VCU Department of Counseling & Special Education

Check out a recent article by two VCU Department of Counseling & Special Education faculty members, Drs. Chin-Chih Chen and Yaoying Xu (and colleagues)! Click the link below to learn more!

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13158-026-00517-w

VCU School of Education

Today is VCU Giving Day, and our department has a dedicated fund that directly supports our students. When you give to Counseling and Special Education, you’re investing in the future special educators and counselors who are preparing to make a meaningful impact in their schools and communities.

Your generosity helps them learn, lead, and serve.

To make a gift to the department, visit the link below. In the Designation field, search for “Counseling and Special Education Annual Fund.” Once selected, simply complete the remainder of the form.

VCU Giving Day 2026 Join me in supporting VCU Giving Day! Together we can make a difference.

Did you know we offer an Undergraduate Certificate in Disabilities Studies? We also have a Special Education minor, as well as an Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education minor!

Interested in learning more? Join us at our upcoming information session to explore these programs and see how they can support your academic and career goals. You can register at the link below.

https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/qGf8I4eKTam84k5aT8-lWA

Check out a new Fall 2026 undergraduate course offered by our department!



VCU School of Education
VCU Counselor Education Program

Hot off the press! 🎉 Check out this latest VCU News story featuring one of our Counselor Education PhD students. Don’t miss it—read more at the link below!

https://news.vcu.edu/article/class-of-2026-emily-kitching-has-counseled-students-now-she-will-teach-counselors

VCU School of Education

Connect with the Counseling and Special Education Department at an upcoming event! We invite all alumni and friends to join our faculty and staff for an Appreciation and Appetizers Happy Hour at Three Notch’d Brewing Co. in Richmond, VA on Tuesday, May 5 from 5-7pm. This free event is open to all—register using the link below.

http://give.vcu.edu/events/alumni-appreciation-appetizers-happy-hour

VCU School of Education
VCU Counselor Education Program

A VCU News story about Dr. Daniel Gutierrez's research making an impact! Check it out!

VCU Counselor Education Program
VCU School of Education

The research of VCU School of Education professor and counselor Daniel Gutierrez, Ph.D., is making an impact in courtrooms.

Lindsay McCaslin, an assistant federal public defender in Washington state, has found that clients who struggle with addiction and substance abuse follow a pattern: When they get lonely, they’re more likely to relapse. Now, with help from VCU School of Education’s Gutierrez and his team, McCaslin is using the science of recovery to emphasize factors that drive clients’ long-term success.

Gutierrez, a professor in the School of Education's Department of Counseling and Special Education, is also a licensed professional counselor. His partnership with public defenders in Washington state builds on research that focuses on the role of hope, meaning and spirituality in the process of healing and transformation.

READ MORE https://bit.ly/Gutierrez-Research

Please join us in congratulating Counselor Education Ph.D. alum Dr. Christina Tillery on receiving the AERA Division E Outstanding Dissertation Award for Counseling.

VCU School of Education
VCU Counselor Education Program

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates - NBCC published a story about a VCU Counselor Education Program PhD student, Nowoola Awopetu. Check it out at the link below!!

https://nbcc.org/resources/nccs/newsletter/fulbright-hays-fellow-transforming-counseling-through-global-research?_zs=824kD1&_zl=WE6v7

NBCC | National Board for Certified Counselors & Affiliates There

A quick reminder about this upcoming free webinar! You can register at the following link, where you can also find more information about the presentation and presenter: https://tinyurl.com/2mkx64tp


VCU School of Education

VCU School of Education Education is the single biggest factor in transforming lives, and we’re preparing the next generation of teachers, leaders and counselors to change the world.