Getting to Know: Counseling, Psychology and Social Work

The January Q&A is with Dr. Laura Gaudet, the Counseling, Psychology and Social Work department chair. She recently completed two international presentations in China in her area of expertise, traumatic brain injury.

Q: What are your duties as a department chair?

The department chair serves as the lead faculty member and coordinator on departmental matters. This position organizes departmental meetings to discuss and implement initiatives in curricular assessment and catalog revisions, scholarship selections, budget allocations, student retention and recruitment, academic year and summer class schedules, faculty assignments, and strategic plans. I also meet regularly with the academic dean and provide input regarding personnel, curricula, equipment, budgets, student and faculty issues, and strategic plans as requested by the dean. I’m also expected to foster a culture of inquiry, critical self-reflection, evidence based decision making, and a learner-centered environment.

Q: Please share a few success stories.

In the Counseling, Psychological Sciences and Social Work programs, we have had several students with physical and/or learning disabilities enroll and graduate from our undergraduate and graduate programs. The full graduate counseling program is not online, but the majority of counseling courses (except for three) can be taken online. As a result, many of the graduate counseling courses do not require a trip to campus. All of the psychological sciences courses can be taken completely online or in a face-to-face format. Over half of our psychological sciences majors are completely online students and will never come to campus.

As a result, the use of an online format makes these two programs attractive to students with special needs. One of our graduates from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program was legally blind and worked for Vocational Rehabilitation in Scottsbluff. When she needed a ride to campus, she got a friend to drive her. One blind student in the undergraduate psychology program said she didn’t need any assistance in her courses – she took my instructor’s notes in Sakai and enlarged the print. After she graduated, with financial support from the State of Wyoming, Vocational Rehabilitation and went on to earn her master’s in rehabilitation counseling in Colorado.

The Social Work program has had many students enroll in and graduate with an undergraduate degree in Social Work. One student was legally blind and another student had Multiple Sclerosis. Those students attended class with a disability service dog or the use of adaptive technology (motorized wheelchairs or scooters and handicapped accessible cars).

Q: What are the best characteristics or qualities for a potential counselor to possess?

This is a question we ask prospective counseling students in their interview. Many students say that potential counselors need to be able to listen and be empathetic. The ability to see the world, or a problem, through the eyes of another person is very important. 

Q: What changes do you foresee in the counseling profession?

In the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, accreditation is essential to our continued focus on program excellence. CACREP is the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs. The Counseling faculty is meeting with the CSC accreditation dean, Dr. Jim Powell, to do the necessary writing for this specialized accreditation.

Our counseling program must meet all the requirements of the State of Nebraska, Department of Education and CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation). Currently, Nebraska requires students in the School Counseling program to have earned an undergraduate degree or endorsement in education and also possess at least two years of teaching experience.        

Q: What are some face-to-face requirements for your online students?

In the counseling program, all prospective students are required to attend a face-to-face or Skype counseling interview with the counseling faculty. This is part of their admission into the counseling program. After the counseling interview, students accepted into the program are also required to attend the counseling orientation with the counseling faculty in North Platte or Chadron. At that time, counseling students review the Graduate Counseling Handbook, meet the counseling faculty and are advised about specific student questions, such as registration and counseling course rotation.      

Q: What career paths do graduates of your program generally pursue?

Many counseling students work in mental health agencies, private practice or public schools following their graduation. However, a growing number of counseling graduates are also working with clients in substance abuse facilities and prisons.     

Q: What do you like best about teaching at a small college?

The best thing about teaching at a small college is the relationships developed with students and the relationships students develop with one another. For my undergraduate degree, I attended and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin which had 50,000 students. I was very proud of attending such a large and well-known university. However, I never developed relationships like I see occurring at CSC until I completed degrees at smaller universities (Texas State University – post M.Ed. in Education Administration and The University of Northern Colorado – Ph.D.).

Q: What strengths or advantages does your department offer potential CSC students?

Our department offers a personalized approach to students. Every member of our department has worked in academia but our faculty has also worked as practitioners in the field. 

Q: What advice would you share with high school students interested in a career in counseling, psychology or social work?

Rather than focus on the degree they want to pursue, at the undergraduate or graduate level, all students should focus on what they want to do five years after they graduate. When meeting with an adviser, discuss the work you want to pursue (post-secondary teaching, school counseling, mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling, crisis counseling, social work, public policy), the population you want to work with (toddlers, adolescents, young adults, elderly) and the level or depth of service you prefer (one-on-one counseling, group counseling, agency setting work, hospital or community focus). Once you have an idea about the work you want to pursue and the population you want to address, you will have a better idea about the undergraduate or graduate program you want to enroll in and graduate from. A good adviser will help you find the best program to fit your interests and desires.