Cal Spinks

Calvin E. Spinks Ed.D, LPC-(MO), NCC, BC-TMH is the founder of the 2nd Genesis Foundation, a non-profit organization on the Southside of Chicago in 2014 that provides holistic wellness services to underserved and at-risk populations. Also, he is the founder and president of Quantum Consulting Therapy Group LLC, a mental health organization located in St. Louis Missouri which he proudly opened in 2016. The Center provides empowerment opportunities and targets underserved Black and Brown communities that contend with a variety of health disparities. In addition, he has been named the Private Investigator and Researcher for the WPT Cares Empowerment Center. WPT Cares was awarded a five-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant through its Targeted Capacity Expansion-HIV (TCE-HIV) Program. SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's and the project’s mission are to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. The grant funding will be used to prevent HIV among high-risk populations and to treat co-occurring behavioral health disorders and HIV. Overall, the Project STOP (Support Treatment & Ongoing Prevention) goals are around accessing substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, i.e., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while providing individuals access to HIV/STI screenings. Dr Spinks has enabled several projects to great community by bringing in multiple million-dollar grants and contracts, over the last decade.

In terms of education, he has completed his undergraduate degree with excellence in Sociology and a minor in Anthropology. He also graduated from Bradley University’s CACREP accredited Human Development Counseling program. Furthermore, he recently completed my Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Argosy University Chicago. Subsequently, he has always had a flair for teaching. He believes that if you share the knowledge you have with others, then it grows. Fortunately, he has had the great opportunity to work at Concordia University and Adler Professional School of Psychology Chicago as an Adjunct faculty member for 5 years. In addition, he has recently become an affiliate associate professor for the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in their Clinical Mental Health program. While working at these Universities, he has had the opportunity to interact with students, and senior faculty members providing clinical services from varying theoretical orientations.

Teaching in Counselor Education and Supervision programs afforded him life changing experiences and developed his andragogy. Also, he has had a chance to learn new styles of classroom and online teaching, utilization of brainstorming sessions and multicultural discussions, and teaching classes with a blended format. This experience gave me a new dimension of curriculum planning. His teaching philosophy reflects his interests in collaborative authorship. Instead of the "full frontal teaching" method of large lectures or autocratic seminars, he prefers student-centered teaching that encourages learning by both students and teachers. He favors classroom dynamics that permit dialogue and foster a degree of student input as to curricula and grading criteria. Furthermore, he likes students to think about the class as a community.

Finally, he finds unique ways to enhance his classroom discussions by incorporating his experience working with diverse populations and health disparities.

Courses Taught

Coun 6723-12 - Multicultural Counseling

Coun 6100 - Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling

CPLB 601L - MS Coun Pre-Practicum !

Education

BA, Monmouth College

MA, Bradley University

EdD, Argosy University

Public Service

The Black Men’s Xchange, Board Member - Chicago

Awards / Honors

Community Services, City of East St. Louis/ WPTCares, 2018

The Fighting Spirit Award, Bethany Place, 2019