Amy Roberts is a licensed clinical social worker and counselor at Health Services, and works with individual clients as well as group sessions and crisis counseling. She also works as a clinical supervisor for multiple interns in the counseling department, and provides clinical outreach services.
Roberts earned her undergraduate and master’s degree with Boise State in Social Work, however that was not her initial game plan. “I was initially a business major, but as I progressed in my undergraduate education at Boise State, I realized that my personal values were not in alignment with that major. I then took “core requirement” courses and one of those was Intro to Social Work. I was hooked!” Roberts says she appreciated the values of Social Work – innate dignity and worth, working from individual strengths, client self-determination, and social justice.
Currently, Roberts enjoys meeting with students, faculty and staff for various types of sessions, and to see people grow through vulnerability. She says she enjoys the energy on campus, and feels that working in an integrated health clinic since it provides more “robust, wrap-around services coordinated with medical, wellness and psychiatry.”
When asked what her favorite thing about Boise State’s campus was, Roberts replied “People here are smart! I like working with people associated with Boise State as they have lots of strengths to build off of. This campus has myriad resources and an appreciation for wellness.” Her license requires yearly professional development trainings she must complete, and the counseling department also requires all staff to do topical presentations for each other.
Roberts recently gained a certification in the Body Positive Movement here on campus, a program with both group and individual opportunities for students to improve their relationship with eating and food choices. The Body Positive mainly focuses on supporting and treating people who have eating disorders, body image concerns, and disordered eating, and gives them structure and skills for working on those issues.
When COVID-19 hit, Roberts felt she understood the importance of connection and community, and felt the impact of global stress and the uncertainty of the pandemic on mental health. The counseling center continued to provide telehealth services, but when in-person sessions opened back up Roberts was excited to see her clients and coworkers again.
Matt Niece, the director of Counseling Services here at Boise State, has nothing but praise for Roberts. “Amy always goes above and beyond for her clients and our team in general. She is constantly taking initiative to identify areas of growth/need and coming with creative ideas to effectively address these areas.”
Niece also commends Roberts for her work with starting the Body Positive program, recruiting more members, and partnering with other stakeholders in order to make sure it’ll stay successful. “Amy is an invaluable member of our team and I am very thankful for her hard work and her personality that is genuinely positive, driven, and caring.”
Boise State Health Services is an integrated health clinic, providing counseling, medical, and wellness services for all students and staff. Each area of care has websites you can use to learn more about individual mission statements, hours of operation and contact information, staff members, and additional information.