President, American Counselling Association Professor,
Department of Counselling and Higher Education, Ohio University
Professor Christine Suniti Bhat, PhD is a leader in the counselling field, known for her dedication to advancing school counselling, promoting safety and well-being in educational settings, and advocating for the counselling profession. Her work has had a profound impact on the field, making her a prominent figure in counsellor education and supervision. Professor Christine Bhat is the current President of the American Counselling Association (July 2024 – June 2025), and as a Professor in the Department of Counselling and Higher Education at Ohio University is a testament to her leadership and influence in the counselling community. Professor Christine Bhat advocates excellence for the profession and addresses critical issues impacting counsellors and their clients.
Professor Christine Bhat is a Licensed Professional Counsellor, LPC and an expert in the prevention of bullying, cyberbullying. Also, her research interests include school safety, leadership, group counselling and the integration of technology in counselling.
Psychological Capital [PsyCap] (Luthans 2002) is comprised of the psychological assets of Hope (persevering toward goals and, when necessary, redirecting paths to goals in order to succeed); Efficacy (having confidence (self-efficacy) to take on and put in the necessary effort to succeed at challenging tasks; Resilience (when beset by problems and adversity, sustaining and bouncing back and even beyond to attain success; and Optimism (making a positive attribution about succeeding now and in the future); (Luthans et al., 2007, p. 3). Known by the acronym HERO, PsyCap has been validated internationally and is a valuable tool for counselors and their clients. PsyCap is amenable to interventions focused on increasing it, or it can decrease when we become discouraged by setbacks.
President, Board of Counsellors Malaysia Professor Amal Putra, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
President, American Counselling Association Professor, Department of Counselling and Higher Education, Ohio University
President, International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance
Vice President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Research), Open University Malaysia
The conference convenors would like to invite counsellors, academics, professionals, researchers, and students to come together to share their insights, experiences, and research findings in the field of helping profession.