Career Expo for William James’ Counseling Students

On March 25th, the Dean of Students Office and the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department hosted a career expo for current students and recent alumni to meet employers and learn about career paths, organizational cultures, and potential internships and jobs. Over 30 students attended to meet with 19 employers. Each organization that attended possess the necessary qualifications to provide proper supervision for aspiring Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC). Several employers were alumni of William James College and feel that students graduating from programs here are unique and exceptionally prepared to enter the field. William James College alumnus Kaden Fund (2014) spoke about how well the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program trained him to enter the diverse workforce: “Interns and staff that come out of a program here [WJC] are viewing our clients in a more global way than through a mental health lens alone.” Alumni Emily Fournier (2018), Gabe Cruz-Allen (2016), and Kara Boucher (2012), collectively agreed that the full year of internship combined with the small class sizes and selection of courses strengthened their capacity to thrive in their current position.

Meridith Apfelbaum, MS, Assistant Dean of Students supports students and alumni in career preparation. She shared: “This was our third annual MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling Career Expo and it was our best one yet! We received a lot of positive feedback from employers on how well our students presented themselves and students that attended were very grateful for the opportunity to make valuable face-to-face connections. It was especially wonderful for me to see several of our alumni on the other side of the table as recruiters, as I remember when some of them were searching for their first post-graduation jobs. Love those full circle moments!"

Nilda M. Laboy, PsyD, Chair of the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department, along with Melissa Koen, MS, LMHC, Associate Director of Field Education, spoke to the employers prior to the activity. They presented information about our Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and our Behavioral Health Scholarship, which provides reduced tuition to employees of behavioral health agencies who want to pursue our master’s degree leading to the LMHC. In addition to speaking about academic requirements of the program, they presented ways in which students can do their practicum and internship at their agencies while being employed there. Dr. Laboy remarked: “It was a great activity where many connections were generated at different levels, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration in the years to come. It made us proud to hear that employers seek our students and graduates for their solid academic and clinical preparedness and their professionalism.”

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