Jason L. Daugherty

Primary Therapist

A Conversation with Jason Daugherty

What is your current employment/career?

I am currently a Primary Therapist for the evening IOP program at the Carrollton Springs Changes in Frisco, TX.

What do you enjoy most as a therapist for the evening IOP program?

I work with and help kids as they transition to life outside of treatment. I think what I like most about my current job is that I get to be a part of something that we all have to navigate sometimes and have little understanding about how to do so, specifically dealing with anxiety, substance use or self-harm behaviors. Working with adolescents I get to watch as they work to explore, develop and refine who it is they are becoming in a world that they are still learning to understand. For me this is not only a fulfilling experience but a way for me to learn more about how a patient may grow into the adults we may work with later in our careers.

How did East Texas A&M prepare you for your current position?

Coming into the program I was always fascinated by human behavior and the science behind it. Why do I approach life this way while others do so with a completely different mindset? In a sense, I think I was there to try and understand myself more than to work towards a career as a clinician. Yet during the Advanced Therapeutic Techniques course, I had the opportunity to practice both sides of therapy. I realized not only how the authenticity and vulnerability that occurs in treatment can be a powerful and life-changing force but that I wanted to be part of the process.

What advice do you have for students?

Enjoy yourself and take full advantage of the program at East Texas A&M.  Get to know your professors and develop those relationships as they can and often do continue after graduation. Interacting with your peers and getting to know each other provides you with a solid collegial network.  After all, you are the next generation of researchers and clinicians.

Educational Background

• MS, Applied Psychology, Texas A&M University-Commerce(now East Texas A&M University), 2018 
• BS, Psychology, Texas A&M University-Commerce(now East Texas A&M University), 2015