Three faculty members and five doctoral students from the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling were recognized at the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet on April 19, 2016.

See below for a description of each individual’s award.

Extraordinary Community Service
For students and student organizations that exhibit the Volunteer spirit in the community.

Janine Al-Aseer
PhD Student in Learning Environments & Educational Studies

“I am deeply honored to receive the award and credit the amazing team and cohort I have to work with. I thank John Peters for the nomination!”

UT Alumni Association Public Service
Honors a faculty or staff member whose work has made a significant impact on the Knoxville-area community.

Robert Kronick
Professor in School Counseling & Cultural Studies of Educational Foundations

“This award represents the work of a lot of people.”

Extraordinary Professional Promise
Honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research or other contributions.

Wenshu Li
PhD Candidate in Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Research and Creative Achievement
Given to senior faculty in recognition of excellence in research, scholarship, and creative achievement.

R. Steve McCallum
Professor in School Psychology

“During my tenure at the University of Tennessee I have been blessed to work with many talented students and colleagues. The Research and Creative Achievement Award is a tribute to these collaborators; it is as much theirs as it is mine!!”

Excellence in Teaching
Bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in the classroom.

Jennifer Ann Morrow
Associate Professor in Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

“I’m incredibly grateful to all of my awesome students who nominated me. Teaching is the best part of my job and I strive to get students as excited about statistics as much as I am.”

Extraordinary Professional Promise
Honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research or other contributions.

Everett Painter
PhD Student in Counselor Education

“I have a great deal of respect for our program faculty. The fact they were comfortable in nominating me is gratifying and means a lot to me. This is a result of their investment and support as much as anything else.”

Extraordinary Professional Promise
Honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research or other contributions.

Kala Taylor
PhD Student in School Psychology
“I am honored to receive this award.”

Extraordinary Professional Promise
Honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research or other contributions.

Lakmal Walpitage
PhD Candidate in Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

To see photos of our recent award recipients, please go to the “EPC Award Winners” album on our EPC Facebook page.

*Award descriptions listed from Chancellor’s Honors Banquet program and website.

Melinda Gibbons, associate professor, has been selected to serve on the inaugural School Counseling Advisory Council.

“I am excited to learn from other school counseling leaders in our state and to offer ideas on transforming the school counseling profession.”

The School Counseling Advisory Council is led by Leigh Bagwell, coordinator of School Counseling for TN. The first meeting of the council is April 7, 2016.

The purpose of the council is to effectively engage stakeholders with leaders at the department, as we work together to increase the capacity of Tennessee school counselors to provide counseling programs that successfully support our students.

Council members will regularly share feedback on local implementation of state school counseling initiatives. Additionally, council members will serve as advocates for comprehensive school counseling in their communities.

Associate Department Head &
Director of Graduate Studies

Joel F. Diambra joined the University of Tennessee in 1999 in the Counseling, Deafness, and Human Services Department. Diambra has been part of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling since 2003. He currently serves as associate department head and director of graduate studies in EPC and is an associate professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Counselor Education, and School Counseling programs. We asked him to reflect on his experiences. Read his responses below.

What are some different roles you’ve served at UT and/or within EPC?
At UT, I was an assistant professor and now associate professor. I currently serve as a member of the Graduate School Student Diversity Enhancement Committee. I’ve also served on the Faculty Senate and Athletic Committee for a 3-year term. I’ve enjoyed being a Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Mentor for a number of years, Office of Disability Services Admissions Appeals Committee member, visited incoming freshmen via House Calls, facilitated Life of the Mind to incoming freshmen, and teach two ongoing FYS 129 courses.

Within EPC I’ve served as a Human Services Field Experience Coordinator, Peer Mentoring Coordinator, School and Clinical Mental Health Program Committee Faculty Member, Counselor Education PhD Program Coordinator, and most recently Associate Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies. I have served as committee member and currently serve as a search chair for a faculty position search.

What are a few of your most recent accomplishments?
I recently won a state award and had three very recent efforts that led to students presenting and publishing for the first time.

1. In November 2015, the Tennessee Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Chapter honored me with the Charles Thompson Counselor Educator of the Year Award.
2. Brittany Pollard, Rose Gamble, Bre Banks and I just had Teaching a Human Sexuality Course: What are Students Thinking? accepted for publication in the American Journal of Sexuality Education.
3. Eric Heidel, John Breckner, Jeannine Studer and I just received notification that Psychometric Properties of the School Counselor National Model® Activity Scale (SCNMAS) will be published in the upcoming Tennessee Counseling Association Journal.
4. In December 2015, Brooke Bagley (CMHC alumnus and current clinical supervisee) and I had our ACA presentation and subsequent manuscript focused on her work as a Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor accepted for publication in Counseling Today. I believe this is Brooke’s first publication. She was also accepted to present a workshop on this topic at the Tennessee Counseling Association and Smoky Mountain Counseling Association.
5. I have been providing supervision to 3 current doctoral students with a focus on diversity/multiculturalism: Jennifer Moralejo, Derrick Shepard, and Nathan West. With their leadership, we submitted a newsletter manuscript outlining our efforts and it was accepted for publication in the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Newsletter. We also submitted proposals regarding our efforts to conduct a Tennessee Counseling Association workshop and American Counseling Association poster session, coming spring 2016 in Montreal, Canada. Both were accepted. I find great satisfaction in assisting current and former students achieve accomplishments for the first time.

In an attempt to help others first coming to UT, complete the following statement: If I knew then what I know now about UT, I would…

1. Buy a bicycle or hover board as my work transportation. You can park a whole lot easier and closer without a car.
2. Start boasting about UT sports. Over time, I’ve been amazed at a how well UT does nationally in various athletic venues: women’s basketball, women’s softball, track and field, swimming/diving, tennis, men’s basketball, and men’s football. “It’s great… to be… a Tennessee Vol.”

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t in academia?
I can think of three things I’d likely be doing:

1. Buying low and selling high. 🙂 One of my hobbies is purchasing cars and motorcycles (and just about anything if the price is right), repairing them, enjoying them for a period of time and selling them for a profit.
2. I would likely be building a counseling practice too. Before entering academia, I had already established my own private practice and considered expanding the practice to include a host of other therapists to provide comprehensive therapeutic services.
3. I would likely be living overseas or traveling/living for long stretches of time in foreign lands. I back packed around the world for one year when I was 23 and could easily see myself moving to, settling-in, and working in different countries for about 1-3 year stints.

What sold you on UT?
The faculty. When I interviewed I was impressed with the faculty. They were bright, energetic, warm, genuine, challenging, and supportive. I had applied for a position in Australia and was one of three finalists. Australia was my 1st choice; however, I ended up being their 2^nd choice. I remember being so disappointed until I received an amazing follow-up email after my interview from Sky Huck. I cried when I read his email, realizing UT Knoxville was really the right place for me. I still have that email.

What do you think has been the most rewarding about your work in EPC?
In my role as a professor, it is most rewarding to assist students in achieving new accomplishments (e.g., presenting or publishing). As an administrator, realizing overall just how amazing and strong (i.e., students, staff, and faculty) we are as a department!

Name one fact about yourself that most people don’t know.
I lived in Brazil as a child, married in Japan during my world-wide backpacking trip, and minored in Japanese and Southeast Asian Studies. Okay, that’s 3 facts. I’m also very good at not following directions. Oops, 4 facts.

School Counseling

Nicole is currently seeking her MS in School Counseling. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana she received her BS in psychology and sociology and MPA in public administration at Louisiana State University and came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2012. We asked her to reflect on some of her past and current experiences. Read her responses below.

Accomplishments

I frequently present to agencies in Knox county about child abuse. Some of the agencies I have trained have included the school counselors in elementary schools, Knoxville Police Department Crisis Negotiation Unit, Knoxville Utility Board, the United Way, the Department of Children’s Services, and in the Knoxville Police Department Academy.

Refer to Curriculum Vita for more details.

Current Occupation

Forensic Interviewer
Childhelp Children’s Center of East Tennessee

I have been in this position for over six years. I interview children using a forensic interviewing protocol for the District Attorney’s Office, FBI, Tennessee Bureau Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement agencies, and for the Department of Children’s Services. I have interviewed over 2000 children in our community regarding child abuse allegations since I began and I also serve as a critical incident stress debriefer for the Tennessee Public Safety Network. This agency helps law enforcement and other first responders after they are involved in a stressful situation. I specifically assist with situations where law enforcement has been affected by cases they have worked involving children.

Personal Interests

Outside of work, I enjoy playing the piano and crocheting. I have two children, Amelia (10) and Landon (7), and three step children, Sam (19), Allie and Chayton (14-year-old twins). We stay pretty busy with soccer, basketball, violin, chorus, and girl scouts for the kids. I enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors taking pictures of the kids and our dog, Marley.

Future/Vocational Goals

I am about to enter my final semester in the program and I am excited about starting my career in school counseling. I hope to stay in Knox County and work here locally in our school system. I love working with younger children but enjoy helping older children develop their future goals as well. As long as I am working with and advocating for children, working with any age group would be a win in my opinion.

What sold you on this program?

Jeanine Studer, professor emerita, completely sold me on the program. In my current job, while it is important, I felt like I was not doing enough to help these children heal. Often the forensic interview is the first step in the process. I began feeling pulled to fulfill an earlier goal of working as a school counselor. After reviewing the website, I set up a meeting with Studer who really engaged with me, and inspired me that even though I worked full time and had children, I could complete the program successfully. She was a fantastic advisor and I miss her presence in the office since her retirement.

What do you think has been the most rewarding/challenging about this program?

The most rewarding and challenging part of the program is one in the same. We really have to look inside and evaluate our own beliefs, values, strengths, and weakness to be better counselors and helpers. This introspection is invaluable and I feel like I have a better sense of who I am as a person and as a professional.

Congratulations to the 2015-16 fellowship/scholarship recipients from the Educational Psychology and Counseling Department!

Emily Brown  Counselor Education
– Stephen Lee Alderton Graduate Fellowship

Alyssa Heise  School Counseling
– Eugene and Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Alexandra Ingram  Learning Environments and Educational Studies
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Baileigh Kirkpatrick School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Stephanie Krider School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Sondra LoRe  Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement
– Graduate School Fellowship

James Michel  School Counseling
– Graduate School Fellowship

Rachael Marshall  Counselor Education
– Graduate School Fellowship

Sara Nasrollahian  Adult Learning
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Lauren Ridley  School Counseling
– Helen Carter Murray Scholarship

Kyle Ryan  School Psychology
– Chancellor’s Fellowship
– Graduate School Fellowship

Teresa Saunders  School Counseling
– Eugene and Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Stephanie Teague  Learning Environments and Educational Studies
– Chancellor’s Fellowship

Kelly McCullough Thompson  School Psychology
– Richard Yoakley Fellowship

Nancy Truett  Counselor Education
– Graduate School Fellowship

Elizabeth Zeller  Clinical Mental Health Counseling
– Charles Lowell Thompson Fellowship