*Correction: A previous version of this article was incorrectly titled. Burton is not a counselor; her position is administrative specialist III. A correction was run in the print edition as well.
Working in the counseling center, Teresa Burton is delighted to be back on campus. Burton is no stranger to campus having studied for two years at UCA. Although she is new to the counseling center, Burton is already comfortable on campus and around students.
“I needed a change,” Burton said, “I applied and work with some awesome people. It’s been a great experience to get to know everybody here at the counseling center. I heard about the opening from a friend and felt like this is where I needed to be. I felt like this was a good place where I could be able to help people a little bit.”
Burton was previously a stay-at-home mom with her seven children, Tyler (29), Trevor (27), Trenton (23), Tori (21), Tavin (18), Trista (16) and Tayton (12).
“I spent the last thirty years raising my kids. I’m still raising kids, and I have done some babysitting, but I hadn’t worked outside of the home. So, I just thought it would be a good career change to come to work,” Burton said.
Burton also has four grandchildren: Leah (3), Adalynn (3), Tyson (2) and Benjamin (2).
Burton’s position holds the responsibility of office coordination.
“I answer the phones, schedule appointments, receive registrations that we process and then the counselors are assigned,” Burton said, “We also just kind of keep everything flowing, all of the counselors’ schedules and room assignments and just making sure everybody’s got a place to do counseling sessions.”
Burton met her husband, Robby Burton, at UCA. He works in the art department as a higher education institution program coordinator in Schichtl Studio Arts.
“My husband’s worked here for 20 years, so I’d always thought ‘I think it’d be cool to work at UCA,’” Burton said. “I figured I’d go back when I figured out what I want to do when I grow up, and [I’m] still trying to figure that out.”
Throughout her time at her desk, Burton said she has already had good experiences with everyone she has encountered.
“It’s been a great experience to get to know everybody here at the counseling center,” Burton said. “They’re [all] just concerned about the students here. They just want to help everybody. Everyone’s nice and everybody gets along. It’s just a good environment. That’s necessary.”
When Burton was a student, she said she did not know about a resource for mental health on campus.
“I don’t know when they started the counseling center,” Burton said, “To be honest, if it was a thing when I went to school long ago, I didn’t know about it.”
Despite Burton not using any type of counseling center in college, she still recommends it to students.
“I think it is a fabulous resource that the university has to be able to help students cope with so many different things like adjusting to college and figuring out how to do it from home, or some need more extensive help because of different things,” Burton said. “[I’m] glad to be a tiny little part of that.”
One of Burton’s favorite family memories was the trip that they all took to the beach in the summer of 2022.
“There were 17 of us,” Burton said, “We went near Myrtle Beach, it was relaxing to be together [and] to be with all of the little ones.”
Burton says her biggest piece of advice for anyone would be to take care of themself.
“Self-care is one of the most important things that we can do for our mental health [and] for overall health. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can prepare to help others and we can go through life,” Burton said.
