American Counseling Association Elects Christine Suniti Bhat as 73rd President

Dr. Bhat Will Serve as President-Elect Beginning July 1

Alexandria, Va. (February 9, 2023) – Christine Suniti Bhat, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Counseling & Higher Education at Ohio University, will begin her term as president-elect on July 1 and then serve as 73rd president of the American Counseling Association beginning July 1, 2024.

A first-generation South Asian immigrant to the United States, Dr. Bhat was born and raised in Bengaluru, India. She brings a wealth of experience from various environments in India and Australia, including experience in the Australian military, counseling agencies, and educational institutions. She is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed school counselor in Ohio.

Dr. Bhat previously served as president of the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) and the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW). She currently serves on the ACA Governing Council representing ASGW, and was previously the Treasurer of Chi Sigma Iota, Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society. Prior to joining Ohio University, Dr. Bhat was a tenure-track professor at California State University in Long Beach, California.

For close to 20 years, Dr. Bhat has solidified her research, engagement, and outreach interest in the areas of group counseling, school counseling, cyberbullying prevention, and positive and strengths-based counseling interventions. Her publication record is diverse and includes recent research in the Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, and the Journal of Counselor Leadership & Advocacy.

Her invited and peer-reviewed presentations include domestic and international conferences in China, India, Taiwan and Turkey. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the ASGW Group Work Practice Award, the OCA Dave Brooks Award, the Deanna Hawes Outstanding Mentor Award of the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Distinguished Graduate Teaching and Outreach Awards of Ohio University.