Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

Olivia Ngadjui, NCC, LPC

Olivia Ngadjui, NCC, LPC
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Assistant Professor, Counselor Education
Office: (269) 387-3147
Location:
3521 Sangren Hall, Mail Stop 5226
Mailing address:
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5226 USA
Olivia Ngadjui, NCC, LPC View full size image
Education:
  • Ph.D., Counselor Education, Idaho State University
  • M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling, The George Washington University
  • B.A., Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Bio:
Olivia T. Ngadjui, PhD, NCC, LPC (ID, WY, MI) joined the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology in August 2021. She is a research-oriented tenure-track Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and a small virtual counseling private practice owner. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) for the states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Michigan. Dr. Ngadjui also serves as a Distinguished Fellow within the Research Action Consortium at George Mason University, led by Dr. Sam Steen. She earned her PhD in Counselor Education from Idaho State University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The George Washington University, where she received the 2021 Dean’s Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award. Dr. Ngadjui has presented at numerous counseling, mental health, and related educational conferences at the international, national, regional, and local levels.
Her research utilizes a transformative research paradigm and centers on:
  • Professional identity development and the expansion of ethically required culturally sustaining practice across teaching, counseling, supervision, research/scholarship, and leadership/advocacy in counselor education.
  • Culturally sustaining strategies that inform the work of educators (school counselors, teachers and related professionals) engaging students of color in P–12 school environments.
  • Preventative wellness practices in counselor education that emphasize balance, sustainability, and care for emerging/current counselors and counselor educators.
To provide you awareness of her "why", Dr. Ngadjui is a native of southeast Washington, DC (Ward 8), and a proud graduate of DC Public Schools. She remains deeply grateful to the dedicated educators of the Patricia Roberts Harris Educational Center who nurtured and guided her from kindergarten through eighth grade—including her former principal, Theodore Hinton, Jr., and many other beloved mentors/teachers including Ms. Brooks and the late Brockenberry Jr. Their examples continue to shape her approach to teaching and mentorship, as she strives to mirror their love and care. Furthermore, after spending her early years in the city, Dr. Ngadjui came to appreciate the quieter nights and pace, she encountered while studying out of state. Now living in Michigan, she enjoys life as a Michigander—embracing moments of rest and planning for the annual baking competition through the College of Education and Human Development at Western Michigan University as a prior (while still surprised) December 2025 winner. She remains present in her church and as a 2009 undergraduate initiated member of her sorority of the National Panhellenic Council, where she enjoys volunteering in the Kalamazoo County community.
Curriculum vitae