Northwestern College names new director of counseling programs

Northwestern College has appointed Dr. Julie Merriman to serve as director of its graduate counseling programs.

As director, Merriman will be tasked with applying to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for department accreditation.

Merriman was hired as an associate professor for Northwestern’s graduate counseling department in 2022. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she coordinated student clinical experiences.

Prior to joining Northwestern’s faculty, Merriman served as department head and then associate dean of the counseling program at Tarleton State University in Texas. She was responsible for gaining accreditation for Tarleton’s program from CACREP, and she also developed curriculum for its clinical mental health counseling degree.

Merriman’s other experience includes serving as a school counselor; children and adolescent services director for two mental health centers; clinical director for an addiction treatment center; and family services director for New Horizons, an organization that offers free counseling to children and families, including those involved in the foster care system. She has maintained a private practice since 1999.

Merriman earned a Master of Education degree in guidance and counseling from Tarleton State University and a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Texas Tech University. She is a licensed professional counselor supervisor, a registered trauma therapist and play therapist supervisor, a certified compassion fatigue therapist, and a certified K-12 school counselor.

Merriman is the conference chair of the Emotional Transformation Therapy Board and is also a member of the American Counselor Association, Association for Play Therapy, and Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors. She has been the recipient of grant funding from Texas Health Resources, the Federal Drug Administration, the Hogg Foundation and the Department of Family Protective Services.

Northwestern’s graduate counseling programs enable students to earn a master’s degree in either clinical mental health counseling or school counseling entirely online. The clinical mental health counseling program is designed to be completed in two years by taking two eight-week courses at a time. The first cohort of that program graduated in May and recorded a 100% first-time pass rate on the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination. The school counseling program is set up to be completed by working professionals in three years.

Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division offers flexible, affordable programs designed to help adult learners meet their professional goals. Many programs have 100% online coursework, including master's degrees in education (eight tracks); school and clinical mental health counseling; business administration; graduate-level education endorsements and certificates; undergraduate degree-completion programs in early childhood education and nursing; and certificates in medical and legal interpreting. The division also offers an on-campus master's degree in physician assistant studies, which is accredited by the ARC-PA.