09/25/2018

Patrick Akos

pakos@unc.edu

Dr. Akos' professional experiences as a teacher, school and college counselor inform his work as a Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Patrick teaches in the School Counseling M.Ed. program and has served his school (e.g., Faculty Chair), University (e.g, Leadership Fellow at the Institute of Arts and Humanities), state (e.g., Reach Higher/College Access Strategic Planning Team), national associations (e.g., Board of Directors of the American School Counseling Association) and international collaborations (e.g., Transformative Change: Educational and Life Transitions Research Centre (TCELT) in Scotland) in a variety of leadership roles. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor, secondary/middle grades teacher and K-12 school counselor in North Carolina.

Patrick’s research, teaching, leadership and clinical practice are grounded in a strengths-based framework (Galassi & Akos, 2007), which is informed by humanistic traditions and empirically supported by contemporary scholarship (e.g. positive psychology). Broadly, I examine how best to support and cultivate thriving, especially during educational and career transitions. These transitions hinge on assets, meaning-making, agency, opportunity structures, as well as identity development and stage-environment fit in multiple contexts. Overall, I seek to help others flourish.

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