Karyna S. Strickland, Ph.D.

Overview

As a counselor educator, I am sensitive to issues of diversity in the classroom. I prioritize a diversity of perspectives in my classroom, and I make a point to include a range of diverse voices throughout my teaching pedagogy. Because of my personal and professional background, I am familiar with challenges faced by students of color and queer lived experiences and am committed to mentoring them for success in the university setting.

My teaching philosophy reflects my personality and value of education. With my belief that counselors and counselor educators serve a vital function in our society, my overarching goal as a counselor educator will always be to prepare highly effective culturally competent professional counselors. Counseling students should be provided effective instruction that will aid them in developing and sharpening their skills. Counselor educators should be masters of learning assessment. This requires that counselor educators have the ability to design well- rounded student objectives, and student outcomes that are both intentional and relevant to the direction of instruction.

The underlying premise of my teaching philosophy in counselor education is relatively simple. I teach from the belief that learning styles are uniquely diverse and that adult learners acquire knowledge from multi-level perspectives. This allows me to teach from a learner-centered perspective. In sum, students should have every opportunity to reach their maximum potential. Counselor educators should make every attempt to model professionalism and to guide students toward responsible citizenship.