CARE Lab
Principal Investigator
Jordan Westcott, Ph.D., NCC is a queer Counselor Educator and an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Through qualitative and quantitative approaches, Dr. Westcott explores structural factors that facilitate and inhibit health equity for marginalized populations and the role of counselors in advancing optimum growth and development for all people. Her primary populations of focus are LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and communities and older adults, as well as intersections with these populations. Through the Counselor-Advocate-Scholar model (CAS; Ratts & Greenleaf, 2018), Jordan uses her research to advocate on behalf of LGBTQIA+ health and aging.
Dr. Westcott graduated with her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech in 2023 and her M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern State University in 2018. She is engaged with the counseling profession as a leader and advocate, serving as Co-Chair of the SAIGE Education Committee, Chair of the American Counseling Association Public Policy and Legislative Committee, and Communications Coordinator for the Education Psychology & Counseling department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an Editorial Board member for The Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling, ADULTSPAN Journal, and Trauma Counseling & Resilience. She is also a Guest Associate Editor for the ADULTSPAN Journal Special Issue, "Preparing for Medicare Integration."
Dr. Westcott is currently working as Principal Investigator on an ACES 2023 research grant, "Counselor-in-training bias toward sexual minority persons living with a dual diagnosis." She is a Co-Investigator on an AARC 2023 Sponsored Scholarship Program, "Counselor bias toward sexual minority persons living with a dual diagnosis of SUD and PTSD." Previously, she received an AARC 2022 Sponsored Scholarship Program grant, "Access to mental health care for older sexual minority women with disabilities: Equity in research and practice" and received funding for research from the Virginia Tech Graduate School as a Diversity Scholar. She also served a team member on two federally funding grants through the Administration for Community Living to address late life suicide risk, including developing a standardized, manualized training for a befriending phone program aimed at reducing suicide risk among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ulli Scout, LMT
Research Assistant
Ulli Scout, LMT, is a GNC counselor-in-training currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She currently practices at Tennessee Valley Recovery creating and implementing psychoeducational group counseling resources for clients with dual diagnosis in a recovery setting. Her previous experience as a massage therapist serves as the foundation for her approach in somatics and mindfulness techniques to help clients achieve wellness. In addition, her strong foundation in community organizing informs her practice to provide consciousness raising and advocacy work within the therapeutic alliance.
Ulli graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, GA in 2013 where she was awarded the Ethics and Servant Leadership Internship for her various roles in community organizing. She then trained as a massage therapist in Seattle, Washington at the Cortiva Institute. Upon returning to Tennessee, Ulli was awarded the Horton Chair Fellowship from The Highlander Research and Education Center in 2018 to develop a popular education curriculum for community organizing for young people between the ages of 6-18.
As a recipient of the 2024 NBCC Minority Fellowship Program in Addiction Counseling, Ulli is poised to deepen her expertise in community wellness. Her goal is to contribute meaningful research and practices in mental health counseling related to dual diagnosis with substance use disorders for queer and trans populations.
Anna Moncada, MS, NCC, LPC-MHSP (temporary)
Leadership & Advocacy Intern
Anna Moncada, MS, NCC, LPC-MHSP (temporary) is a doctoral student studying Counselor Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and teaches Career and Life Planning to undergraduates with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the university’s postsecondary education program: FUTURE.
Anna engages in the Counseling profession through her internship appointments and scholarly commitments. Anna is currently supporting aspiring counselors in their practicum placements as a doctoral student supervisor. She also is serving as a Co-Principal Investigator in a quantitative study that seeks to support flourishing skills among youth in rural Appalachia. Anna is serving as a student intern with the ACA’s Public Policy and Legislative Committee. While in this position, she hopes to review and develop advocacy resources in support the advocacy efforts of counselors and counselor educators. She hopes to continue developing leadership and advocacy skills and discover new approaches to advocacy.
Anna graduated with her M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Carson-Newman University in 2021. Many trainings Anna has pursued focus on trauma, infant mental health, maternal and perinatal mental health, and behavioral interventions. She has worked in community mental health settings, supported families navigating welfare systems, and provided trauma-informed services to clients of all ages.
These experiences have all sparked a passion for working as an advocate for marginalized populations, finding ways to support other counselors working with populations that have gone historically underserved, and supporting the voices that have gone unheard.