
International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling:
IARTC
Resilience & Trauma Epistemology
A Division of the American Counseling Association
Call for IARTC Newsletter Editor Applications
The Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling (IARTC), the newest division of ACA, is seeking an Editor for its bi-annual Newsletter. The IARTC Newsletter is published twice a year in the Spring (to coincide with the ACA Annual Conference and Exposition), and again in the Fall (August 30th). The Editor will solicit submissions, provide editorial oversight of articles, develop and publish the Newsletter. The Editor will disseminate the Newsletter through various platforms including the IARTC Website, CESNET, ACA Connect, COUNSgrads, and other social platforms. We hope to expand our submission to international groups moving forward.
The ideal candidate will be a member of the Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling (or willing to join upon appointment), have excellent writing skills, attention to detail, time management skills, and organizational capabilities. Some editorial experience is desired but not required. Previous issues of the IARTC Newsletter can be found on the IARTC Website https://www.iartc.org/about-4
The selected person will work alongside and be mentored by the current Editor and Senior Associate Editor to produce the upcoming summer/fall Newsletter.
Letters of Interest and a current CV should be submitted to Mayfield.peggyc@gmail.com. A review of applications will begin immediately and will be accepted until the position is filled. Please list IARTC Editor in the subject line.
Warmly,
Peggy
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IARTC recently received fiscal year 2023-2024 election results from ACA. Dr. Matthew J. Walsh was elected as IARTC's incoming President-Elect. Celebrate!
IARTC Mission
To enhance the quality of life for people and communities worldwide by promoting the development of professional counselors; by advancing the ideals of the American Counseling Association, the counseling profession, and the ethical practice of counseling through trauma-informed practices; and, by nurturing respect for human dignity, cultural inclusivity, and resilience.
Join an IARTC Committee!
For those of you who wish to serve IARTC, we have the following committees that you can join:
Advocacy Committee
Awards Committee
Branch Committee
Budget & Finance Committee
Bylaws Committee
Communications, Media, and PR Committee
Conference Committee
DEI & Social Justice Committee
Graduate Student Committee
Membership Committee
Professional Development Committee
IARTC Newsletter Editorial Team
To join a committee, please send your CV and letter of interest to IARTC President Dr. Peggy Mayfield Mayfield.peggyc@gmail.com and IARTC President-Elect Dr. Lisa Levers at levers@duq.edu. If appointed to a committee, we will also need a headshot and a brief bio so that we can add your profile to the IARTC website. IARTC encourages diverse members from national and international communities to apply. IARTC needs you!
Submit an Article to the IARTC Journal--Trauma Counseling and Resilience:
Trauma Counseling & Resilience Portal
Meet The Team
Bellah Kiteki, Ph.D.
Dr. Bellah Kiteki is a Licensed Professional Counselor (OH) and Nationally Certified Counselor. She is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Wheaton College, IL. Her research interests focus on African refugees, especially refugee youth, and the area of clinical supervision. In her research with African refugee youth, she aims to address areas of resilience, adjustment, and adaptation in new host country environments, and their educational trajectories. In clinical supervision, she aims to understand the lived experiences of counselors, students, and supervisors in her home country Kenya and the U.S. Due to the newness of clinical supervision in this Kenya, there is a paucity of research that centers on supervision and how it is conducted. She aims to contribute in the research in this area. Her recent research has focused on counselor experiences in clinical supervision in Kenya, international student trainees’ experiences in clinical supervision in the U.S., and impact of Covid-19 pandemic on refugee mental health. Aside from her teaching and research, she has consistently volunteered to either conduct groups or provide translation services with newly resettled African refugees through World Relief.

Brittany Wyche, PhD, LCMHCS, NCC
Dr. Brittany E. Wyche is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. She has worked in the mental health field since 2008, and has worked as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina since 2012. She then became a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor in NC in 2021. One constant Dr. Wyche has seen across the variety of settings she has worked in over the years is the significant impact of stress and trauma on individuals and their loved ones. Noticing the impact of trauma on clients and the vicarious impact of working with trauma on clinicians led Dr. Wyche to return to school in 2018 to complete her PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Since then, Dr. Wyche has focused on how to best educate, train, and prepare counselors and counselors-in-training to work with clients who have experienced trauma. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate students at Wake Forest, Dr. Wyche also has a part-time private practice, Salem Bloom Counseling, PLLC. Clinically, Dr. Wyche focuses on working with folks with a variety of trauma experiences and related presentations. Some of her expertise includes supporting clients who: self-harm, have substance use disorders, engage in disordered eating and exercise, experience chronic suicidality, and who are often coping with complex co-occurring diagnoses as a result of their experiences. She also greatly enjoys working with other helpers who have experienced vicarious trauma. She currently works with adults, and has the most experience with adolescents and young adults. In terms of research, Dr. Wyche is most interested in program evaluation and exploring how to most effectively teach and learn about trauma. She is also interested in topics related to broaching different identities in the counseling relationship, culturally responsive care, trauma-informed and trauma-focused care, rupture and repair in the therapeutic relationship, and general counselor development.

Dr. Michele Pinellas, Ed.D., RYT-500
Dr. Michele Pinellas is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Counseling Program at the University of West Georgia. Dr. Pinellas’ expertise focuses on trauma, substance abuse, suicide risk, child and adolescent social and emotional issues, and grief and loss. Dr. Pinellas has worked as a Professional School Counselor utilizing a trauma-informed lens throughout her work with students in person, in school settings, at home, and virtually. Her research and clinical work have included increasing resilience in minority youth who have experienced chronic adversity, holistic therapeutic interventions for youth, and school counselor advocacy. Dr. Pinellas is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia, a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern (RMHCI), and Professional School Counselor in Florida. She has over eight years of experience working in the mental health profession.

Laura R. Land, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, CPCS
Dr. Laura R. Land is an Associate Professor in the Counseling Program Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Ga. Prior to teaching at Richmont, Dr. Land was an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Community Counseling Clinic at the University of North Georgia. Prior to coming to She has a heart for community completing her Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with minors in Public Health and Educational Research Methodology. Dr. Land’s areas of interest include trauma, child abuse prevention, community outreach/advocacy, and trauma pedagogy; namely exploring how we train new counselors to a level of competence to provide trauma-informed care. Areas of interest in her own clinical work include adjustment issues, self-compassion, crisis, trauma, identity formation, grief, shame, the disease of addiction, depression, anxiety, and loss. Dr. Land has worked as a licensed professional counselor utilizing a trauma-informed lens throughout her work with students in person, in school settings, detention centers, private practices, community clinics and organizations, hospitals, college counseling clinics, and rural outreach abroad in orphanages in South Africa, the Philippines, Norway, Belgium, and Germany. Her current research includes studies exploring trauma counseling competence among counselors-in-training, mindfulness and trauma counseling competence, as well as trauma and culture. Dr. Land is passionate about advocacy, mental health parity, and utilizing program evaluation to aid community counseling agencies. Dr. Land is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor (CPCS) in Georgia. She has over fifteen years of experience working in the mental health profession.


Cheolwoo Park, M.Ed./Ed.S.
Cheolwoo Park is a graduate student pursuing his doctoral degree in Counseling and Counselor Education at the University of Florida. He earned his Masters of Education and Education Specialist, concentrating in Marriage and Family Counseling at the University of Florida. Cheolwoo is strongly interested in complex trauma, particularly relational and developmental trauma. Along with this interest, Cheolwoo has committed himself to studying the ways to address the impacts of developmental and relational trauma experiences on individuals’ diverse psychological challenges at individual and systemic levels. Additionally, Cheolwoo has clinical experience with diverse populations, from individuals to families/couples, to serve clients with various psychological challenges using diverse therapeutic approaches. Cheolwoo is honored and excited to serve on the IARTC Conference Committee in the pursuit of the growth of the division and resilience in our society.
Tonya Davis, Ph.D.
Dr. Davis is a passionate scholar-practitioner who divides her time between clinical practice, consulting, and research. Dr. Davis earned her Bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, and her Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology from Alabama A& M University. She completed her EdS in Psychometry as well as her Doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Alabama.
Dr. Davis has been in private practice for the past 18 years providing psychological counseling and testing services to adults and children with a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties. In her consulting work, she regularly offers crisis consultation, workshops, and seminars for government and commercial clients. She has been an invited speaker for the Missile Defense Agency, the United States Secret Service, Netflix Corporation, Google, and Facebook.
Dr. Davis currently serves as an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Psychology & Counseling program at Alabama A&M University. Her research focuses on psychological /psychoeducational assessment, minority mental health, cybersecurity/cybercrimes and technology-infused mental health interventions. She has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and serves on the Alabama Counseling Association Board (Region 2). She is a charter member of the Association of Black Psychologists (Huntsville chapter) and serves on the editorial board for several academic journals. She is currently the President-elect of the Multicultural Division of the Alabama Counseling Association. She is also the co-writer of a national blog for Psychology Today. She is the Co-principal investigator on a research project in the area of Virtual Career Mentoring for African American college students that has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for nearly one million dollars.
Dr. Davis is the mother of two sons ages 26 and 17. She enjoys traveling and watching crime movies in her spare time.