Q&A: Meet Counseling Chair Dr. Tina Chasek
- contact: College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
- email: unocehhs@unomaha.edu
Christine “Tina” Chasek, Ph.D., LIMHP, LADC is associate professor and chair of the Department of Counseling and associate rural development director of UNMC's Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN). She was named the named the Julie Hefflinger Professor in Counseling in 2021.
Dr. Chasek has strong roots in mental health and addictions counseling with experience in behavioral health care administration; she is currently focused on developing the behavioral health care workforce in rural Nebraska. Her teaching interests include addiction counseling, research, diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders, and clinical counseling. Dr. Chasek’s research has focused on addiction counseling, attitudes of providers about addiction counseling, counselor preparation, clinical outcomes and the behavioral health care workforce.
Q: How did you get interested in the field of counseling?
"I always tell people, this profession picked me. Growing up in a small community, I wasn't exposed to a lot of things. In high school, I wanted to be a hair stylist, but a teacher encouraged me to learn about psychology, which I excelled at, so that's what I studied at UNK.
"In college, my part-time job was cleaning offices at the community counseling center. While cleaning, I was fascinated by what was happening there. I often thought, 'It would be so cool to work here.' Fast forward to when I graduated, I applied for jobs in human services, and I got a job at that counseling center doing case management for kids in the foster care system. It was a full circle moment.
"As part of my internship for my master's, I moved to the addiction services part of the center's programming. I ran groups and worked with clients individually at a men's halfway house in Kearney. I also worked with women at a treatment center. That's when I found my specialty of addiction counseling. I saw families impacted by substances — the whole family system gets disrupted, especially the kids.
"During my Ph.D. program, I studied the neurobiology of the brain and how substance use impacts the brain. Basically the brain is hijacked by the substances. While substance use starts as a choice, for many people this choice is quickly taken away as the brain chemistry changes. In my work, I get to know the people underneath the disease, and how hard it is to live that life, even if it looks different from the outside."
I am so honored to be here at UNO and continue the great work that is being done in the department and the college.
Q: What is your vision for the department?
"I will continue the department's mission to train quality clinicians and mental health providers to serve the community. As a leader, my focus is on two things: students and the faculty. Students go on to become practitioners like we are, and I want to train really good colleagues. Also, our programs are so successful because of the excellent faculty. I want our faculty to feel supported, to feel like they're doing their best work. Whatever their research interests are, whatever their goals are, I want them to be able to grow and develop. For me, it is always, how do I help you be your best self? That, in turn, helps me be my best self. I am so honored to be here at UNO and continue the great work that is being done in the department and the college.
"As the Julie Hefflinger Professor in Counseling, I want to honor Julie's work as a teacher and guidance counselor by moving the Community Counseling Clinic into a space where kids and families can be served. We're also working on getting our school counseling alumni to return to UNO and take classes to become licensed clinicians, so they can use those skills right in the schools, to tackle those tough mental health issues in their school environment."
About UNO's Department of Counseling
Est. 1965
This story appeared in the most recent issue of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Annual Report.