Caroline O’Hara, Ph.D., LPC (GA), NCC is a scholar and advocate working as an Assistant Professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department at Syracuse University. She currently serves as Coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Although she teaches across the core CACREP curriculum, she particularly enjoys teaching professional identity and ethics, group counseling, assessment, counseling skills, social and cultural foundations, theories, and experiential courses. Most of Dr. O’Hara’s counseling experience has been in college counseling centers providing campus outreach as well as individual, group, career, and disability counseling. She has also worked in partial hospitalization, hospital, and hospice settings.
Dr. O’Hara’s scholarly interests include multicultural counseling competence and advocacy. She primarily publishes and presents in the areas of microaggressions, social justice, sexual and gender diversity, multicultural competence, and advocacy (both client and professional). As Chair of the AARC Diversity Committee, she spearheaded the development and publication of the AARC Standards for Multicultural Research (2016).
Dr. O’Hara has also held multiple leadership positions at the local and national levels. She is active with several ACA divisions, including AARC, ACES, and AMCD. She has served AARC as Treasurer and Diversity Committee Chair. She has also served AMCD as Awards Chair. Additionally, Dr. O'Hara is an active member of CSI, having served as a Chapter Faculty Advisor, CSI Leadership Intern, and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy.