Dr. Crystal Zanders

Dr. Crystal Zanders found her calling at Trinity Christian College in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. It’s a place where she can be herself, where her Christian faith and her love for counseling can come together.

Crystal is all about counseling. She’s been a professional counselor for over a decade, and that experience led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Why? Because there’s a growing need for mental health professionals, and she’s committed to training the next generation of counselors.

She’s passionate about how her field can make communities thrive and ensure her students lead meaningful lives. The pandemic hit, and mental health diagnoses shot up, along with suicide rates. The shortage of mental health professionals was already a problem, and it was getting worse. Crystal believes that Clinical Mental Health Counseling is a key part of the solution.

As a professor, her goal is to equip her students with self-awareness and self-efficacy, so they can provide top-notch care to a world in need.

Crystal’s research interests cover topics like professional wellness and challenges related to grief, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and infertility distress. Right now, she’s involved in two studies about how new counselors experience grief and the moral distress pastors face. She and a former professor were even invited to turn their research presentation on Prolonged Grief Disorder into an article for the ADULTSPAN Journal. And she’s getting ready to present at the 2023 ICA conference on the role of counselors in infertility and fertility treatments.

When she’s not teaching, you’ll find Crystal enjoying action movies, bowling, or a round of mini golf with her husband. They love taking their dog, Cookie, to the dog park, the beach, and even Starbucks for a Puppuccino. She’s also into reading, crocheting, and true crime docuseries and dramas.

Want to keep up with Dr. Zanders? Check out her blog at www.counselingwithcrystal.com.

• Zanders, C. S. (2023, November). The Role of Counselors in Infertility and the Fertility Treatment Process. Content session presented at the Illinois Counseling Association annual conference, Lisle, IL.
• Park, C. N. & Zanders, C. S. (2023, March). Prolonged Grief Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies. Content session presented at the Illinois Mental Health Counseling Association annual conference, Schaumburg, IL.
• Zanders, C. S. (2022, November). The Relationship of the Wounded Healer, Resiliency, and Peer/Professional Support. Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Illinois Counseling Association. Lisle, IL.
• Park, C. N. & Zanders, C. S. (2022, November). Prolonged Grief Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies. Content session presented at the Kentucky Counseling Association annual conference, Louisville, KY.

• Chi Sigma Iota, Honor Society for Counseling Students, Counselor Educators, and Professional Counselors
• American Counseling Association
• Association of Counselor Education and Supervision
• North Central Association of Counselor Education and Supervision
• American Association of Christian Counselors
• Illinois Counseling Association
• Illinois Mental Health Counseling Association
• Illinois Counselor Education and Supervision