Montgomery Aims to Make SPC Center for Excellence in Teaching, Counselor Preparation

School of Professional Counseling Associate Dean Jacquelyn Montgomery wants the
school to be known in the mental health profession as a center for excellence in
teaching and in counselor preparation. 

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Jacquelyn Montgomery wants the Lindsey Wilson College School of Professional Counseling to be known in the mental health profession as a center for excellence in teaching and in counselor preparation.

With undergraduate and graduate programs at 27 community campuses in five states, LWC's nationally accredited School of Professional Counseling has a "phenomenal" opportunity to make a difference in the profession and in the communities it serves, according to Montgomery, who has been named associate dean for the school.

"I would like to assist in building the School of Professional Counseling so that it becomes known as a center of excellence in teaching and a model of excellence in counselor preparation," Montgomery said. "The opportunity to have that level of true excellence at 27 sites and in five states is phenomenal."

Before being named to lead the LWC School of Professional Counseling, Montgomery was an assistant professor in the school and also served as an administrator that dealt with compliance for the school.

Created in 2006, LWC's School of Professional Counseling has 37 full time faculty members who work with 900 undergraduate and graduate students at 27 sites. In addition to students on LWC's A.P. White Campus in Columbia, SPC faculty work with students at 26 community campuses in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Most of the students who attend SPC classes at the community campuses are non-traditional students, and many of them come to LWC from a local community college.

Students earn either a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling or a master of education degree in counseling and human development that prepares them for a career in the helping professions and in mental health care. Students who earn a master's degree can become licensed professional counselors. 

"For the students, it's a seamless process because they are enrolled as community college students as well as Lindsey Wilson students, so they get tremendous resources while living and working in their home community," Montgomery said. "And they walk out with a four-year degree and/or a master's degree, which prepares them for an exciting career of serving others."

For many of the LWC students, earning a bachelor's or a master's degree often means going from two minimum-wage jobs to one full-time job in the mental-health profession, Montgomery said.

"We've had students hold down two jobs while in the program," she said. "So the fact that they can leave two jobs for one well-paying job that allows them to do what they are passionate about is a testimonial to the power of education."

By building on the solid foundation established over the last nine years, Montgomery says the LWC School of Professional Counseling can become known as a center and model for excellence in teaching and in counselor preparation.

"SPC has enormous resources in terms of faculty and staff with a diverse range of expertise, so we are extremely blessed to have that kind of strength and that kind of passion among our faculty and staff," she said. "We also have tremendous support from the Lindsey Wilson administration, so that is a perfect combination for fantastic things for the college."