For the past 25 years, I have served as a counselor educator and supervisor focused on developing and adapting curriculum to address professional accreditation standards while fostering a learning climate where students reflect and apply knowledge areas consistent with effective and ethical counseling practitioners. As an instructor and supervisor, I seek to create an atmosphere where innovation, risk-taking, and the dissonance of the unknown are held with an appreciation for what’s to come.  These values are reflective of my leadership style:  that by empowering the best in others, we can empower the systems we share. Prioritizing multiculturalism, social justice, empathic service, and personal reflection, are not only essential professional competencies that I believe in, but also distinctive strengths of Antioch University Seattle, the Counseling Department, and our Counselor Education and Supervision program. I envision these strengths woven into the fabric of how programs are delivered.  That by seeking a greater understanding to the complexity of cultural and sociopolitical systems, we can train the next generation of counseling professionals to embrace a helping process allowing for the liberation from personal and social oppression.

I am chair and core faculty within the Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) program.  Prior to my appointment, I served as core faculty and coordination of doctoral studies within the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Viterbo University.  I have served as core faculty and chair of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Antioch University Seattle as well as associate and assistant professor at a variety of nationally recognized universities.  I am a licensed mental health counselor in the State of Washington, a national certified counselor, and a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and adhere to the ethical codes of professional conduct by the ACA, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and the National Board of Certified Counselors.

My professional life has always included a desire to embrace strategic planning, collaborative data-driven decision-making, and consensus building in the variety of professional leadership positions I’ve held.  As 1) president of the Minnesota Counseling Association; 2) chair of the Legislative and Policy committee in Minnesota and Michigan; 3) inaugural president of the Minnesota State Licensing Board for Behavioral Health and Therapy; and 4) departmental chair, my skills in leadership, advocacy and diplomacy have undoubtedly been fine-tuned. Over the years, I’ve embraced a stance of unrelenting respect for diversity, uncompromising care in the context of difficult dialogues, and a commitment toward coalition building where distinct groups and individuals have opportunities to contribute to something larger than themselves.

COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION PROGRAM (AUS)

The low residency PhD program in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) is a 72-credit doctoral degree program designed for counselors who wish to enhance their professional competencies in research and evaluation, supervision, teaching, leadership/advocacy, and counseling. As a low residency program, this PhD is primarily composed of online coursework with two five-day residencies. Now accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling Related Education Programs (CACREP), this degree is designed to prepare doctoral students for advanced competency in, a) graduate-level teaching and counselor training, b) research and contributing new knowledge to the field, c) counseling supervision, d) leadership and advocacy, and e) multicultural sensitive counseling practice.

As counselors, we understand the pursuit of social justice as a determination to recognize the inherent worth of all humans and to set conditions for all to have equitable access to the benefits that society offers and the burdens that it imposes. Our PhD program demonstrates its commitment to the advancement of social justice by preparing counselor educators and supervisors to think critically about power, privilege, and multicultural issues to best serve clients, trainees, institutions, and communities.  Please visit our program website at PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision (Low-Residency) › Antioch University