This fall, two nationally recognized scholar-researchers join the team of accomplished faculty in ̽̽’s Master of Science in Counseling Program and the newly launched Doctor of Counselor Education and Supervision Program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Anna Elliott and Dr. Robin Hausheer to our growing programs,” said Department Chair Christine Proulx. “Their teaching expertise will help prepare future counselors and counselor educators, and their rich and diverse research portfolios in rural mental health and substance misuse and prevention will provide exciting training opportunities for students in our new PhD program.”
Elliott and Hausheer join a group of core faculty that includes Drs. Aishwarya Joshi, Jane Okech, Lance Smith, Nancy Thacker Darrow, and Julie Welkowitz. They are eager to connect with students, colleagues and community partners striving to improve the health and wellbeing of communities throughout Vermont and beyond.
“Not only will our new faculty expand the knowledge base and research areas of our programs, but they also have considerable grant expertise that will enhance opportunities for scholarship and leadership in the field,” said Welkowitz, coordinator of the master's program.
Anna Elliott
An active mental health clinician, Dr. Anna Elliott specializes in working with families, adolescents, and trauma recovery from a relational-cultural psychodynamic approach. Her teaching and supervision are grounded in a social constructivist philosophy where collaboration and empowerment are essential. Her coursework experience includes teaching multicultural awareness, family theories, rural counseling, diagnosis, trauma, and clinical lab courses.
Elliott's research and scholarship strives to enhance counselor development and improve mental health access. On a micro level, this involves exploring what factors enhance counselor-in-training development. On a macro level, her grant activity and research focus on how to systemically address mental health needs in rural communities.
Funded by a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Elliott currently serves as principal investigator of a five-year research project studying the Rural Mental Health Preparation/Practice Pathway: An Innovative Partnership to Prepare Rural School-Based Mental Health Services Providers.
Robin Hausheer
A counselor educator and national board-certified counselor, Dr. Robin Hausheer previously served as a school counselor working with at-risk populations. Her teaching integrates creative strategies for student exploration of clinical approaches to support clients. She has extensive experience teaching courses that prepare school counselors in program development, evaluation, and evidence-based practices.
Hausheer’s research examines substance misuse prevention and intervention focusing on underage drinking, engaging parents as prevention allies, and developing youth substance use prevention and intervention programming for parents. She also studies bystander bullying intervention programming with K-12 students and implicit bias training for counselors and educators.
As the principal investigator for a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant subaward, Hausheer’s current research examines a bystander bullying intervention program. She previously served as the principal investigator for a $1.92 million Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) for Professionals grant, and a co-principal investigator on several HRSA BHWET grants totaling over $2.3 million.
Hausheer is a previous recipient of the North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NARACES) New Professional of the Year Award, and two-time recipient of the NARACES Emerging Leaders Award.
About PhD and MS Programs
The recently launched Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision is for counseling professionals seeking to enhance their careers in leadership, research and scholarship, advocacy, and the education and supervision of counselors. The program focuses on preparation of diverse counseling professionals to become critically conscious advanced clinicians, educators, clinical supervisors, scholar-activists, and leaders in various academic and clinical settings. Students engage in face-to-face coursework, research opportunities, internship experiences, and a cohort model to curate a community and support. Scholarship support is available for qualified candidates.
The M.S. in Counseling Program is nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Students have the option to enroll in either the School Counseling track, the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track, or the dual track program. Students fulfill 100 hours of practicum work and 600-1,200 internship hours in a professional field setting. Graduate of the program consistently have high rates of employment as clinical mental health counselors and school counselors.
Funding and Scholarships
Qualified applicants in both programs are eligible for scholarship funding. A variable tuition rate is available for out-of-state students in the master's degree program. Vermont's new helps to cover tuition and other costs for qualified recipients enrolled in a program that leads to a master’s degree in a mental health field including counseling, social work, and other programs.
Faculty in both programs are committed to recruiting, retaining, and training students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Collaborative curricular experiences are grounded in social justice principles, student-centered mentorship and supervision, and active modeling.
