Professor and Doctoral Graduate Coordinator
220 Stouffer Hall
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705
903 Pittsburgh East
724-357-2306 — Office
412-841-9784 — Cell
Licensure and Certification
Licensed Professional Counselor — Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
National Certified Counselor
Professional Background
Holly Branthoover (she/her/hers) joined the IUP faculty in 2004. She is an NCC, LPC and holds a K-12 certification as a school counselor. She received her master's degree in community counseling and her doctorate in counselor education and supervision at Duquesne University. For her dissertation, she conducted a pilot study on the applicability of emotional intelligence training to pre-release male inmates. Branthoover also attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for her bachelor's degree in criminology pre-law with a minor in political science.
Within the department, Branthoover teaches at the Indiana and Pittsburgh East campuses and in the clinical mental health, school, and doctoral programs. In the master's program, she instructs a variety of counseling courses, including Individual Counseling Practicum, Group Counseling Practicum, Field Experience, Diagnostic and Treatment Issues for Professional Counselors, Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice in Counseling, and Crisis and Addiction Counseling. In the doctoral program, she has taught Leadership and Advocacy, Supervision, Advanced Theories, and Practicum as well as serving as a dissertation chair and committee member. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Branthoover serves as practicum and field experience coordinator for the doctoral program and various departmental committees as well as the university judicial board.
Professional Service
Currently, Branthoover is the ACES conference coordinator and has served in this position since 2014. Prior to her ACES service, Branthoover engaged in service with the American Counseling Association, North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and Pennsylvania Counseling Association, where she twice received the PCA President's Award for Service.
Scholarly Interests
Scholarly interests include supervision, corrections, crisis and trauma, drug and alcohol, emotional intelligence, and school counseling.
Teaching Philosophy
In my teaching, passion, relevance, and opportunity for application are integral aspects of my approach. I am passionate about counseling and counselor education and have a strong professional counselor identity. I believe that counselors can have a significantly positive impact on clients'/students' lives, and I take my role as an educator and mentor seriously. I pride myself in staying connected in the field through service, private practice, volunteer work, scholarship, and continuing education. I strive to provide relevant examples of course topics from those connections. I endeavor to design class activities and assignments that enhance student knowledge through application of course concepts.
Recent Professional Presentations
Branthoover, H. (September, 2018). Building the supervisory working alliance across generations. Presented at the North Atlantic Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2018 Conference. Burlington, VT.
Branthoover, H. (October, 2017). Gatekeeping: How to Balance Ethical, Legal, and Administrative Mandates? Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2017 Conference. Chicago, IL.
Branthoover, H. (September, 2016). Gatekeeping: How to Balance Ethical, Legal, and Administrative Mandates? Presented at the North Atlantic Region Association for Counseling Education and Supervision 2016 Conference. Syracuse, NY.
Branthoover, H., Brubaker, L., & Steininger, E. (November, 2014). What's new in the ACA Code of Ethics? Information, discussion, and practical application of the updates. Presented at the Pennsylvania Counseling Association 2014 Conference. State College, PA.
Recent Invited Professional Presentations
Branthoover, H., Flynn, S., Krell, M., Luke, M., Minor, Amanda, Perry, E., Reiner, S., & Stinchfield, T. (September, 2018). Pearls of wisdom: Emerging leaders workshop NARACES 2018. Presented at the North Atlantic Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2018 Conference. Burlington, VT.
Branthoover, H. (September, 2016). Gatekeeping: How to Balance Ethical, Legal, and Administrative Mandates? Presented at the Rocky Mountain Region Association for Counseling Education and Supervision 2016 Conference. Steamboat Springs, CO.
Recent Publications
Carlisle, S., & Branthoover, H. (2014, Fall). Animal assisted therapy in schools. Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association 13 (1), 69-76.
Branthoover, H., Desmond, K. J., & Bruno, M. L. (2010, July). Strategies to Operationalize CACREP Standards in School Counselor Education. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision (NARACES online journal) 2 (1), 37-47.