The Counseling Division at Antioch University made a meaningful and timely impact at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. With 23 presentations and sessions, our faculty, students, and alumni contributed to some of the most pressing conversations in counselor education, supervision, and advocacy.
Antioch’s presence reflected the urgency and relevance of our work, affirming our role as a national leader in the field. A highlight of this year’s conference was the record number of Antioch doctoral students presenting, demonstrating the strength of our PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision program. Their scholarship and leadership embody Antioch’s mission to prepare justice-informed, research-driven, and practice-ready leaders in the counseling profession.
This remarkable showing was made possible through the collaboration of the CES faculty leadership team—Najla Hrustanovic, PhD, Program Director; Keiko Sano, PhD, Clinical Director; and Stephanie Thorson-Olesen, PhD, Research Director—with the essential support of Ann Bradley, Administrative Coordinator, who ensured each session was well represented. The breadth of Antioch’s impact was reflected in sessions such as Healing Through Awareness: Addressing Race-Based Trauma in BIPOC Communities with Mindfulness Therapy, Beyond Borders: Supporting the LGBTQ+ Latine Community, Dismantling School Systems of Inequity, Beyond Self-Care: Examining Counselor Burnout Through Ecological Systems Theory, and Underground Gatekeeper: Reimagining Counseling Education and Supervision in an Anti-DEI World.
“We Understood the Assignment”
In one of the many presentations delivered by Antiochians at ACES, Syntia Santos Dietz, PhD, and Cathy Lounsbury, EdD, joined colleagues Tanisha N. Sapp, EdD, Tyra Turner Whittaker, PhD, and Brandy K. Richeson, PhD, for an inspiring and impactful session entitled “We Understood the Assignment: Publishing Nondominant Narratives in a Dominant Environment.”
This panel highlighted the extraordinary work of Devona Stalnaker-Shofner, EdD, and Tanisha N. Sapp, EdD, co-editors of a groundbreaking Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) textbook, A Comprehensive Guide for Counselor Education: Training Doctoral Learners and New Educators for Counselor Education and Supervision. Over the course of four years, they led a transformative project that brought together the voices of 50 contributors, primarily BIPOC women with intersecting marginalized identities, to produce a text unlike anything previously available in the field. Although Stalnaker-Shofner was unable to attend the conference, the session served as a celebration and tribute to the groundbreaking labor of love and leadership she and Sapp shepherded into being.
The panel illuminated both the systemic barriers in academic publishing that often marginalize or exclude nondominant voices and the strategies needed to disrupt those barriers. Panelists discussed the multicultural and equity implications of these exclusionary practices while also providing concrete guidance on each stage of the publishing process.
Attendees left with tools to evaluate systemic barriers in publishing, craft effective book proposals, and develop personal action plans for their own scholarly journeys. Perhaps most importantly, the session emphasized the urgent need for representation, equity, and inclusion in counselor education scholarship.
Santos Dietz and Lounsbury were honored to contribute to this powerful and history-making conversation, one that both celebrates what has been accomplished and calls us forward to continue expanding the boundaries of inclusion in academia.
Antioch Faculty and Students Recognized
In addition to presenting, Antioch faculty and students were recognized nationally. Several doctoral students received regional and national awards. Ana Guadalupe Reyes, PhD, was honored with two awards from the Qualitative Research Interest Group. Faculty engaged in key committee work, while Jamie Wheeler from Enrollment Management connected with hundreds of prospective students and professionals. Antioch’s presence at ACES 2025 highlights its timely impact on the counseling profession, as we continue to shape the future of counselor education with justice, courage, and compassion at the center.
Antioch’s presence at ACES 2025 demonstrated both impact and direction. Faculty, staff, and students—supported by dedicated program leadership and operations—are advancing scholarship that centers equity and access while preparing counselors to lead with courage and compassion
