Counseling Career Offers Wide Range of Opportunities

Ashley Nicole De La Torre-Brooks enjoys the counseling profession because of her ability to help others as well as advocate for the community. Dr. De La Torre-Brooks earned her masters from EKU’s College of Education in 2011 with a focus on Mental Health Counseling.  In 2019, she earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision​ from EKU. Dr. Brooks is currently a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor- Supervisor (LPCCS) and is the managing director of regional children’s behavior services at a mental health agency in northern Kentucky. Her work with children and adolescents takes place in a school-based setting where she advocates for preventative care and behavior management. Dr. De La Torre-Brooks specializes in work with human trafficking, intimate partner violence, substance use, and trauma.

“Counseling is a helping profession and my career is much more than what people typically imagine. It’s more than what is depicted on television with a client reclined on a couch and the counselor listening. In my job, I branch out in so many other areas and connect with the community in many different ways,” said De La Torre-Brooks

Dr. De La Torre-Brooks noted the biggest reward is being able to connect with people and educating the wider community about issues related to counseling.

 “I provide trainings on crisis de-escalation for local police as well as training for school staff and personal on suicide prevention, community psychoeducation workshop for families. I work with Child Protective Services and help schools deal with suicide or threats of violence by students. I also work with the judicial system, providing consultations for court cases, and assist local and state law enforcement. My job is definitely not the same every day!”

When she first began her counseling career, she was a school-based therapist working with children and adolescents.  “In that role, I met with students to help them with behavioral issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, and thoughts of suicide. It was rarely a 9 – 5 job. I also provided family therapy and group therapy.  The progress of clients is often slow and counselors rarely see results in a short period of time. Improvements are a long-term process taking place over time.   A counselor must be able to accept that tangible rewards of seeing clients improve are often delayed.”

Dr. De La Torre-Brooks is an Eternal Colonel. She also earned her undergraduate degree in psychology in addition to her master’s and doctorate at EKU. “I chose EKU’s counselor education programs because I liked EKU’s culture and the faculty helped me explore different options and programs for counseling careers.”

To learn more about EKU's College of Education counseling programs, visit https://coecounseling.eku.edu/programs

Contact Information

COUOffice@eku.edu
(859) 622-1124

Published on August 03, 2020