The UNC Charlotte Mu Tau Beta chapter of the international counseling honor society Chi Sigma Iota recently honored three outstanding graduate students and two faculty members in the Department of Counseling.
Rebecca Blanchard, a master’s student, was recognized for outstanding service to the chapter. She is membership chair and worked to plan a number of social and chapter development events. Additionally, she served as the volunteer coordinator for the North Carolina Counselor Conference. According to nomination materials, she “shines through in her attitude, support and tireless work ethic and is an exceptional example of dedication to the chapter and excellence in the profession.”
Krystal Turner, a second-year master’s student in the clinical mental health counseling track with a concentration in play therapy was honored as the Outstanding Master’s Student. She has presented five poster presentations at national and local conferences where one entry won Best Poster. Recently, she was awarded the 2018 Graduate Dean’s Meritorious Student Award for showing outstanding promise while pursuing her graduate degree.
Rachel Saunders was recognized as the Outstanding Doctoral Student. She is actively building a research agenda with six research studies in progress and more than 14 presentations given at the international, national, regional and state level. She also serves as a journal editor for the Journal of School Counseling. In addition to being chapter president, she is a Graduate Student Life Fellow for the 2018-19 academic year.
Faculty members John Nance and Phyllis Post were honored as Outstanding Practitioner Supervisor and for Outstanding Faculty Achievement, respectively.
Nance '03, '08 Ph. D. has been a fully licensed professional counselor supervisor since 2006. He currently works as a private practitioner who specializes in dissociative disorders, working with the LGBTQQII population, and licensure supervision.
Post began her career in counselor education and supervision in 1980. She has more than 60 published articles and has chaired 25-plus dissertations in her research area of multicultural play therapy. Recently, she has developed a partnership with Koontz Elementary School where she is actively fostering teacher-child relationships and resiliency among children who have experienced adverse childhood events.
Photo, left to right, Blanchard, Saunders, Nance, Turner and Post.