Dr. Valerie Couture was recently promoted to Associate Professor in the Leadership Studies Department. She began teaching in the M.S. in School Counseling Program in August 2016 and in 2018 became the Program Coordinator. Dr. Couture holds a B.A. in Sociology from Indiana University, a M.Ed. in Counseling and Career Development from Colorado State University, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Couture maintains a professional license in clinical mental health counseling as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She has worked in diverse settings including schools, community agencies, corrections, and colleges working directly with individuals to achieve their goals. She enjoys teaching future school counselors who will have an important impact in the lives of students.

Classes Taught

LEAD 6330 Individual and Group Counseling Skills

LEAD 630 Counseling Theory

LEAD 6321 Research Methods

SCCN 6365 Educational Assessment and Measurement

SCCN 6324 Lifespan Human Development

SCCN 6360 School Counselor as Consultant

SCCN 6380 School Counseling Intervention Strategies

Research Interests

Mental Health Issues in Schools

Counseling Skills Development

Multicultural Counseling Competency

Recent Publications

Couture, V. G., Shaw, E. O., and Behrend, B. (2022). We set the climate: Implications for rural school counselors in creating LGBTQIA-affirming schools. Journal of Counseling Research and Practice, 7 (2), 1-21.

Nadelson, L, Loyless, S.D., Mills, M., Oyeniyi, O., Albritton, S., Couture, V., Bruick, T., & Rainey Parham, C. (2022). Success for all? The education equity mindset of university faculty members. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 34(1), 60-80.

Couture, V. G. (2021). Enhancing multicultural awareness: Understanding the effect of community immersion assignments in an online counseling skills course. International Journal of Higher Education, 10 (5), 201-212.

Curriculum Vita