Dr. Hrustanović (she/her) is a core faculty member in the Counselor Education & Supervision (CES) program at Antioch University Seattle. Along with teaching various courses and engaging in student advisement, she is the program’s Director of Multicultural and Social Justice Curriculum and is tasked with ensuring that the curriculum in the program is foundationally built on principles of human rights and social justice advocacy.
Dr. Hrustanović earned a doctorate from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York and has been practicing in the field for several years. Dr. Hrustanović was previously faculty at Medaille University in Buffalo, NY where she taught in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee within the program.
Dr. Najla Hrustanović is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has worked in community mental health as well as college counseling and private practice settings, focusing on trauma healing within refugee, immigrant, and low-income populations. Her teaching and research interests include topics on childhood trauma, grief and loss, cultural diversity, supervision and training, and most of all, leadership in human rights advocacy.
Dr. Hrustanović currently serves as the Capital Region Chair of the New York State chapter of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Association for Counselling (IAC) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES).
Core Faculty
Counselor Education and Supervision (CES)
Director
Multicultural and Social Justice Curriculum
- Ph.D., Counselor Education, University at Buffalo
- M.S., Mental Health Counseling, State University of New York College at Oswego
- B.A., Psychology, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
My teaching philosophy is rooted in my belief that all students are exceptional and valuable, and that they deserve an educational environment that will provide support for exploration and vulnerability, and stimulation for growth. I strongly identify with teaching approaches that are centered on humanity and that celebrate intellectual diversity and community learning. My pedagogical passion stems from my desire to ground all teaching in human rights and social justice advocacy. I identify with a compassionate, dialogue-oriented, and thought-provoking teaching style. I believe that this approach stimulates critical thinking, promotes connection, and encourages a meaning-making conceptualization. Inspiring students to think critically about evidence-based practices and theology; supporting them in informed decision-making; and fostering curiosity for our data-driven world are all pillars of my pedagogy. Additionally, I believe that I hold an obligation to assist students with not only learning the course material and training to be competent counselors, but also with acknowledging and challenging the social impact of their personal values, beliefs, and innate perceptions of the world and others. I believe that one of the most important parts of being an educator is being approachable and expressing sincere care for students. Whether in a lecturing or an advisory role, I focus on each student as a human full of beauty and wisdom.
Refereed Publications
- Hrustanovic, N. (2016). Experiences of Bosnian war-survivor refugees: Implications for counselor multicultural competence. ProQuest, 1-184.
Manuscripts in Preparation
- Hrustanovic, N., & Lawrence, J. (In Preparation). Experiences of Bosnian war-survivor refugees: Implications for counselor multicultural competence. Journal of Loss and Trauma, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development.
- Member, Multicultural Infusion Curriculum Research Team, January 2017 – Present Active member of Dr. Amy Reynold’s Research Team studying the infusion of multicultural content throughout the curriculum of APA Accredited Counseling Psychology Doctoral Programs. Involved with coding and data analysis of qualitative data and development of literature review.
Submitted Manuscripts (non-published)
- Hrustanovic, N. (2017). Most desired counselor characteristics after loss: A qualitative analysis, Journal of Counselor Education.
- Hrustanovic, N., Guthery, A., & Ward, C. (October, 2022). Deconstructing Supervision: Multicultural Responsiveness Through Solidarity and Liberative Justice. WACES Conference, Portland, OR
- Hrustanovic, N., & Hunter, K. (March, 2018). Young, Gifted & at Risk: Supporting Mental Health of Students of Color. Dean of the College Division, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
- Hrustanovic, N. (March, 2016). Bosnian Civil War: The Aftermath of Genocide and its Impact on Survivor Mental Health. HART Global Awareness Conference, SUNY College at Oswego, NY
- The Emerging Leader in Student Affairs Award, Colgate University – Dean of the College Division, 2017
- Staff Excellence Award, Colgate University – Dean of the College Division, 2017
- Member of Phi Theta Kappa (Honor Society), 2007 – 2011
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (NY) #009060
- Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) – T Trauma-Focused Cognitive – Behavioral Therapy – T
- QPR- Suicide Prevention Certified Instructor (Jan 2017)
- American Counseling Association, 2015 – Present
- Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2019 – Present
- Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development (ACA – AMCD), 2018 – Present
- International Association for Counseling, 2019 – Present
- American Psychological Association (APA), 2015 – 2018
- Global Mental Health Counseling & Sustainability
- Civil Enrichment, Public Policy, & Resilient Narratives
- Practicum, Internship.