Faculty Profiles
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Dr. Carman Gill
is Department Chair and Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Florida Atlantic University. She has extensive counseling and related experience including crisis services manager, inpatient unit counselor, crisis services clinician (covering three hospital emergency departments), and UNC-G university clinic counselor. Dr. Gill has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on a variety of theoretical and research based topics, with her primary area of research being spirituality and counseling. She is a co-author of DSM-5: Learning Companion for Counselors, a textbook published by the American Counseling Association (ACA). Dr. Gill is a member of ACA, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), and the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC). She has worked for ASERVIC as newsletter editor, secretary, board member, membership committee co-chair, conference committee co-chair and is a past president of that organization.
Research Interests:
- Wellness theory for counselors
- Ethical issues and distance supervision in counseling
- Spirituality and religion in counseling
- Substance use disorders
- Spiritual Competency Scale (SCS)
Dr. Kelly Emelianchik-Key
is Associate Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and serves as the practicum coordinator. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Atlantic University, her Master's and Educational Specialist degrees in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida, and her Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University. As a licensed mental health counselor and nationally certified counselor, Dr. Emelianchik-Key has experience working with diverse populations, such as children, teens, couples, college students, and families. She has worked in a variety of capacities and settings, including but not limited to: inpatient facilities, community agencies, and private practices.
Dr. Emelianchik-Key is an engaged member of the counseling community via her work with clients, teaching, research, providing clinical supervision, and serving on editorial boards. She is an active member of several national and state professional organizations, in addition to having several peer reviewed journal publications, book contributions, and national presentations.
Research Interests:
- Gender issues
- Dating and intimate partner violence
- Self-injurious behavior
- Clinical supervision and ethics
- Career development with marginalized populations
Dr. Adriana C. Labarta
is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Florida Atlantic University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling, and Specialist in Education from the University of Florida, and a Doctorate in Counseling from Florida Atlantic University. As a licensed mental health counselor and national certified counselor, Dr. Labarta has experience working with diverse clients in residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and university counseling settings. Her primary clinical and research interests include eating disorders and body image concerns in marginalized communities. Dr. Labarta is an actively engaged member of several counseling organizations and was selected as an Emerging Leader by the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling.
Research Interests:
- Eating disorders and body image concerns
- Addressing eating disorder treatment disparities
- Culturally responsive counseling approaches
- Self-compassion and wellness
Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling
Dr. Michael Frain
is Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He is a published leader within the field of Rehabilitation Psychology, and has produced over 50 peer reviewed journal articles.
Email Dr. Frain, or visit his faculty page.
Research Interests:
- Vocational evaluation and rehabilitation
- Developmental disabilities, assessment, and claims
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Disability discrimination and the workplace
- Life care planning and personal injury consulting
Dr. Ayse Torres
is Associate Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Torres has worked in various counseling and leadership roles in public rehabilitation counseling settings. As a certified rehabilitation counselor, she has gained extensive experience in working with individuals with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities. Dr. Torres’s research has focused on investigating evidence-based practices in clinical rehabilitation counseling, and on the integration of veterans with disabilities into communities. She developed a motivational interviewing training for rehabilitation counselors and trained counselors throughout the State of Florida. In recognition for the contribution from her research to the field of Counselor Education, her dissertation recently won the 2018 Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Outstanding Dissertation award.
Research Interests:
- Innovative approaches to employment and vocational rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities
- Advanced technology applications in job skills training, including augmented reality and virtual interventions
- Enhancing therapeutic alliance and client engagement in rehabilitation counseling
- Community-based initiatives for veteran support and mental health
- Culturally-responsive counseling and international rehabilitation practices
School Counseling
Dr. Elizabeth Villares Sacks
is Professor of School Counseling in the Department of Counselor Education at Florida Atlantic University. She has worked as a teacher, school counselor, and guidance director at the secondary level. Her area of specialization includes counseling children and adolescents, integrating technology in school counseling programs to improve data driven practices, and collaborating with school counselors to develop action research, outcome research, and program evaluation projects. Dr. Villares is also interested in the implementation of school counselor led evidence-based programs that lead to an improvement in student achievement.
Email Dr. Villares or visit her faculty page.
Research Interests:
- Counseling children and adolescents
- Improving social/emotional skills
- Improving school counseling action and outcome research
- Evidence-based programs that improve student achievement
- Impact of positive psychology on academic, social and emotional performance
Dr. Hannah Bowers
is Associate Professor of School Counseling at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Bowers has been working with children and families for the past seven years, both as a marriage and family therapist and a school counselor. Her research thus far has focused on investigating school counseling programs and interventions that are aligned with the ASCA National Model, and which advocate for the school counseling profession, and engage the entirety of the school system. Dr. Bowers was recently selected as an Emerging Leader for the Association of Humanistic Counseling and promoted to Associate Editor of the Journal of Humanistic Counseling. She is excited for her recent return to South Florida and looks forward to further engaging with the local and regional counseling community.
Research Interests:
- Evidence-based and data-driven school counseling practices
- School, family, and community collaboration
- Interventions that improve social and emotional learning and cognitive functions.
Dr. Alexander (Alex) M. Fields
is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Florida Atlantic University. He received a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University, a Master of Arts in Counselor Education (Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Certificate in Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy) from the University of Central Florida, and a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of South Carolina. In addition, Dr. Fields is a licensed counselor and nationally certified counselor with diverse clinical experiences treating individuals, couples, and families. He has provided counseling services in a variety of integrated behavioral healthcare and community mental health settings working with addictions, severe mental illnesses, co-occurring disorders, chronic illnesses, and disabilities. He is also an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) internationally recognized trainer.
Dr. Fields is active within the counseling profession through his involvement with state and national organizations, scholarship, editorial boards, community service, clinical work, teaching, and clinical supervision. His research is primarily client-focused, with a specific interest in integrated behavioral healthcare, wellness, disabilities, and group counseling. Dr. Fields also has an interest in creative strategies to prepare counselors and other healthcare professionals to work in a diverse society. His contributions to counseling scholarship have been recognized at the university and national level, with recent recognition from the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) for the Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CORE) Article of the Year.
Research Interests:
- Integrated behavioral healthcare
- Client outcome research
- Wellness
- Chronic illness and disabilities
- Group counseling