/news-archive/tag/rehabilitation-counseling/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:44:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2021/03/30/crisp-mindful-self-compassion/ Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:44:05 +0000 /news/?p=78622 ... Crisp uses Mindful Self-Compassion to help people de-stress during the pandemic]]> Dr. Catherine Crisp, an associate professor of social work at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, is using her training in mindful self-compassion to help fellow educators reduce the stress in their lives brought on by a global pandemic.听 Crisp, who happens to be the only mindful self-compassion trained teacher in Arkansas, has been leading a weekly meditation group for her co-workers at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock during the 2020-21 school year. Dr. Peggy Scranton, a professor of political science who is a mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, and Dr. Dent Gitchel Jr., an associate professor of rehabilitation counseling who is a compassion cultivation training teacher, facilitate the group that meets for 30 minutes at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and usually attracts 5-10 people. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 been so remarkable about teaching with them is that we are each trained in a different form of meditation,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淲e spend the first five minutes inviting people to get settled in, which for me means getting the fidgetiness out of my body and finding a place of stillness. We gently lead people into the practice of meditation. I think of it as being a slow walk toward the beach. After five minutes, we do a more formal practice that lasts about 20-25 minutes. When the meditation is over, we invite people to check in or ask how the experience was for them.鈥� For those who aren鈥檛 familiar with the meditative style of mindful self-compassion, it鈥檚 a question that Crisp gets asked often enough. 鈥淢indful self-compassion consists of treating yourself like a cherished friend, and there are three components,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淭he first is mindfulness which is paying attention to the present moment without attempting to change it. The second is common humanity which is a sense of connection to other people. And the third is self-kindness, which is being kind to ourselves.鈥� Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, invited Crisp to start the group as a way to improve employee wellness. 鈥淧eople who work in higher education are feeling a lot of pressure to both be there for their students and be there for their families,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淲e are having a similar experience as our students. We can鈥檛 get out in the community. A lot of relationships with family and friends have been suspended. We are also trying to be there to support our students and being asked to innovate in our classes.鈥� As a college professor, Crisp has found that practicing mindful self-compassion has made her a better teacher who can relate more with her students. 鈥淚t starts with being compassionate to myself and sending that energy out into the world,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淲hen I am kinder to myself, I am kinder to those around me. For the first time this semester, I tried something that I called 鈥榯he seven days of grace鈥� for my students. Some people need a hard deadline, and some people need a soft deadline. The late penalties for my students don鈥檛鈥� start until the seven days of grace have finished which is seven days after the due date.鈥� Crisp began meditating about 12 years ago and practicing mindful self-compassion about five years ago after unexpectedly experiencing a significant hearing loss in her right ear. 鈥淔ive months after my diagnosis, I went to the first workshop I鈥檝e ever attended on mindful self-compassion, and I was led to some exercises that immediately softened my response to my hearing loss and gave me permission to grieve,鈥� she said. Crisp said that practicing mindful self-compassion has had a huge impact on her life, leading her to live a happy and healthier life. 鈥淢indful self-compassion had an effect on this life-changing, but not life-threatening, health issue I was experiencing,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淚t can be applied to a lot of other things, not just the big stuff but something as simple as getting frustrated at the person in front of me in the grocery store line. I start practicing mindful self-compassion, and my body softens and I relax and suddenly the situation is not as stressful as it was.鈥� After seeing the positive results mindful self-compassion brought to her life, Crisp undertook the training to become a teacher in the technique during a sabbatical in 2018. 鈥淭his is where I will give extraordinary credit to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock since I applied to do this as my sabbatical,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淚 drove to New Mexico to take the class, and I did the teacher training in a Boston suburb in 2018. Then I offered the class for free to a class of 12-14 women, most of whom were employed by MidSouth.鈥� If you鈥檇 like to learn more about mindful self-compassion, Crisp is hosting an from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24, via Zoom. The workshop costs $10 for community members, $15 for those earning three hours of continuing education credits, and is free for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock social work and gerontology students. All funds raised will be donated to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Association of Black Social Workers.]]> /news-archive/2020/05/20/joni-hollowell-commencement-2020/ Wed, 20 May 2020 13:23:31 +0000 /news/?p=76948 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock grad dreams of helping children in the juvenile justice system]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate who celebrated her 53rd birthday on the day of commencement is looking forward to a future of helping children in the juvenile justice system.听 Joni 鈥淢arie鈥� Hollowell of Little Rock graduated May 16 with a master鈥檚 degree in criminal justice.听 She moved to Little Rock in 2013 from Canton, Georgia, to work as a senior compliance auditor at Stephens, Inc. After completing an associate degree more than 20 years earlier, she decided to complete her college education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淚 looked at different schools in the area, and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock caught my eye,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew I wanted to major in criminal justice, and I wanted to focus on juveniles.鈥� While working on her undergraduate degree, Hollowell became the guardian of four siblings she befriended while volunteering as a youth director at Warren Hill Missionary Baptist Church in North Little Rock.听 While continuing her education, Hollowell鈥檚 family also grew. In 2015, she became the guardian of her 4-year-old grandson. Four years later, her grandson鈥檚 10-year-old brother also joined the family. While working full time, going to school, and raising kids at the same time has been a balancing act, she doesn鈥檛 regret it for a moment. 鈥淚t gets tough some days working, going to school, and raising them,鈥� Hollowell said. 鈥淭he two girls are in college now. The kids have kept me encouraged to keep going. I wanted to set a good example for them. No matter how tough it gets, you don鈥檛 give up. It was a good process. I wouldn鈥檛 change it for anything.鈥� In her free time, Hollowell, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea, is a dedicated member of the military sorority, Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc., and is passionate about giving back. She has served as the chapter鈥檚 historian, chaired the scholarship and community service committees, and is currently the chapter鈥檚 vice president.听 鈥淲e feed the homeless in Little Rock through Fishnet Ministries,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e also visit the veterans at the Arkansas Veterans Home. We have a school we adopted, so we collect uniforms every year to provide to Washington Elementary and have special events for the children.鈥� Not only is Hollowell a spring 2020 graduate, but she has already completed the first semester for the master鈥檚 degree in rehabilitation counseling at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Her goal is to complete her second master鈥檚 degree by 2023 and then work with children in the juvenile justice system that have been diagnosed with a mental or behavioral disability. 鈥淚 started to see a need in our juvenile justice system,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to work with juveniles who have mental or behavioral disabilities to mitigate them going into the juvenile justice system. That is where my focus is now.鈥� She is thankful to Dr. Mary Parker, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, for serving as mentor during her undergraduate and graduate degrees at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淒r. Mary Parker was the best,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he was my first advisor. She has been exceptional throughout the whole process. I don鈥檛 think I could have made it without her.鈥�听 Once the COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, there is one missed opportunity that Hollowell is looking forward to completing. 鈥淚 have one classmate that I鈥檝e never met. Her name is Lynette Coleman, Hollowell said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done the criminal justice program from undergraduate through the master鈥檚 degree. She has helped me through it as well. We were looking forward to meeting each other at graduation. Now, we plan on meeting for lunch once the COVID-19 restrictions have 濒颈蹿迟别诲.鈥漖闭> /news-archive/2019/05/10/great-grandmother-vickie-austin/ Fri, 10 May 2019 12:41:07 +0000 /news/?p=74273 ... Great-grandmother earns bachelor鈥檚 degree after leaving high school at 15]]> At age 15, Vickie Austin left high school in Wynne, Arkansas, after becoming pregnant with her first child, though she always intended to finish her education.听 Fast forward 41 years, and Austin, 61, will graduate May 11 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a minor in psychology and a strong desire to help others. In the fall, she will begin a master鈥檚 degree program in rehabilitation counseling at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, but Austin doesn鈥檛 intend to wait until she finishes her master鈥檚 degree to start helping others. 鈥淎s I work on my master鈥檚 degree, I want to do some things with my bachelor鈥檚 degree,鈥� Austin said. 鈥淚 really want to focus on volunteering. My concern is with children and older citizens, but my passion is helping the entire family.鈥� The mother of four, grandmother of 10, and great-grandmother of one developed a deep desire to help troubled families. She will also do some volunteering with people living in nursing homes after her younger sister spent three years living in a nursing home while she fought breast cancer. 鈥淚 talked to a lot of the other nursing home residents. One man told me that my sister was lucky to have siblings who visited her so often. He had brothers and sisters who lived within 35 miles, and they never visited him,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned about helping people. I may not be the person who can make decisions for the people living in nursing homes, but I can still be there to listen.鈥� After raising her children on her own and babysitting many grandchildren, Austin鈥檚 return to education started in 2008. At age 50, she left the only town she ever lived in to move to Little Rock to enroll in the Little Rock School District鈥檚 Adult Education program, a move that served as a large inspiration to her family. 鈥淥ur mother decided it was time to put herself first and set out to accomplish everything that others told her she wouldn鈥檛 be able to because of being a teen mother, high school dropout, and being legally blind,鈥� said La’Tasha Ursery, Austin鈥檚 daughter. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy for her in the beginning. Once she got the swing of being in school, she got access to larger print items and anything that could help with her eyesight. She began to soar in the program and overcome barriers she had been denied.鈥� Once her oldest grandchild entered high school, Austin decided she wanted to finish her long-term goal of earning her GED certificate before her grandchild graduated. 听 鈥淓veryone in my family had a high school diploma, even my mom. It was a struggle, but I did everything I could to make sure my kids got a high school diploma,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had a grandson in high school, and I told him I was going to finish high school before him. I got my GED in 2010, and he graduated high school in 2011.鈥� Although she originally intended to just get her GED, Austin saw the value in pursuing higher education. She received her associate degree from University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in 2014 before enrolling at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, where three of her four children went to college. 鈥淎 high school diploma was all I was looking for, and, Lord, look at me now,鈥� Austin said. 鈥淭here are a lot of people my age who think they are too old to go back and get a GED, and I had friends who told me I was too old to get my GED, but I made it.鈥� While at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Austin said she was particularly inspired by Dr. David Briscoe, a professor of sociology who encouraged her to major in sociology. 鈥淗e inspired me to go into sociology,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned about family matters, people who have been abused, and people affected by crime. Dr. Briscoe is the one who told me that if you look at everyone as a person who has feelings and needs, you learn how to communicate better.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2019/04/02/rehabilitation-counseling-social-work-graduate-programs/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 13:10:57 +0000 /news/?p=73849 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 rehabilitation counseling, social work graduate programs named to Best Graduate Schools for Health]]> Two graduate programs have been named to U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 2020 list of Best Graduate Schools for Health.听 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 graduate program in rehabilitation counseling ranked 47th while social work ranked 96th. As part of the release of Best Graduate Schools 2020, U.S. News & World Report published new rankings for graduate schools of health care management, physician assistant, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work, and veterinary medicine. The rankings are based on peer assessment surveys of deans, administrators, and other faculty members at accredited degree-granting graduate programs in each discipline. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e looking to pursue a degree in law, medicine or business, the Best Graduate Schools rankings offer the in-depth data and information you need to start your search,鈥� said Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News. 鈥淵ou can compare data on factors that most interest you 鈥� whether that鈥檚 how many law students pass the bar and are employed at graduation, or the student-faculty ratio and research expenditures at engineering schools.鈥� Rehabilitation counselors help patients overcome physical, mental, emotional, and developmental disabilities and work in a variety of treatment and rehabilitation centers. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Rehabilitation Counseling program is a fully accredited online graduate program that prepares students to promote quality rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities through a pre-service and in-service education program that provides qualified, certified rehabilitation counselors to work in public and private agencies. In an advanced social work curriculum, students take courses in social welfare policy, human behavior and ethics, balanced with hands-on experience in clinical settings. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Social Work builds on a strong generalist foundation to prepare graduates for leadership roles in clinical practice and in management and community practice within the social welfare system in Arkansas. 鈥淪ince joining the program, I have become intimately familiar with the distinctive aspects which justifiably set us apart,鈥� said Stephen Kapp, director of the School of Social Work. 鈥淥ur innovative curricula offers face-to-face and online options that suit the needs of our busy, diverse student population. Courses are taught by dedicated teachers composed of our permanent faculty and adjuncts from the community. All of our faculty share an understanding of best practices in their respective areas and a close connection with the local/state practice community. Finally, the school’s integral connection with the social work profession in Arkansas, supported by our talented alum, provides an excellent environment for the education of our students.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2018/11/27/rehabilitation-counseling-program-ranked-best-nation/ Tue, 27 Nov 2018 15:45:37 +0000 /news/?p=72734 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Rehabilitation Counseling Program ranked one of best in nation]]> The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock online Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling program has been ranked one of the top programs in the country for 2019.听 The website, OnlineMasters.com, an industry-leading educational research organization, identified the in the nation that are the best in the areas of curriculum quality, program flexibility, affordability, and graduate outcomes. The website leveraged an exclusive data set comprised of interviews and surveys from current students and alumni in addition to insights gained from human resource professionals. Additionally, every online degree program was analyzed with only the top 26 making it to the final 2019 list. The methodology incorporates the most recent data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and statistical data from the . Only programs from accredited nonprofit institutions were eligible. 鈥� show the career opportunities for education counselors will continue to grow at a rate of 13 percent, which is faster than average,鈥� said Barbara Montgomery, program recognition manager. 鈥淭his is just one of the many reasons OnlineMasters.com researched, analyzed, and ranked the top Master’s in Counseling Programs.鈥� The master鈥檚 degree program in rehabilitation counseling is offered by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Counseling, Human Performance, and Rehabilitation. The program was ranked 16th on the list and named the program that is the best for careers in family counseling. The mission of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program is to promote quality rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities through a pre-service and in-service education program which provides qualified, certified rehabilitation counselors to work in public and private agencies. Graduates are prepared to work with families, identifying their issues and providing treatment to allow for healing and a positive family dynamic. Other universities that made the list include Adams State University, Angelo State University, Brandman University, Clarks Summit University, Concordia University Wisconsin & Ann Arbor, Divine Mercy University, Edinboro University, Fort Valley State University, George Washington University, Governors State University, Huntington University, Liberty University, Lincoln Christian University, Northwestern University, Palo Alto University, Saybrook University, Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago, University at Buffalo, University of Louisiana at Monroe, University of Massachusetts-Boston, University of the Cumberlands, University of the Southwest, and Wake Forest University.]]> /news-archive/2016/12/12/graduating-student/ Mon, 12 Dec 2016 18:48:25 +0000 /news/?p=65948 ... Graduating student: 鈥楨very struggle was worth it鈥�]]> For the past six years, Davis fought tirelessly to complete graduate school while her husband and son were incarcerated. 听 During the Dec. 17 fall graduation ceremony, Davis expects to complete her journey of obtaining master鈥檚 degrees in adult education and rehabilitation counseling 鈥� with a 3.5 GPA. 鈥�I was told that I would never be able to accomplish this goal, especially while working full time and trying to maintain everything for myself,鈥� Davis said. In October 2014, Davis鈥� son was incarcerated, leaving her as the caretaker of his two children. While stepping in as a mother figure for her grandchildren, Davis also cared for her adult daughter, who has developmental disabilities. 听 鈥淭his load seemed unbearable,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 felt like giving up. I just wanted to say I am never going to accomplish such an unreachable goal, but little did I know, God had a plan for me.鈥� Although she encountered setbacks, such as retaking courses, she did what was necessary to keep going. 鈥淚n May 2016, my husband was incarcerated,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 felt so alone and abandoned. My focus to study was nearly destroyed. I felt that I鈥檇 reached the point of no return where academics were concerned.鈥� Knowing that her end results would be greater than her circumstances, Davis kept at it. Thanks to the support of her family and the faculty and staff at the university, she made it through the fall semester, bringing her one step closer to walking across the commencement stage. 鈥淚 appreciate everyone who helped me in some way or another to achieve my goals,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 also appreciate those who never gave up on me and cheered me on even when I wanted to give up. Every struggle was worth it.鈥� With two degrees under her belt, Davis plans to become an educational trainer as well as a counselor and therapist. She also aspires to become a bestselling author and entrepreneur, traveling the world to help young children and families dealing with abandonment issues. 鈥淚 will take what I have been given and work hard to leave a legacy for not only my children and grandchildren, but others whose lives I will touch along the way.鈥�]]>