Meet the Team

Nathaniel (Nate) Chaney

Past Student

I am a proud member of the El Paso Del Norte Community. Although I was born and raised in the great state of Connecticut, after 11 years in the US Army I decided to make El Paso my home. I consider myself the product of rehabilitation; I spent over 10 years in denial regarding my own mental health conditions. Thanks to the commitment of vocational rehabilitation counselors and mental health counselors I have been able to live above the internal self-stigma, that plagued my life for years. I decided to apply to the Masters of Rehabilitation Counseling Program because I felt it would give me the knowledge, experience, support, and the competence to be a professional to help Veterans/Active Duty Service Members in need of the same services that helped me.

My areas of interest are vocational rehabilitation, reduction of stigma related to mental illness, positive deviance, advocacy for children and veterans with disabilities, and assisting homeless citizens to recover from their largest “disability”- Homelessness.

I grew up in one of the poorest communities as a child. With that came the violence, fear, trauma (witnessing metal and physical abuse), and the lack of access to resources that could build a vision of a better tomorrow. I’m humbled to be part of a research team committed to research aimed to remove the internal, and social barriers people face that stand in the way of their life goals.

I look forward to the learning experiences with Dr. Kosyluk’s and my lab partners. I know they, along with practicum, internship, community involvement, and academic training will prepare me to become a professional equipped to provide needed rehabilitation services. It is my goal to continue research with the Rehabilitation Counseling Program as a professional upon graduation.

Being a part of the Dr. Kosyluk’s lab first as a volunteer, now as a Research Assistant has opened my eyes to the work that goes into developing therapy aimed to help our citizens in the El Paso Del Norte community.