Dr. Joy Hutchinson is the newest addition to Texas A&M-Texarkana’s Counseling program. She joins the faculty as the Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Counseling. Counseling wasn’t always in the cards for Dr. Hutchinson, she worked as a Paramedic for ten years in the city of New Orleans. Her time working as an EMT provided valuable insight to a side of first responding that many don’t see. When asked about what shaped her career path, Dr. Hutchinson said, “Listening to my friends and hearing them talk about…when they did see counselors and how the councilors were so ill prepared to work with that population…and losing friends to suicide and substance use.” Joy left her third year of nursing school after creating a survey that showed an overwhelming demand for mental health options among first responders, beginning her journey into the field of counseling.
After teaching through her doctorate program at the University of Memphis, Dr. Hutchinson finds that she prefers TAMUT’s class sizes. “I like the smaller size, just because of having that personal relationship with [The Students].” She continued, “I’d like us to grow because I’d like to…bring in more faculty. I think it’s important for everybody to get varying perspectives…there’s not one way to offer counseling.” Dr. Hutchinson went on to speak about the offerings of the counseling master’s program. “You’d be able to use your degree that you gained…no other degree is going to bar you from joining our counseling program. Our doctorate degree is the same.” The program also offers supervised local internships to gather real world experience, “In Practicum, we get your feet wet…[The Student] finds local community partners…they do their work there.”
Today, Dr. Hutchinson teaches and develops the next generation of counselors through her master’s graduate program, utilizing her background in crisis management to better prepare her students for real world scenarios. She offers advice to students working through the new hustle and bustle of college life, “Have a calendar. Time management is really the big key.” She continued, “You get an assignment? Do [it] early. Just be on top of it. Schedule those healthy habits.” Joy wants students to know that her door is always open, “I’m happy to answer any questions…email me, schedule an appointment time. We’re all here to help you succeed.”
Dr. Joy Hutchinson’s office is located in UC 245, she encourages students to contact her with any questions about the counseling program by emailing her at ehutchinson@tamut.edu. Student Counseling Services is located in UC 420 and is open Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm, to schedule an appointment, contact them by calling (903) 334-6613 or by emailing counseling.services@ace.tamut.edu.