Chicago | Program Director,
Department of Counseling and Integrated Programs |
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.) (On-ground Modality)
Welcome to my page!
My personality and values define me as a counselor-educator. For example, I am a neutral sounding board, compassionate researcher and supervisor, flexible, self-reflective, and genuine. I also feel with intuition and often close my eyes to listen! I encourage students to develop a sense of autonomy and space for critical thinking.
Every student is capable of lifelong learning, yet impostor phenomenon is a real lived experience among all walks of life. Knowing this reality, I validate each student’s experience by creating opportunities to increase their counselor self-efficacy with experiential learning and self-reflective activities and inviting students to ask for help, ask questions, and be comfortable with making mistakes.
I also encourage students to engage in metacognition (thinking about what they are thinking) and self-directedness to develop or sharpen their knowledge, skills, and evoke and embrace cultural humility and strengthen introspection. Each student brings a unique perspective, worldview, and a different way of learning. My role is to be open and curious, embrace new opportunities to advance diverse perspectives, and be a social justice advocate.
Above all, every student is capable of lifelong learning, and learning is continuous.
Areas of expertise and interest are group therapy, multicultural concerns, anxiety concerns, interpersonal violence, grief and loss, relational concerns, substance use, training and supervision. Research interests are impostor phenomenon, counselor self-efficacy, racial identity development, creative practices within supervision, diversity, and student athletes.