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Dr. Katherine Helm is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program (CMHC).  I have been a proud member of the Lewis community since 2001.  I am a licensed psychologist and counselor educator. I primarily teach graduate courses in the CMHC.  I teach through a narrative approach incorporating real live case examples from my own clinical practice to help the topics I am teaching about come alive.  I actively use students’ input to improve my courses and make our mutual learning experience as interactive and engaging as possible.   I teach a wide variety of courses and am passionate about teaching and learning.  I have authored several publications about cultural issues in mental health, couples’ issues, and pedagogy in multicultural counseling courses.  I have participated in counselor training at multiple levels, including directing a practicum program at an outside agency.  I maintain a client case load and I am an active member of Illinois Counseling Association (ICA).

I am interested in helping our students reach their full professional potential and in actualizing their many talents. Students education at Lewis and their experience in our program and department is very important to me.  Please reach out to me if you have any questions about our graduate program or graduate school in counseling programs in general.  I always enjoy talking to and learning from our students!  I can be reached through email at:  helmka@lewisu.edu

Hello! I am Lili Burciaga, core faculty in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program.  I am a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) and certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP) with over 15 years of experience in the mental health field.  I have worked in numerous settings as a mental health professional, counselor, training coordinator, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and mental health consultant.  My background has been in community mental health, hospitals, juvenile detention, and primary care, where I have served marginalized populations in the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs.  Presently, I provide bilingual, on-site critical incident response as a consultant across Illinois and surrounding states.

I became a counselor educator because my passion is making a difference for marginalized groups. I wanted to make a difference beyond my counseling office.  I view my role as a counselor educator as helping counselors in training become socially responsible practitioners.  I do this through being faculty advisor of Lewis Counselors for Social Justice, but also by integrating socially responsible practice into the courses I teach.  Overall, the goal in my teaching philosophy is to prepare students for the challenges and rewards that the counseling field has to offer by teaching practical clinical skills and to be social justice advocates for the clients we serve.  I have an interactive teaching style that uses experiential activities, discussion, and real-world clinical examples to facilitate students’ learning.  I aim to empower students to be curious and motivated to learn.  My research interests and areas of expertise include: mindfulness, trauma, parenting, and social justice.

I love connecting with students.  Please stop by my office (BE-136) or shoot me an email so we can connect.  I look forward to meeting you at Lewis! 

Dr. Edwards is an Associate Professor for the graduate mental health programs. As a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a Certified Addictions Counselor, Dr. Edwards specializes in family-based interventions, couples therapy, issues of diversity, and the treatment of substance abuse. Over the years, she has worked in community mental health, substance abuse treatment facilities, social services agencies, school-based mental health services, been in private practice, and has conducted forensic research. Additionally, she is an alumna of the Chicago area Christian Training Consortium where she received specialized clinical training in the integration of faith-based practice and psychology.