Study Abroad Course Introduces New Techniques

“I treasure my memories from the trip and would go again in a heartbeat,” Bre Lundren ‘20 says of her study abroad experience in Ireland.

Bre is enrolled in Longwood University’s Master of Science in Counseling graduate program.

“As a working adult I always wanted to go back to school to finish my master’s,” she says. “When I heard about the Longwood/Region 10 program, I could not enroll fast enough.”

Bre has already implemented techniques and approaches she learned during her time in Ireland. “I used an imagery technique I learned with a group therapy course I led last week,” she adds. “It worked brilliantly!”

The “Counselor's View of Ireland” study abroad program, part of an international institute, provides an opportunity for Longwood students in the Masters of Science in Counselor Education, Mental Health Counseling concentration to learn about counseling from both Irish and American counselors. Longwood students stay in Dublin, Ireland on the Trinity College campus.

“During my study abroad in Ireland, I enjoyed learning from professional counselors,” Mikalyla Norton ‘19 comments. “I’m grateful we stayed in Trinity College residence halls and we had access to a beautiful, historic college campus as well as the city of Dublin. I felt comfortable in Ireland, and my trip-mates have expressed the same sentiments.”

“Our students grew in confidence, knowledge, and perspective and learned about the profession of counseling in another country—through their interactions with counselors in Ireland,” says Associate Professor Dr. Kevin Doyle. “And It was great to be part of Longwood's first graduate student-focused study abroad trip.”

For Summer Puopolo ‘20 the most important takeaway was experiencing life in another country,“We had a chance to see counseling through a different lens,” she says. “It was moving to hear the importance of history lived by those who were impacted by it.”

“The most impactful part of my ‘Counselor's View of Ireland’ experience was comparing my future profession in two very different places,” says Dawn Hudgins ‘22 another graduate student who participated in the program. “Counselors in Ireland treat the same human conditions as counselors here in the United States.”

“I can’t even pick the most impactful part of this study abroad experience,” Kerby Dalton says. “As a professional counselor, I’m now more eager to learn about different cultures, and I’m more grateful to be in this profession.