Dr. Highe began his career as a Certified Professional School Counselor and has served for over 10 years in three public school districts in North Carolina. During his tenure as a school counselor, he garnered experience working as a trauma-informed and mental health specific counselor on the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
He has served on numerous occasions as a guest lecturer, panel discussion participant, presenter, and motivational speaker. His research and passion interests include suicide awareness, advocacy, and prevention among underserved populations with a focus on African American males. His research also has a strong foundation in social justice consciousness within the school counseling field.
He is a member of the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision, American School Counseling Association, North Carolina School Counseling Association, and the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International.
He earned his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at North Carolina State University; a M.S. in Counselor Education School Counseling at Jacksonville State University; and a B.A. in Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Having started as an adjunct professor in 2012, Dr. Strange is an Associate Professor - Counseling and Development.
Dr. Strange is a member of the American Counseling Association, American School Counseling Association, South Carolina Counseling Association, and Palmetto School Counseling Association. His research interests are multicultural counseling and student transitions in different educational settings — elementary, middle, high school, and post-secondary.
He has more than 25 years of experience in supervising internship and practicum students in K-12 and community mental health settings. Dr. Strange has presented at local, state, national, and international levels on topics such as identity development in biracial youth, collaborating to treat the mental health conditions of individuals with ASD, and school counseling in rural communities.
Prior to Winthrop, Dr. Strange held several positions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, including high school counselor, associate professor, counseling department chair, and graduate studies faculty.
He is a past president of the Alaska School Counseling Association and a consultant to school districts. He developed courses for non-counseling professional education and community and professional school counselors: Counseling Skills for Professional Educators, and Counseling Skills for Male Adolescents.
Dr. Strange earned his Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California. He completed the School Counseling Certification Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.
Olivia is a dedicated therapist with a specialized focus on play therapy and working with children. She is deeply passionate about the importance of protecting child therapists from burnout, particularly when working with trauma, recognizing the emotional toll it can take on practitioners. Olivia is a strong advocate for integrating self-care practices into professional routines to maintain both personal and professional well-being.
She earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she conducted extensive research on combating burnout amongst child therapists and its impact on both clients and counselors. With a commitment to fostering resilience and healing, Olivia has also presented at various national conferences, sharing her insights on trauma, play therapy, and the critical role of self-care in sustaining effective therapeutic practice.
In addition to her clinical work, Olivia is dedicated to mentoring emerging counselors, guiding them in developing the skills and awareness needed to thrive in the field. Her work is driven by a belief in the transformative power of therapy and the necessity of nurturing the well-being of those who provide it.
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