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Dr. Thomas Foster, Program Director and Associate Professor (he, him, his)
Dr. Thomas Foster has served as the Program Director at 四色AV for five years and takes
great pride in this program. He currently teaches Clinical Assessment and Psychometrics, Diagnostics in Counseling,
Psychopharmacology in Counseling, and Trauma Counseling.
Dr. Foster is LPC licensed in Louisiana, identifies as a trauma therapist, and is
trained in EMDR. During his clinical practice, he primarily worked with trauma cases
and utilized EMDR. Dr. Foster also identifies as a quantitative methodologist and
some of his writing interests center on trauma, loss and grief, and lifespan development.
On a personal note, he enjoys many things when not working. He likes swimming laps
at the gym and lifting weights, pursuing projects around the house, and attending
rock concerts all over the United States. He has also ridden in the Tucks parade during
Mardi Gras for the last 11 years.听
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Dr. Deborah Grant, Assistant Professor
Dr. Debbie Grant is so extremely excited to join the team at the University of Louisiana
Monroe!! Dr. Debbie Grant is proud of her Appalachian roots, having spent her childhood
in Southern Ohio and West Virginia. Dr. Grant graduated with her degree in Psychology
in 1984 from West Virginia University. She completed her master鈥檚 degree in Rehabilitation
Counseling in 1986 from WVU as well. While in Morgantown, she met her best friend
and love, and he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Air Force in May of 1987. Dr.
Grant married her best friend in July 1986, and the adventure as an Air Force spouse
began! Their first journey was pilot training in Columbus, Mississippi, where they
both were exposed to life in the deep south for the first time. From there, a 33-year
Air Force Career began with many deployments and tough sacrifices. Her husband, Colonel
(ret) Scott Grant, spent 33 years as a pilot in the KC-135 Stratotanker and is a Desert
Storm/Desert Shield, Operation Southern Watch, Kosovo, Enduring Freedom, etc. veteran.
He retired from the Air Force in 2020 as the Wing Commander of the 117th Air Refueling
Wing in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Grant believes one of the many blessings of her 33 years as an Air Force spouse
was the fact that they were able to live in seven different states and really see
all four corners of this great country. While stationed in upstate New York, Dr. Grant
received her PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1997. She received her Certified
Rehabilitation Counselor status in 1992 and worked in the substance abuse field for
many years. Since moving to Alabama, Dr. Grant has worked for the UAB Center for Psychiatric
Medicine as the Director of Family Therapy, taught at the University of Alabama, and
spent seven years as the Coordinator of the Community/Agency Mental Health Program
at Alabama鈥檚 only liberal arts university, The University of Montevallo.
Following her journey in higher education, Dr. Grant transitioned to Hoover High School,
the largest high school in the state of Alabama. While there for 13 years, she focused
on work with intervention and worked with students with significant mental health
issues. Her passion was working on social skills, social adjustment, teacher engagement,
classroom behavior, etc. and found that the kids who came from tough places were her
tribe. Dr. Grant left her position as a school counselor to return to higher education.
She recently retired from the University of West Alabama as the Coordinator of the
School Counseling Program.
Dr. Grant is the proud mother of two sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and the love
of her life- her grandson Hayden! Family is what grounds Dr. Grant, and she is happiest
when she is surrounded by her family at home. She enjoys cardmaking, scrapbooking,
fishing, time at the lake house, travel, and reading. She and her husband, Scott,
will celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary this year.
Dr. Grant鈥檚 areas of research interest are adolescent mental health, disengaged parenting,
neurodivergence, and family wellness. She is the owner of Rise Counseling and Wellness,
LLC, a private practice focused on providing adolescent mental health care. She is
a proud LPC Supervisor and always maintains five counselors in supervision. She is
enthusiastic about the importance of counseling faculty remaining relevant in the
real world with clients and their families.
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Dr. Ruoxi Chen, Associate Professor and Marriage, Couple, and Family Co-Coordinator
Dr. Ruoxi Chen is an Asssociate Professor in the Counseling Program. She graduated
from Virginia Tech with a doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy. Currently, she
teaches the Research in Counseling, Lifespan Development, and Internship courses.
Dr. Chen is LPC and LMFT licensed in the state of Louisiana. Her research interests
focus on family and relationship dynamics, and cross-cultural comparisons. Dr. Chen
is currently building a Marriage, Couple, and Family concentration in the Counseling
Program for students interested in working with couples and families.听
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Dr. Tonya Elliott (she, hers), Clinical Associate Professor and Marriage, Couple,
and Family Co-Coordinator
Dr. Elliott is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a Ph.D. in Counselor
Education and Clinical Supervision. She is of Cherokee and Pawnee descent and has
been deeply immersed in her cultural practices for over 25 years.听 She has 14 years
of graduate level teaching experience both in online and in-person in counseling-specific
programs, 10 years in counseling program administrative leadership and 20+ years in
the field of mental health conducting psychotherapy and clinical supervision via agency
work, private practice and consulting. Her strengths are in teaching cultural competency,
trauma recovery, social justice and community building. 听She regularly engages in
social justice advocacy for the Native American Community, both in research and program
implementation. She has always looked to positively affect social change, as a counselor,
clinical supervisor and educator. She believes that working in higher education is
not just a job, it鈥檚 a calling. Being part of the solution in decolonizing theoretical
approaches to therapy is her life鈥檚 work and joy.
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Dr. Poppy Moon, School Counseling Coordinator
Dr. Poppy Moon is a Board Certified Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S)
and a Certified School Counselor.听She graduated magna cum laude from Centenary College
of Louisiana with a听BS degree in Chemistry and a minor in French.听听She obtained her
masters degree in Counselor Education from Texas A & M Commerce.听听Dr. Moon attended
the University of Alabama to earn her Ph.D. in Counselor Education, focusing on child
and听adolescent issues.听
Dr. Moon is an accomplished author and illustrator of guidance related games, books,
and DVDs.听听Operation Breaking the Boy Code & Operation Breaking the Girl Code, Operation Breaking
the Middle School Code, Kicky the Mean Chick, How to Be a Bully 鈥� NOT!, and Good Friends/Bad
Friends & How to Know the Difference听are just some of her creations.听听Dr. Moon was thrilled to receive a Mom鈥檚 Choice
Gold Award for her book that she both wrote and illustrated,听The School with No Rules.听听Two other books she illustrated, Brad Takes a Bite Out of Meanness听and听Princess Priscilla and the Bully Bee Day听both received Mom鈥檚 Choice Silver Awards. Her first game,听Snoots Toots! A Kids Guide to Empathy & Manners, received a Dr. Toy Best Game Award.听Youthlight听is the publisher of her products.听
Dr. Moon was selected as the Alabama School Counselor of the Year in 2015.听
She has worked with Out of This World Productions to create streaming guidance media
for counselors and teachers.听听OTWP produced digital material for the Cengage text听Counseling Children.听
She believes that her goal in life is to help counselors be better counselors.听听She
says, 鈥淭here听is听magic听in听what听we听do.听 We听change听lives.鈥�
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Dr. Yolanda Dupre, Associate Professor
Dr. Dupre has been a professor at 四色AV for the last 19 years. She earned her Masters
degree in Counseling from Loyola University New Orlans and her Ph.D. in Counselor
Education and Supervision from University of New Orleans. She has taught every class
in the curriculum during her time in the program, and is licensed as a Licensed Professional
Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) in Louisiana.
Dr. Dupre is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), Certified School Counselor, and
Certified Tricare counselor. Her theoretical orientation is existential theory.听
Dr. Dupre's research interests include school counseling, women's issues, eating disorders,
violence, workplace issues, trauma, substance abuse and addiction, play therapy, and
supervision and efficacy in counseling. She is currently working on a project examining
the experiences of African American Counseling faculty in higher education and recently
presented on the topic entitled Fighting Endangerment: Race, Gender, and Power鈥檚 Affect on Female Faculty Retention.听
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Dr. Michelle Dobson, Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Michelle Dobson is a licensed professional counselor in the State of Arkansas.
She received both her Masters in Mental Health Counseling and her Doctorate in Counselor
Education and Supervision from Capella University. In addition, she is a Registered
Play Therapist and Certified Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. She has counseling
experience with all ages and in many diverse settings including school-based, home-based,
private practice, community clinic, and telehealth. She began teaching with the University
of Louisiana Monroe in January 2021 as an adjunct professor. In Fall, 2023, became
an assistant professor at 四色AV teaching Law and Ethics in Counseling, Multicultural
Counseling, and Crisis Counseling. She additionally provides faculty supervision for
practicum and internship students. Her research interests include ethics of counseling
in non-traditional settings (including telehealth and home-based counseling) and integration
of religion/spirituality into counseling. Dr. Dobson believes relationships provide
the keys to both learning and healing. 鈥淚t is through our relationships we are able
to meet both our needs and the needs of others.鈥�
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Morgan Wallbrown, ABD, Clinical Assistant Professor
Morgan Wallbrown is new to the LMU team and is eager to bring her expertise to the
LMU program. As a licensed professional clinical counselor in Ohio and a doctoral
candidate at Kent State University, she is deeply committed to her clients and field
of study. Her academic interests in neurodivergence and Artificial Intelligence drive
her practice, where she specializes in working with adults later diagnosed with Autism
Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and other intellectual/developmental
disabilities. In her free time, Morgan enjoys hiking in Alaska, fishing for salmon,
and spending time outdoors with her family and their Great Dane,听Lois.听 听
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Counseling