Congratulations to our Connecticut Career Counseling and Development Association 2025 Award Winners:

• Madison May – CCCDA’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award
• Dr. Latoya Haynes-Thoby – CCCDA’s Outstanding Career Professional Award

“The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” by Jonathan Haidt, published just over a year ago, has become an international bestseller. The book focuses on the transformation of childhood and adolescence created by smartphones and social media. Haidt describes what he calls “the Great Rewiring” or the gradual loss of play-based childhood. Overwhelming data shows this took a severe shift between 2010 and 2015 during which the social lives of children and adolescents moved to smartphones. The data collected and shown by lead researcher Zach Rausch (from West Hartford, Connecticut) is very powerful in giving evidence to back what we already see: disengaged and overly anxious youth. The Anxious Generation is an excellent and interesting read for anyone working with students and young people today.

Take one minute from your busy life to try this mindfulness exercise!

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Dr. Paul Singleton ’17 MA, ’24 Ph.D. is the Neag School’s 2025 Outstanding Early Career Professional Alumni Award recipient. He is an accomplished educator, counselor, and advocate for equity in education. Dr. Singleton holds a master’s in school counseling and a Ph.D. in educational psychology with a focus on counselor education and supervision from Neag. In his dissertation, he challenges what it traditionally means to be college ready and expands that definition to be more inclusive and realistic. Read an interview with Dr. Singleton by one of our Counselor Education grad students, Madison May!

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Congratulations to Jameson Corey and Zeraiah Ramos on their accepted NCDA Global Conference proposals! Congratulations are also in order for Tyshana Campbell, who will be presenting at the 2025 Connecticut Career Counseling & Development Association Conference with Dr. Latoya Haynes-Thoby.

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Dear Dr. O’Neil,

Our historian. Our professor. Our mentor. Congratulations on your retirement! After years of dedicated service, your contributions to the Counselor Education program and the Neag School of Education have left an indelible mark on students, colleagues, and the broader campus community. Your commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and mentorship has shaped countless lives and helped elevate the college to new heights.

As you enter this new chapter, we hope it brings you the same sense of fulfillment and purpose that you brought to your work every day. We will miss you and wish you nothing but the best!

View photos from Dr. O’Neil’s retirement celebration on the Neag School’s Instagram.

After many years of dedicated work, Dr. O’Neil will be retiring at the end of this semester. Dr. O’Neil has had a huge impact on the Educational Psychology department here at UConn and has inspired countless students with his psychoeducational teachings. Here is a statement from him reflecting on his years here at the University of Connecticut:

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• CSCA State Conference: May 22, 2025
• ASERVIC National Conference: June 12-13, 2025
• NCDA National Conference: June 18-20, 2025
• AMHCA National Conference: June 24-27, 2025
• ASCA National Conference: July 12-15, 2025
• AADA National Conference: July 26-27, 2025

Our Counselor Education faculty are all at the top of their respective fields; check out what they have been working on lately!

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“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Dear students, faculty, administration, staff, and friends of the program,

Welcome to the Spring 2025 edition of our Counselor Education Newsletter! As we embark on another exciting chapter, we are thrilled to share the latest updates, achievements, and opportunities from across our vibrant academic community. Whether you are a new student just beginning your journey or a continuing member of our graduate family, we hope this newsletter keeps you informed, inspired, and connected.

Congratulations to our 2025 graduates! As you enter the world of work as school counselors, we hope you leave tracks.

Thank you for stopping by … until next time!

In community,

Diandra J. Prescod, Ph.D., LPC, NCC
Counselor Education Program Coordinator
CACREP Coordinator