SHREVEPORT – Alyssa Garza has had quite the start to her professional career as a provisionally licensed professional counselor.
After graduating from LSUS with a master’s degree in counseling this past summer, Garza has landed two jobs and been honored as a 2024 Young Innovators in Behavioral Health.
The award comes from Hopelab, a social innovation lab and impact investor working to support of mental well-being of adolescent ages 10-25.
Hopelab produced its 30 Under 30 list of honorees, choosing five young professionals from around the nation in each of their six categories.
Garza was recognized in the clinical services category for her work with local homeless U.S. veterans who are transitioning into civilian life and for her participation in national campaigns, both of which occurred while she was an LSUS student.
“I was very excited to be chosen, and it means a lot that Hopelab highlighted my continued work in the mental health field in Shreveport with various populations, including veterans and young adults,” said Garza, who traveled to Phoenix to be honored at the 2024 Behavioral Health Tech Conference in November. “I had a great opportunity to network with many professionals, investors, and companies in the behavioral health field and with other passionate young adults making a difference around access to mental healthcare and education.”
Garza started as an intern with Volunteers of America, where she eventually became a full-time case manager for the Veterans Transitional Living Program.
As the daughter of an Air Force father and Marine grandfather, working with this population carried additional meaning to her.
“I learned so much from our veterans about honor, camaraderie, courage, bravery, perseverance, and resiliency – it truly was a privilege to work with them and learn from their experiences,” said Garza, who provided group and individual therapy to veterans as they transition to independent living. “Both my father and grandfather have had a tremendous influence on my career path and continue to offer so much support throughout my journey.
“I was able to learn more about the intensity of military service and sacrifice and how those two factors can completely alter the course of a veteran’s life, affecting their overall well-being. The rapport we developed provided me with tremendous confidence and motivation as a mental health professional overall.”
Garza continues her career in Shreveport as she’s recently accepted a position in the Intensive Specialty Hospital’s outpatient program as a provisionally licensed professional counselor.
As she works toward full licensure as a professional counselor expected in Fall 2026, Garza strived to work with different populations in different settings.
“I wanted to reach many populations to learn and gain competencies around various cultures and demographics, which I believe is important for my long-term career goal,” Garza said. “My long-term goal is to be in the private practice realm of mental health counseling.
“In this new position working with people going through long-term acute care, a patient’s mental and emotional well-being is just as important as their physical well-being to their overall recovery. When inpatient and outpatient consumers are emotionally supported and mentally engaged, they’re more likely to participate actively in rehabilitation, follow treatment plans, and have a more positive outlook on their recovery.”
It's her father’s military service that introduced her to Shreveport-Bossier, where she attended one year of high school in Bossier Parish before graduating from a Virginia high school.
While she’s lived in North Dakota, Texas, Italy, Japan and Virginia, her father’s decision to come back to Barksdale Air Force Base and retire led her to choose LSUS, where she completed a bachelor’s in sociology before her master’s in counseling.
“The proximity to my family is why I chose LSUS, and it’s presented me with many opportunities during my undergraduate and graduate journey,” Garza said. “I chose to stay in Shreveport to finish collecting my hours for my full licensure because Shreveport has many niche populations with needs for mental health education, advocacy, and treatment.
“I wanted to continue to learn from those who live here and develop my mental health counseling skills.”
Those opportunities at LSUS included co-founding a chapter of Active Minds, a college student-led organization that promotes awareness of mental issues, including suicide, in young adults.
Garza helped shape the national mental health initiative A.S.K., which assists young adults in having conversations with peers who might be struggling with mental and emotional health. She served on the A.S.K. Youth Leadership Council and partnered with the MTV Social Impact Team to promote the national campaign.
But it’s here in Shreveport-Bossier where Garza is making her daily impact.
The area has a growing Hispanic population, and as Garza is a self-described “proud Mexican-American military brat,” it’s a demographic in which she loves to serve.
“It is part of my mission to provide culturally competent mental health services to Hispanic and Latino populations,” Garza said. “My identity personally fuels my mission because I can understand how it feels to be in a position where you’re asked to be extremely vulnerable but you might not feel safe to do so, are unable to connect with others, or fear you may not be understood.
“There is a heavy stigmatization of mental health within the (Hispanic) community, and I believe it is important to utilize my heritage to build rapport, provide education and start conversations about mental health.”
Garza added very few mental health professionals are Hispanic/Latino, which strengthens her desire to serve this specific population.
She eventually wants to pursue a doctoral degree that emphasizes providing mental health counseling to Spanish-speaking individuals.
