Counselor Education Students Win Scholarship to Make Conference Presentations

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Mary Ann Stewart and Chris Carver won scholarships to attend next week's Arkansas Counseling Association annual conference, where both will make presentations.

Two University of Arkansas graduate students in counselor education received the Jim Deaton Scholarship award from the Arkansas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. They will use the funds to attend the Arkansas Counseling Association annual conference next week in Hot Springs.

Chris Carver of Springfield, Mo., a doctoral student, and Mary Ann Stewart of Jonesboro, a master’s student, will make presentations at the conference.

Carver will present information on current trends in adolescent substance abuse treatment. He examines evidence-based practices being used now, including Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach and Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He will also offer counselors and other students attending his presentation information about resources for further exploration.

A graduate of Columbia College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Carver earned a master’s degree in counseling from Missouri State University. After completing his doctorate, he plans to teach in a counselor education program as well as doing some clinical practice.

Stewart is co-presenting with Bryttani Watson, a fellow master’s student, about a wellness-based counseling group they created for college freshmen. The purpose of the group is to help students learn to create goals and help them improve their overall wellness, which in turn would foster student retention at colleges and universities. Topics within the group would include text anxiety, time management, self-awareness, decision-making, stress management, nutrition, exercise, sleep habits and other goals related to student wellness.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in English, Stewart plans to pursue a counseling license after she completes her master’s degree. She wants to continue to research mental health concerns of college students and ultimately to earn a doctorate in counseling.