As a Veteran of the army—who suffered with PTSD after being injured in war—Alton has both the experience and the training to work extensively with active Military members, Veterans, Military families, First Responders, and organizations that are built around providing support to those individuals who have entered, or daily enter, high-stress environments. His years of counseling those in these communities has included instituting processes of rehabilitation for those adjusting to life post-service and for the families of service personnel going through significant periods of adjustment. Alton recently completed a Doctorate of Education (EdD) from Johns Hopkins University where his doctoral work centered on Emergency Response Well-Being: Clinical Supervision of Spiritually-Integrated Wellness. During that doctoral program in Mind, Brain, and Teaching, he created a new clinical supervision model for individuals with high-stress occupations. Alton received his bachelor’s of science degree in Operations Research and Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He, therefore, has both the academic training and professional experience to help organizations and businesses optimize operations through strengthening the well-being and potential of their personnel. His work in professional settings has included advisory and consulting work with clients—such as accounting firms, medical schools, fire departments, local governments, universities, community organizations, and more—to provide mental health training, optimization resources, and professional and emotional support to employees and corporate leaders.
Alton has a passion for providing mental health education and resources to the wider community, as well. He has held professorial roles in the department of graduate counseling and the physician’s assistant program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (where he also received his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling), and in the department of education at Texas A&M-Central Texas. He has also provided peer support training to local community organizations so community members will recognize and be able to respond quickly to mental health crises that colleagues may be experiencing. He hopes to continue to expand opportunities to educate the public on mental health best practices and insights, so that more people have access to the restorative practices that enhance community and personal well-being. As a husband, father and professional in the counseling field, his unique perspective has allowed him to address cultural, emotional, social, spiritual, and psychological blindspots in the experiences of his clients and the clients that his team supports. Through his practice and the work that he does in communities and local and international organizations, he hopes to continue passing that insight on to others.
