Our New Faculty

Please give a warm welcome to our newest faculty, Dr. Stephanie Crockett and Dr. Kenson Hiatt.

Dr. Stephanie Crockett

I grew up in a small, rural town in Southwest Virginia and went to a small college in Tennessee where I got my bachelor’s degree in psychology. After college, I worked for a few years in vocational rehabilitation and really came to enjoy working with folks one-on-one. In 2005, I began my master’s program at Old Dominion University. I also worked in the career center at ODU where I provided career counseling to students.

I have always had a passion for higher education and teaching, so I decided to pursue my doctorate in counselor education in 2008. While in my doctoral program at ODU, I continued to practice career counseling. I dabbled in private practice, providing career counseling to women in transition. I also worked in the high schools providing crisis counseling.

After graduating in 2011 with my doctoral degree, I started my first faculty job in the counseling department at Oakland University. During my time there I was the Director of the Adult Career Counseling Center, as well as the coordinator for the counseling Ph.D. program.

I am passionate about conducting research in the counseling field. My specific interests include counselor preparation, professional counseling issues and trends, as well as action/outcome research in counseling. I enjoy being a part of research-practitioner collaborations that produce consequential results for counselors practicing in real-world settings. I always welcome interested students to be a part of these research collaborations.

I will be teaching courses in the Ph.D. in Counseling and Supervision program. My courses include Applied Research, Advanced Supervision, and Advanced Techniques. I will also be serving as the president-elect of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling. This is the American Counseling Association’s division for research nerds such as myself!

Outside of my work life, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two cats, Freddie and Ozzie. They are the best of friends and can often be found napping together. When we are not hanging out with the cats, my husband and I love exploring the outdoors. We regularly run many of the trails in Shenandoah National Park. I also enjoy backpacking and have visited many national parks outside of Virginia. Some of my favorite include Olympic National Park, the Grand Canyon, and the National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Dr. Kenson Hiatt

Hello! My name is Kenson Hiatt and I’m thrilled to be part of the counseling programs here at JMU. I’m coming here as a fresh graduate from William & Mary’s Ph.D. program in Counselor Education. I have a background in clinical mental health, addictions, career, and couples counseling. At my core, I am relational and I love helping others achieve growth, improvement, and healing. I also consider myself a deeply spiritual person who feels compelled to explore existential philosophy and questions. I find great meaning and connection in learning about the religious and spiritual beliefs of others, which is also an important part of my research agenda.

I have written articles and conducted research about religious/spiritual (R/S) competence in counseling and I am currently attempting to encourage a paradigm shift in our field. I hope to help clinicians focus on having a R/S orientation that allows client and clinician to co-create safe spaces for sharing and exploring R/S beliefs and identities. I have also written articles about clinical supervision, including a novel approach for compassionately supporting supervisees through their development process as new clinicians.

This year I’ll be teaching the clinical internship for the CMHC students as well as the group counseling course. I also look forward to meeting with students and finding ways to serve you. That’s the main reason I decided to become a counselor educator. I want to help students become great counselors who find joy and meaning in their work. So please don’t hesitate to approach me! I tend to be friendly and I truly am eager to help.

A little more about me: I am married and a father of three girls. I love being a “girl dad.” I also carefully maintain my “dad bod” (i.e., like André the Giant said in The Princess Bride, “I don’t even exercise!”) while celebrating the mediocrity of my “dad” identity. I love streaming movies and shows, playing Nintendo, and playing board/card games. Despite not exercising well, I enjoy playing sports (basketball, tennis, soccer) and being outdoors.

Counseling Programs Calendar