Lesley McKinney named SHAC Counseling Services Director
September 5, 2023 - Dorene DiNaro
In July 2023 Lesley McKinney was promoted from the Associate Director of Clinical Counseling to Counseling Director. Her promotion was a unanimous decision by SHAC leadership following her outstanding start as Associate Director, bringing clinical expertise, supervision skills, organizational leadership, and health administration knowledge from her previous posts. She has specific interests in severe mental illness and Trauma-Informed care and is a National Board-Certified Counselor with a certificate in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Director McKinney brought a new vision for Counseling Services, helping to increase counselor numbers and embedded providers across campus, and to create a pipeline for provisionally licensed providers to gain skills in collegiate healthcare. She also brought a new plan and strong drive to lead us out of pandemic models of hybrid service to new, more accessible, and varied treatment options. She launched a new intake model, called OAAT (pronounced oat for One At A Time), giving students a longer initial appointment with more detailed interventions to resolve presenting issues more immediately. She formed a more robust group psychotherapy program, which is a highly effective and recommended approach for many mental health conditions. She is creating liaisons between Counseling and key departments across campus, so they will have direct access to consultation about mental health needs of students. And she is relaunching the Psychological Testing program with a newly hired psychologist after a brief hiatus.
Director McKinney is a 3-time graduate of the University of New Mexico. She dual-majored in Sociology and Psychology, then went on to receive an master’s degree in Counseling and a master’s in Health Administration from UNM as well. During her previous years at UNM, she worked in Student Activities, so is well informed about student life and needs, and the supports available to them across campus. She is passionate about UNM and views herself as an example of student success when capitalizing on all UNM has to offer. She shares, "I was born and raised in New Mexico and consider it my home. I work hard to live a values-based life by spending time with people I love, by enjoying raising my kids with my husband, and spending time with family and friends. My hobby list is short and sweet – I like relaxing and enjoying life. I love being outdoors, talking about nature, geology, and of course, the weather (I am from New Mexico after all)!"
