Dr. Kathleen Conroy
Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership and Counseling
College of Education
Email: kmc@niagara.edu
Website: Dr.
Phone: 716-286-8328
Office Location: 328F Academic Complex
Office Hours: Monday 3 - 4 pm; Wednesday 11:30 - 3:30 pm; Thursday 10 - 11 am
Bio
Kathleen “Kayte” Conroy (Ph.D.) is visiting Niagara University for a one year assignment in the Mental Health Counseling program. She was born and raised in Western New York. Dr Conroy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and a NYS Certified Gambling Treatment Counselor. Before coming to Niagara University, she spent many years working in numerous community agency settings with a variety of populations, including developmental disabilities, forensic, chemical addiction, domestic violence, mood disorders, and general mental health issues. Impulse control disorders, such as compulsive gambling or Internet use, video game play and/or over-spending are specialized areas for Dr Conroy. Her private practice is located in Williamsville, New York. During her training as a school counselor, her focus was assisting students with disabilities. As an independent consultant, Dr Conroy conducts on-site personal enrichment and clinical training seminars for agencies, companies, and schools throughout Western New York. In addition to this, she provides training and clinical supervision for other therapists and graduate students on an individual and group basis. She has also provided multiple media interviews regarding gambling issues and actively collaborates with the Therapeutic Gambling Court system in Amherst, New York. She has been an invited guest speaker for a variety of audiences in local, regional, national and international settings for conference presentations and workshops. In addition, Kayte worked as an executive secretary for many years at The Seymour H. Knox Foundation and the Buffalo Sabres professional hockey team when owned by the Knox family. She is deeply indebted to the Knox family and the Hazard Campbell family for their compassion and support of her need to return to college as a single mother with three young children. Kayte is proud to have the opportunity to balance caring for her family, service to her community, commitment to faith, teaching and learning, while passionately working in the field of mental health counseling. She believed in the Vincentian Tradition of service to others while adhering to the core values of spirituality, knowledge, creativity, integrity, and compassion long before coming to NU and is pleased to have the chance to spend a year in this remarkable learning environment.
Focus of Teaching
Before coming to Niagara University, Dr Conroy spent ten years teaching at SUNY@Buffalo in the undergraduate Interdisciplinary Degree Program for Health and Human Services. She continues to teach in the Mental Health Counseling and Rehabilitation Counseling Master's degree programs at the same university in addition to holding the position of clinical coordinator. During her visit at NU, Dr Conroy will be advising students in the Mental Health Counseling program while teaching Counseling Theory (EDU 654), Multicultural Counseling (EDU 652), Counseling Process (EDU 658), Group Counseling (EDU 669), Assessment in Counseling (EDU 657), and Mental Health Practicum (EDU 679). Her teaching methods are constructivist and her philosophy includes a focus on respect. She treats her students as professionals while grading and evaluating them as students.
Current Research
Areas of research interest center on mood disorders, gambling addiction and other impulse control disorders.
Current Involvement
Kayte is actively involved in several national, state, and local community organizations. * Board of Directors member - New York State Council on Problem Gambling (2008 to present); Member of the Board Development and Bylaws Committee * Board of Directors member - Preventionfocus Inc, Buffalo, NY (2006 to present); Past Vice President and member of numerous committees * Past Coordinator and current member - Western NY & Southern Ontario Assn. of Problem Gambling Treatment & Prevention Specialists (2002 to present) * Co-Coordinator - Buffalo-Niagara Mental Health Counselors Association * Member - New York Mental Health Counselors Association; Government Relations committee * Member - New York Counseling Association; Committee Chair for 2007 Annual Convention in Rochester, NY * Member – Counselor Education Doctoral Program Advisory Committee at SUNY@Buffalo * Member - Counselor Education Doctoral Mentoring Program at SUNY@Buffalo * Member - American Counseling Association * Member - American Mental Health Counselors Association * Member - Association for Counselor Education & Supervision * Member - National Council on Problem Gambling. In addition, she has been busy presenting as an invited guest speaker at conference workshops in the USA and Canada. Most recently, she presented a workshop on Client Retention to attendees at the 26th Annual Responsible Gambling Council Discovery Conference in Canada. She was also part of the team presenting a workshop and mock Therapeutic Gambling Court at the National Problem Gambling Council in Indianapolis in the spring of 2009. In March, 2010, she will be presenting at the 11th Annual New York Council on Problem Gambling Conference “Beyond the Net: Sports and Internet Problem Gambling” in Albany. Kayte will also travel to Reno this spring to share their innovative Therapeutic Gambling Court model with the state of Nevada and assist treatment organizations and court representatives in their quest to develop a similar program in their state. In the summer, 2010, her latest international presentation will be at the Diversity and Counseling Summer Institute in Dublin, Ireland at Trinity College.
Educational Background
Dr Conroy earned a PhD in Counselor Education, Master's degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling and in School Counseling, Bachelor's degrees in Psychology as well as Health and Human Services - all from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
