James Rujimora

Counselor Education Doctoral Student Receives UCF’s Highest Honor

James Rujimora's recent Order of Pegasus induction recognizes his years of student and community leadership...
UCF students in the Emergency Management program

UCF Graduate Programs Reach New Heights in U.S. News Rankings Through Research Excellence, Impactful Community Engagement

UCF’s emergency management program ranks No. 1 in the nation, and programs in education and public affairs climbed in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings...
Marriage and Family Research Institute and college leaders

UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute Hosts Research Showcase for 20th Anniversary

This month, the Marriage and Family Research Institute celebrates 20 years of commitment to strengthening relationships in Central Florida...
UCF counselor education students discuss coursework around a table

UCF Faculty Tackle Shortage of School-Based Mental Health Providers

Over the next five years, a U.S. Department of Education grant will help facilitate the placement of more than 200 counseling and school psychology graduate students in local high-need schools...
Stephen Conner and Maya Reaves smile in front of the Kate's Place Clubhouse sign

Recovery Support Specialist Internship Broadens Career Opportunities for Students

Two students discovered the career path they now want to follow thanks to an internship provided by the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology...
A man in a military uniform sits with hands clasped, looking down.

UCF Researchers Pave the Way to Better Understand and Treat PTSD

In honor of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month, here are some efforts focused on helping those affected by this condition...
ucf graduate students in lecture

UCF Graduate Programs Climb in U.S. News Rankings, Highlighting Research Excellence and Community Impact

UCF’s emergency management program ranks No. 2 in the country, and graduate programs in education, engineering and nursing climbed in this year’s U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools...
counselor education student award recipients

Counselor Education Students Receive Recognition from Professional Counseling Organizations

Multiple awards will help fund the doctoral students’ dissertation work...
Oliver Edwards

Brief Thoughts on my Experiences as a Researcher

UCF Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology Chair and Professor Oliver Edwards shares his experiences as a researcher and his advice to students as part of our celebration of...
Project CENTRAL team

New $1.25 Million UCF Project Addresses State’s Critical Shortage of Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists

Project CENTRAL is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and will help educators in the state receive enhanced education and preparation...
group photo of students

Master’s Students Compete for the First Time in UCF’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition

This year marked the first time that master’s students participated alongside doctoral students in the annual Three Minute Thesis Competition at UCF...
Bryce Hagedorn

Special Considerations for Counseling Military and Veteran Populations

After experiencing combat as a Marine in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, W. Bryce Hagedorn, PhD, NCC, MAC, LMHC, QCS, began considering the possibility of becoming a counselor and...
Sejal Barden and Dalena Dillman-Taylor of Project Harmony

Developing and Sustaining Healthy Relationships Through Education

For 18 years, UCF has been helping families stay together by teaching couples research-supported techniques focused on effective communication and listening...
Gulnora Hundley

UCF Podcast: Destigmatizing Mental Health, Improving Education for Professionals

Associate lecturer, mental health counselor and Uzbekistan native Gulnora Hundley ’04MA ’08PhD, shares why she’s provided free teletherapy sessions to Ukrainian mental health professionals, the importance of culturally competent mental...
Sarah Mendoza headshot

UCF Counselor Education Doctoral Graduate Achieves Triple Knight Status

After 10 years working in the field, Sarah Mendoza ’06 ’09MA returned to UCF to get her doctorate and become a triple Knight...
UCF Knight statue

24 Faculty Members Receive Promotion

Two dozen faculty members from the College of Community Innovation and Education were approved for promotion effective Aug. 8...
Gulnora Hundley

UCF Faculty Offers Teletherapy Sessions to Ukrainian Mental Health Professionals

Counselor education associate lecturer Gulnora Hundley ’04MA ’08PhD has provided free group therapy sessions to more than 60 mental health professionals impacted by war in the Ukraine...
UCF Counselor Education Doctoral Students

UCF Counselor Education Doctoral Students Win American Counseling Association Award

Four students earned third place in the organization’s Graduate Student Ethics Awards for Doctoral Degree Students...
College of Community Innovation and Education 2022 Founders’ Day Honorees

College of Community Innovation and Education 2022 Founders’ Day Honorees

Each year, UCF recognizes outstanding faculty and student accomplishments during the annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation. Here are the College of Community Innovation and Education's 2022 honorees...
chair and table with notepad, pen and coffee

Florida therapists could be out of a job if they don’t meet new licensing deadline

Mental health counselors are needed now more than ever because of the pandemic. But this week, some of Florida’s therapists in training may not be able to help anymore...
Gulnora Hundley virtual meeting

UCF faculty member offers remote therapy to those impacted by war in Ukraine

One faculty member at UCF said when Russia invaded Ukraine, she wanted to do something and help the people there on the ground...
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Research in 60 Seconds: How Play Therapy Helps Children Communicate

Associate Professor Dalena Dillman Taylor’s research examines play therapy and the data of three distinct factors that examine how change occurs in children...
hands holding

UCF Relationship Expert on the Five Love Languages

The executive director of UCF’s Marriage and Family Research Institute discusses love languages and suggestions for balancing these expressions in relationships...
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How to Become a Counselor and Why

Many counseling offices have lengthy waitlists, which underscores a tremendous need for counselors during difficult times. For those thinking of pursuing a career in counseling, here are some things to...
Sejal Barden

Knights Do That: Relationship Advice from an Expert

Sejal Barden, associate professor of counselor education and executive director of UCF’s Marriage and Family Research Institute, shares insights and advice on steps we can all take to improve relationships...
patient listening to doctor

UCF Professor to Study Couples-based Intervention for Latina Breast Cancer Survivors

Working with researchers from other Florida universities, a UCF associate professor will help adapt and test the online program...
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HIV 101: What You Need to Know on World AIDS Day

In honor of World AIDS Day, UCF Associate Professor J. Richelle Joe shares some insight into the HIV epidemic...
honorees headshot collage

3 Faculty Honored for Advancing Research, Creative Works

The 10th Women of Distinction Awards recognize faculty who excelled in scholarship amid challenges from the pandemic...
UCF Counselor Education Faculty Members

UCF Counselor Education Program, Faculty Member Receive ACES Awards

The counselor education master’s program and Associate Professor J. Richelle Joe were recognized for excellence and innovation in counselor education...
variety of buttons

How I Say It with a Button

They may seem like insignificant accessories, but buttons have proved to be useful tools, words of encouragement and declarations of self-expression...
two children and an adult playing in snow

Benefits of Practicing Radical Gratitude

How I found healing through journaling and reminiscing about photographs...
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2 Alumni Team Up to Spread Inclusion, Diversity

Nicole Warren and Andrea Piazza co-founded Inclusive Impact Initiative, which aims to educate the public about inclusivity...
Couple looking out over horizon

Tend to Your Relationship: 6 Tips to Reduce Stress

UCF relationship experts from the Marriage and Family Research Institute offer advice for lowering stress and nurturing your relationship...
Richelle Joe

Getting to the Place Where Body Size Doesn’t Matter

Society’s fascination with weight is a type of discrimination and prejudice...
Pamela Duff and Marissa Seigel

1st Cohort from UCF Opioid Workforce Expansion Program Graduates

Eight clinical mental health counseling graduate students spent two semesters learning how to treat clients with opioid and substance-use addiction...
UCF Reflection Pond

Faculty Members Honored with UCF Incentive Awards

Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the 2021 UCF Teaching Incentive Program and Research Incentive Award...
Ann Shillingford with three helpers

WUCF Celebrates National Superhero Day with New ‘Meet the Helpers’ Videos

Series helps children understand who to turn to help keep them safe...
UCF Knight statue

25 Faculty Members Receive Promotion

In recognition of their commendable performance in assigned teaching, research and service, 25 faculty members from the UCF College of Community...
patient and doctor wearing masks

I Wish We Had Learned Better From Our Early Response to HIV

Addressing a major public health crisis like COVID-19 requires the full engagement of the public, so we cannot afford to be divided and disconnected...
man speaking at support group

Federal Grant Funds UCF Students to Train as Recovery Support Specialists

Students can train to become recovery support specialists thanks to a new grant and partnership between UCF and Aspire Health Partners...
UCF Millican Hall

2021 Women’s History Month Honorees

Recognized by Faculty Excellence, the 2021 honorees have not wavered in their commitments as mentors, role models, friends, researchers and teachers...
UCF school counseling student with child

UCF Students Remove Barriers to Mental Health Care for Children by Offering School-Based Counseling

UCF counselor education students gain meaningful, supervised experience while providing accessible counseling services at no cost to K-5 students and their families...
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12 Valentine’s Day Date Ideas During the Pandemic

Lacking inspiration for a date night? The UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute shares a list of virtual and in-person experiences for couples to enjoy...
Project Harmony

Federal grant funds UCF relationship study for couples affected by the pandemic

Since the pandemic began, local family therapists have found that many relationships are really feeling the strain...
UCF burnett honors horse statue

14 Faculty Members Inducted into the UCF Scroll and Quill Society

This years’ inductees are experts in methodology, animation, music history, business ethics and other fields...
Gulnora Hundley

Wounded Educators

Are you a Wounded Educator? You do not need a bandaged hand, an arm in a sling, or a cast on your leg to be a Wounded Educator. Wounded...
John Super and UCF doctoral student observing counseling students-in-training on computer screens

UCF Community Counseling and Research Center Recognized for Community Impact

The Community Counseling and Research Center was recently recognized for their work with the Central Florida community...
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UCF Receives $7.5 Million Grant to Help Save Relationships During COVID-19

The money will expand a successful relationship education program to help more Central Florida families manage stress and conflict, which have heightened during the pandemic...
virtual counseling on laptop

UCF Counseling Center Offers Virtual Mental Health Services to Local Community

The Community Counseling and Research Center is a training facility for counseling students in the College of Community Innovation and Education, the anchor college to UCF Downtown. The center has...
UCF Professors Bryce Hagedorn and Dayle Jones

Federal Grant Prepares Mental Health Counseling Interns for Work in Opioid Treatment and Recovery Services

Graduate students as part of the UCF-Aspire Behavioral Health Internship Program are being prepared to better serve clients struggling with opioid and substance-use addiction thanks to a new grant...
medical mask and hand disinfectant and stressed woman in temporary home office

UCF Alumnae Teach Coping Skills during COVID-19 Pandemic

Mental health professionals share tips for dealing with stress during coronavirus precautions...
human rights sign

‘How Can Humans Do This to Other Humans?’

Demonstrations of the past week encapsulate the pain and anger carried by millions of Black Americans every day...
person comforting a friend

Suicide: Myths, Signs and Prevention

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, UCF mental health expert Glenn Lambie offers insight into the myths, warning signs and ways to help prevent suicide...
cartoon graphic of police car and schoolbooks reading "Meet the Helpers"

WUCF Receives Funding to Help Children Prepare Better for Emergencies

$250,000 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will help expand the station’s Meet the Helpers project into a national model...
three fellows smiling

Fellows Advocate for Minority Voices in Mental Health

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, when we turn our attention to the mental health needs of racial and ethnic minorities who face disparities in treatment and unique...
Shainna Ali

UCF Grad Aims to Improve Mental Health in West Indian Cultures

A few years ago, Shainna Ali ’10 ’12MA ’16PhD was studying some statistics when the mental health clinician came across something shocking –– in 2016 Guyana had the highest suicide...
Kent Butler

Interim Chief Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Officer

At UCF, we’ve long believed our best work comes from bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and ideas. I am grateful to have so many champions of diversity and inclusion...
Alexander Fields, John Super and Saundra Tabet

Center Offers Students Unique Education, Free Counseling to Community

You always have the support you need at the Community Counseling and Research Center, according to Alexander Fields, who is pursuing a master’s degree in counselor education...
faculty talking

African-American Moms Are Helicopter Parents Too, But Endgame is Survival

Study finds African-American mothers live in fear that their sons will be stopped by people in authority and could potentially be killed, which impacts the way these women parent their...
couple holding hands

UCF Relationship Expert Shares Tips to Help Your Love Life (Just in Time for Valentine’s Day)

Whether you’re single, dating or have been married for many years, everyone can use a little help in love and relationships. So why not learn about it on a college...
Saundra Tabet

Research on College Athletes’ Attitudes of Seeking Mental Health Support Awarded Funding

Most college athletes have access to highly-skilled doctors, physical therapists and trainers. They are offered academic support through tutoring and a dedicated space for study. Some of these college athletes...
profile of man

We Need to Talk About Mental Illness

The number of people privately dealing with mental health issues will stun you. It’s why alumni Brandon and Michi Marshall launched Project 375 — to make mental health the most...
Counselor Ed grad students

Counselor Ed Grad Students Support Minority Youth, Earn Fellowships

When Petion discovered the field of mental health, it changed the way he managed internal challenges. As a child of a Haitian immigrant, “mental health was not something we talked...