Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson, PhD

Dr. Chantrelle D. Varnado-Johnson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LA), Licensed
Professional Counselor Approved Supervisor (LA), Registered Play Therapist, Board Certified
Tele-Mental Health Provider, and Nationally Certified Counselor, She also possesses Louisiana
Appraisal Privilege. At Nicholls State University, Dr. Varnado-Johnson is a tenure-track
assistant professor of counseling and the coordinator of the school counseling program in the
Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Studies. She earned a doctorate in
Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of New Orleans. She earned a master’s
degree in sociology as well as a master’s degree in human services and school counseling from
the University of New Orleans. Dr. Varnado-Johnson, who has 20 years of clinical experience in both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health treatment facilities, has provided clinical mental health counseling to adults, adolescents, and children with a variety of issues. She has experience working in schools and private practice, as well as crisis intervention. Her research interests include ways to improve the social justice competency of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) graduate students in mentoring relationships, advocating for anti-racism principles in K–12 environments, and supervising socially ascribed groups through play therapy and creativity. Furthermore, she is actively involved in the profession as evidenced by serving in leadership roles, presenting at conferences, while holding membership in the American Counseling Association (ACA), American School Counseling Association (ASCA), Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC), Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling in Louisiana (ACACL), Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES), Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness (ACCSW), Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC), Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, Association for Play Therapy (APT), Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic & Professional Honor Society International (CSI), European Branch of the American Counseling Association (EB-ACA),
Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ), Golden Key International Honour Society, Association for
Counselor Education and Supervision (LACES) Counseling Association, Louisiana Association
for Multicultural Counseling and Development (LAMCD), Louisiana Association for Play
Therapy (LAPT), Louisiana Career Development Association (LCDA), Louisiana School
Counselor Association (LSCA), Louisiana Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender
Expansive Identities (SAIGE-LA), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Omicron
Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Association for Counselor
Education and Supervisors (SACES), and the Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA). She currently
holds the positions of Co-Chair of the Social Justice and Human Rights Committee (SACES),
LSCA Representative to the Louisiana Human Trafficking Prevention Advisory Board, and
AMCD Membership & Strategic Planning Co-Chair. In addition, she serves as the co-faculty
advisor for SALUTE at Nicholls State University, the campus faculty advisor for the Xi Theta
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and the chief faculty advisor for the Gamma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota.