Faculty Research
Dr. Pedro (PJ) Blanco
Dr. Blanco has specialized training and experience in working with children using play therapy in community agencies as well as in the school system. P.J.’s primary teaching areas are Play Therapy, Counseling Skill Development, Child and Adolescent, and Group Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and a Certified Humanistic Sandtray Therapist. As a therapist and educator Dr. Blanco believes strongly in the importance of providing developmentally appropriate treatment. He has over ten years of clinical experience and has conducted and published multiple research projects in the public school system. He is interested in strengthening the link between play therapy and academic achievement.
Dr. Melissa Deroche
Dr. Deroche’s primary research interests include multicultural counselor training, preparation, and competence specific to the topic of ability/disability; ableist microaggressions; and the social justice concerns of the disability community. Within this framework, she also has an interest in the experiences of people with disabilities who possess other minoritized cultural identities.
Dr. Ryan D. Foster
Dr. Foster is an active researcher in the areas of humanistic sandtray therapy, transpersonal experiences, and contemporary issues in counselor education and supervision. He has co-authored a treatment manual on humanistic sandtray therapy (HST), a model of expressive arts counseling, and is engaged in multiple treatment outcome studies with children and adults. In addition, he has published quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies exploring the intersection of near-death experiences (NDEs) and counseling. Finally, Dr. Foster studies spontaneous mediumship experiences among NDErs.
Dr. Ryan Holliman
Dr. Holliman is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Tarleton State University, where his research centers on play therapy, instrument development, and clinical supervision. With over 660 citations and an h-index of 12, Dr. Holliman’s work is widely recognized for its contributions to both clinical practice and counselor education. His most influential research focuses on child-centered play therapy (CCPT), exploring its long-term impact on aggression, academic achievement, intrinsic motivation, and emotional resilience in children—particularly those considered at-risk. He is the co-developer of the Child Interpersonal Relationship and Attitudes Assessment (CIRAA), a psychometric tool designed to measure therapeutic outcomes in play therapy, for which he has provided reliability and validity evidence through Rasch and other quantitative analyses. His work also includes research on Jewish Orthodox counseling practices, dreamwork in supervision, emotional support animal policy, and affirming care. He is the author of The Mental Health Practitioner’s Guide to Research and a contributor to several edited volumes on topics such as sandtray therapy, trauma-informed counselor education, and developing school-based play therapy clinics. Dr. Holliman’s work reflects a commitment to bridging the gap between empirical rigor and humanistic, culturally responsive practice.
Dr. Crystal Hughes
Dr. Hughes’ research interests focus on non-traditional students and career counseling, Relational Cultural Theory applications, feminism and generation applications to counseling, and creative interventions in counseling.
Dr. Beck Munsey
Dr. Munsey’s research agenda encompasses a wide range of topics, including flexible seating in higher education classrooms, humanistic counseling approaches, and sandtray therapy. He has been asked to give presentations and trainings to professional clinicians both locally and nationally.
Dr. Leila Warriach
Dr. Warraich has many research interests particularly focused on minoritized populations and their experience in counseling. Her interests include Refugee and Immigrant mental health. She also focuses on Muslim Mental Health and community partnership for clergy. Additionally, she is interested in Spirituality in counseling – particularly spiritual competence for emerging counselors.
Dr. Chris Wilder
Dr. Wilder’s current research interests include: school counseling, clinical supervision, ethical and legal issues in school counseling and clinical mental health.