Today@Sam Article
Doctoral Student Awarded Counseling Fellowship
May 10, 2018
SHSU Media Contact: Hannah Haney
The NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors recently selected Adrian Lira, Sam Houston State University doctoral student in the counselor education program, for the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program (NBCC MFP). As an NBCC MFP Fellow, Lira will receive $20,000 in funding and training to support his education and facilitate his service to underserved minority populations.
The goal of the program is to strengthen the infrastructure that engages diverse individuals in counseling and increases the number of professional counselors providing effective, culturally competent services to underserved populations.
“I am thrilled because I understand the impact that the fellowship will have on my education and career goals,” Lira said. “It’s wonderful that my desire to address services aimed at second-generation and first-generation immigrants has received attention on a national level.”
Lira is interested in researching the linguistic competence of counselors providing multilingual counseling to first- and second-generation immigrants. Through his research in the counselor education doctoral program at SHSU, he desires to increase counselors’ understanding of the culture and needs of Hispanic immigrants and their families. He currently serves as a clinical manager and senior bilingual clinician at Family Houston, a behavioral health organization that provides counseling to English- and Spanish-speaking children, adolescents and adults.
“During the past 13 years, I have committed myself to working with minorities and this fellowship will ensure that I can continue this commitment” Lira said. “I hope to have a larger impact on immigrants and their children with the support from the NBCC Foundation.”
This fellowship will help Lira with training the next generation of counselors to provide multicultural and multilingual services to ethnic minorities. It will also help him to address the needs of this underserved population by increasing attention to the unique needs of immigrants, providing culturally-appropriate counseling services and increasing the knowledge base of practicing clinicians.
“I'm excited for this year and the opportunity to learn from other individuals who are committed to serving the underserved,” Lira said.
ABOUT THE NBCC FOUNDATION
The NBCC Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in Greensboro, North Carolina. NBCC is the nation’s premier professional certification board devoted to credentialing counselors who meet standards for the general and specialty practices of professional counseling. Currently, there are more than 64,000 board-certified counselors in the United States and more than 50 countries. The Foundation’s mission is to leverage the power of counseling by strategically focusing resources for positive change.
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