Heidi O’Connor, a licensed associate professional counselor with Valdosta State University’s Counseling Center, recently received the 2017 Meritorious Service Award from the American College Counseling Association. She was chosen for this honor due to her efforts to promote and support campus mental health, student development, and counseling center teams across the nation.
 
“I have such a passion for serving college students, and it’s an honor to be recognized for this by the American College Counseling Association,” she said. “It’s such a lovely gesture to be described as meritorious in a job that I love, while being supported by a wonderful family and my amazing colleagues.”
 
O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Maryland University College in Okinawa, Japan, in 2009. She went on to earn a Master of Science in psychology from VSU in 2013. It was during this time that she completed a practicum experience in the on-campus Counseling Center and discovered a passion for working with the university community.
 
O’Connor joined the VSU Counseling Center team as a counselor in 2014 and was named training coordinator earlier this year. She offers individual, couple, and group counseling; crisis intervention services; and outreach activities for the campus population. Her areas of professional interest include anxiety, stress management, sleep hygiene, multicultural and diversity issues, military and veteran interests, and first generation college student concerns.
 
O’Connor is a member of the American Counseling Association and the American College Counseling Association.  She enjoys reading, spending time with her husband and daughter, and playing with her dogs in the park.