Tam Villar holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in health psychology. She has been a licensed counselor specializing in treating co-occurring disorders for many years in the state of Nevada. In her 15 years plus of clinical work, she provided direct counseling services to individuals affected by trauma and addiction issues and served as a clinical supervisor for counselor interns. In addition to her current role as human services program coordinator at UNLV, she also helps manage the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Addiction Studies program. Her scholarly interests include self-compassion, positive psychology, mindfulness, treatment of addictions, and mental wellness.