This month’s volunteer spotlight shines on Dr. Audrey Zatopek, Ph.D., LPC-S, LCDC, NCC, CYT-200.
Tell us about yourself.
As a resident of Texas in the USA, Dr. Audrey Zatopek is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) trained in Brainspotting, EMDR, Hypnosis, Parts & Memory Therapy, and Revisioning, and has started Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1 training. She has a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin, a MA in Counseling from Houston Graduate School of Theology, and a PhD in Counselor Education from Texas Tech University. Through a variety of trainings, she has also completed over 200 hours of training related to trauma and dissociation. As an important part of her professional identity, she frequently attends continuing education events and conferences to stay current in her knowledge of best- and empirically-based practices in the counseling field.
She has a varied work history involving working at a Christian not-for-profit center, psychiatric hospitals, a residential substance abuse treatment facility, jail, with misdemeanor and felony probationers, and in private practices. Currently, she is working for herself in private practice at her company, Mental Health Institute. As an educator, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in master’s level counseling programs as needed. Pertaining to professional associations, she is a current member of the American Counseling Association, Texas Counseling Association (TCA), International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD), and Chi Sigma Iota (CSI). She is the current Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas Association for Adult Aging and Development division of TCA, is the chair of the Southern Regional Online Community through ISSTD, and is on the ISSTD’s Virtual and Regional Conference Committee.
As a researcher, she has been part of research teams at University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, University of Houston, and Midwestern State University investigating the topics of PTSD, smoking cessation, online bullying, Covid-19, autism spectrum disorder, and the mental health of mental healthcare workers. Her current research interests include counselor education, trauma and dissociation, mood disorders, addictions, and co-/multimorbid diagnoses.
How did you get introduced to ISSTD?
Through researching how to help my first client who met criteria for dissociative identity disorder, I stumbled across the ISSTD website.
What are your favorite projects/groups you have contributed to while being an ISSTD member?
As an ISSTD member, I have enjoyed each role which I have occupied, including being Chair of the Southern Regional Online Community, a member of the Virtual Regional Conference Committee, and a poster judge at the 41st Annual ISSTD Conference in Frisco, TX, in 2024. I have enjoyed being a member generally and learning much from the dialoguing that takes place between members on the ISSTDWorld forum.
What is the most helpful piece of advice you received while in your school program or as an SEP?
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was that I should never stop learning, and when you discover that you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask for help through supervision and/or consultation. None of us knows everything – we are certainly better together!
Do you have any advice for others who are students or emerging career professionals that may be interested in learning more about dissociative disorders?
It is helpful to screen every client for dissociation due to its potential to be completely hidden. Also, you may run into professionals who do not believe dissociative identity disorder exists or that it is rare, but do not let this confuse you – it is absolutely a real diagnosis that people experience!
What is something others might not know about you?
I am a self-taught musician and singer! I play the guitar, ukulele, mandolin, harmonica, piano, and banjo. The guitar and my voice are my strongest instruments.