Josh Magruder Named Counselor of the Year

OXFORD, Miss. – Joshua Magruder, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Mississippi School of Education, has been named Counselor of the Year by the Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselor Association, a division of the Mississippi Counseling Association and the American Mental Health Counselors Association.

Magruder, interim clinical coordinator at UM’s Clinic for Outreach and Personal Enrichment, or COPE, will be honored in November at the association’s annual conference in Tupelo.

“Josh is a dedicated counselor who spends much of his professional and personal time working to help students and professional counselors,” said Morgan Bryant, the association’s president. “The skills and qualities that make him a fabulous counselor are also the skills and qualities that make him a fabulous professor.

“Joshua has worked tirelessly in the field of counseling, and this is why we chose him for the honor.”

Magruder was selected for the award for his past service to the association, which includes serving as its president and providing board supervision training for counselors, a service that allows early career counselors to earn their independent licenses.

“For me, this is all about service,” said Magruder, a native of Florence, South Carolina. “I am happy that my service has paid off to the point where I’m being honored, but I am more happy that there are good things happening in the world of counseling, and it’s good to be part of that.”

Magruder’s specialties include trauma, psychosis and play therapy, and he is working toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist. Play therapy is a form of mental health counseling that allows children to express their emotions constructively in a playroom setting.

At COPE, he serves as the clinical and administrative leader for the unit that provides a variety of mental health services for community members and training experience for UM counseling students. The clinic serves hundreds of clients from the Lafayette County-Oxford-University community each month.

“I am fortunate to work with great colleagues.” he said. “I love the day-to-day process of training counselors. That’s why I entered the professorate: to help aspiring counselors learn how to develop their skills.”

Magruder holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in counseling and a doctorate in counselor education, all from the UM School of Education. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Mississippi and is a National Certified Counselor of the National Board for Certified Counselors.