Faculty & Staff Directory

Areas of Specialization:

Mental Wellness among BIPOC Communities, Supervision, Program Development and Clinical Entrepreneurship

Education:

Ph.D, Counselor Education and Supervision, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

M.A., Agency Counseling with emphasis in Addictions, Appalachian State University

B.S, Psychology with emphasis in Childhood Education, Appalachian State University

Professional Information:

Dr. LaTonya M. Summers is an award-winning Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She brings nearly 30 years of clinical mental health and addictions counseling, supervision, and entrepreneurial experience to the classroom. Dr. Summers is a licensed mental health counselor in North Carolina and Florida. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision, and the National Association of Black Counselors. Locally, she serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Family Support Services, and is a member of the Mayo Clinic Community Research Advisory Board. 

Dr. Summers is the co-editor of the textbook, Multicultural Counseling: Responding with Cultural Humility, Empathy, and Advocacy. Her memoir, Black Again: Losing and Reclaiming My Racial Identity is sold at online book retailers. She founded the annual Black Mental Health Symposium, a national conference aimed to equip all practitioners with culturally specific interventions to improve mental health in Black communities. Her 2021 TEDx Talk Know Pain, Know Gain can be viewed online.