Helena Stevens advances trauma-informed counseling education in Minnesota

Bethany Lutheran College associate professor Helena Stevens, PhD, LPC, is being featured for her work training future mental health counselors, providing trauma-informed care, and promoting equity in mental health and education. Her profile highlights her teaching, clinical practice, and advocacy as she works to strengthen counselor preparation and access to support.

Why it matters: - Helena Stevens is helping shape the next generation of mental health counselors through teaching, supervision, and accreditation work. - Her work connects counselor education, trauma-informed care, and mental health access across schools, clinics, and community settings. - Stevens also represents a broader push to build more equitable systems for women, underserved populations, and students entering the field.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Helena Stevens, PhD, LPC, LSC, PPS, NCC, on July 22, 2026. - Stevens is an associate professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Bethany Lutheran College. - She is based in the Greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area. - Stevens is also a mental health counselor, school counselor, and psychometrician. - Her profile highlights her work in counselor education, advocacy, and professional development. - More information is available on her Influential Women profile.

The details: - Stevens teaches foundational counseling courses and oversees residency components at Bethany Lutheran College. - She provides academic advising and contributes to program accreditation efforts and assessment development. - Stevens is a Nationally Certified Counselor with advanced training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and experiential learning. - She provides virtual outpatient counseling with a trauma-informed focus. - Stevens also facilitates group counseling for people receiving inpatient drug and alcohol treatment. - Her background includes school counseling across kindergarten through postsecondary education. - Stevens has worked as a practicing therapist and counselor educator. - She also serves as a senior test developer for a calibration engineering education company. - That role supports psychometric testing and accreditation initiatives. - Stevens is authoring her first textbook on university-level supervision in counseling programs. - Her research interests include mindfulness, wellness, social justice advocacy, school counseling, assessment development, program evaluation, and experiential interventions.

Between the lines: - Stevens links her career path to childhood experiences in a trauma-affected household with parents facing addiction. - That background appears to drive her focus on empathy, compassion, and support for overlooked communities. - Her emphasis on integrity, resilience, mindfulness, and self-care reflects a leadership style built around sustainability, not just output. - Her comments on systemic barriers in higher education point to ongoing challenges for women, especially women of color, in access to mentorship and leadership. - Her push for evidence-based interventions suggests a belief that counseling and education systems still need better tools, not just more attention.

What's next: - Stevens is continuing to mentor counseling students and contribute to program development at Bethany Lutheran College. - She is expected to keep expanding her research, leadership, and advocacy work. - Her textbook project could further influence how university-level supervision is taught in counseling programs. - Stevens also plans to keep focusing on scholarship and practitioner-focused research that bridges theory and practice.

The bottom line: - Helena Stevens is using a combined role in the classroom, clinic, and professional organizations to strengthen counselor training and expand access to trauma-informed mental health support.