Dr. Nikki Elston

Assistant Teaching Professor/Assistant Dean of Academic Advising

Faculty Member at Wake Forest University since July 2018

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Mailing Address: Department of Counseling, Box 7406, WFU, Winston-Salem, NC  27109

Email address: elstonnc@wfu.edu

Office phone: 336-758-2458

Location: Carswell 235

Education:

Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Practice, Georgia State University, 2018

M.S. in College Student Development, St. Cloud State University, 2003

B.S.B.A. in Marketing, University of West Florida, 2000

Research Interests:

Counseling student development and skill preparation, suicide intervention training, college student development.

Awards (selected):

  • Edwin Herr Fellowship for Excellence in Counseling Leadership and Scholarship Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), International Counseling Honor Society, 2021- 2022
  • Outstanding Counselor Education and Supervision Journal, Article of the Year, Association of Counselor Education and Supervision,  2019.  Shannonhouse, L., Elston, N., Lin, Y-W., Mize, M.C., Rumsey, A., Rice, R., Wanna, R., & Porter, M. (2018).  Suicide intervention training for counselor-trainees: Quasi-experimental study on skill retention. Counselor Education & Supervision, 57(3), 194-210.
  • Outstanding Research Award of the Year, Chi Sigma Iota – International, 2019.  Shannonhouse, L., Elston, N., Lin, Y-W., Mize, M.C., Rumsey, A., Rice, R., Wanna, R., & Porter, M. (2018).  Suicide intervention training for counselor-trainees: Quasi-experimental study on skill retention. Counselor Education & Supervision, 57(3), 194-210.
  • Outstanding Service to Chapter Award, Chi Sigma Iota – International, 2018
  • Provost’s Dissertation Fellowship, Georgia State University, 2018
  • Dean’s Excellence Award in Counselor Education & Practice, in Memory of Mary Jane Phillips, 2017
  • Outstanding Chapter Award – Large Chapter, Chi-Epsilon, Chi Sigma Iota International, 2016-2017

Counseling Experience:

I have experience working in institutions of higher education and community agencies.  In the university setting I have counseled undergraduate and graduate students dealing with myriad issues.  As a counselor in a community agency I have worked with individuals dealing with chronic health issues, homelessness, gender identity issues, and substance use disorders.

Certifications and Licenses:

  • Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia (#010423)
  • Nationally Certified Counselor (#632591)
  • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Trainer (#37520)

Professional Membership:

  • Chi Sigma Iota (CSI)
  • Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES)
  • Southern Association for Counselor Education Supervision (SACES)
  • American Association for Suicidology (AAS)
  • Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC)
  • American Counseling Association (ACA)
  • Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW)

Service (selected):

  • Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Pi Alpha Chapter Advisor – Wake Forest University, July 2019 – Present
  • Senior Faculty Fellow – Collins Residence Hall – Wake Forest University, July 2021 – Present
  • Committee on Academic Affairs (CAA) – Wake Forest University, Fall 2020 – 2023 (Chair, 2021-2022)
  • Undergraduate Faculty Advisor – Wake Forest University, Fall 2019 – Present

Recent Presentations (selected):

  • Elston, N. (2020, February). Are counselors-in-training ready for suicide interevention? North Carolina Counseling Association, Charlotte, NC.
  • Blasic, E., & Elston, N. (2020, February). AU, that’s my gold! Counseling children & adolescents with Autism. North Carolina Counseling Association, Charlotte, NC.
  • Shannonhouse, L., Yung-Wei, D. L., & Elston, N. (2019, September).  Counseling with persons considering suicide: Preliminary training and client outcomes of suicide to hope (S2H).  Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, San Antonio, TX.
  • Elston, N., & Shannonhouse, L. (2019, April). Evaluating Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training with counselors in training. American Association of Suicidology National Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Cashwell, T., Forti, A., & Elston, N. (2019, February).  Surviving (and thriving) as a highly sensitive person in a highly insensitive world. North Carolina Counseling Association Annual Conference, Raleigh, NC.
  • Elston, N., Gilbride, D., & Shannonhouse, L. (2018, October).  Supervisors, are your supervisees ready to intervene with clients at risk of suicide. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Myrtle Beach, SC.
  • Rumsey, A., Elston, N., & Moh, Y. (2018, October). The do’s and dont’s of collaboration: Lessons learned as doc students and new professionals. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Myrtle Beach, SC.
  • Shannonhouse, L., Elston, N., Mize, M.C., & Rumsey, A. (2018, October).  Using standardized role-play to evaluate counselor trainee suicide intervention skill acquisition. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Myrtle Beach, SC.
  • Elston, N., Rumsey, A., Mize, M.C., & Grad, R. (2018, September). Evaluating self-reported counseling skills used during the first fieldwork experience. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, Richmond, VA.
  • Shannonhouse, L., Elston, N., Mize, M.C., & Rumsey, A. (2018, September). Evaluating suicide intervention skills acquisition through behavioral observations: A quasi-experimental study. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, Richmond, VA.
  • Grad, R., & Elston, N. (2018, February). Self-care in the counseling profession: The benefit of connecting with others. Association for Specialists in Group Work, National Conference, Savannah, GA.

Recent Publications (selected):

Personal:

I like coffee, tacos, and playing with my two dogs. I prefer summer to winter and I’d rather be outside than in. I look forward to meeting you in a future class.

Counseling Faculty