Assadi Named Director of Counseling Services at UA Little Rock
Dr. Aresh Assadi has been named the new director of Counseling Services at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“Dr. Assadi has been an invaluable member of the Counseling Services team since 2010, most recently serving as assistant director,” said Sharon Ann Downs, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. “He has been instrumental in growing the internship program, which has significantly increased capacity in the department. He is passionate about promoting overall wellness and reducing stigma toward seeking help. Assadi is a tremendous asset to the Division of Student Affairs and to the campus community, and I’m thrilled to have him in this new leadership position.”
Assadi takes over for Dr. Mike Kirk, who recently retired from his role of director of Health Services and Counseling Services.
“I am very excited about my promotion,” he said. “I have been here for many years and have been working toward this for a long time. I’ve got some big shoes to fill, so hopefully I can carry on Dr. Kirk’s legacy. He did some great things here, and I am planning to build on those. I inherited a really good team and situation from Dr. Kirk.”
As director of Counseling Services, Assadi is responsible for managing the Counseling Services team, providing a safe, supportive, and confidential environment for student counseling needs, providing crisis intervention assistance to students, supervising a team of clinical interns, and for providing mental health programming to the campus.
Assadi earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical mental health, both from Henderson State University, as well as an Ed.D. in Higher Education – Student Affairs from UA Little Rock.
He is a board member of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Research Connections chairperson. He recently had his paper accepted by the American Educational Research Association. Assadi will present at the association’s annual conference in April about his dissertation, which investigates men’s attitudes toward seeking mental health services.
