School of Counseling

Richmont is thrilled to welcome two new School of Counseling full-time faculty members to its community. Dr. Jennifer Tipton will be teaching on the Chattanooga campus. Dr. Kristel Headley will be teaching online.

Dr. Tipton shares, “What excites me most about starting this new role at Richmont is the students. I can tell that Richmont students are passionate about learning and developing their counseling skills. I want to foster a learning environment that supports my students in reaching their goals and becoming the best versions of themselves possible. It is an honor to work with such eager learners and to be entrusted with their development.”

“Richmont has a longstanding reputation for developing counselors who are known for both clinical acumen and spiritual depth. The calling and invitation to train, mentor, and journey with these students is an immeasurable gift. But if you spend even a short time at Richmont you realize that these students develop a particular kindness not just because it is modeled by the faculty: it is ingrained in the ethos of the institution. You cannot interact with the faculty and staff at Richmont without realizing that there is something unique about it, and I am delighted to serve with these students and colleagues” Dr. Headley adds.

Welcome, Dr. Tipton and Dr. Headley! We are so excited to have you at Richmont.
Read more about Dr. Headley and Dr. Tipton here.

With a long history as an administrator in higher education, including serving as the Assistant then Associate Dean of the School of Counseling at Richmont for 6 years and as Dean of the School of Counseling under a two-year appointment, Dr. Josh Rice has appointed Dr. Cara Cochran as the Dean of the School of Counseling.

“Working with the faculty and staff of Richmont’s School of Counseling for the last two years has been an incredibly rewarding professional experience. Richmont’s faculty and staff are a community. In the role of dean, I have the opportunity to see each member of this community excel in doing the work for which they are so exceptionally gifted. I am grateful, every day, to have the opportunity to serve alongside the Richmont community,” Cochran remarks.

Richmont’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program celebrates a 95% passage rate on the National Counselor Examination in 2023 – significantly exceeding the national average and poising graduates for incredible impact on the mental health field and within their communities.

“Richmont students have once again achieved an outstanding performance on the National Counselor’s Exam (NCE)… 95% of Richmont students who took the NCE in 2023 passed on the first attempt. The national average for 2023 was 81%. The pass rate for Richmont students on this important examination consistently, and significantly exceeds the national average.

The scores on the NCE demonstrate the quality of our program and the incredible investment of our faculty. This demonstrates that the rigor of our academic program leads to success on the road to students achieving their professional goals.”

Dr. Cara Cochran
Dean of the School of Counseling, Richmont Graduate University

Richmont is thrilled to welcome two new faculty members to its community. Dr. Tamekia Cathright and Dr. Robert Duckworth will teach in the School of Counseling’s Online Modality beginning this fall.

“Both Dr. Cathright and Dr. Duckworth are gifted scholar-practitioners who are enthusiastic about building relationships with students that foster their personal and professional growth. Their areas of specialization broaden the expertise of our faculty, which will not only benefit students but the university as a whole,” comments Dr. Stanley Hoover, Online Modality Director.

Richmont’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling has equipped counselors to serve individuals and families for nearly five decades, and since 2015, the online modality of this degree has extended the mission of the School of Counseling by increasing accessibility to the Richmont learning community through faithful online teaching and student engagement.

Dr. Tamekia Cathright shares, “I feel honored to be a part of Richmont because it gives me the opportunity to work with a group of people who don’t want to stifle their spiritual or religious beliefs while helping the public. I also appreciate the university’s integral commitment to excellence, diversity, and inclusion. Moreover, I welcome the opportunity to engage in rich conversations with my colleagues and students about how we as change agents can demonstrate benevolence while authentically being ourselves and cultivating relationships.”

“I chose to come on board with Richmont as Core Faculty because I was very impressed with the School of Counseling’s very intentional commitment to the integration of theology with psychotherapeutic technique. Richmont is serious about counselors-in-training learning the tools of the profession while maintaining a reverence for a Christian worldview when preparing them to serve the public. I am most excited about meeting the students I would serve and look forward to preparing this next generation of Christian counselors in all core areas of the counseling profession,” adds Dr. Robert Duckworth.

Dr. Cara Cochran, Dean of the School of Counseling, remarks, “Richmont is excited about the growth of our online modality under the direction of Dr. Stan Hoover. Drs. Cathright and Duckworth will be a tremendous asset to the School of Counseling.”

Richmont’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program celebrates a 100% passage rate on the National Counselor Examination in 2022 – significantly exceeding the national average and poising graduates for incredible impact on the mental health field and within their communities.

“Each year, most graduating students in the School of Counseling elect to take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) which is required for licensure in most states. We are very pleased to announce that, for the second time in fifteen years, Richmont students taking the NCE had a 100% pass rate in 2022. To put this in perspective, the national pass rate this year was 63%. The average score for Richmont students was 120 points while the average score nationally was 108 points. Since 2008, our average pass rate has been 97% for students taking the exam for the first time, which is much higher than the national average. These consistent results demonstrate the excellence of our program, the quality of our faculty, and the dedication of our students. We are immensely proud of these men and women for this accomplishment.”

• Dr. Cara Cochran
  Dean of the School of Counseling, Richmont Graduate University

After 45 years in higher education, 18 years of teaching at Richmont, and seven years serving as Dean of the School of Counseling, Dr. Steve Bradshaw will be retiring at the end of this academic year.  “I plan to continue serving Richmont students ​and alumni by teaching some Internship classes and providing supervision for recent graduates in order to obtain licensure,” Bradshaw explains. “So, I am not going away – just changing my role at Richmont. I look forward to continuing to hear of the great things God is doing through Richmont and its students in the upcoming years.”  An opportunity for former and current students and staff to express appreciation to Dr. Bradshaw is currently being planned for the end of the semester.

Dr. Joshua Rice has appointed Dr. Cara Cochran as Dean of the School of Counseling for a two-year term. “With a long history as an administrator in higher education, including serving as our Assistant then Associate Dean over the last 6 years, Dr. Cochran is a standout choice for this vital role,” says Rice.  “She loves students, she is a vitalizer and we have a lot to do.”

“I am thankful to be part of a university community where faith and clinical excellence are part of our identity,” Cochran remarks. “To have the opportunity to lead, and to continue to dream alongside the faculty and students in the role of Dean of the School of Counseling is humbling and very exciting. I look forward to working together to strengthen our degree programs and certificates, and to increase our impact and influence in the realm of counselor education.”

Richmont Graduate University welcomes Dr. Kathleen Bazile onto the full-time faculty this spring. Dr. Bazile comes to us from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she taught Ethics and Techniques of Counseling in addition to serving on committees and operating a private practice. Dr. Bazile completed her MA in Mental Health Counseling at Rollins College, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Mercer University, with a focus on social media and body image among women. “I feel very blessed to become part of the Richmont family,” she remarks. “I’m excited to get to know everyone and be an instrument to our students’ success!” Dr. Bazile will be working from the Atlanta campus. Her email address is kbazile@richmont.edu.