EMPOWER Research Lab

About EMPOWER Research Lab

Advancing counseling scholarship through research, mentorship, leadership, and advocacy.

The EMPOWER Research Lab is a collaborative academic community committed to strengthening counselor education, supervision, clinical practice, and professional leadership. Grounded in evidence-based research, cultural responsivity, ethical practice, and holistic wellness, our work advances mental health equity and empowers the next generation of counseling professionals to lead with integrity, compassion, and purpose.

Mission Statement

The EMPOWER Research Lab is dedicated to advancing counseling and mental health through Evidence-based practice, Mentorship, Professional leadership and advocacy, Optimal cultural responsivity, Wellness, Ethical supervision, and Religion and spirituality. We promote rigorous, socially responsive scholarship that strengthens counselor education, clinical practice, supervision, and community engagement, with the goal of improving mental health equity, access, and outcomes across diverse populations

Vision Statement

The EMPOWER Research Lab envisions a counseling profession in which research, training, and practice are integrative, culturally grounded, ethically guided, and advocacy-oriented. We strive to cultivate future counselors, supervisors, and leaders who are empowered to advance mental health through evidence-based innovation, compassionate

Core Values

The EMPOWER Research Lab’s core values guide our research, mentorship, supervision, and leadership, reflecting our commitment to scholarly excellence, ethical practice, cultural responsivity, advocacy, and holistic wellness in advancing equitable counseling practice.

1. Scholarly Excellence in Counseling Practice

We value rigorous, theory-integrated, and evidence-based counseling scholarship that advances culturally sustaining, ethical, and effective practice across diverse populations, settings, and service delivery modalities.

2. Developmental and Ethical Supervision

We are committed to supervision that is theoretically grounded, developmentally responsive, culturally sustaining, and ethically accountable, promoting supervisee growth, professional identity formation, and responsible gatekeeping.

3. Transformative Teaching and Mentorship

We value inclusive, innovative, and developmentally informed teaching practices that integrate adult learning theory, universal design, mentorship, and social justice to prepare competent and reflective counselor educators and practitioners.

4. Research Integrity and Scholarly Impact

We uphold methodological rigor, ethical responsibility, cultural relevance, and dissemination excellence in quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and action research to advance counseling knowledge and influence practice, policy, and training.

5. Leadership for Equity and Advocacy

We value leadership that is ethically grounded, socially responsive, and advocacy-oriented, advancing professional identity, accreditation integrity, systemic change, and equitable mental health access at individual, institutional, and policy levels.

6. Holistic Professional Wellness and Sustainability

We affirm self-care, relational accountability, and wellness as essential components of ethical leadership, advocacy, supervision, and scholarly productivity, recognizing wellness as foundational to sustainable impact in the counseling profession.

Our History

o The EMPOWER Research Lab was established in Spring 2026 as the culmination of Dr. John J. S. Harrichand’s personal and professional journey as a counselor, clinical supervisor, counselor educator, researcher, and professional leader. Grounded in more than a decade of clinical practice, teaching, supervision, scholarship, and advocacy, EMPOWER emerged from a sustained commitment to advancing mental health equity, professional identity development, and culturally responsive counseling practice.

o Throughout his career, Dr. Harrichand consistently encountered systemic barriers affecting historically marginalized communities, including immigrants, international students, survivors of trafficking, and individuals navigating intersecting cultural, spiritual, and social identities. These experiences, coupled with his work in counselor education, supervision, and legislative advocacy, revealed a critical need for scholarship that integrates evidence-based practice, mentorship, leadership development, cultural responsivity, wellness, ethical supervision, and spiritual-religious competence.

o Recognizing gaps in counseling literature, training, and professional preparation, the EMPOWER Research Lab was created to serve as a collaborative hub for doctoral students, master’s students, counselor educators, and practitioners committed to transformative scholarship and practice. The lab’s mission is to generate research, training, and advocacy initiatives that strengthen counselor preparation, supervision quality, leadership capacity, and mental health outcomes across diverse communities.

o The EMPOWER Research hopes to support multiple research teams, student mentorship initiatives, conference presentations, and manuscript development projects aligned with counselor education, supervision, leadership, advocacy, and culturally responsive practice. The lab reflects a belief that counseling scholarship must not only inform practice but also challenge inequity, elevate minoritized and marginalized voices, and empower the next generation of counseling professionals to lead with integrity, compassion, and courage.