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Helena Stevens, Associate Professor of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Graduate Programs Department, smiling in front of a gray mottled background.

Helena Stevens

Associate Professor
Department: Graduate Programs Department
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Bethany Lutheran College > Faculty and Staff Profiles > Profiles > Faculty Profiles > Helena Stevens

Education

  • Ph.D. Counselor Education and Supervision, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, 2015
  • M.A. Education: School Counseling, University of Redlands, Redlands, California, 2012
  • B.A. Sociology and Anthropology, University of Redlands, Redlands, California, 2009

Academic Interests

Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, Trauma and Crisis Intervention, Counseling Theories, Group Counseling, Addictions Treatment

Research

  • Evidence Based Counseling Practices
  • Counseling in Parochial Settings
  • Culturally Responsive Practices
  • Humanistic Counseling Practices

Licensure-Certifications

  • Licensed Professional Counselor, Wisconsin
  • Licensed School Counselor, Minnesota
  • Pupil Personnel Services Credential, California
  • Professional Memberships
  • Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
  • Society for Humanistic Psychology
  • American Psychological Association

Awards

Humanistic Social Justice and Advocacy Award. Association of Humanistic Counseling, 2019

Service

  • Currently serves on the program assessment committee
  • Past president of the Minnesota Counseling Association 
  • Former member of American Counseling Association Human Rights Committee

Presentations/Publications

Publications:

  • Stevens, H.G. (2026) Supervision in University Counseling Courses. Routledge Press.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2025). What’s a Smog? Evolving and Understanding Humanistic Psychology as a Millennial. Society for Humanistic Psychology, Spring 2025 Newsletter.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2024) Guidance lessons and curriculum, in Wines, L.A. & Nelson, J. (2nd ed) School Counselors as Practitioners: Building on Theory, Standards, and Experience for Optimal Performance. Routledge.
  • Stevens, H.G. & Ritten, K. (2022). School counseling in parochial schools: an Autoethnography. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 3, 251-274.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2021). Implementing social emotional programs: Implications for school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 19(9).
  • Stevens, H.G. & Peed, T. (2020). Culturally responsive program evaluations, in Crosby, T. (2020). Implementing Culturally Responsive Practices in Education. IGI Global: Pennsylvania, PA.
  • Peed, T. & Stevens, H.G. (2020). The culturally connected school counseling: Best practices and considerations, in Crosby, T. (2020). Implementing Culturally Responsive Practices in Education. IGI Global: Pennsylvania, PA.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2020). A student is in the middle of custody issues in a contentious divorce, in Wines, L.A. & Nelson, J. (2020). Responding to Critical Cases in School Counseling. Routledge.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2020). A teacher is emotionally unstable, in Wines, L.A. & Nelson, J. (2020). Responding to Critical Cases in School Counseling. Routledge.
  • Mullen, P.R., Stevens, H.G. & Chae, N. (2019). School counselors’ attitudes towards evidence based practices. Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 1-11.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2019) Guidance lessons and curriculum, in Wines, L.A. & Nelson, J. (2019) School Counselors as Practitioners: Building on Theory, Standards, and Experience for Optimal Performance. Routledge.
  • Stevens, H.G. (October, 2018). The Power of a Plum. Association for Humanistic Counseling InfoChange Quarterly Newsletter
  • Stevens, H.G. (July, 2017). Career and the elementary school counselor: Building the blocks for future career exploration. Wisconsin School Counselor Association Summer Newsletter
  • Stevens, H.G. (September, 2016) Wellness as a lens in comprehensive school counseling programs. Wisconsin School Counselor Association Fall Newsletter
  • Rindone, H.G. (2015). Methamphetamine. In Smith. R. Treatment Strategies for Substance Abuse and Process Addictions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
  • Rindone, H.G. (2015) The lived experiences of principals, counselors, and high school students who participated in the Character First guidance education program (Doctoral dissertation). Proquest Libraries.

Presentations:

  • Stevens, H.G. (2025). Shedding the invisible audience: Using mindfulness to support client wellness. American Psychological Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO, August.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2024). Support Students with Invisible Diversity. Association of Humanistic Counseling Annual Conference, Virtual, May.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2023). Rising to the Call: Cultivating Community Wellness. Society for Humanistic Psychology Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico, March.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2022). Utilizing Creative Pedagogy in Large Lecture Courses. North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Omaha Nebraska, October.
  • Stevens, H.G., Schwartz, M., & Egbert, R. (2021). Evaluating and Approving 17024 Certified Metrology Technician Test Questions. Measurement Science Annual Conference, Anaheim, California, November.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2021). Conceptualizing Group Dynamics and Supervision Theory in University Level Group Supervision Courses. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Bi-annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, October.
  • Stevens, H.G. (2021). The Intersections of Adult Cultural Identity Development and Cultural Capacity. Association for Aging and Adult Development National Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, July.

Teaching Philosophy

Experiential learning theory has been the foundation of my teaching philosophy since I began as a counselor educator. I strive to bring hands on learning into my teaching and assignments.

Biography

Dr. Stevens was born in Southern California and spent her early years in Japan before returning to California where she completed her primary and post-secondary education up to her master’s degree. She began her work in education during her undergraduate years as a para and continued working as a teacher with at-risk youth during her master’s studies. In between she worked as a social worker for individuals with disabilities. Propelled by a passion for researching evidence-based programs that serviced disadvantaged youth, she pursued her doctoral studies in Corpus Christi, Texas with a goal of leveraging her advocacy work to reach a larger network and to provide better training for the next waves of counselors. Her continued research has focused on understanding participants’ experiences in helping fields, culturally responsive practices, and elevating the work of the counselor educator. She has served in leadership roles at state and national levels and is active in her community coaching youth sports. With over a decade of counseling and professorial work, she continues to counsel adolescents and adults, in addition to teaching, to maintain her value for serving others with the love of Christ.

Hobbies/Interests

Soccer, softball, biking, jewelry making, cooking, dancing, reading