A Better You Counseling Adds The Academic Career Counseling Center

By Amy Gutierrez

There may not be another center in Pasco County that can offer the array of services available at A Better You Counseling Center — located just off SR 56, in the Cypress Glen Professional Park. Started by Amanda Fink, a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), A Better You Counseling Center specializes in treating anxiety, depression, anger management, childhood disorders (3-18 years old) and marriage and family counseling.

Fink earned her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Psychology at Anderson University in Anderson, IN, and her Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Clinical Counseling at Webster University in Ocala, FL. It was while working alongside Dr. Phyllis Hart, Ed.D., at A Better You Counseling Center, that the two professionals brainstormed together and the Academic Career Counseling Center (ACCC) was established within the same office.

Dr. Hart has been in the combined fields of psychology, counseling and education for more than 16 years. She is a 15-year teacher and academic advisor and a Florida-certified school counselor. She received her M.A. in Experimental Psychology, specializing in Human Neuropsychology, from Towson State University in Towson, MD, in 1997, and her Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University in Tampa in 2012.

ACCC offers individualized assessment of personality, interests and aptitude to identify top career matches. For high school students, this analysis allows families to tailor high school experiences and plan for college with confidence that their child is on a path towards academic success and a rewarding career. Dr. Hart also provides assessment for professionals who have been in their chosen career fields for decades! In her opinion, it’s never too early or too late to find your true areas of interest, passion and aptitude and all of those things can evolve several times during a lifetime. At any age, Dr. Hart can help individuals shine brighter!

Combining potent counseling with a thorough understanding of requirements for a range of academic and career paths, Dr. Hart help clients refine their interests, aim for higher achievements, and prepare for a wide-open future.

For grades Pre-K-12, Dr. Hart provides academic evaluations designed to put children on the right path early. For teenagers, young adults, and professionals, she offers interest and aptitude assessment tests, combined with college and career strategies. In addition, academic evaluations performed by ACCC offer parents the ability to make certain their child is being taught appropriately based on their aptitude.

For example, parents exploring the possibility of gifted student programs will receive a non-biased determination through specialized testing, the results of which parents can give to their school, whether public or private. The same holds true for parents desiring educational support through tutoring.

“Education is incredibly important for children and parents want the best opportunities for their children to be successful,” says Dr. Hart. “By determining individual learning styles and placing them in the best possible environment for them, the stage has been set for a successful future.”

With ACCC operating in the offices of A Better You Counseling Center, Dr. Hart and Fink often experience clients who take advantage of multiple services under the one roof , which sets the office apart from many others. The two are seeing the benefits for children and adolescents, particularly, with this invaluable service. Both point out that Wesley Chapel and New Tampa are communities full of families who invest greatly in the physical and emotional well being of each family member.

Both Dr. Hart and Fink also are happy to report that all of their assessments have been applauded by various school systems. “The schools value what we’re doing,” says Dr. Hart. “They don’t necessarily have the resources available to do the kind of intensive aptitude testing that we do.”

High school counselors also lack the resources and manpower to administer career testing but, with a comprehensive breakdown following testing at ACCC, students are not only told what careers they might excel at, they also are made aware of the interests and personality traits they have that will help direct them to advanced learning opportunities such as internships, clubs and other extracurricular activities.

“Strengths, alone, in an academic area is not necessarily an indicator of what you are supposed to be doing,” says Fink. “We review logistics, job outlooks and personal fulfillment based on your personality, as well. Only then do we help develop a career counseling strategy.”

One high school student in New Tampa remarks, “Before my career testing package, I knew that I wanted to do something in science but I didn’t know what. Dr. Hart showed me the things that I was really interested in and now I have a great plan for college. This was an awesome experience!”

Dr. Hart spends a great deal of time visiting college campuses all over the country and has developed a rapport with university admissions offices to keep on top of entrance requirements and to also learn about the general feel of a campus so that she can later determine if it’s a potential fit for a client. She is well versed on the many colleges available within a university and how challenging or rigorous the specific programs are. Before and after an Aptitude Test, Dr. Hart personally discusses interests and goals, likes and dislikes, and the pros and cons of all fields of interest with her clients. The bonus, of course, is that in addition to running her own academic and career counseling practice, Dr. Hart currently also provides emotional counseling for adults, couples, teens and families at A Better You Counseling Center. Any time there is conflict or struggle in a family dynamic, counseling can be a useful tool in problem solving and resolution. College planning and career transitions can often benefit from such counseling.

Dr. Hart currently offers two testing and counseling packages for high school students. The first is the Academic Evaluation Package, which includes a Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scale test, a Wide-Range Achievement Test and a results interpretation session. Recommended for students in pre-K through 12th grade, this t est must be taken in-office.

The other option is the Career Testing & Academic Planning Package, which includes a preliminary counseling session, a Strong Interest Inventory, a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and a written report, along with a results interpretation session. Recommended for teens and young adults, this test may be taken in Dr. Hart’s office or at home.

The time is now. The 2013-14 school year is winding down and fall enrollment will be here before long. A Better You Counseling Center and the Academic Career Counseling Center make it easy with some great Spring Specials. Buy 4 sessions, receive $100 off and/or receive $50 off an Academic Evaluation or Career Counseling before June 17, 2014.

Incidentally, Dr. Hart will be spending a month in Costa Rica this summer to help with children who don’t have educational programs in place over the summer months. She’ll also be volunteering with a local sea turtle rescue in that same country because her own 10-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a marine biology interest and is accompanying her mom on the trip. In other words, says Dr. Hart, it’s never too early to discover your passions!

To take advantage of the individual, family, couple or group counseling Spring Special, call A Better You Counseling Center at 817-5468. For ACCC, call 470-9001. The office is located at 2406 Cypress Glen Dr., Suite 102, Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit ABetterYouCounseling.com or AcademicCareerCounseling.com.