Georgia Southern Counseling Center leaders receive national awards
The Georgia Southern University Counseling Center (GSU-CC) Executive Director Jodi K. Caldwell, Ph.D., and Armstrong Campus Counseling Center Director Jeanne McGowan, MSW, were honored at the 2019 American College Counseling Association annual conference in San Diego. Caldwell received the College Counseling Advocacy Award and McGowan received the Director of the Year Award. Caldwell joined the GSU-CC staff in August 2000 as a staff psychologist, and has been the director of the center since January 2012. Following the 2018 consolidation of Georgia Southern, she became the executive director of the GSU-CC for both the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses. Caldwell is chair of the university’s Sexual Assault Response Team, serves as the president of the Board of Directors for the Teal House: Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center and represents Georgia Southern on the Ogeechee Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team and the Eastern Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team. McGowan joined the Armstrong Counseling Center in August 2015 as director and has developed the GSU-CC location on the Armstrong Campus through advocacy and collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs. Under her directorship, the Counseling Center has added staff, increased space and incorporated an electronic medical records system. She has supported the campus community by adding outreach activities and educational programming on topics like suicide prevention. McGowan recently became a trainer for Applied Suicide Skills Intervention Training and is working with Safety Net of Chatham County to bring suicide intervention training to Savannah and its surrounding communities. The GSU-CC is an International Association of Counseling Services accredited center that offers individual, relationship and group counseling, in addition to drop-in workshops serving Georgia Southern students.Posted in My News, Reward & Recognition, Staff