UH-Victoria

Counseling Center

University Counseling Center

Staff

UCC staff understands that psychological adjustment is connected to the health of the whole person-including the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well being of the individual. UCC offers a variety of psychological services including counseling/psychotherapy, psychological education, testing and assessment. Staff clinicians may use testing and assessment to assist in diagnosis, treatment planning, and to increase the helpfulness of our therapy, short-term and episodic.

Chuy Aros, Ph.D.
Counseling Psychologist
University Counseling Center, UH Victoria Rm 132, 361-570-4186
arosj@uhv.edu

Dr Aros currently is founding director and counselor for the University of Houston Victoria . Before assuming this post, he served as director of the student counseling and disability service units at Texas A&M International University, as graduate program director of counseling and associate professor at St Mary’s College of California, and as a tenured associate professor of counseling at the University of Guam. Dr Aros currently is on the National Latino/a Psychological Association liaison to Helping Hands, Helping Minds project, a coalition that coordinates and serves racial, cultural and linguistic minority emergency response and preparedness needs in major US disasters.

Recently, Dr. Aros served as a former committee chair on diversity for the Association of University & College Counseling Center Directors, the accreditation review board for the International Association Counseling Services and sundry other capacities in related organizations. He also serves on the governing board for the Association of University & College Counseling Center Directors. Dr Aros has authored or co-authored approximately 46 publications, 10 grants, 1 memorandum of understanding between two Texas universities for counseling center services, and 1 mutual aid compact within Texas to better provide services in system counseling centers following a major crisis.

He is a licensed psychologist in Texas, nationally registered as Health Service Provider in Psychology; and listed on the National Provider Index. At present, Dr Aros has approximately 7440 hours of postdoctoral experience running university counseling centers, 3030 hours of volunteer clinical administrative experience; and, 19,900 hours of faculty experience in counseling and psychology on the Eastern and Western hemispheres for a running total of 47,000 professional hours logged since 1995.

Elena M. Torres, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Victim Advocate, UHV Victim Intervention & Prevention (VIP) Program
University Counseling Center, UH Victoria Rm 132, West Bldg (Victoria) 361-570-4141
torresem@uhv.edu

Elena grew up in various Latin American countries, attending bilingual schools before coming to the US for her higher education. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1981. Elena attended Indiana University School of Social Work in Indianapolis and graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Work in 1989. She moved to Wichita Falls, Texas and worked at a couple of inpatient facilities assisting adults and adolescents with psychiatric problems and with drug and alcohol issues. Elena then spent three years working for the US Air Force in a program where she provided intervention and counseling services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

In 1994 Elena moved to Victoria, worked as a medical social worker for two years, and then went into private practice at New Beginnings Counseling Clinic, where she developed a reputation for very effective work with victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. After this Elena worked in several VISD elementary schools to help at-risk children, and was hired by Mid-Coast Family Services in 2001 to do drug and alcohol intervention for adolescents in several high schools. She was promoted to Director of Journey to Recovery, a women’s outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program, and in 2003 was put in charge of the Family Violence Program, where she remained until 2010. Then Elena worked at Crown Hospice in Victoria as a medical social worker. She is now the UHV Victim Advocate, providing intervention and prevention services for students who are affected by the crimes of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Hege Riise, Ph.D.
Counseling Psychologist
University Counseling Center, UH Victoria
Rm 132, West Bldg (Victoria) 361-570-4194
riiseh@uhv.edu

Hege grew up in Norway and came to the US as an exchange student in high school and later for college. She attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Master’s and doctoral degrees in Adult Clinical Psychology. Hege completed her psychology internship at New Mexico State University Counseling Center and her post-doctoral fellowship at Arizona State University Counseling Services. Hege recently moved to Victoria and started working at UHV Counseling Center in November 2012, where she provides counseling, consultation and outreach services to UHV students.

Hege has a background working with a wide range of concerns. Her professional interests and specialties include anxiety and mood disorders, trauma resolution, multicultural issues, substance use concerns, LGBTQA issues, interpersonal concerns, body image and eating concerns, and clinical supervision. She takes an integrative approach to her work using both interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral approaches.

Francis Manning
Senior Secretary
University Counseling Center, UH Victoria
Rm 132, West Bldg (Victoria) 361-570-4135
manningf@uhv.edu

Francis is the Senior Secretary for the UHV Counseling Center. She joined in January of 2013.

Prior to her employment at UHV, Francis served as a Human Resource Specialist with the United States Army. Francis has extensive experience in the fields of administration, secretarial and customer service.