Faculty Scholars

Who is Dr. Sackett?

Dr. Sackett is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education in the College of Education. In her faculty role, she helps train master’s level clinical mental health and school counselors t work in a variety of settings including agencies, hospitals, private practices, and schools.She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education fromVirginia Tech and her Master of Arts inMarriage and Family Therapy from Appalachian State University. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in North Carolina and worked as a master’s level clinician in a variety of settings for several years prior to earning her doctorate, including community mental health and substance abuse agencies and private practice.In her previous academic appointment, she developed and directed a counselor training clinic. Since entering academia, Dr. Sackett has led many research projects resulting in numerous national, peer-reviewed publications. Her research agenda involves exploring experiences of the counseling process, specifically from the client perspective. She is actively pursuing funding for her work in this area. Dr. Sackett currently serves as Principal Investigator on a SAMHSA funded project in partnership with Prisma Health to infuse addiction-focused learning throughout the counseling curriculum. She is also a co-investigator on a recently funded grant in collaboration with the Clemson Rural Health to enhance mental health services on the rural mobile health unit with counselors-in-training from the counselor education program.

How Dr. Sackett’s research is transforming health care

Dr. Sackett’s research agenda centers on accessing and utilizing client perspectives of the counseling process to improve client engagement and outcomes. With millions of individuals accessing mental health services, effective mental health care is a priority for the United States. Dr. Sackett’s research ultimately helps to improve the quality and outcome of care for mental health counseling in a variety of settings through accessing and utilizing client perspectives to inform treatment.

Health Research Expertise Keywords

Faculty Scholar, Mental health, counseling, client experiences in counseling, counseling process, addiction prevention and treatment