Melanie Iarussi

Dr. Melanie Iarussi is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC; FL) and a national certified counselor (NCC). Dr. Iarussi is also a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). In addition to teaching graduate counseling courses, she has provided MI trainings to a wide range of helping professionals in the community. Her research focus has been on MI training and counselors integrating MI and CBT in clinical practice, as well as counselor professional identity and advocacy. She has been published in the Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling, Counselor Preparation and Supervision, College Counseling, Correctional Education, Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, and others.

Dr. Iarussi has clinical counseling experience in a variety of settings including a substance use agency, college counseling centers, private practice, after school groups, and a domestic violence intervention center. In 2017, she received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the College of Education at Auburn University and the Tenured Counselor Educator Award from the Southern Association of Education and Supervision (SACES). She served as president of the Southern Association of Education and Supervision from 2016-17 and was elected president-elect of the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (IAAOC) for which she will serve as president in 2022-2023.