Sommers receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
Associate Professor, Department Chair
Counselor Education & Family Therapy
School Counseling Program Coordinator
Counselor Education & Family Therapy
Counselor Education & Family Therapy
Office
Henry Barnard Hall
22503
Biography
Biography
Dr. Peg Donohue joined the Department of Counselor Education and Family at CCSU in 2014. She is now an Associate Professor and the School Counseling Program Coordinator. She was recently elected Department Chair Elect by her peers in the Department of Counselor Education and Family Therapy and will began her term in Fall of 2025. Dr. Donohue spent 7 years as an educator and 16 years working as a school counselor in both Connecticut and California. Dr. Donohue is widely regarded as a national leader in school counseling, particularly in the alignment of school counseling programs with the prevention-focused MTSS framework and universal mental health screening. Her additional research interests include: small group intervention, fostering social and emotional learning, the impact of school counselor ratio on student outcomes, and developing new practical tools to support MTSS implementation. She collaborated with faculty across the university to establish the CCSU Center for Excellence in Social and Emotional Learning in 2018 and served as the Advocacy Chair from 2020-2025. She is the author of Setting the Table for Tier 2 Small-Group Interventions: Fostering SEL & Academic Success (Cognella, 2025) and co-author of The School Counselor’s Guide to MTSS (Routledge, 2023) and Making MTSS Work (ASCA, 2020). She has published numerous journal articles in school counseling flagship journals such as Professional School Counseling, The Journal of School Counseling, The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, and The Professional Counselor. She has contributed to special issues on MTSS and Tier 2 Small Group Interventions. Dr. Donohue strives to blend her extensive practical experience with leading-edge research and teaching. Her scholarship advances evidence-based support systems in schools (MTSS), efficient and equitable deployment of school counseling resources, early identification and intervention for students’ mental health challenges, and strong frameworks for SEL and tiered interventions in K–12 settings.
She currently serves/has served on the following university committees:
Sabbatical Committee
Faculty Senate
Faculty Senate Advisory Committee
Information Technology Committee
Academic Integrity Committee
University Search Committees (SEPS Dean and VP of Student Affairs)
She serves her profession as an American School Counselor (ASCA) Certified Trainer and Is a Co‑Founder of “School Counselors for MTSS” Collaborative alongside other noted counselor educators like Drs. Emily Goodman‑Scott, Jennifer Betters-Bubon and Jacob Olsen. This platform supports school districts with MTSS implementation through workshops, consultation, and resources—underscoring her commitment to leadership in practice and advocacy. She is also a newly appointed member of the leadership team for the Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES) School Counseling Interest Network.
Over the past decade, Dr. Donohue has been routinely invited to give state, regional, and national presentations on topics like MTSS implementation, universal screening, and counselor preparation. She and her husband reside on the CT shoreline where they raised their two children who are now out in the world exploring their own paths.
Education
PhD
Educational Psychology / Counselor Education
University of Connecticut
2014
School Counseling Credential
School Counseling
San Francisco State University
1997
EdM
Education
University of San Francisco
1991
AB
American Studies
Georgetown University
1989
Education
Human Development and Psychology
Harvard Graduate School of Education
1994
Educational Psychology / Counselor Education
University of Connecticut
2014
Areas of Expertise
- School Counselor's Role in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
- Universal Screening in Schools
- The impact of school counselor ratio on student outcomes
- Tier 2 Interventions
- Social and Emotional Learning
Publications, Research & Presentations
Selected publications:
Books
- Donohue, P. (2025) Setting the Table for Tier 2 Small Group SEL & Academic Interventions for Students in Grades K-12. Cognella Publications.
- Goodman-Scott, E., Betters-Bubon, J, Donohue, P. (2019, 2023). The School Counselors’ Guide to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Routledge Publishers. New York, NY.
- Goodman-Scott, E., Betters-Bubon, J, Olsen, J., Donohue, P. (2020). Making MTSS Work. ASCA Publications. Alexandria, VA.
Articles
- Donohue, P., Smith Durkin, S., & Frank, A. (2024). Strategies to enhance implementation fidelity in school-counselor-led, culturally affirming tier 2 groups. Professional School Counseling, 28(1a), 2156759X241234912.
- Goodman-Scott, E., Donohue, P., & Betters-Bubon, J. (2023). A Phenomenological Investigation of Universal Mental Health Screening: Making Meaning for School Counseling. Professional School Counseling, 27(1), 2156759X221150008.
- Donohue, P., Parzych, J., Chiu, M., Goldberg, K., Nguyen, K. (2022). The Impacts of School Counselor Ratios on Student Outcomes: A Multi-State Study. Professional School Counseling.
- Goodman-Scott, E., Donohue, P., Betters-Bubon, J. (2022). A Phenomenological Investigation of Universal Mental Health Screening: Making Meaning for School Counseling. Professional School Counseling.
- Donohue P., Darragh, C. (2021). MTSS Team Player. ASCA School Counselor Magazine.
- Goodman-Scott, E., Donohue, P., Betters-Bubon, J. (2019). The Case for Universal Mental Health Screening in Schools. Counseling Today. American Counseling Association Monthly Publication.
- Donohue, P., Goodman-Scott, E., & Jennifer, B. B. (2015). Using universal screening for early identification of students at risk: A case example from the field. Professional School Counseling, 19(1), 1096-2409.
Awards & Grants
Awards:
2025 Nominee Excellence in Teaching Award Central Connecticut State University
2019 Nominee Excellence in Teaching Award Central Connecticut State University
2018 Research Fellow Center for School Counseling Research and Evaluation. University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
2018 Nominee Excellence in Teaching Award Central Connecticut State University
2017 Nominee Excellence in Teaching Award Central Connecticut State University
2013 NARACES Emerging Leaders Sponsorship Program for ACES 2013 conference Denver, Co.
2013 Counselor Education Doctoral Scholarship. University of Connecticut.
Grants:
ASCA Counselor Educator Research Grant, 2019 $25,000. The Impact of School Counselor Ratio on Student Outcomes in the Six U.S. States with Highest and Lowest Ratios. (Principal Investigator)
CCSU Curriculum Development Grant, 2019 $1,200. Co-awardee. Development of On-Line Supervision Training Modules for Site Supervisors overseeing practicum and internship students.
2019-2020 CSU-AAUP Faculty Research Grant. $2,500. School-based Family Counseling 1962-2018: A Scoping Review. Presentation of findings at annual SBFC Symposium in Venice, Italy in August 2020.
Faculty Development Grant, 2019, $1,500. Integrating Prevention Science into School Counseling Preparation: Building Effective Multiple Tiered Systems of Supports presentation at the Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES) Conference. Seattle, WA. October 9-13, 2019.
ASCA Counselor Educator Research Grant, 2017, $10,000. The Impact of School Counselor Ratio on Student Outcomes in Indiana, Connecticut, and New York. (Co-lead Investigator)
Faculty Research Release Time Grant, 2016. Measuring effectiveness of implementing Mind-Up mindfulness curriculum in Middletown middle school.
Faculty Research Grant, 2016, $1500. Introducing Mind-Up Mindfulness Curriculum in Middletown
State Personnel Development Grant, 2012, $10,000. Providing Technical Assistance for the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports at Old Saybrook Middle School 2012-2015.
Memberships & Affiliations
- American School Counseling Association, 2000 - present
- Association of Counselor Educators, 2014 - present
- ACES School Counselor Interest Network Leadership Team Member, 2025
- North Atlantic Regional Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors, 2012-present
- Connecticut Association of Counselor Education and Supervision, 2014 – present
- Leadership role – President 2018-19
- American Counseling Association, 2014-present
- Leadership role - VP Counselor Educator 2016, 2019
- Connecticut School Counseling Association, 2001- present
Courses Taught
CNSL 500 Group Dynamics
CNSL 503 School Counseling Practicum
CNSL 591 School Counseling Internship
CNSL 520 Professional School Counseling I
CNSL 524 Collaborative Consultation in Schools