Rebekah Byrd, Ph.D., LPC, (TN), LCMHC (NC), NCC, RPT-S, ACS (she/hers) is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Counselor Education and Director of the Institute for Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Education and Research at Sacred Heart University. She has been a counselor educator for over 15 years with over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field in varying capacities and settings including school settings as she continues to hold a license in school counseling. Her research specialization falls primarily in issues pertaining to children/adolescent counseling, play therapy, LGBTGEQIAP+ advocacy, school counseling, social justice/multicultural concerns, self-injury, and women’s wellness. She recently co-authored a textbook on counseling children and adolescents and edited a book about common encounters in school counseling and has written many journal articles and chapters for multiple texts. She serves on many national and statewide committees and just recently received the Service Award from the Association for Play Therapy.