The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named Aresh Assadi as director of counseling services.
Assadi, who had been assistant director of counseling service, takes over for Mike Kirk, who recently retired.
In Assadi's new role, he'll be responsible for 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, the university said in a news release.
Assadi has been part of UA Little Rock's counseling services team since 2010.
"He has been instrumental in growing the internship program, which has significantly increased capacity in the department," Sharon Ann Downs, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, said in the release. "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 earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in clinical mental health from Henderson State University. He holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education-Student Affairs from UA Little Rock.
Assadi is a board member of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Research Connections chairperson.
