CARS History "Reflecting Back a Quarter of a Century"

Listed below is a brief outline of the Counseling, Assistance & Referral Services department history along with pictures from days long past.

CARS came into being as an idea suggested by a friend and mentor of Ilse Gay, who founded CARS in 1983. Ilse and Marian Mativier, Associate Director of Affirmative Action for the University, were having a conversation when Marian said, “what this University needs is an EAP.”

Ilse was obtaining her master’s degree in counseling from UNM, after serving as Assistant Dean in Continuing Education and later in the College of Fine Arts. Ilse felt strongly about the need for the service, and with her knowledge of the University, presented the idea to the then UNM President Chris Garcia who gave his support for Ilse to begin operations.

CARS opened in a back office of the Faculty Club which at that time was located where Dane Smith Hall now is.



Ilse was the director of and sole counselor for CARS for the three to four years she held the job. Administratively, she reported directly to the President of the University. She had an advisory committee, called the “Committee of Concern”, which functioned as her “QA people”, meeting once a month. As the only counselor, Ilse saw clients for a maximum of three sessions at a time, although many did return at later points.

CARS was founded primarily to help employees deal with the effects of alcoholism personally or in their families; but Ilse says that people came in presenting with the “run of life’s problems” in their work and/or personal lives. Ilse retired from the University and her CARS position in 1987.

Since 1987, CARS has developed into a broad brush employee assistance program (EAP), adding clinical and administrative staff to increase provision of and access to counseling and consultation services for faculty and staff. From time to time CARS has also served as a training site for counseling and psychology interns.

In 1993 CARS moved to it current location on Mesa Vista Road to be able to serve the growing needs of the universities employee's.



CARS’ goals for the future are to extend the recent progress in enhancing visibility within the University community, to continue to explore new opportunities for partnering with other UNM departments in service to the University, provide increased services in preventive care to facilitate healthy work/life balance and to contribute to the promotion of a culture of wellness within the University.

Viewing Note: To view the larger pictures simply click on the thumbnail image.