Southeastern Counseling program awarded training grant


Thursday, August 28, 2014Counseling Program receives grant
by: Tonya Lowentritt

COUNSELING PROGRAM RECEIVES GRANT – Assistant Professor of Counseling Reshelle Marino, center, explains the new software program on one of the university's laptops purchased through a Louisiana Board of Regents grant. The technology will be used in research and student training in the graduate counseling program. Listening intently are Alysse Bulich, left, and Christianne Ricard, both graduate counseling education majors from Baton Rouge.


HAMMOND – Thanks to a Louisiana Board of Regents grant totaling $71,340, Southeastern Louisiana University's graduate counseling program will be the first and only program in the state to use specialized technology in its research and student training.

The play analyzer software program now in use in the Department of Health & Human Sciences will allow faculty supervisors to monitor and record live video sessions of students in practice, said Reshelle Marino, assistant professor of counseling and principal grant investigator.

Master's level students enrolled in the practicum and internship courses for school counseling, clinical mental health, or marriage and family tracks will participate in research. Each student will receive their own laptop, software program, camcorder, tripod, and SD card reader.

"The system will assist our research process by providing more accurate and efficient access to clinical data and video examples, allowing supervisors to provide faster corrective measures for treatment and student training," Marino said. "There are only 12 accredited counseling programs in Louisiana, and we are the first and only program to utilize this technology."

Marino explained that as a requirement for graduation, counseling graduate students must perform 700 hours of supervised field experience in their respective graduate tracks.

"In addition to faculty using the technology to develop training material, utilizing the technology for the required 700 field experience hours will enhance the experience for graduate students and allow them to be highly competitive in today's workforce," she said.

For more information about the grant, contact Marino at 985-549-5928.




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