Brandon Shurn, PhD, LCPC, LMHC, AFC®, NCC
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
As a counselor, supervisor, educator, and consultant, I bring myriad experience to the board. As a mental health counselor, I have worked with individuals along the age and diagnostic spectrum. As a supervisor, I help supervisees navigate the development of their professional voice in the counseling profession, support them in navigating difficult clients, as well as other challenges related to the profession. As an educator, I take an active role in laying the foundation of what it means to be a mental health counselor with students, I also serve as a university group supervisor for counseling students who are in the practicum and internship phase of the program. As a consultant I support individuals in the development and launching of their counseling practice. All of my experience listed requires the development of goals/objectives along with solid plan to move towards those goals.
ASSOCIATION EXPERIENCE
I became a member of AMHCA back in 2018. In late 2022, I stepped into the role of vice-chair of the Public Awareness Committee, and in the summer of 2024, I stepped into the role of chair of the same committee. In my time on the Public Awareness Committee, I have work to hold to the charter of the committee “heighten the visibility, viability, and functioning of clinical mental health counselors and AMHCA before the public.” I was also a part of the inaugural leadership training offered by AMHCA.
GOALS
As a candidate for Director-at-Large, my goals are connected to the responsibilities of that function and are all designed with the intent being self-sustaining by the end of my tenure.
- Develop a leadership training that could be used to meet the supervision training requirements of NBCC’s ACS certification
- Create a process that would allow for seamless communication with state chapters related to reviewing and administering charter information.
- Look for ways to use my energy and talent to enhance the AMHCA conferences and act as an advocate for AMHCA committees.
CANDIDATE VIDEO
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
I worked with the Maryland Counselors Association on multiple advocacy initiatives between 2019 and 2021, one of the more meaningful initiatives was meeting with state legislators to get them to sign onto the counseling compact. During the 2023 tax year, I worked as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA), filing taxes for people who qualified for it. Most recently (February 2025), I spent some time supporting individuals with special needs during “A Night to Shine.”
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Shurn, B. (2023). Professional counselor identity development relative to professional recognition. ProQuest.
Shurn, B. (2024). My biggest ah-ha moment. In Williams, C. & Mikolon, T. M. (Eds.), The making of a mental health professional: Inspirational and motivational stories of challenges, victories, and wisdom. (pp. 27-28). Cognella Academic Publishing.
Shurn, B., & Bridges, C. (in review). Overcoming identity dissonance: Empowering the next generation of counselor leaders and advocates.
On Being a BIPOC Counselor, Seattle University, Virtual Apr 2024
Developing Community Clinic in a Pandemic, Southern Association for Counselor Education & Supervision, Nov 2022
Navigating Grief Differently, Texas Counseling Association, Nov 2021