Grand Canyon University hosted a faculty conference for first-year ground and online counseling faculty members on April 20. Faculty from across the country traveled to the university’s campus to participate in professional development, community building, and continuing education activities.
The event aimed to strengthen collaboration, trust, and togetherness among counseling faculty while enhancing their skills as educators. The conference featured presentations by three Grand Canyon University (GCU) faculty members focused on cultural exploration, trauma-informed assessment, and compassionate teaching practices.
Dr. Patrice Bennett presented “The Art of Becoming: A Cultural Exploration,” which included an experimental exercise where participants discussed their cultural identities, growth as counselor educators, and aspirations within their personal and professional lives. Dr. Victoria Evans-Fulton delivered a session titled “Trauma-Informed Assessment in Complex Family Systems: Building Clinical Competence,” highlighting trauma-informed care processes and addressing gaps between clinical evaluations and classroom knowledge. Dr. Kimberlee Mincey spoke about “Teaching with Compassion in Pedagogy: Applying ACT/DBT Skills to Strengthen Counselor-in-Training Development,” leading a discussion on compassion’s role in education as a catalyst for student and client growth.
According to the official website, Grand Canyon University is located in Phoenix, Arizona, operates as a private Christian educational institution, and centers its approach on Christian values to support students’ potential through undergraduate and graduate programs such as nursing, business, healthcare, with both on-campus and online learning options. The university has also received high rankings for its nursing programs along with its campus environment according to Niche.com as reported by the official website.
As GCU continues these initiatives aimed at professional development among its faculty members, it maintains its commitment to fostering academic excellence within a supportive community environment.
