Freeman's clinical background includes psychiatric nursing, head injury rehabilitation, mental health counseling, and university teaching. He is a member of the American Counseling Association. Dr. Freeman has extensive training as an existential counselor and is a diplomat of the Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. Dr. Freeman is the author of numerous publications including two books: Ethics: An Introduction to Philosophy and Practice and Grief and Loss: Understanding the Journey. His current research interests are applied ethics in the behavioral sciences and bereavement. Website

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks,
Student Affairs Coordinator
Assistant Professor
Phone: 903-886-5632
E-mail: LaVelle_Hendricks@TAMU-commerce.edu

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, joined the faculty in 2001. He has been involved in higher education and counselor education for 17 years. Dr. Hendricks’s background is in student affairs in higher education, including assistant director of a student center, director of student activities, associate dean of students and director of special programs. He is extensively involved in civic and community affairs including serving on the Board of Directors of the Commerce Habitat for Humanity, Board of Directors for the Northeast Drug and Alcohol Council, Board of Directors of the Northeast Texas Choral Society, Board of Trustees for Hopkins County Unity Among People. Dr. Hendricks has helped to develop tutorial programs for elementary and middle schools and is founder and director of “the Unfinished Agenda.” His professional membership includes the Texas Counseling Association, N.A.A.C.P., Southern Association for College Student Affairs, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. His primary areas of research are multicultural education and the contemporary college student. In the department Dr. Hendricks usually teaches courses in student affairs, counseling diverse populations, and introduction to the counseling profession. Website

Dr. Richard Lampe,
Professor
Phone: 903-886-5631
E-mail: Richard_Lampe@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Richard Lampe joined the faculty in 1987. He has been a counselor educator since 1977. Dr. Lampe's background is in high school counseling and he is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. He has previously served as president of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA), chair of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Southern Region, ACA member of the ACA Governing Council , and member of the ACA Executive Committee. Dr. Lampe chaired the state committee (TCA) that developed the Texas Evaluation Model for Professional School Counselors (both editions). Dr. Lampe's current research interests are in the areas of school counselor roles and performance evaluation. In the department, he most frequently teaches courses in assessment and school counseling, chairs several doctoral dissertation committees, and serves as the department liaison to the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Website

Dr. Kathryn A. Oden,
Community Counseling Coordinator
Assistant Professor
Phone: 903-886-5637
E-mail: Kathy_Oden@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Kathryn Oden joined the faculty in the fall of 2006. Dr. Oden is a Licensed Professional Counselor and her clinical background includes work with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. She has extensive training in experiential counseling techniques and utilizing mindfulness in the therapeutic process. She has taught all levels of clinical courses including Counseling Techniques, Pre-Practicum, Practicum, and Internship. She has also taught Play Therapy, Assessment, Abnormal Human Behavior, Ethics, and Crisis Intervention. Dr. Oden worked in private practice as an LPC for ten years and as a counselor at a Hospice for six years. Her research interests include the role of forgiveness in the therapeutic process, being present in the therapeutic relationship, and methods of effective counseling and supervision. Website

Dr. Chester R. Robinson,
Associate Professor
Phone: 903-886-5633
E-mail: Chester_Robinson@tamu-commerce.edu

Dr. Chester R. Robinson, joined the faculty in 1995 after earning his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Dr. Robinson worked in college student services, including residence life, student activities, financial aid, admissions, registration, and orientation at both 4-year and community colleges. He holds the Nationally Certified Counselor designation. Dr. Robinson currently serves as the President of the American College Counseling Association and has served ACCA in the past as Treasurer and Media Chair. He is also serving his sixth year on the Board of Directors for the Texas Counseling Association. Dr. Robinson is currently the managing editor the Journal of Professional Counseling: Theory, Research, and Practice and will assume the executive editorship of that journal in July 2004. He has served previously on the editorial board of the Journal of College Counseling and as the newsletter editor for the Texas College Counseling Association. Dr. Robinson most recent publications address ADD/ADHD issues among working adults and retirement adjustment. His primary teaching assignment is career development, but he occasionally teaches counseling theories, appraisal and assessment, student development, practicum, and internship. Website

Dr. Carmen Salazar,
Associate Professor
Phone: 903-886-5634
E-mail: Carmen_Salazar@TAMU-commerce.edu

Dr. Carmen Salazar, Associate Professor, joined the faculty at A&M Commerce in 1999, after earning her doctorate in counseling with emphasis in Gender and Ethnic Research from University of New Mexico. From 1996-1999 she was an instructor in the Women Studies program at University of New Mexico, one of the oldest women's studies programs in the country. Dr. Salazar, a Nationally Certified Counselor, had extensive experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Mexico, working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, and home-bound elderly clients. She is active in the ACA Multiracial/Ethnic Concerns in Counseling Interest Network, and has served as the ASGW Human Rights and Diversity Committee co-chair since 2003. A founding member of Counselors for Social Justice, a division of ACA, she served as Treasurer from 2003-2005. She serves on the ACA Editorial Advisory Board (2006-2010) and is an editorial board member of two ACA division journals, the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology (2007-2010), and the Journal for Specialists in Group Work (2007-2010). She served on the editorial board of the Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, from 2001 to 2005. Her research, publications, and national presentations focus on multiculturalism and diversity, and gender issues. In the counseling department Dr. Salazar frequently teaches group dynamics, diversity courses, research applications, and theories, at the Master's and doctoral level. Website

Dr. Chris Simpson,
Assistant Professor
Phone: 903-886-5783
E-mail: Chris_Simpson@TAMU-commerce.edu

Dr. Chris Simpson, joined the faculty in 2005. He has practiced in community agencies since 1998. Dr. Simpson has worked with a variety of populations including: persons recovering from chemical dependency, theft intervention, self-injurious behavior, and grief recovery. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). He has been trained in Gestalt therapy and play and activity therapy. In his private practice, Dr. Simpson works predominantly with children and adolescents using play and activity therapy and expressive arts interventions such as sandtray therapy . He is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Specialists in Group Work, the American School Counselor Association, and Texas Counseling Association. Dr. Simpson's primary research interests are play and activity therapy, group counseling, grief recovery with children, and self-injurious behavior. He is currently involved in research studies on self-injurious behavior in secondary school settings and the use of camp experiences in grief work with children. He taught previously at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California and as an adjunct for the University of North Texas and TAMU-C. In the department, Dr. Simpson has taught or currently teaches group counseling, child and adolescent related coursework, and the clinical courses. Website