Okenna Egwu is a licensed clinical professional counselor and professional lecturer in the Department of Counseling and Special Education. He completed his PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at The College of William & Mary in Virginia and his professional background involves clinical work with children and adolescents. He has several years of experience working in Illinois juvenile detention centers employing trauma informed treatment with youth, and training staff on the mental health needs of incarcerated adolescents.
Egwu’s research interests include: multicultural considerations in counseling, implicit bias, and other barriers to effective cross-cultural counseling. Through his research, he seeks to build a deeper understanding of the roles a counselor’s personal dispositions play in the therapy that they conduct.
Egwu is passionate about teaching and frequently invites student’s creative and diverse perspectives into the classroom. He seeks to help students think critically about new ideas while bringing in their individual strengths to engage in critical discourse and solve new problems. Egwu is also active in professional counseling organizations and regularly gives presentations on the local, state, and national levels. He has also consulted with various organizations to improve DEI in workplace settings.
Education
- PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, College of William & Mary
- MA in Human Development Counseling, Bradley University
- BS in Physics, Bradley University
Research Interests
- Cross-cultural counseling, implicit bias, relational cultural therapy, juvenile mental health needs, and multicultural issues in counseling.