Preparing Counselors to Work in Rural Areas

Drs. Elliot and Murray discuss their program for training counselors to work in rural areas. They share the challenges they have faced and talk about how educators and supervisors can approach readying students to work in rural communities.

Anna Elliott is a Counselor Educator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Human Development at Montana State University. Her academic areas of interest include equity, access, and social justice in mental health and counselor identity development. She is a licensed counselor in Montana with specializations in trauma recovery, adolescents, and cultural identity issues.

Kirsten Murray is Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling at the University of Montana. Her academic background is also in Counselor Education and Supervision. She is a licensed counselor and her clinical and academic interests align in the areas of couple and family counseling, foundational counseling skills, and fostering access and equity in the counseling profession.

Rural Program Link: https://www.umt.edu/education/departments/counsed/rural_mental_health/

Article:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ceas.12307?af=Rhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ceas.12307?af=R

Chapter in the following book:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/bloomsbury-handbook-of-rural-education-in-the-united-states-9781350172012/

Lamar, M.. (Producer). (2025, February 10). Preparing counselors to work in rural areas (No.289) [Audio Podcast]. The Thoughtful Counselor. Retrieved from https://concept.paloaltou.edu/resources/the-thoughtful-counselor-podcast/preparing-counselors-to-work-in-rural-areas