Dr. Rebecca cowan

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Licensed Professional Counselor,
​National Certified Counselor,
Board Certified-TeleMental Health provider,
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional,
Certified Forensic Behavioral Analyst,
Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator,
Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional,
AMHCA Diplomate and Clinical Mental Health Specialist

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Dr. Cowan is a Ph.D.-level Licensed Professional Counselor with over 15 years of experience within the mental health field. She is a professor at Walden University and an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University. She owns Anchor Counseling and Wellness, LLC in Virginia Beach, VA, and has experience working in inpatient psychiatric, private practice, residential treatment, integrated care (family medicine), forensic, and foster care/child protective services settings. Dr. Cowan is the recipient of the American Counseling Association’s Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person, Old Dominion University’s Top 40 Under 40 Alumni award, the Inside Business Top 40 Under 40 award, and the Inside Business Women in Business award. She has also been awarded Diplomate status by the American Mental Health Counseling Association (AMHCA) with the designation in Integrated Behavioral Health Care Counseling. This award recognizes advanced practice and professional clinical expertise in clinical mental health counseling. Dr. Cowan has numerous professional publications and has made several national and regional presentations. She serves on the editorial board of several professional journals and is a member of Chi Sigma Iota International's Counselor Community Engagement Committee. She also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee for the International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling. Dr. Cowan volunteers as a Disaster Mental Health (DMH) supervisor with the American Red Cross and regularly deploys to national disaster response operations. When in steady-state, Dr. Cowan provides DMH coverage across Virginia, where she works with individuals who have been displaced from their homes due to fires or other disasters.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

CHRONIC ILLNESS & WOMEN'S HEALTH

Prior to opening Anchor Counseling, Dr. Cowan was a professor and assistant program director in the Department of Family Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and held hospital privileges at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center. She understands the emotional impact of disease and has treated individuals experiencing a variety of acute and chronic health issues. She has a special interest in nutrition and has worked with women experiencing mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, disordered eating/weight concerns, intimate partner violence/relational issues, work/life balance, and stress. Dr. Cowan has completed continuing education in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine with the Integrative Therapies Institute and is a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider.

TRAUMA/CRISIS

Dr. Cowan is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and EMDRIA-approved Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. She is skilled in working with clients who have experienced traumatic events such as sexual assault, mass casualty incidents, natural disasters, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and unexpected loss. Dr. Cowan is aware of the complexities of trauma and how to sensitively assist clients who have been impacted. She collaborates with clients to develop personal and attainable goals so that balance may be restored in their lives. 

FORENSICS/MASS CASUALTY

Dr. Cowan has special clinical and research interests in mass casualty incidents and has responded to and worked with survivors of several mass shootings, including the Route 91 Harvest Festival and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida. She is board certified as a Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator and a Certified Forensic Behavioral Analyst through the National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE). Dr. Cowan is trained in testing and assessment for forensic populations with a focus on targeted violence, including the Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol-18 (TRAP-18) and the Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk (WAVR-21). She has completed specialized training through the American Association of Suicidology in psychological autopsy, a postmortem investigative procedure to determine proximate and distal causes of an individual’s death with a focus on preventing similar incidents. Dr. Cowan has expertise in behavioral analysis of active shooters, targeted/intended violence, threat assessment, crisis intervention, and the psychosocial needs of survivors. She also current serves on the Commission to Investigate the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach Mass Shooting. She is a member of the Homicide Research Working Group, the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), and the Global Institute of Forensic Research. Dr. Cowan is available for professional consultation on matters relevant to forensic behavioral analysis and psychological autopsy.

Dr. Cowan was awarded the Inside Business Top Forty Under 40 Award