Lindsey Wilson College counseling professor Hannah Coyt has always had a "passion to help." And she recently received a national award for her efforts over the years to strengthen and support the counseling profession.
Coyt was given the Leadership Excellence for Counselors by Counselors Award from the National Board for Certified Counselors, the national organization for counselors.
"I was just absolutely humbled by the award," said Coyt. "The reason it means so much to me is because I was nominated by fellow counselors in the field."
Coyt was presented the award because of her professional work on the national level, including with the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, where she has contributed to that group's strategic planning and has led an emerging leaders program in the Southern United States.
She has also served on the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors since 2020, including two years as its chair.
"I have never worked a day in my life," said Coyt, who earned her bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate in counseling from Lindsey Wilson. "I absolutely love, love, love being able to validate people. It's a thankless job because you don't get a lot of things like these awards, but I don't need that. It's just incredible to help people. You are in the right space when you feel like you don't have a job; it never gets old."
Coyt, who grew up in the Adair County community of Knifley and attended Adair County High School, said her career trajectory was influenced by family members who served in helping professions, especially her paternal grandmother, Stella Tucker. When Coyt was in grade school, Tucker often took her to work with her at Summit Manor Nursing Home in Columbia.
"I would go with her and talk to the residents, who loved the opportunity to talk to me," she said. "I remember just feeling so passionate about seeing them smile and seeing them feel like somebody was validating them. That's where I developed my passion to help others."
In addition to serving as a professional counselor, Coyt is counseling assistant professor and assistant director of Lindsey Wilson's nationally ranked professional counseling graduate program.
"A big reason we have one of the best counseling programs in the nation is because we are blessed with a faculty where their work is not just a job for them," said Coyt. "Our faculty are so focused on our students being as prepared as they can be for the profession when they graduate. And our students are very well prepared because I have counseling supervisors who seek out Lindsey Wilson students. That makes me extremely proud to be part of an institution whose graduates are so sought after by members of the profession."
