Omar Troutman
Dr. Troutman is an Associate Professor in the online M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at a CACREP Accredited institution and Contributing Faculty at Walden University. He is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), Board-Certified TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH), and holds dual licensure in the State of South Carolina as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPCS). His professional affiliations include the South Carolina Counseling Association (SCCA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA), with divisional membership in the Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC), the Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES), Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), as well as the Southern Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (SACES).
His areas of expertise are related to multicultural concerns in counseling with a specific focus on the LGBTQQIA+ population. His primary area of inquiry are the parallel developmental processes of adolescents who present as LGBTQQIA+ as well as their families. In recognizing the often-delicate nature of treating this population and their families, Dr. Troutman frequently creates and infuses creative therapeutic interventions to reduce barriers and invite engagement. One of which being the creation of a parental group to focus specifically on the often forgotten dynamic of the parental experience of the coming out process.
As a Counselor Educator, Dr. Troutman recognizes the paucity of educational endeavors and experiences related to the LGBTQQIA+ community. As such, he created a class to address this blind spot in the counselor preparation process, which had its inaugural run in the Spring of 2024. He has also called upon CACREP for more specificity in its accreditation standards as it pertains to multicultural education explicitly related to the LGBTQQIA+ population. To provide further support to students, he currently serves as the faculty co-advisor for Pride+, a student organization for LGBTQQIA+ students and their allies.
Prior to entering academia, Dr. Troutman worked in community mental health for seven years. As he rose through the ranks and ultimately became a Clinical Director for the Child, Adolescent, & Family division of Lexington County Community Mental Health Center, a part of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, he traveled to the majority of the mental health centers under the purview of the state agency educating practitioners and administrative personnel on the LGBTQQIA+ population, creative strategies of treatment, and how to create an affirming environment to reduce premature termination and persistence to symptom alleviation. In continuing to support his community, he is frequently called upon to conduct trainings for other facilities across the state. He has also provided support to LGBTQQIA+ youth by way of the Trevor Project as a volunteer crisis counselor and private practitioner.
Education
PhD, University of South Carolina
EdS, University of South Carolina
BA, University of South Carolina
BS, University of South Carolina
Publications
Troutman, O. A., Evans, K. M. (2014). A Psychoeducational Group for Parents of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents. Journal of School Counseling
Troutman, O., Packer-Williams, C. (2014). Beyond CACREP: Addressing the Absence of Specificity for Training Counselors to Work with the LGBT Community. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision
Presentations
Troutman, O. (2019). Addressing the Needs of LGBTQQIA Youth in South Carolina: A Multisystemic Approach to Conceptualization and Care. The Action Council for Cross Cultural Mental Health and Services, Inc.
Troutman, O. A. (2014). Beyond CACREP: Addressing the Absence of Specificity for Training Counselors to Work Competently with the LGBT Community. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES)
Troutman, O. A. (2015). Re-Conceptualizing Lesbian and Gay Identity Development: A Preliminary Study of Women and Ethnic Minority Men. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)
Troutman, O. A. (2017). Treating Clients Who Identify as LGBTQQIA. Pee Dee Mental Health Center