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Dr. Cowan is a Ph.D.-level Licensed Professional Counselor with over 15 years of experience within the mental health field. She is a faculty member at Walden University in the College of Social and Behavioral Health and an adjunct associate professor at Old Dominion University in the Department of Counseling and Human Services. Dr. Cowan is the founder of Anchor Counseling and Wellness, LLC in Virginia Beach, VA, and has experience working in inpatient psychiatric, private practice, residential treatment, integrated care (family medicine), forensic, and foster care/child protective services settings. She has numerous professional publications and has made several national and regional presentations. Additionally, she serves as a peer reviewer for several professional journals and as an associate editor for Trauma Counseling and Resilience journal. Dr. Cowan is the recipient of the American Counseling Association’s Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person, Old Dominion University’s Top 40 Under 40 Alumni award, the Inside Business Top 40 Under 40 award, and the Inside Business - Women in Business award. She has also been awarded Diplomate status within the American Mental Health Counseling Association (AMHCA), which recognizes advanced practice and professional clinical expertise in clinical mental health counseling. Dr. Cowan volunteers as a Disaster Mental Health (DMH) supervisor with the American Red Cross and regularly deploys to national disaster response operations. When in steady-state, Dr. Cowan provides DMH coverage across Virginia, where she works with individuals who have been displaced from their homes due to fires or other disasters. She is currently working on a second master’s degree in Forensic Psychology with a concentration in Terrorism and will graduate in 2023.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
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CHRONIC ILLNESS & WOMEN'S HEALTH
Prior to founding Anchor Counseling, Dr. Cowan was a professor and assistant program director in the Department of Family Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and held hospital privileges at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center. She understands the emotional impact of disease and has treated individuals experiencing a variety of acute and chronic health issues. She has a special interest in nutrition and has worked with women experiencing mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, disordered eating/weight concerns, intimate partner violence/relational issues, work/life balance, and stress. Dr. Cowan has completed continuing education in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine with the Integrative Therapies Institute and is a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider.
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TRAUMA/CRISIS
Dr. Cowan is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II), a Certified Traumatologist, and an EMDRIA-approved Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. She is skilled in working with clients who have experienced traumatic events such as sexual assault, mass casualty incidents, natural disasters, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and unexpected loss. Dr. Cowan is aware of the complexities of trauma and how to sensitively assist clients who have been impacted. She collaborates with clients to develop personal and attainable goals so that balance may be restored in their lives.
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MASS CASUALTY
Dr. Cowan has clinical and research expertise in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) and has responded to and worked with survivors of several mass shootings, including the Route 91 Harvest Festival, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida. She also served on the Commission to Investigate the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach Mass Shooting. Dr. Cowan is board certified in forensic mental health evaluation and forensic behavioral analysis through the National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE). She is also a Certified Forensic Psychometrist (CFP) and is trained in threat assessment, including the Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol-18 (TRAP-18) and the Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk (WAVR-21). Dr. Cowan has also completed specialized training through the American Association of Suicidology in psychological autopsy, a postmortem investigative procedure to determine proximate and distal causes of an individual’s death with a focus on preventing similar incidents. She has expertise in targeted/intended violence, public mass shootings, school shootings, crisis intervention, and disaster mental health, including the unique needs of survivors of MCIs. She is a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). Dr. Cowan is available for professional consultation on matters relevant to forensic behavioral analysis and psychological autopsy.
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