Education

• Ph.D., Counselor Education and Supervision, University of Iowa, 2025. Dissertation: Lived Experiences of Counselor Educators Training School Counselors to Address Cyberbullying in K-12 Schools. Advisor: Dr. Yung-Wei Lin.
• M.Ed., Human Development Counseling (School Counseling), Vanderbilt University (Peabody College), 2021.
• B.A., Economics, University of Mumbai, India, 2015.

Academic appointments

• Assistant Professor, School Counseling, Department of School Psychology, Counseling and Leadership, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 2025–present.
• Graduate Teaching Assistant and Instructor, Counselor Education, University of Iowa, 2021–2025.

Licensure

• Licensed Professional School Counselor (Practitioner School Services), Tennessee Department of Education.

Refereed publications

• Rath, S. K., & Lin, Y. W. D. (2026). A phenomenological inquiry: Counselor educators’ experiences training school counselors to address cyberbullying. Professional School Counseling.
• Van Patten-Freeman, A. R., & Rath, S. K. (2026). Generative AI in counselor education: A scoping review of applications, ethics, and CACREP competency mapping (2015–2026). The Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on Pedagogy and Learning Design, 1(1), Article 13. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/ijrpld/13
• Levine, A., Wood, S., & Karkhanis, S. (2026). Counselor educators’ and supervisors’ perceptions of professional dispositions: Humanistic pillars and a critical conversation. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1002/johc.70031
• Dollarhide, C. T., Middleton, T., Burciaga, L., Casani, J., Dockery, N., Fraley, A. M., Karkhanis, S., Levine, A., Lynn, M., Mushunje, R., Osei Twerefour, I. H., & Shrewsbury-Braxton, S. (2024). Social justice content in counseling journals: Comparison of publication rates. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12520
• Barstack, S., Karkhanis, S., Erford, B. T., Bennett, E., Buchanan, E., Sharpe, C., & Wissel, A. (2023). Synthesis of the Eating Disorder Inventory-Third Edition (EDI-3) psychometric characteristics: Implications for counseling practice and research. Journal of Counseling & Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12474
• Hanebutt, R. A., Mohyuddin, H. A., Roth, R. L., Kissinger, M. S., Karkhanis, S., Knotts, M. G., & Jeon, S. (2021). Understanding community definitions of digital literacy: Findings from the Nashville Digital Equity Study. In TMS Proceedings 2021. PubPub.
• Rippeto, M., Stewart, E., Chowning, M., Karkhanis, S., Erford, B. T., & Kepley, L. (2021). A metastudy of Adultspan Journal: An analysis of publication characteristics from 1999 to 2019. Adultspan Journal, 20(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12103
• Johnson, A., West, C., Erford, B. T., & Karkhanis, S. (2020). A meta-study of Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CORE): An analysis of publication characteristics from 2010–2019. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1080/21501378.2020.1829967

Grants and funding

• Cycle 57 PSC-CUNY Research Award, CUNY, 2026–2027. PI. School Counselors in the Age of Digital Harm: Mixed-Methods Insights on Cyberbullying Preparedness and AI-Based Help-Seeking Among K-12 Youth.
• Tow Faculty Research and Creativity Grant, Brooklyn College, 2026–2027. PI. School Counselors in the Age of Digital Harm: Mixed-Method Study on Cyberbullying. $2,993.
• Graduate Student Research Award, University of Iowa College of Education, 2024–2025. PI. Lived Experiences of Counselor Educators Training School Counselors to Address Cyberbullying in K-12 Schools. $1,000.
• Research Grant, University of Iowa Graduate & Professional Student Government, 2024–2025. PI. $500.
• Travel Grant, ADVANCE Equity in STEM Community Convening (EiSCC) Annual Conference, 2024–2025. $3,500.
• Franklin D. and Louise P. Stone International Scholarship, University of Iowa, 2024–2025. $1,500.
• Chapter Development Grant, Chi Sigma Iota, Rho Upsilon Chapter, 2023–2024. $300.
• ACES Conference Diversity Scholarship, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2023–2024. $1,000.
• College Presentation Travel Funds, University of Iowa Graduate Student Senate, 2023–2024. $750.
• Student Research Grant Award, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2022–2023. PI. At-Risk High School Students’ Usage of Social Media: An Exploratory Qualitative Study. $690.
• Student Scholarship Award, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 2023. Student and Early Career Professional Workshop: CBT for Depression and Suicide.
• Travel Grant, University of Iowa Graduate and Professional Student Government, 2021 and 2022. $500.

Presentations

National and regional

• Karkhanis, S. (2026, October). School counselors in the age of digital harm: Mixed-methods insights on cyberbullying preparedness and AI-based help-seeking among K-12 youth. PSC-CUNY TEWG Annual Research Forum, New York, NY.
• Karkhanis, S. (2026, September). Systemic accountability and culturally responsive practice: Preparing counselors for the digital age. NARACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S., & Baquet, S. (2026, September). Beyond the basics: Unlearning habits and navigating micro-skills integration in counselor preparation. NARACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S., & Johnson, C. (2026, September). Promoting ethical and effective practice: The need for culturally competent supervision in the helping professions. NARACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S. (2025, October). Empowering school counselors: Tackling cyberbullying in the digital age [Poster]. ACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S., & Johnson, C. (2025, October). Navigating intersectionality: The experiences of women in counselor education [Roundtable]. ACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S. (2024, March). Navigating ethics in the world of social media with the K-12 population [Webinar]. NCACES Spring Webinar Series.
• Levine, A., Karkhanis, S., & McKnight, M. (2023, October). Attitudes towards social justice and professional dispositions among counseling supervisors: A convergent mixed methods study [Roundtable]. ACES Conference.
• Karkhanis, S., & Kemp-Casavant, K. (2022, September). A call for cyber safety competencies (CSCs) in counselor education [Poster]. NCACES Conference.
• Levine, A., & Karkhanis, S. (2022, September). Supervisor perspectives of diversity and dispositions: Preliminary findings. NCACES Conference.
• Hanebutt, R., Mohyuddin, H. A., Roth, R. L., Kissinger, M., Karkhanis, S., Knotts, M., & Jeon, S. (2021). Understanding community definitions of digital literacy: Findings from the Nashville Digital Equity Study. APA TMS Virtual Conference.
• Karkhanis, S. (2021). The story of my relationship [TASH Talk]. TASH Conference.

State and local

• Karkhanis, S. (2026, May). Empowering school counselors: Cyberbullying in the digital age [Roundtable]. 29th Annual Faculty Day Conference, Brooklyn College.
• Elmadani, A., Corbin, G., & Karkhanis, S. (2026, April). Using supervision models to promote student competency. Professional development for high school counselors, Brooklyn College.
• Karkhanis, S. (2023, November). Navigating the world of social media with the K-12 population as school counselors. Iowa School Counselor Association Conference.
• Johnson, C., Karkhanis, S., & Middleton, T. (2023, February). You straight? You alright? Helping friends through mental health challenges during times of uncertainty. Black Youth Summit.
• Gallo, L., Duys, D., Wood, S. M., & Karkhanis, S. (2022, November). The path to a PhD in counselor education. Iowa School Counselor Association Conference.

Art

• Serengeti, Explicit Freedom and Love is Love. Art of Healing Exposition, featuring works from WHO Art to Act for Health, 2021–2022.

Teaching

Brooklyn College

• SPCL 7813X: Counseling Leadership in Urban Schools
• SPCL 7807T: Practicum
• SPCL 7803T: Individual Counseling Skills
• SPCL 7901X: Developmental Psychopathology

University of Iowa

• CSED 4195: Ethics in Human Relations and Counseling
• CSED 5230: School Counseling Program Leadership and Management
• CSED 6321: Internship in Elementary School Counseling
• RCE 5202: Introduction to Group Counseling
• SSTP 1001: Secondary Student Training Program

Guest lectures, University of Iowa

• Online learning. Professional Orientation to CES Leadership and Advocacy (CSED 7457), 2022.
• Gottfredson’s theory. Advanced Career Development and Counseling (CSED 7255), 2022.
• The history of stigma towards persons with disabilities. Advanced Social Psychology of Disability (RCE 7450), 2022.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy. Advanced Counseling and Psychotherapy (RCE 7353), 2021.
• Humanistic and existential supervision. Supervision Theory and Practice (RCE 7454), 2021.

Honors and awards

• NARACES Emerging Leader, North Atlantic Region ACES, 2026–2027
• NCACES Outstanding Graduate Student Award, North Central ACES, 2023–2024
• NCACES Emerging Leader, North Central ACES, 2023–2024
• The Audrey Qualls Travel Award, University of Iowa, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Office of the Dean Graduate Student Travel Award, University of Iowa, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Graduate Scholastic Achievement Scholarship, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 2019–2021
• Gandhi Fellowship, Piramal Foundation, Rajasthan, India, 2016–2018

Service and leadership

• Advocacy Co-Chair, NARACES Board
• Newsletter Chair, ACES New Faculty Interest Network
• Conference proposal reviewer, ACES, 2023 and 2025
• Conference Program Sub-Committee Co-Leader, NCACES, 2024–2025
• Past-President (2024–2025), President (2023–2024) and President-Elect (2022–2023), Chi Sigma Iota, Rho Upsilon Chapter, University of Iowa
• Conference proposal reviewer, NCACES, 2022 and 2024

Professional affiliations

• Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)
• North Atlantic Region ACES (NARACES)
• North Central ACES (NCACES)
• American Counseling Association (ACA)
• American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
• Chi Sigma Iota (CSI)

School counseling experience

• High School Counseling Intern, Iowa City Community School District, 2022
• High School Counseling Intern, Metro Nashville Public Schools, 2021
• Middle School Counseling Intern, Metro Nashville Public Schools, 2020
• Elementary School Counseling Intern, Sylvan Park Elementary School, Metro Nashville Public Schools, 2020

Professional experience

• Administrative Assistant, Student Disability Services, University of Iowa, 2021–2025
• Graduate Technology Assistant, Student Accessibility Services, Vanderbilt University, 2019–2021
• Project Management Trainee, SocioCatalyst Pvt. Ltd., 2019
• Program Leader, Strategy Initiative Group, Kaivalya Education Foundation, 2018
• Gandhi Fellow, Piramal Foundation, Rajasthan, India, 2016–2018. Professional development for 48 government school educators.

See also Publications, Research, Teaching and Recognition & Awards.