Ingrid Sannes to discuss mental health services in her home country of Norway
Ingrid Sannes, second-year Marriage and Family Counseling student and New Horizons Family Counseling Center intern, was asked to participate in the international student panel at the annual conference of the American Counseling Association (ACA). ACA is the primary professional organization for counselors, and Ingrid will represent the College of William & Mary at this event. She will discuss counseling as it relates to her home country, Norway.
Ingrid graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Political Science. She grew up attending international schools in Stavanger, Norway, London; England; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Houston, Texas graduating from high school with the International Baccalaureate diploma, as well as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education.
When applying to graduate programs, Ingrid was excited about the strong sense of community at William and Mary, and has found exactly what she was hoping for here. “My appreciation for this program, professors, and genuine feeling of community in the counseling cohort constantly strengthens my enthusiasm for learning and commitment to the counseling profession,” she said.
At William and Mary she is currently serving as the Programming Coordinator of the Graduate Education Association (GEA) Executive Board and also representing the GEA on Grad Council. She is serving on the planning committee for the Virginia Career Development Association (VCDA) conference and reviewing proposals for the School of Education Symposium. In the 2013-14 academic year, she was a member of the Honor Council, and also participated in the School of Education Diversity and Media review.
Ingrid, Annie Day, and Esther McCartney will lead a 60-minute presentation, “To Tell or Not to Tell: Ethics of Secret Keeping in Family Counseling” at the Virginia Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) conference in March, 2015.
With Blair Gaskill she will present our findings on “Culture and Family Influence on Career Development: Implications for Counselors” at the Virginia Career Development Association (VCDA) conference.
“As an intern in the New Horizons Family Counseling Center, we use the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning (GARF) assessment tool so I have researched and reviewed the literature on the GARF and submitted a critique of the instrument to the William and Mary Educational Review for publication,” she said.
Ingrid is a member of the Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society and the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society.
“My future goal is to find a counseling position where I can continue to grow personally and professionally. I hope to work somewhere with opportunities to develop my skills, work with people I can really learn from, and face new challenges over time. Knowing that Virginia has some of the strictest requirements for licensure as a professional counselor, I intend to work towards licensure in Virginia following graduation, and perhaps pursue a Doctoral degree after gaining work experience. I am interested in working with Third Culture Kids, family resilience, and crisis counseling,” she said.
“Participating in the International Student Panel will allow me to share my perspective on counseling in Norway. In my international experiences, I have learned how citizens of other countries perceive Norway. Norway is often cited and respected for its Nordic model of welfare, but after studying counseling in America, it is clear to me that there are significant shortcomings in mental health services in Norway. By participating in the panel, I hope to raise awareness for a more comprehensive understanding of Norwegian mental health care, complete with current limitations and hopes for the future. I look forward to broadening my perspective on the development of professional counseling by learning about counseling in other counties,” she said.
