Program Affiliations

Associate Professor of Counseling

Biography

Dr. Angela McCoy Harless is Associate Professor of Counselor Education in the department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor (LPC-S) with certification in Technology Assisted Counseling (TA-S) and School Counseling. Dr. Harless teaches graduate courses in Clinical Mental Health Counseling pertaining to counseling theory and orientation, counseling skills and techniques, ethics in counseling, career counseling, telemental health, and child and adolescent counseling, including play therapy. 

Professional Experience

Dr. Harless began her career in academia as Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of School Counseling at the University of Central Arkansas in 2015. She moved to her Alma Mater, Texas A & M University – Texarkana in 2018 as Assistant Professor in Counseling, where she earned her position as Associate Professor in 2022. She has served as program coordinator and accreditation liaison to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling programs. She currently serves as Chair to the Counseling Program Advisory Board and Primary Faculty Advisor for Delta Gamma Sigma chapter of Chi Sigma Iota International counseling honor society. One of her most rewarding service experience at TAMUT was Co-Chair of PLACE where she recruited musical researchers and performers for the Southern Experience lecture series.

Education

Dr. Harless earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Arkansas in 2015 and her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Texas A & M University – Texarkana in 2004. Years earlier, she earned a Bachelor of Music Education at Southern Arkansas University in 1989, where she majored in Voice and minored in Piano.

Teaching

Dr. Harless teaches graduate courses in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and uses her diverse background in music, education, counseling, and research to inform her teaching. She is an ACUE Certified Effective Instructor who continually develops her skills as an educator through training and collaboration. Her main goal as an educator is to connect students to the learning at an emotional level and encourage students to be life-long learners, scholar-practitioners, and advocates for the counseling profession.

Graduate Courses Frequently Taught:

• Theories in Counseling
• Career Development
• Ethics in Counseling & Psychology
• Clinical Assessment
• Pre-Practicum
• Practicum
• Technology Assisted Counseling
• Counseling Children and Adolescents

Scholarship & Creative Activity 

Dr. Harless remains active in scholarly pursuits in counseling and creative pursuits in music. She regularly presents for national, regional, and state professional counselor conferences and has publications with peer-reviewed journals and books in counseling. Dr. Harless is the primary author of Writing and Presenting Research, the Handbook of Counseling and Counselor Education. Dr. Harless is committed to research and scholarship pertaining to both counseling and music and investigates holistic interventions for mental health and well-being, the effects of music on emotions and cognition, career counseling, and child and adolescent counseling in impoverished areas and schools. 

Publications:

Bang, N. M., Couture, V. G., & Harless, A. M. (2025). A phenomenological study of school counselors’ experiences: linking advocacy and career development for students in poverty. Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 1–17.

Harless, A. M., Couture, V., Bang, N. (2019, August). Writing and Presenting Research. Handbook of Counseling and Counselor Education. New York, NY: Routledge.

Couture, V., Bang, N. M., Harless, A. M. (2018, August) Successful career counseling interventions used with students in poverty: A preliminary report. NCDA Career Convergence.

Harless, A. M., & Stoltz, K. B. (2018). Integrating narrative approaches with early recollections to provide career counseling with low-SES secondary students. Journal of Individual Psychology (74), 1.

Couture, V., Bang, N., & Harless, A. M. (2017, October). Understanding career Counseling interventions that school counselors use with students in poverty. 2017 Proceedings from MSERA Annual Meeting. Mid-South Educational Research Association.

Harless, A. M. (2015). A comparison and exploration of Arkansas professional school counselor activities across poverty. University of Arkansas. Theses and Dissertations. 1264.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Harless is an active member of the American Counseling Association, Arkansas Counseling Association, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Arkansas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, where she has held various leadership roles, including president. Dr. Harless was honored by the Arkansas Counseling Association with the Emerging Leadership Award in 2014 and the Roger Herring Research Award in 2020 for her research on school counseling in impoverished and rural areas.