Counselor Education Faculty

Dr. Jeongwoon Jeong joined the University of New Mexico in 2022. Dr. Jeong’s research interests include diverse mental health and addiction issues among underserved populations, multicultural counselor education, and counseling self-efficacy of counselors and counselors-in-training. Dr. Jeong has served Korean Counseling Association-International Chapter as a board member and put an effort into the internationalization of counseling.

Sojeong Nam joined the counselor education faculty in Fall 2022. Dr. Nam'’'s research and clinical interests center on mental health disparities including mental health stigma, literacy, and help-seeking among underrepresented and underserved populations, depression and suicidality in children and adolescents, and psychometric properties of assessment tools in counseling and counselor education.

Xiaoxuan Qu joined the counselor education faculty in Fall 2024. Dr. Qu's research revolves around counselor education, training, and andragogy. In particular, Dr. Qu studies the phenomena of constructing and developing professional identity and theoretical orientation to counseling and psychotherapy among practitioners and practitioners-in-training. She also explores the mechanics of mentorship in practitioner education. In addition, Dr. Qu explores the process of practitioner development under creative andragogy and inclusive education.

Courses:

• COUN 595: Internship
• COUN 577: Substance Use and Abuse
• COUN 581: Sexuality in Counseling and Psychotherapy
• COUN 625: Teaching in Counselor Education
• COUN 630/696: Advanced Practicum/Doctoral Internship

Monique N. Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, joined the counselor education faculty at UNM in 2019. Dr. Rodriguez’s research interests include body awareness skills for self-care and emotion regulation. Her current research involves interoceptive awareness training as an adjunct to substance use disorder treatment. Dr. Rodriguez leads a research group of graduate students interested in substance use disorders and the study of somatic approaches to counselor education and clinical training. She is particularly interested in creating a culture of embodied awareness in counselor education.

Read more about research opportunities and the SANAR Lab: https://sanarlab.unm.edu/

Heather Sands, an alumni of UNM CES Program, rejoins the faculty for the Fall 2024 at the Manzanita Counseling Clinic. Heather’s has clinical and supervisory experiences related to family therapy with family members navigating acute mental health challenges. Her educational background and experiences largely shape her interests in the ways sociopolitical and economic power and control manifest in smaller mental health and educational settings.

Cortny Stark (she/her/hers) PhD LPCC LADAC CRC joined the University of New Mexico counselor education faculty in 2024. Prior to this position, she spent five years with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs as an assistant professor and the Substance Use and Recovery Counseling program coordinator. Dr. Stark is also a telehealth therapist with the Trauma Treatment Center and Research Facility, providing trauma reprocessing and integration, clinical services for substance use and process addictions, and supporting transgender and gender-expansive youth. In addition to her role as a clinician, Dr. Stark provides supervision for provisionally licensed counselors seeking their Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) credential in Colorado, is a Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) member, and facilitates nationwide trainings with the Motivational Interviewing Training Center out of Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Stark’s research utilizes qualitative and mixed methods, and focuses on LGBTQQIA+ issues in counseling, therapeutic youth mentorship programming, leader development, integrative approaches to trauma reprocessing and integration, trauma-informed care, and substance use and recovery.

Courses:

• COUN 510: Professional Orientation and Ethics
• COUN 514: Supervision of Counseling Services
• COUN 518: Group Counseling
• COUN 521: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• COUN 522: Communication Skills
• COUN 581: Sexuality in Counseling and Psychotherapy
• COUN 584: Multicultural Issues in the Helping Professions

Kristopher M. Goodrich, Associate Professor, has been at the University of New Mexico since 2010. Dr. Goodrich has specific research interests in LGBTQQIA Issues in Professional Counseling and Counselor Education, Counselor Education Pedagogy, and Group Work in Counseling. He has an active research agenda, is Associate Editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work, and serves on the several editorial boards. He is currently serving as president of the Rocky Mountain ACES and is Immediate Past President for the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling.