Dr. Shelley Reed, Assistant Professor in Troy University’s Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Interpreter Training at the Phenix City Campus, is being honored for her outstanding contributions to the field of mental health awareness and counseling.
Sisters in Scholarship, Technology, Economics, Refinement and Services (SISTERS), Inc., in collaboration with the Gamma Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will honor Women in Mental Health Awareness during the 15th annual Rosa Parks Women of Courage event, which will be held virtually at 10 a.m. on March 26.
Dr. Reed will be honored along with Dr. Andrea Fleming and Dr. Brett Murphy-Dawson during the event, which will also feature Dr. Sherrionda Crawford, LPC, Associate Professor and Chair of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Interpreter Training at Troy University, as a keynote speaker.
“I am truly honored to receive this award. Although I do not do this for the recognition, I am excited that this award will give me even more opportunities to speak about mental health wellness with individuals inside and outside of the counseling profession,” Dr. Reed said. “This opportunity will allow me to continue to raise awareness and to continue to do the work I am so passionate about. I absolutely love what I do, and I am so thankful and humbled to receive this recognition.”
Dr. Reed has been a member of the Troy University faculty since 2014. In 2018, Drs. Reed and Crawford, along with TROY Associate Professor Kanessa Doss, teamed up to create The Trojan Suicide Prevention Program, which seeks to raise awareness about suicide risk factors and provides resources to aid in its prevention. The program, made possible by a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health and its Bureau of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease through a cooperative agreement with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, focuses on the communities surrounding the University’s Montgomery and Phenix City campuses.
Dr. Reed has worked for more than 20 years in the field of mental health and substance use counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Addiction Counselor II, a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, and a Master Addiction Counselor. Her clinical work has focused on community treatment for individuals with a severe and persistent mental health diagnosis, substance use, and crisis intervention. Her research endeavors include counselor preparation and higher education suicide prevention.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Columbus State University, a master’s degree in Community Counseling from TROY and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Auburn University.