Dr. E. Carolina Benitez

Email: [email protected]
First Year at Gordon-Conwell: 2018
Expertise: Counseling; Latino mental health concerns; Culturally appropriate counseling strategies for immigrant and underserved families, couples, and individuals.

Biography:
Dr. E. Carolina Benitez, PhD, LCHMC-S (NC), LPC-S (SC), NCC joined Gordon-Conwell in 2018. She is a native of Honduras who immigrated to the United States in 1995 as a high school student, accompanied by her parents and siblings. Early personal experiences sparked her interest in the mental wellness of Hispanic immigrant families living in the US. Dr. Benitez completed an MA in Clinical Counseling at Columbia International University in 2014 and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte in 2018. Her clinical work and research focus on Hispanic immigrant communities: prevention and treatment of mental health diagnoses, the effects of acculturation, and improving quality and access to services delivered to this and other under-resourced groups. Dr. Benitez has experience working in different contexts, including community-based, outpatient addiction rehabilitation, and private practice.

Dr. Benitez’s passion and heart for serving the local Hispanic community have guided her professional interests and pursuits. In partnership with local nonprofits and ministries, Dr. Benitez works to bring educational opportunity to Hispanic/Latinos, increase access to seminary education of Hispanic/Latino pastors, and develop cultural competency among counseling and social work students and newly licensed mental health providers.

Dr. Benitez is an assistant professor of counseling at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She has served in leadership, clinical, supervisory, and administrative roles within ministry, educational, healthcare, and nonprofit settings. As an educator, supervisor, and researcher, Dr. Benitez is passionate about training and equipping professionals for community-based clinical and advocacy work. As an immigrant and local community member, her goal is to engage, empower, and equip others to make a difference in their families and communities.

Dr. Benitez and her husband Roberto have four sons together: José, Christian, Sebastián, and César. When not at home, the family can be found near a local beach, the closest place to home for Dr. Benitez and Roberto, who are natives of Tela, Honduras, and Veracruz, México.

View CV

Degrees

• BA (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
• MA (Columbia International University)
• PhD (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

Publications

• Benitez, E.C. (2020). “Clients of Latin American Descent.” In Counseling with Cultural Responsiveness, Humility, and Empathy for Diverse People.

• Benitez, E. C. & Gutierrez, D. (2020). “Familias Fuertes: Strength-based Approaches to working with Latino Immigrant Families.” In Intercultural Perspectives on Family Counseling. Edited by Brian S. Canfield. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.