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Department of Counselor Education News
Drs. Randy Astramovich and Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson Launch Journal for International Counselor Education
Drs. Randy Astramovich and Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson launch the Journal for International Counselor Education. The Journal for International Counselor Education (JICE) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that promotes professional counselor education, preparation, training, and supervision of counselors internationally. The principal goals of this journal are the development of global connections, the enhancement of counselor education competence, and the presentation of diverse perspectives as they relate to counselor preparation and competent practice worldwide. The journal features original research, theory, pedagogy, and practice oriented articles that reflect the diverse and growing population of counselors globally. The Journal can be found at: http://digitalcommons.library.unlv.edu/jice/
Drs. Randy Astramovich and Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson Work on ACA-ACES Syllabus Clearinghouse
Drs. Randy Astramovich and Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson helped make the American Counseling Association and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACA-ACES) Syllabus Clearinghouse a success! ACA consulted with both CED faculty members to develop syllabus criteria and standards for the new clearinghouse. In the first 9 months of operation faculty around the country have made 5,000 visits to the new site. This initiative is clearly providing a worthwhile service to counselor educators and supervisors in the USA and around the world. The ACA-ACES Syllabus Clearinghouse is available at: http://www.acesonline.net/features.asp?feature-id=722364711. Kudos go to Dr. Randy and Dr. Dale.
UNLV Graduate becomes State CPC INTERN!
UNLV Graduate becomes first official Nevada State Clinical Professional Counseling Intern from our program. Wendy Dingee, a 2008 graduate with a MS Degree in Counselor Education from the Community Mental Health Counseling Program was officially recognized by the State Board of Nevada for MFT and LCPCs as an Intern. After passing the rigorous qualifying exams, Ms. Dingee also became a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with the National Board of Certified Counselors, the only accreditation board developed by counselors for counselors. Congrats Wendy Dingee MS, NCC, CPC-Intern!
Dr. Shannon Smith publishes article on: Association Between Adult Romantic Attachment Styles and Family-of-Origin Expressive Atmosphere
The article titled: "Association Between Adult Romantic Attachment Styles and Family-of-Origin Expressive Atmosphere", was published in the The Family Journal.
Dr. Wendy Hoskins and Dr. Randy Astramovich Invited To Authors Reception
Dr. Wendy Hoskins and Dr. Randy Astramovich attend the American Counseling Association VISTAS author reception for those select few who were published in this year's journal (they are in the back row left). VISTAS is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Counseling Outfitters, LLC (Garry R. Walz and Jeanne C. Bleuer) as a means of capturing the ideas, information, and experiences generated by the annual ACA conventions.
CED Presentations at the 6th Annual Symposium on Action Research
Dr. Wendy Hoskins, Dr. Randy Astramovich and Counselor Education Students Daniella Muller, Denise Donahue, Jasmine Troop, and Zach Bucher presented their research using the Accountability Model (developed by Hoskins and Astramovich) recently in San Diego. Their proposal was accepted and presented at the 6th Annual Symposium on Action Research hosted by the University of San Diego.
Professor Larry Ashley to Present in London
Professor Larry Ashley to present at the 6TH UK/European Symposium on Addictive Disorders in London. He will be leading workshops on Post-traumatic stress disorder, combat trauma and childhood. For more information about the conference visit the UKESAD website.
(l-r): Professor Larry Ashley of the University of Nevada, Professor Roger Weiss of Dept of Psychiatry-Harvard, Professor David Rosenbloom of Casa and JoinTogether.com, Patrick Kennedy Lawford, ASAM president Dr Louis Baxter, Jaime Delgado of Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, Association of Intervention Specialists board member Jane Eigner Mintz, IC&RC president Jeff Wilbee, Addiction Recovery Foundation CEO Deirdre Boyd, HRDI CEO Dr Andrea Barthwell, Tammi VerHelst of IITAP, Patrick Carnes, interventionist John Southworth and Freedom Consultancy director Johan Sorensen.
Dr. Bill Cross, Professor in Counselor Education at UNLV, recently spoke at the 2009 Society for Research and Child Development
At the recent Biannual Meeting of the Society for Research and Child Development, William E. Cross, Jr., from Counselor Education, teamed with Dr. Margaret Beale Spencer of the University of Chicago to give an invited presentation on black identity. Dr. Cross spoke on the progress of black scholarship in a talk titled: "From Contrarians to Insiders: Notes on the mainstreaming of black identity development."
Counselor Education Student Marissa Nichols Highlighted in Rebel Nation
Counselor Education Student Marissa Nichols, currently working on her master's degree in Counselor Education after graduating with a bachelor's degree in human service counseling, speaks about her life on and off the softball field. Read more from the Rebel Nation article.
CCSD Supervision set for September 9, 2009
Dr. Wendy Hoskins, school counseling coordinator will present this year's fall school counseling supervision training program. Counselors working in CCSD schools who wish to have interns, will attend the Annual Supervision Training conducted by the counselor education faculty at UNLV. Dr. Hoskins will cover the following topics: Effective strategies for successful supervision including the utilization of Bernard's Discrimination Model, Roles of the Supervisor, and Roles of the Supervisee.
Larry Ashley and Student Leaders of SOAP Invited To Meet With the Mayor and City Council
Larry Ashley as well as the Student Leaders for the Student Organization for Addictions Professionals are being honored by the Las Vegas 5th Ward and are invited by Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow of Ward 5 to have our faculty and students visit with the Mayor and City Council on Wednesday May 6 at 8:30 am in recognition of all of their great work. The visit would be for about two hours. This is a great opportunity for SOAP and for UNLV. For more information about Student Organization for Addictions Professionals visit the SOAP website.
CED Masters students nominated for UNLV Graduate Graduation Speech!
Jacquee Houtz and Wendy John, two Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor Society students stepped forward, wrote amazing speeches and were both nominated by the faculty to make the commencement speech for Spring 2009 Ceremony that will be held on May 9, 2009. Their speeches are available below in Microsoft Word format.
Jacquee Houtz's Speech
Wendy John's Speech
Lindsey Harrison Speaks at the Annual Spring College of Education Alumni Award Reception
Lindsey Harrison was the recent key note speaker at the Annual Spring College of Education Alumni Award Reception. Ms. Harrison is a MS Student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and serves as a graduate assistant in the UNLV Gambling Intern Program. She is currently co-president for Omega Alpha, the UNLV Chapter for the International Honor Society for Counselors.
UNLV professor assembling expert team to assist victims of female genital mutilation
LAS VEGAS, April 13 – Clitoraid, a non-profit, U.S.-based organization, announced today that on March 27, Dr. Marci Bowers performed the first clitoral repairs ever made in the United States at her Colorado clinic, successfully restoring clitoral functioning to three victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) currently residing in the United States. In a related development, Larry Ashley of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has accepted the task of assembling a team of experts to design a protocol that will help additional millions of FGM victims.
Clitoraid, which is spearheading these efforts, was founded by Rael, who is also the founder and leader of the International Raelian Movement. With Clitoraid’s assistance, scores of African women are already signing up for the procedure that restores the organ of sexual pleasure. Dr. Bowers offered to help Clitoraid's team about a year ago. After being trained by Dr. Pierre Foldes, the French surgeon who developed the new restoration technique in Paris, she decided to allocate time for operating on genitally mutilated women living in the United States.She also volunteered to perform such surgeries at The Pleasure Hospital, also known as Kamkaso Hospital, in Burkino Faso, Africa, which is currently under construction through Clitoraid fundraising efforts. Thousands of women are awaiting the hospital's completion so they can have the surgery. In the meantime, Clitoraid is lining up pre-surgical and post-surgical counseling as an adjunct to the procedure.
"After meeting with the desperate women before and after the operation in Colorado that entirely restored their sexuality, we realized that helping them with surgery wasn't enough," said Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, president of Clitoraid. "Their psychological scars are at least as deep as the physical scars treated through surgery, and there's no need to say how thrilled we were when we received an inquiry from Larry Ashley. After our first meeting, he agreed to put a team together to help these mutilated women psychologically both before and after the surgery!"
Larry Ashley is Addictions Specialist and Associate Professor in Residence for the Department of Counselor Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He specializes in the treatment of combat and sexual traumas, with a primary focus on the training and mentoring of addiction and trauma professionals.
For the Clitoraid collaboration, he will assemble and train a team of community providers and graduate students to provide counseling and therapy for FGM victims before surgery and to follow-up after the procedure.After his first meeting with one of the women who had the surgery March 27, he confirmed his enthusiasm.
"Of all of the sexual trauma survivors I've worked with, the women who are victims of female genital mutilation are among the most psychologically impacted I've have been associated with," he said. "I feel very fortunate that I can help. There is a tremendous need to have emotional aid available as well as corrective surgery." Ms. Gary, Clitoraid's spokesperson, is available for interviews at 858-717-3458
CED Faculty Present Research at National Conference
Drs. Astramovich, Hoskins, Pehrsson and Smith (pictured left to right) presented their various research projects at the 2009 American Counseling Association Conference in Charlotte, NC. Additionally, Drs. Astramovich and Hoskins were honored by ACA at the Author's Reception for their recent publication that was accepted in the peer reviewed and prestigious VISTAS journal.
CED Receives International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors Outstanding Program Award
Pictured here are Drs. Pehrsson and Hoskins as they accept the 2009 International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors Outstanding Program Award from Dr. Todd Lewis at the ACA Conference in Charlotte, NC. The department was nominated by the association itself after IAAOC conducted an extensive national review of counselor education and addiction preparation programs to find exemplary programs. The UNLV Counselor Education's total program including, curriculum, research, clinical opportunities, student programs, related activities, outreach projects and national-regional and local advocacy were cited as some but not all of the reasons the CED received this national honor.
CED earns 2009 International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors Outstanding Program Award
The Department of Counselor Education at UNLV was just named the recipient of the 2009 International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors Outstanding Program Award; IAAOC is a division of the American Counseling Association. This national recognition was bestowed upon the CED because the nomination committee reviewed nomination materials and found UNLV's program to be a model for other universities. Todd Lewis, IAAOC president, stated, "Your impressive Certificate in Addiction Studies program is high quality, and it is clear that the work you do in preparing students has had an enormous impact in your state and in the addictions field." The award was given to the faculty at the American Counseling Association conference in Charlotte.
Counseling Honor Society Reactivated!
After much work and preparation by the energetic and forward thinking leadership students, (including Jeff Barboa, Lindsey Harrison, Seth Korn, Jacquee Houtz and Kerry Bartlett) the UNLV Omega Alpha Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota-International, the honor society for counselors received official word that our chapter has been reactivated and now has all the privileges, status and benefits of an active chapter. Students who belong to the honor society must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better. Students who belong to this society strive towards the highest level of counselor professionalism, foster life long learning and research excellence as practitioners. For information about the chapter contact faculty advisors Dr. Dale at dale.pehrsson@unlv.edu or Dr. Hoskins at wendy.hoskins@unlv.edu.
Dr. Cross To Be Honored With The 2009 Social Justice Education Award
William E. Cross, Jr., Professor of Counselor Education in the College of Education, traveled to NYC on February 21st to receive the prestigious 2009 Social Justice Education Award that is presented each year at the Annual Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education. Previous winners have included Jane Elliot, Ronald Takaki, and Michelle Fine.
Lauren Pitts and Larry Ashley Collaborate on Article
Lauren Pitts, MS Student, recently co-published an article with Associate Professor, Larry Ashley titled, "Traumatic Stress and Combat: For those who witness the killing and death, stress takes a toll" in the March 2009 issues of the NAADAC News, The Association for Addiction Professionals National Newsletter.
Dr. Wendy Hoskins and Dr. Randy Astramovich Invited to Present
Two CED Faculty recently presented in Sacramento. Dr. Wendy Hoskins and Dr. Randy Astramovich were invited presenters at the Sacramento state career center and advisory center. Their topic Supervision accountability: Evaluating your supervisory role. It was a review of appropriate supervision models, roles and challenges. The workshop was designed specifically for the newly merged center, staff have both undergraduate students as well as masters students from the CACREP accredited counseling program who require supervision. Dr. David McVey from the center stated, "Last Monday, February 23rd, Dr. Randy Astramovich and Dr. Wendy Hoskins conducted a Counselor Supervision Training for the staff of the Career Center and Academic Advising Center at California State University, Sacramento...The training received rave reviews and was outstanding, both in content and how they facilitated the workshop. We sincerely appreciate the professionalism and time Randy and Wendy devoted to conducting the training... Inviting professionals from our field to conduct a training on Counselor Supervision originated last year when I contacted Dr. Astramovich, who was then President of WACES. As a result of both Randy's and Wendy's enthusiasm, our career counseling staff was able to receive outstanding training from leaders in our field."
Professor Larry Ashley Wins Collaboration Award
The Department of Counselor Education would like to congratulate Larry Ashley, Erin Kinard, Kevin Morss and Christopher Hansen for their work on the Problem Gambling treatment program which includes the efforts of the Counselor Education Department, West Care Nevada, US Probation. All have been named the recipients of the College of Education Collaborative Group Award for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Dr. Cross Presents 2009 W. W. Law Lecture
William E. Cross, Jr., UNLV Professor of Counselor Education, presented the 2009 W. W. Law Lecture as part of the 20th Black Heritage Festival of Savannah, GA. W. W. Law (1923-2002) was a crusader for justice and the civil rights of African Americans. He served as president of the Savannah National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter from 1950 to 1976 and came to be widely known as "Mr. Civil Rights." Dr. Cross spoke on "Black Identity After Obama." His lecture was given on Feb. 11th 2009 at the Jepson Center Auditorium of the Telfair Museum of Art and Culture and was co-sponsored by Georgia Southern University and the Telfair Museum.
Larry Ashley: 2009 UNLV Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient
Congratulations to Larry Ashley, Associate Faculty in Residence in Counselor Education, COE, who just received word from Provost Michael Bowers that he received the 2009 UNLV Distinguished Teaching Award. Larry will be honored at the Academic Recognition Ceremony and Reception on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 3:30 PM in the Ham Concert Hall Lobby. The award carries a $5,000.00 stipend.
ACA UPDATE: Congress Designates February 2-6, 2009, "National School Counseling Week"
On January 16th, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent S. RES. 16 –a resolution designating the week of February 2-6, 2009, as "National School Counseling Week." The resolution was sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). On January 22nd, the U.S. House approved by voice vote a similar resolution -- H. RES.56 --sponsored by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).
ACA recognizes school counselors as they celebrate "National School Counseling Week." School counseling programs are an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success. Counselors help parents, teachers, and administrators focus on ways to further the educational, personal and social growth of children. School counselors are actively committed to helping prepare each student to succeed in a diverse, changing world by providing counseling support that is responsive to each student's talents, interests, and challenges.
In honor of "National School Counseling Week," the ACA Office of Public Policy and Legislation wants to remind you about the following resources on our web site for school counselors at: http://www.counseling.org/PublicPolicy/TP/ResourcesForSchoolCounselors/CT2.aspx.
SOAP Launches Updated Website
Under the guidance of Professor Larry Ashley, The Student Organization of Addiction Professionals, or SOAP, launches an updated website. SOAP serves as a multidisciplinary representative of all undergraduate and graduate students who have a specific interest in addictions. SOAP will promote activities appropriate to strengthening and unifying the counseling profession. SOAP will also serve as a campus representative for the Counseling Department and work towards increasing recognition and cohesiveness of the Counseling Department. The website can be found at: http://blogs.education.unlv.edu/soap/
The Accountability Bridge: A Model for Evaluating School Counseling Programs
On Friday January 23, 2009 Drs. Randy Astramovich and Wendy Hoskins presented a workshop titled "Evaluating Your School Counseling Program" to the Clark County School District school counselors. Over 250 school counseling professionals attended. Drs. Astramovich and Hoskins are experts in school program evaluation and were invited to present to CCSD because of their reputation and the success of their book, "The Accountability Bridge: A Model for Evaluating School Counseling Programs". Their book has been accepted for a second edition because of the increased volume in distribution and interest.
Department of Counselor Education Reaccredited
The Department of Counselor Education recently received from Dr. Michael Bowers, Provost at UNLV, that they were reaccredited after their recent site review from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The CACREP standards are considered the "Gold Standard" of excellence in the field of counselor education. To learn more about CACREP visit the website at: http://www.cacrep.org/
Professor Larry Ashley recognized for his work in the community
Professor Larry Ashley recognized in a Special Recognition Issue of the Medical Reserve News for Southern Nevada newsletter for being an active volunteer in the community.
Dr. Shannon Smith publishes article on "Perceptions and Experiences of International Trainees in Counseling and Related Programs"
The article titled: "Perceptions and Experiences of International Trainees in Counseling and Related Programs", was published in the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling.
Congratulations to Dr. William Cross Jr.
Georgia Southern University is establishing a lecture series to honor Dr. William Cross Jr. of the College of Education Department of Counselor Education. On February 14, 2009 the Dr. William Cross Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series in Cross-Cultural Issues in Counseling and Education will be inaugurated as a part of the conference. Dr. James M. Jones will the first keynote speaker for the Series. Congratulations to Dr. William Cross Jr.
Congratulations to Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson
Winner of the 2008 Gold Circle Award. Each year the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recognizes excellence in communication campaigns produced by associations with The Gold Circle Award. Not only is The Gold Circle Award a tremendous honor and achievement, but also an opportunity to showcase the organizations achievements.
Congratulations to Dr. William Cross Jr.
Dr. William Cross Jr. has recently been named recipient of the 6th Annual Social Justice Action Award. This honor was bestowed to him by the Teachers College, Columbia University. This award commemorates and celebrates his significant contributions as a scholar who exemplifies the integration of multicultural initiatives with social action in the fields of psychology and education. Undoubtedly Dr. Cross' work incorporating social justice issues of oppression, racism, and discrimination into theories about identity and psychological functioning have positively affected countless individuals. His work has played a profound role in aided many people across a variety of racial-cultural groups to truly understand the adverse effects of racism in others' lives and their own lives. Dr. Cross will be formally presented with this award at the Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education taking place on February 21st, 2009.
ACA/AMHCA Update: Nevada Issues First LCPC Licenses
Congratulations! Nevada has started issuing its first professional counseling licenses. The state, which became the 49th state to license counselors back in June 2007, recently notified the first 3 Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPCs) that the Board of Examiners had accepted their applications for licensure. The state has now passed the point of licensing counselors in theory and has begun licensing them in practice; a big win for the entire counseling profession. The American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) would like to thank all the individuals who worked to make this possible and would like to extend its congratulations to the first LCPCs in Nevada. Counselors who would like more information about gaining licensure in the state can visit http://marriage.state.nv.us/.
Counselor Education Sweeps Regional Awards
The Counselor Education faculty, graduate students and program was recently recognized at the 2008 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference in the Western Region garnering eight awards. Drs. Astramovich and Hoskins earned the coveted research award, for their research on "Doctoral Research Training of Counselor Education Faculty" which was published in the associations' flagship peer reviewed journal, Counselor Education & Supervision. Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson earned the WACES Award for Outstanding Mentorship. Larry Ashley earned the WACES Special Recognition Award for his efforts in developing the first professional license for counselors in the state of Nevada, the new Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) credential. WACES Social Justice Awards were bestowed upon both Drs. Jesse Brinson and Shannon Smith. Part time instructor, Dr. Katrina Harris earned the WACES Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her steadfast efforts on the WACES Newsletter and WACES Website Conversion Project. Finally, the 2008 WACES Innovative Counselor Education Program Award was garnered by the Counselor Education Department recognizing the department, faculty members, staff and students for all their excellence especially as this relates to social justice and multicultural initiatives.
UNLV student Tiffany Mendez receives the Counselor Education Program Scholarship
The Counselor Education Program Scholarship will allow Tiffany to pursue a master's degree in community mental health counseling and a certificate in addiction studies. "I have two primary areas of interest, which are addictions and working with juveniles. I worked with both of these groups and found the experience very rewarding," Mendez said. "Under Dr. Ashley's guidance, I'm also establishing a distance counseling pilot program within the juvenile justice system in Elko." For more information visit the UNLV News article on the Foundations website.
Nevada Counselor Licensure Takes Another Important Step
In the past month Counselors in Nevada have been able to apply for licensure as the Nevada State Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors adopted regulations to license professional counselors. Those applications are available from the Board of Examiners website: http://www.marriage.state.nv.us.
This legislation ended almost a decade of hard negotiation and efforts for counselor licensure in Nevada, and we are pleased to see it fully implemented. NBCC recognized Senator Joe Heck (R-Henderson) for his outstanding leadership in 2007 and continues to credit Heck for his attention to mental health needs in Nevada. Senator Heck not only sponsored the legislation and shepherded it through the process, but he also ensured the regulations were implemented in a prompt and appropriate manner. Heck worked tirelessly to provide Nevada citizens more choice in high quality mental health services. Dr. Thomas Clawson, President and CEO of the National Board for Certified Counselors remarked, "In my thirty years of work with legislators dealing with counselor licensure laws, Senator Heck is clearly the most knowledgeable on mental health issues of any legislator I have encountered."
Dr. Clawson continued, "Senator Heck's eloquent explanations about need for better mental health services to professionals and the public are remarkable and unsurpassed in my memory. We will continue to look to Nevada for leadership in our field."
Counselor Education professors Dr. Dale-Elizbeth Pehrsson and Dr. Wendy Hoskins Headline Presentation
Counselor Education professors Dr. Dale-Elizbeth Pehrsson and Dr. Wendy Hoskins present: Ethics in a Changing World for Rehabilitation Professionals. The session is designed to discuss various ethical dilemmas we face and deal with in our everyday practice.
Professor Larry Ashley creates course on Combat Trauma
Read more about Professor Larry Ashley's class that provides insight into war psyche.
The Accountability Bridge: A Model for Evaluating School Counseling Programs
Dr. Randy Astramovich and Dr. Wendy Hoskins have researched the program evaluation skills of counselors for several years. Their work led to the development of a
counseling program evaluation model that is featured in their new textbook, The Accountability Bridge: A Model for Evaluating School Counseling Programs. Published
in 2008, the text provides an overview of accountability and program evaluation strategies for school counselors.
Soap is a winner!
The UNLV Student Organization of Addictions Professionals (SOAP) recently won the NAADAC's Emerging Advocates of the Year Award. This completes a sweep of the Triple Crown of NAADAC, the country's leading organization of addiction professionals, Awards for UNLV. In 2004, UNLV won the Organization Achievement Award becoming the first University and Non-treatment or Medical School program to win the top program award. In 2007, Mr. Larry Ashley won the Mel Schulstad Award, the highest award for an individual in the Addictions Field. In 2008, SOAP was awarded the Emerging Advocates of the Year Award. The Counselor Education Program faculty at UNLV has emerged as leaders in the preparation of addiction professionals. Our students shine. We are very proud and pleased for this is a big need in Nevada and we are meeting it with thorough preparation of addiction counselors and the BS and MS levels.
