PERSONAL  MATTERS

BY THERESA PRESSWOOD

By 1991, 17-year-old Dania Eldandashly had seen more than her share of tragedy during a lifetime growing up in war-torn Lebanon. Losing her mother to cancer that same year was yet another cause for emotional distress. Someone with less fortitude might have faltered, but not Eldandashly.

            "I don't like to see myself as a victim," she says. Not letting life's challenges get in her way, she went on to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1995 and a teaching diploma in special education in 1996 from the Amer­ican University of Beirut, Lebanon, and a master's degree in near eastern studies in 2001 from New York Uni­versity. She anticipates grad­uating with a masters degree in clinical psychology from UHCL in December 2006.

            "I chose psychology for many reasons. Initially, I wanted to study psychology to help families of terminally ill patients cope with their emotional distress. I've al­ways been very interested in the human condition, in people, in how they think, feel, behave, protect themselves psychologically, and how people survive tragedies," says the 32-year-old Eldandashly, now living in Houston, Texas, with her hus­band and their three-year-old son. "Then, I taught special education for a year and after that year, I realized that the emotional aspect of the human being is what interests me most. I realized that I prefer counseling over teaching."

            Eldandashly was able to put that realiza­tion to the test by counseling clients during spring 2006 at the UHCL Psychological Services Clinic, which serves as a training site for graduate students in the university's clinical psychology, family therapy and school psychology programs. Working under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty, students such as Eldandashly provide coun­seling and assessment services to individuals, couples, families and groups.

            "My experience at UHCL has been very rewarding," says Eldandashly. "I really enjoyed my experience at the clinic, because we got to see real clients for the very first time. Dealing with clients directly, observing my classmates interacting with their own clients, and the exchange of feedback and ideas about the therapy ses­sions with our supervisor and a small group of stu­dents was a great learning experience for me. Besides, the population we worked with was very diverse. We counseled people of different races and ages."

            Ray Pledger, lecturer in psychology and director of the UHCL Psychological Services Clinic, adds, "The clinic provides excellent training for our professional psychology graduate stu­dents and offers a beneficial service to the community. Depression, stress-related prob­lems, anxiety, family and marital

difficulties, and academic, behavioral and emotional problems of children and adolescents are among the many issues addressed in the program."

            Eldandashly notes, "It benefits the com­munity a great deal because it offers services at a reasonable rate, and the service provid­ers, meaning us, the students, take their training very seriously. From my own per­sonal experience, I saw that everyone in our group cared a lot about his or her clients, and we all did our best to assist our clients professionally. Also, our faculty supervisor observed the sessions and offered advice and support when we needed it, which means that the clients were in good hands; their progress was monitored both by the trainee and the supervisor. Each case was thorough­ly discussed, and possible interventions were discussed at length before each session."

            UHCL's clinic has been serving the com­munity for almost two decades, addressing the psychological needs of more than a 100 individuals, couples and families each year. Fees for counseling and assessment services are determined on a sliding scale based on income.

            Since opening in 1988, the UHCL Psychological Services Clinic has trained more than 850 students before graduates move on to successful careers as mental health professionals.

            Eldandashly's future plans include return­ing to her home country. "For the near future, my plan is to find a job as soon as I graduate while working on getting my license," says Eldandashly. "Long term, I hope to move back to Lebanon and open a private clinic there. Eventually, I would like to offer workshops to mental health workers in conflict areas in the Mid­dle East, to train them to assist post-war and post-trauma victims."

Learn more about UHCL's Psychological Services Clinic and academic program offerings at www.uhcl.edu/hsh. For information about other UHCL resources for the community, visit Egret online, www.uhcl.edu/egret.