Title: Licensed Professional Counselor
Company: Senior PsychCare
Location: TX/USA
Education: MA in Counseling, East Texas Baptist University (2020); Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, East Texas Baptist University (2017); High School Diploma (2014)
Career History: Licensed Professional Counselor, Senior PsychCare (2024-Present)
Cassidy Hlavaty, Licensed Professional Counselor at Senior PsychCare, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of mental health services.
While an undergraduate at East Texas Baptist University, Ms. Hlavaty became interested in pursuing a career in counseling after taking an abnormal psychology class. The course, which highlighted ongoing challenges in mental health care and the needs of those seeking services in Texas, played a crucial role in changing her major. Additionally, she gained hands-on work experience at her professor’s private practice; she ultimately earned a bachelor’s in psychology in 2017 and then a Master of Arts in counseling in 2020.
Ms. Hlavaty subsequently continued working in private practice, specializing in child and adolescent trauma therapy. She also served as a counselor and behavior therapist for adults with intellectual disabilities and dual diagnoses for a year under a caregiver.
Since 2024, Ms. Hlavaty has excelled as a Licensed Professional Counselor at Senior PsychCare, taking pride in helping the geriatric population and making a significant impact on her patients, families, and staff. Among her myriad responsibilities, she works with dementia patients, performs ongoing research with them, conducts cognitive, behavioral, and reminiscence therapy, and provides end-of-life counseling and social skills training to new counselors.
Her most notable achievement in her day-to-day, she noted, has been helping families view dementia patients “through a new lens,” highlighting that these individuals are merely adapting to a different phase of life. She makes sure to remind them that they are still the same person, albeit in a new stage where the brain functions differently. For staff, she emphasizes that these patients are fundamentally people just like anyone else, encouraging them to engage as they would in any other conversation and advocating a compassionate approach.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Hlavaty strives to address the significant gap in geriatric research, particularly in dementia research. The challenges within the geriatric population are substantial, as there is currently no definitive cure for dementia. Rather than focusing solely on finding a cure, she seeks to explore ways to slow the disease’s progression. While existing treatments like medication and psychotherapy play a role, she is particularly interested in investigating the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy as a strategy to mitigate the progression of dementia.
Outside of her primary endeavors, Ms. Hlavaty is a longtime supporter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.