Part-Time Counselling Faculty Profile: Erika Kirk

Originally from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Erika completed concurrent undergraduate degrees in Arts and Education at York University, and her MEd in Counselling at Acadia. She is now part-time faculty with the School of Education in the MEd Counselling Program and serves as the Part-Time Faculty/PhD student representative on the School of Education Council. She also currently teaches EDUC 5583: Counselling Strategies and Interventions, EDUC 50F3: Counselling Pre-Practicum, EDUC 5553: Spirituality and Counselling, EDUC 5003: Human Development and EDUC 5353: Crisis and Trauma Counselling.

Erika has been an educator in the public school system for the past 20 years."The focus of my career and education to this point has been on building strong positive relationships to effect positive growth and resilience in students, colleagues and community. I believe strongly that trusting relationships are the vehicle to which all growth takes place, and without these relationships, it is difficult to be open and vulnerable enough to truly engage in learning."

"I have had several mentors over the span of my career that helped solidify this foundation of learning for me," says Erika. "I attribute my relationships with educators

Greg Millman, Linda Wheeldon and Michael Belgrave to helping me understand the importance of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and kindness as the cornerstones of my educational philosophy."

Erika started her journey as a PhD student in Inter-University Doctoral Program in July 2022. Her research areas include the integration of Trauma-Informed Practices in social enterprise, as well as understanding systemic barriers to teacher wellness in public education in Nova Scotia.

"Being a student and faculty member at Acadia has been a good fit for me because it is a university that honours relationships and provides students opportunities to connect with faculty in meaningful ways. Acadia’s goals of equity, responsiveness and diversity resonate with my personal and professional goals as a Counsellor Educator; this alignment is very important to me. Having had the big university experience, I appreciate the sense of community and collegiality at Acadia. Through my PhD process, I have been very fortunate to connect with the other students in my program to engage in a deeper discussion about what is important in Education moving forward. My colleagues in the School of Education and the MEd Counselling Program are excellent mentors, and I am grateful for their ongoing support and vision for the future of our School. It is in part because of their professionalism, resourcefulness, and kindness that I have had such a positive experience at Acadia."

Erika is an avid gardener and lives on a small hobby farm. Outside of her research, Erika can be found tending to chickens, turkeys, ducks and her two greyhounds. "My future plans are to complete my PhD in Educational Studies and continue learning and growing as a faculty member with the MEd Counselling Program. Eventually, I would like to become a tenure track faculty member with the School of Education, as I feel I have more to contribute to the Acadia community. "

Faculty of Professional Studies Outstanding Masters Research Award:

Kate Cole

The School warmly congratulates Kate Cole for receiving the Faculty of Professional School’s Outstanding Masters Research Award for their thesis, “Experiences of Queer Educators in Nova Scotia: A Queer's Query.” Kate is currently a middle school teacher and will graduate from the MEd Counselling Program in May.