Faculty Research

Dr. Pedro (PJ) Blanco

Dr. Blanco has specialized training and experience in working with children using play therapy in community agencies as well as in the school system. P.J.’s primary teaching areas are Play Therapy, Counseling Skill Development, Child and Adolescent, and Group Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and a Certified Humanistic Sandtray Therapist. As a therapist and educator Dr. Blanco believes strongly in the importance of providing developmentally appropriate treatment. He has over ten years of clinical experience and has conducted and published multiple research projects in the public school system. He is interested in strengthening the link between play therapy and academic achievement.

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Dr. Melissa Deroche

Dr. Deroche’s primary research interests include multicultural counselor training, preparation, and competence specific to the topic of ability/disability; ableist microaggressions; and the social justice concerns of the disability community. Within this framework, she also has an interest in the experiences of people with disabilities who possess other minoritized cultural identities.

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Dr. Ryan D. Foster

Dr. Foster is an active researcher in the areas of humanistic sandtray therapy, transpersonal experiences, and contemporary issues in counselor education and supervision. He has co-authored a treatment manual on humanistic sandtray therapy (HST), a model of expressive arts counseling, and is engaged in multiple treatment outcome studies with children and adults. In addition, he has published quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies exploring the intersection of near-death experiences (NDEs) and counseling. Finally, Dr. Foster studies spontaneous mediumship experiences among NDErs.

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Dr. Ryan Holliman

Dr. Holliman is a registered play therapist and his research has focused on the quantitative efficacy of Child Centered Play Therapy. Specifically he has conducted studies which investigated the impact of school based play therapy on the academic achievement of early elementary school students. Dr. Holliman also has experience developing psychometric instruments and has developed the first instrument specifically designed for use in play therapy the Child Interpersonal Relationships and Attitudes Assessment. In addition to his research on the efficacy of Child Centered Play Therapy, Dr. Holliman has also conducted research into the training and supervision of play therapists.

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Dr. Crystal Hughes

Dr. Hughes’ research interests focus on non-traditional students and career counseling, Relational Cultural Theory applications, feminism and generation applications to counseling, and creative interventions in counseling.

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Dr. LaShondra Manning

Dr. Manning’s current research interests include utilizing qualitative methods to explore the lived experiences of neglected populations such as women in counselor education and academia, specifically Black women; crisis and trauma counseling; and innovative teaching strategies.

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Dr. Beck Munsey

Dr. Munsey has conducted research on mental health and the LGBTGEQIAP+ community, especially on the transgender and gender expansive communities. Also, he has researched flexible seating with a mental health lens, and culturally responsive teaching practices. He has been asked to present on Transgender Issues in Mental Health both locally and nationally. Most recently, he has been asked to give a presentation on the research findings with flexible seating in higher education at conference in Germany.

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Dr. Leila Warriach

Dr. Warraich has many research interests particularly focused on minoritized populations and their experience in counseling. Her interests include Refugee and Immigrant mental health. She also focuses on Muslim Mental Health and community partnership for clergy. Additionally, she is interested in Spirituality in counseling – particularly spiritual competence for emerging counselors.

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Dr. Chris Wilder

Dr. Wilder’s current research interests include: school counseling, clinical supervision, ethical and legal issues in school counseling and clinical mental health.

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