Claraly Peña-Leal is a Licensed Professional Counselor and provides mental health support under University Health Services for students at the Higher Education Center at McAllen. Claraly brings 15 years of experience in mental health. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Texas Pan-American. Claraly holds a professional counseling license issued by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors- No. 69384.
Previous works experience includes working at South Texas College as a licensed counselor for more than nine years. As part of the Counseling and Student Accessibility Services department at STC, she provided mental health and accessibility services to the college student population with the goal of supporting student academic and personal success. Prior to providing mental health counseling, Claraly worked at Tropical Texas Behavioral Health for six years gaining experience in case management and psychosocial rehabilitative services.
Claraly is dedicated to support student mental health and student academic progress. Outside of work, she enjoys engaging in anything that contributes to self-care and personal growth including spending time with her children and husband, catching up with friends, crafting and reading.