DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Two University of North Texas College of Education faculty members -- Sue Bratton and Amanda Giordano -- earned awards from the American Counseling Association for their contributions to the field.
Sue Bratton, professor of counseling, earned the ACA Extended Research Award for two decades of research on play therapy and Child Parent Relationship Therapy, or CPRT. Bratton also serves as director of the renowned Center for Play Therapy at UNT, the largest play therapy training program in the world. In play therapy, counselors use play materials to help children express their experiences, feelings and thoughts.
She is a nationally and internationally known speaker, author and researcher in the area of counseling children through play therapy modalities, including CPRT. Bratton is a past president of the Association for Play Therapy and has earned several awards, including the 2011 Chi Sigma Iota Outstanding Practitioner Supervisor Award, the 2013 ACA Best Practice Award and the 2013 AHC Humanistic Educator/Supervisor Award, among others.
Amanda Giordano, assistant professor of counseling at UNT, earned the ACA Ralph F. Berdie Memorial Award for her research on addiction among college students. The award is given for supporting research in the area of college student affairs or related areas of counseling and education.
Giordano earned a doctoral degree in counseling and counselor education and a master's degree in community counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She joined UNT in 2012.
The awards were presented at the 2014 ACA Annual Conference and Expo in March in Honolulu.
About the American Counseling Association
The American Counseling Association is the world's largest association representing professional counselors in various practice settings. From webinars, publications and journals to conference education sessions and legislative action alerts, ACA serves nearly 55,000 members through powerful, credible content and support.
About UNT's College of Education
UNT's College of Education prepares students to contribute to the advancement of education, health and human development. Founded in 1890 as a teacher's training college, UNT now enrolls more than 4,000 students in the College of Education, which consists of four departments -- counseling and higher education; educational psychology; kinesiology, health promotion and recreation; and teacher education and administration. UNT's College of Education certifies about 1,000 teachers a year -- making it the largest producer of new teachers in the north Texas region. Students are also prepared for careers as researchers, counselors, leaders, physical activity and health promotion specialists, child development and family studies specialists and more.