The Counselor Education Lab is a newly renovated space designed to support hands-on
learning, collaboration, and innovation in counselor preparation.
The lab features a play therapy room, two small meeting rooms, one-way mirrors and
cameras for observation and training, and a seating area where doctoral students can
study, collaborate, connect, and recharge.Planned activities include research and training in play therapy and the use of emerging
technologies—including artificial intelligence, telehealth, and virtual reality—for
counseling, self-care, and counselor education. The lab will also support small-group
consultation and group supervision, creating opportunities for students and faculty
to connect classroom learning with counseling practice.
A memorial plaque honors T.D. LeNoir, a graduate whose meaningful contributions to
the program and the students he worked with continue to be remembered.
About the Lab
The Counselor Education training lab is a space for our faculty, school counseling
master students, and counselor education doctoral students to utilize for training
to develop core counseling skills, including the use of virtual reality and play therapy.
Going back over 20 years, the Counselor Education Program has had a counseling lab
in 255. The recently renovated lab space has updated technology and a play therapy
room and space for counseling practice using virtual reality.
We will be offering trainings and professional development to our counseling community-
school counselors, mental health counselors, and counselor education students. Our
classes also meet in the space providing opportunities for practice in counseling
and supervision skills.
Contact Us
The Counselor Education Training Lab is located in EDU 255 on the USF Tampa campus.
Those interested in the research or participating in mental health or school counseling trainings for those in the field can contact Dr. Cindy Topdemir at ctopdemi@usf.edu.
