Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Rachel Kerrigan on the Importance of Training Counselors Who Are Trauma Informed
Dr. Rachel Kerrigan, Associate Professor in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the director of Clinical Training for the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, recently gave a presentation at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) annual conference on the importance of training counselors to be trauma informed.
The presentation highlights results from her Delphi Study—part of her dissertation research—on critical knowledge about trauma that all master’s-level counseling students should possess by the time they graduate.
Garnering insights from cross-disciplinary experts on 39 different curricula standards, the study focuses on the following key areas:
- Clinical trauma assessment and treatment methods.
- Trauma’s impact on human development, community, and systems.
- Variability.
- Ethical and sensitive response.
- Counselor care.
The full study has been submitted for publication. We invite you to take a look at Dr. Kerrigan’s presentation below.
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