(DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
On Aug. 30, Tow Yee Yau joined DePaul Student Affairs as the new director of University Counseling Services. Yau comes to DePaul from the Center for Counseling and Consultation at St. John's University.As director of University Counseling Services, Yau serves as the chief mental health consultant for the university, sits on the university behavioral intervention and threat assessment team (Student Care Team), provides direct clinical services for DePaul students and supervises professional clinical staff and UCS clinical trainees.
Tow Yee Yau"This is a great opportunity to serve another outstanding Catholic, Vincentian university," Yau says. "I also appreciate Student Affairs' strong commitment to building community and providing holistic educational development of students."
Before his role at St. John's, he was the director of the Counseling Center in Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Cincinnati from 2011 to 2017. He also was assistant director for Community-Based Services, Counseling and Psychological Services at Cornell University for six years.
"Dr. Yau's many years of service in the profession and his leadership roles in university counseling services make him an excellent choice to lead UCS going forward," says Ashley Knight, EdD, associate vice president in Student Affairs. "Yet it was his years of service at a Vincentian institution that really made him stand out during the national search, and we are excited about his commitment to what must be done for students as they face mental health challenges during their college years."
In addition to Yau's years of professional experience, he was also honored in 2009 with the Diversity Leadership Mentoring Program Award from the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors.
"I am excited to work collaboratively with the UCS and Student Affairs leadership teams, and key campus partners, looking at positive changes of the UCS to better serve the complex mental health needs of BIPOC and marginalized undergraduate, graduate and professional students with multiple identities," Yau says. "Most important will be building a strong UCS team that loves to bring their 'couch' out of the office and into the DePaul community to meet students where they are."