Varinder Kaur
Assistant Professor of Counselor Education
Email: 
vk003@aquinas.edu
Phone: 
(616) 632-1014
Office: 
AB 2B

Biography

Dr. Varinder Kaur joined the Counselor Education faculty in January 2020. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision with the emphasis on clinical mental health counseling from the University of Toledo. Prior to joining AQ, Dr. Kaur was an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she taught and supervised counseling students at master and Ph.D. levels.

Dr. Kaur is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Michigan. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings and served a broad range of population including children, adolescents, adults, couples, and older people with various emotional and mental health issues. During her clinical internship at the counseling center of the University of Toledo, she helped students with working on stress management, time-management, test anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and trauma and crisis situations. After her internship, she served as a dual counselor in the outpatient and inpatient substance use treatment facilities, where she was involved in the intensive counseling care for individuals and groups. Then, she joined a group of private practices and offered counseling services for people with moderate to severe mental health disorders. Primary care facility was another clinical setting, which gave her the opportunity to serve patients having comorbid physical and mental health disorders.

She strongly believes that mental health professionals should spend enough time for self-care in order to prevent impairment and provide quality services to their clients. Her research interests include holistic wellness approaches, mindfulness-based approaches, yoga-based approaches, and spiritual approaches for overall wellbeing. Dr. Kaur likes to stretch her mind in her free time by using different types of mindfulness and meditation practices. She enjoys reading, practicing hatha yoga, outdoor activities, and spending time with her family.

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Toledo
  • M.G.C. Panjab University
  • B.A. Panjab University