Assistant Professor Adam Stephens receives award for service to LGBTQ+ youth counselors

Adam Stephens, assistant professor of counselor education, recently received the President’s award from the Association for Specialist Group Work (ASGW) at their 2022 Conference.

Stephens was awarded for his contributions in helping counselors provide mental health and other supports to the LGBTQ+ community. He worked with Brittany Pollard-Kosidowski from Indiana University of Pennsylvania to support counselors affiliated with the organization JASMYN, which helps counsel LGBTQ+ youth during a day of service.

“Obviously, it was an honor and a nice testament of the commitment that went into preparing that,” Stephens said, “but I felt like for us as a group, it really was about the expertise that all of this brought to that particular day of service. I certainly don’t want to take full credit for all the work that was done on that day.”

He also noted the special importance of supporting LGBTQ+ youth at a moment when many U.S. states are enacting policies that have adverse effects on these communities and families.

“We want to be really intentional, leaning into some of the injustices that are occurring,” Stephens said. “Advocacy is a central tenet to being a counselor.”

Click here to learn more about SUNY New Paltz’s resources and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.