1 Curriculum Vita Ryan D. Foster Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education Texas A&M University Commerce P.O. Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429-3011 Phone: (214) 796-7989 E-mail: Ryan_Foster@tamu-commerce.edu AREAS OF EXPERTISE Grief and Loss Spirituality Assessment Research Methods Supervision RESEARCH FOCUS Impact of spiritual and transpersonal experiences on grief and loss. EDUCATION August 2010 PhD Counseling (Clinical Mental Health Focus) (CACREP-Accredited) Dissertation: Effects of a near-death experience learning module on grief. May 2007 MA Professional Counseling Texas State University-San Marcos (Community Counseling Focus) (CACREP-Accredited) August 2002 BA Psychology (Cum laude) Texas State University-San Marcos LICENSURES/CERTIFICATIONS July 2011 July 2010 Board Approved Supervisor for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC-S), Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) #63186, Texas October 2007 National Certified Counselor (NCC) #219656, National Board for Certified Counselors
2 TEACHING EXPERIENCE Fall 2010 Present Ad Interim Assistant Professor Texas A&M University-Commerce (CACREP-Accredited) COUN 597: Abnormal Human Behavior COUN 501: Introduction to the Counseling Profession COUN 516: Pre-Practicum COUN 551: Practicum Adjunct Faculty Summer 2011 Summer 2011 Summer 2010 (CACREP-Accredited) COUN 5710: Counseling Theories Argosy University-Dallas PC 6521: Research and Program Evaluation at Dallas (CACREP-Accredited) COUN 5730: Adult Appraisal in Counseling Teaching Assistant (CACREP-Accredited) Spring 2010 COUN 3620: Principles of Counseling II Responsible for 100% of course instruction under supervision Spring and Summer 2009 COUN 5760: Child and Adolescent Appraisal Responsible for 50% of course instruction under mentorship Guest Lecturer Foster, R. D. (2010). Use of mandala in Jungian counseling. CED 770: Introduction to Creative Techniques in Counseling. Delta State University. Foster, R. D. (2010). Administration of the Test of Information Processing Skills (TIPS). COUN 5760: Child and Adolescent Appraisal.. Foster, R. D. (2010). The spectrum of grief and 21st century controversies. COUN 5720: Internship in Counseling.. Foster, R. D. (2009). Clinical interviewing and intake procedures. COUN 5800: Advanced Practicum in Counseling.. Foster, R. D. (2009). Near-death experiences and grief. COUN 5630: Transpersonal Perspective in Counseling..
3 Foster, R. D. (2008). Support and empathy. COUN 3620: Principles of Counseling II. University of North Texas. Foster, R. D. (2008). Reaching out: The ethics of relationships. COUN 4620: Interpersonal Skills in Helping Relationships.. Foster, R. D. (2006). Multicultural competence in counseling: A GLBT guide. COUN 5316: Counseling Diverse Populations. Texas State University-San Marcos. Foster, R. D. (2002). Clinical therapy for suicidal ideators. SOCI 3321: Suicide, Society, and Human Experience. Texas State University-San Marcos. Graduate Thesis/Dissertation Committees Member (Spring 2011-Present). Dissertation Committee for Robinson, W. The professional quality of life and posttraumatic growth: An exploration of mental health practitioners working with military personnel and their family members. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE Fall 2011 - Present Director Harold Murphy Counseling Center, Texas A&M University-Commerce Direct, supervise, and administer all counseling services at a Universitybased community clinic in partnership with a local public school district Coordinate program evaluation of clinical services Supervise administrative duties of 2 doctoral-level assistant directors and 2 master s-level graduate assistants Supervise clinical experiences of 12 doctoral counseling interns and 2 master s counseling interns Summer 2011 Private Practice Counselor - Present Ryan Foster Counseling, LLC / Counseling Connection Dallas Provide individual counseling for adolescents and adults Administer, score, and interpret psychoeducational assessments for children and adolescents ages 6 to 16 Summer 2011 Psychoeducational Assessment Consultant Child and Family Resource Clinic, Provided child psychoeducational assessment and training services
4 Spring 2009- Assistant Director, Clinical Assessments Summer 2010 Child and Family Resource Clinic, Assisted director with clinic duties, supervised master and doctoral level counseling interns and student employees, counseling intakes, and interagency collaboration Coordinated interdisciplinary assessment team including both University of North Texas reading and speech & language programs Trained and supervised assessment doctoral student team members on administration, interpretation, and reporting of child evaluations Conducted psycho-educational evaluations for children and adolescents Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 Mental Health Counselor and Consultant Denton Independent School District, Denton, TX Provided bi-weekly individual play therapy services to students and provided teacher consultations Summer 2008 Assessment Counselor - Spring 2010 Child and Family Resource Clinic, Provided and administered full scale child psycho-educational assessments Duties included staffing cases with other academic departments, writing reports, providing parent feedback, and the scoring and interpretation of assessments Summer 2007 Staff Counselor - Spring 2010 Child and Family Resource Clinic, Provided counseling services to individuals and groups in the community, including children, adults, families, and parents Conducted intakes and assessments for adults and children Fall 2007 - Spring 2008 Fall 2006 - Spring 2007 Staff Counselor Counseling and Human Development Center, Provided counseling services to members of the community Duties included conducting individual, group, and couples sessions and intakes for adults Counselor Intern Texas State University-San Marcos Counseling Center Provided counseling services to university students Provided psycho-educational prevention services for students in academic probation status Participated in group consultation with staff clinicians and psychiatrists Summer 2006 Counselor Intern Practicum Clinic, Round Rock Higher Education Center, Round Rock, TX Provided individual counseling services to adults and adolescents
5 Summer 2006 Group Counselor Intern Lifeworks Resolution Counseling, Austin, TX Provided group counseling services to court-ordered adult male offenders of violent crimes Spring 2006 Group Counselor Intern Northwest Counseling and Wellness Center, Austin, TX Provided group counseling services to self-referred and court-ordered drug and alcohol dependent adults SUPERVISION EXPERIENCE Fall 2010 - Spring 2012 Faculty Instructor/Supervisor COUN 551: Practicum Texas A&M University-Commerce Provide individual, triadic, and group supervision to master s-level counseling students during weekly practicum instruction Summer 2011 Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Private Practice - Present Ryan Foster Counseling, LLC, Dallas, TX Provide weekly individual supervision to LPC-Interns Summer 2011 Supervisor - Spring 2012 Child and Family Resource Clinic, Provide weekly triadic supervision to 6 doctoral level counseling internship students Summer 2010 Supervisor COUN 5800: Advanced Clinical Instruction in Counseling Provided weekly triadic supervision to 4 doctoral level clinical practicum counseling students Summer 2009 Supervisor COUN 5800: Advanced Practicum in Counseling Provided weekly triadic supervision to 4 doctoral level clinical practicum counseling students Supervisor COUN 5700: Introduction to Play Therapy Provided consultation and supervisory instruction to 3 master s level students immediately following a live, two-way observation of their play therapy sessions
6 Spring 2009 Fall 2008 Spring 2008 Supervisor COUN 5690: Practicum in Counseling Provided supervision to 2 master s level clinical practicum counseling students in weekly individual supervision and to eight students in weekly group supervision Supervisor COUN 5690: Practicum in Counseling Provided supervision to 4 master s level clinical practicum counseling students in weekly triadic supervision and to eight students in weekly group supervision Supervisor COUN 5740: Group Counseling Provided weekly group supervision to 4 master s level group counseling students SCHOLARSHIP Publications Published: Foster, R. D. (2011). Book review: Evidence of the afterlife: The science of near-death experiences by Jeffrey Long with Paul Perry. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 25(1), 155-156. Foster, R. D. (2011, Spring). Working with spirituality in counseling. Northern Metro Counseling Association Newsletter. Foster, R. D., & Holden, J. M. (2011). Human and spiritual development and transformation. In C. S. Cashwell & J. S. Young (Eds.), Integrating spirituality and religion into counseling: A guide to competent practice (2nd ed., pp. 97-118). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association. Holden, J. M., & Foster, R. D. (2009). Near-death experiences as a prototype of spiritual transformation. Kalamazoo, MI: Fetzer Institute. Foster, R. D., James, D., & Holden, J. M. (2009). Practical applications of research on neardeath experiences. In J. M. Holden, B. Greyson, & D. James (Eds.), The handbook of near-death experiences: Thirty years of investigation (pp. 235-258). Westport, CT: Praeger/ABC-CLIO.
7 Holden, J. M., Christian, R., Foster, R., Forest, L., & Oden, K. (2008). Near-death experiences: Index to the periodical literature through 2005. Available at International Association for Near-Death Studies Web site, http://www.iands.org/bibcd.html. Durham, NC: International Association for Near-Death Studies. In Press Peer-Reviewed Foster, R. D., & Ray, D. C. (In press). An ethical decision making model to determine authorship credit in published faculty-student collaborations. Counseling and Values. Submitted Peer-Reviewed Foster, R. D., & Holden, J. M. (Submitted). Eternal connection: Effects of learning about near-death experiences on adult grief. Manuscript submitted for review January 16, 2011. In Progress Holden, J. M., & Foster, R. D. (In progress). A comparison of near-death experiences with published models of spiritual transformation: Implications for counseling. Editorships Spring 2011 Assistant Editor of Book Reviews - Present Journal of Near-Death Studies Presentations National Peer-Reviewed Foster, R. D., & Wilder, C. (2011). Grief and Countertransference: Supervising Counselors Who Have Experienced Loss. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Nashville, TN. Foster, R. D., Blanco, P. J., & Armstrong, S. (2011). How to Develop a Counseling Training Clinic in the Community: A Panel Discussion. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Nashville, TN.
8 Foster, R. D., & Ray, D. C. (2011). Who s on First? Ethical Issues in Determining Authorship Credit in Faculty-Student Collaborations. American Counseling Association. New Orleans, LA. Foster, R. D., & Holden, J. M. (2009). Integrating Spiritual Transformation into Counselor Education and Supervision: What Counselors Need to Know about Near-Death Experiences. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. San Diego, CA. Foster, R. D., & Holliman, R. (2009). Maintaining Theoretical Integrity in Clinical Supervision: Five Approaches to Using Counseling Theory as a Model for Supervision. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. San Diego, CA. Holden, J. M., Bell, K., Foster, R. D., Goza, T., Pace, L., & Oden, K. (2009). Seven NDE-Related Studies at the. International Association for Near-Death Studies. San Diego, CA. Holden, J. M., & Foster, R. D. (2009). Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Scholarly Inquiry. Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dallas, TX. Foster, R. D. (2008). Characteristics of Spiritual Transformation: A Town Hall Meeting. Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. Lake Junaluska, NC. Patrick, S., Beckenbach, J., Foster, R. D., Nash, J. P., & Ledlie, J. R. (2007). Male Perceptions of Intimacy: Implications for Professional Counselor Practice. American Counseling Association. Detroit, MI. State/Local Peer-Reviewed Foster, R. D. (2011). Dispelling Myths of Grief in School Counseling Settings. Texas Counseling Association. Fort Worth, TX. Holliman, R. P., & Foster, R. D. (2011). Tardy Bells and Dreamscapes: How to Implement Dreamwork in a School Setting. Texas Counseling Association. Fort Worth, TX. Foster, R. D. (2011). Dispelling Myths of Grief. Northern Metro Counseling Association. Plano, TX. Foster, R. D. (2011). Dispelling Myths of Grief: Moving Beyond Kubler-Ross. A Kaleidoscope of Counseling: Chi Sigma Iota Professional Growth Conference. Round Rock, TX.
9 Foster, R. D., Holliman, R. P., & Blanco, P. J. (2011). Discovering New Connections: Creative Strategies to Facilitate Supervisees Empathy and Self- Awareness. Texas Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. Austin, TX. Foster, R. D., & Ray, D. C. (2010). Who s on First? Ethical Issues in Determining Authorship Credit in Faculty-Student Collaborations. Texas Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. Austin, TX. Foster, R. D., & Holliman, R. (2009). The Testing Dilemma: Applying Results to Make a Difference. Texas Counseling Association. Dallas, TX. Foster, R. D. (2009). A New Dynamic in Counseling: What Counselors Need to Know about Near-Death Experiences. A Kaleidoscope of Counseling: Chi Sigma Iota Professional Growth Conference. San Marcos, TX. Holliman, R., & Foster, R. D. (2009). Theory-specific Models of Supervision: Four Approaches. Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Austin, TX. Invited Presentations Foster, R. D. (2010). Eternal Connection: Practical Applications of Research on Near-Death Experiences, Part 2. Texas A&M University-Commerce, Department of Counseling Doctoral Seminar. Mesquite, TX. Foster, R. D. (2010). Eternal Connection: Practical Applications of Research on Near-Death Experiences, Part 1. Texas A&M University-Commerce, Department of Counseling Doctoral Seminar. Mesquite, TX. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 Research Coordinator Denton, TX Organized true experimental research design in a community counseling agency for bereaved adults Administered and collected pre- and post-test grief assessments Analyzed research and wrote up results 2009-2010 Research Assistant for School-Based Play Therapy Project Bratton, S. C., Ray, D. C., & Edwards, N. (In progress). Comparison of a nondirective and directive humanistic play therapy intervention: Effect on disruptive behaviors of early elementary school-aged children.
10 2009-2010 Research Assistant for Development of an Assessment Instrument Project Holliman, R. P. (2010). The development of the parent assessment instrument for child-centered play therapy. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas: Denton. 2008-2009 Research Assistant for School-Based Play Therapy Project Blanco, P. J., & Ray, D. C. (2011). Play therapy in elementary schools: A best practice for improving academic achievement. Journal of Counseling and Development, 89(2), 235-243. 2008 Research Assistant for Clinic-Based Filial Therapy Project Reed, K. (2008). An exploration study of the relationship between effectiveness of filial therapy training groups and group cohesion. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, : Denton.. 2006-2007 Research Assistant for Qualitative Research Project Patrick, S., & Beckenbach, J. (2009). Male perceptions of intimacy: A qualitative study. The Journal of Men s Studies, 17(1), 47-56. SERVICE Departmental Committees 2011-Present Master s Program Committee Member Participate in committee action to implement 60-hour CMHC program track to replace current 48-hour Community Counseling track in preparation for 2013 CACREP reaccreditation 2010-Present Master s Admissions Committee Member Review guidelines for acceptance into master s counseling program. 2010-Present Clinic Committee Member Participate in committee action to implement development of new University-based counseling clinic. 2010-Present IRB Committee Member Review departmental IRB applications for faculty and doctoral student research. Membership in Professional Organizations International/National American Counseling Association 2005-2011 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2008-2011 Association of Death Education and Counseling 2008-2011 Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling 2009-2011
11 Association for Humanistic Counseling 2010-2011 International Association for Near-Death Studies 2007-2011 Chi Sigma Iota 2005-2011 State Texas Counseling Association 2005-2011 Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2008-2011 Local Northern Metro Counseling Association 2010-2011 AWARDS/HONORS 2009 Fetzer Institute Grant to Science and Spirituality Conference in Cortona, Italy 2009 American Counseling Association Ethics Competition s Third Place Doctoral Team 2009 The Michael B. Altekruse Scholarship 2007 The Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowship 2007 The Douglas and Carolyn Kern Scholarship 2007 Chi Sigma Iota/Sigma Tau Sigma Chapter Outstanding Research Award 2007 Chi Sigma Iota/Sigma Tau Sigma Chapter Member of the Month, March 2007 2007 Nominated for Texas State University-San Marcos College of Education Outstanding Graduate Student 2006 Chi Sigma Iota Excellence in Counseling Research Grant for Research in Professional Counselor Identity 2006 Dr. Lesley Jones Memorial Scholarship, Texas State University-San Marcos