Danielle Pester

Danielle Pester completed a Ph.D. in Counselor Education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has worked as a Counselor Educator for two years and in higher education for more than six years. She is currently a Contributing Faculty member in the Walden School of Counseling. Her research interests include the social determinants of mental health, culturally-responsive training and intervention practices in Counselor Education, the advocate identity of the counseling profession, and community-engaged scholarship. She is passionate about research as an advocacy resource for vulnerable populations that can bring positive change to local communities.

Dr. Pester is a Licensed Professional Counselor (TX) and Registered Play Therapist. She has clinical experience working in a community counseling setting and as a school-based mental health professional where she has provided counseling services for families, couples, adults, adolescents, and children. Dr. Pester specializes in supporting development and well-being across the lifespan using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy. She is an active member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the recipient of their 2019 Glen E. Hubele National Graduate Student Award for outstanding scholarship related to the counseling profession. Furthermore, she is an active member in various ACA divisions including the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC), the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. She currently serves on the AARC's Diversity Committee and Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, and as an Editorial Board Member for their sponsored journal, Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation. She is also an active member of the Association for Play Therapy and served as President for the Coastal-Bend Chapter of the Texas Association for Play Therapy from 2018-2019.

Education

PhD, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

MS, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

MA, Union University

BA, Texas A&M University

Public Service

Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling/Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, Committee Member -

Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling/Diversity Committee, Committee Member -

Awards / Honors

Glen E. Hubele National Graduate Student Award, American Counseling Association, 2019

Publications

Pester, D. A. (2020). Development and evaluation of the Intersectional Privilege Screening Inventory for use with counselors-in-training. Counselor Education and Supervision

Pester, D. A. (2020). A Mixed methodological evaluation of a subjective well-being intervention program with elementary-aged students. Journal of Counseling and Development

Pester, D. A. (2019). Meta-analysis of single-case evaluations of Child-Centered Play Therapy for treating mental health symptoms. International Journal of Play Therapy

Pester, D. A. (2018). Evidence for use of a psychometric Inventory of New College Student Adjustment with Ghanaian students: Implications for the professional globalization of counseling. The Professional Counselor

Pester, D. A. Intersectionality in research: Call for inclusive, decolonized, and culturally sensitive research designs in counselor education and supervision. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation

Pester, D. A. Sunshine circles: Randomized controlled trial of an attachment-based play group with at-risk preschool students. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling

Pester, D. A. Developing a community-engaged understanding of the impact of the pair of ACEs and community resilience to inform integrative care and coalition work.

Pester, D. A. Mixed Method Investigation of Counselors’ Accounting for Personal Privilege and Client Cultural Considerations in the Diagnostic Decision-Making Process.

Pester, D. A. Assessment and research advocacy in action: A grounded theory project.

Pester, D. A. A Pre-Experimental Evaluation of DTAP for Decreasing Behavioral Symptoms among Adolescents.

Pester, D. A. A Pre-Experimental Evaluation of DTAP for Trauma in a Residential Setting for Adolescents.

Presentations

Pester, D. A. (2020). Using Assessment to Create Data-Driven Approaches to Addressing Privilege, Oppression, and Intersectionality in the Counselor Training Process. Association for the Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2020). The AARC Diversity Committee: Experiences of Service, Advocacy, and Leadership. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2019). The Privilege in our Pedagogy. American Counseling Association

Pester, D. A. (2019). Development and Evaluation of the Intersectional Privilege Screening Inventory. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2019). Development and Initial Validation of a Social Media Identity Distress Scale. Association for Assessment and Research in Conseling

Pester, D. A. (2019). Instrument Development for First-Timers: Reflections and Suggestions From New Developers. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2018). I Will Care for You and You Will Care for Them: Attending to Wellness in Supervision. American Counseling Association

Pester, D. A. (2018). Effectiveness of Integrated Primary and Behavioral Healthcare. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2018). Evaluating Skills-Based and Non-Cognitive Training Outcomes During Counseling Field Placements. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling

Pester, D. A. (2018). Evaluation of Phase Contrasts from Child-Centered Play Therapy Efficacy Studies. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling