Counseling Center Director receives award for 30 years at Towson University
By Jaylen Beaner-Walker, Staff Writer
Mollie Herman is one of many Towson University staff that received a 2025 Service Award. The awards recognize faculty and staff contributions, and Herman’s marks 30 years of work at the university.
Herman became director of the Counseling Center in summer of 2022. For Herman, being able to provide guidance to students who may be undergoing challenging times is the most rewarding part of the job.
“It’s such an honor to have people give you that responsibility and trust to enter into their lives with them, hear about what their challenges are, to share with you some of the most personal things that they may not have even ever told anybody,” Herman said.
Herman started working at Towson’s Counseling Center full time in 1994 after receiving her doctorate from the University of Maryland in Counseling Psychology. She previously worked within a private practice sector in Dundalk.
Over the past few decades, Herman observed how the Counseling Center has evolved, especially as conversations around mental health have been de-stigmatized.
“I do think over the trajectory of my career here, there has been just an increase in recognition, acknowledgement, and support for students to get help with mental health challenges,” Herman said.
Systemically, the Counseling Center’s practices have also changed. It used to include waitlists and had no session time limits which restricted many students from getting the proper help they needed. However, about five years ago the Counseling Center adopted a “flexible care model” where same day services became accessible to all students.
“I think being really realistic on a same-day model can be really helpful for a lot of our students,” Jimmy Thren, assistant dean and director of Student Outreach and Support, said.
In recent years, The Counseling Center has also collaborated with various campus partners to create spaces for mental health outreach. The newest platform sponsored by both the Counseling Center and SGA is Togetherall, a 24/7 online counseling service for students to express their emotions through conversations with trained clinicians.
“Molly’s been an amazing partner in helping students who might be resistant to getting support get connected,” Thren said.
Herman has worked with many colleagues that she’s been able to build strong relationships with over the years.
“I learned some valuable lessons working alongside Mollie, some around navigating challenging issues, open communication even when it’s hard,” Assistant Director of Prevention Emily Wiegand said.
Herman hopes to see the center evolve and grow to provide students with the guidance that they need even more.
“The direction of the Counseling Center is to just expand and empower others to help students with their mental health and to continue to work in close collaboration with our campus partners,” Herman said.