About the Researchers
Dr. Beth Counselman-Carpenter, PhD, LCSW
Primary Investigator,
Associate Professor at Adelphi University,
Listen to podcast link above to hear from Beth. She has written over 24 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, 8 book chapters, and is the co-editor of the clinical practice book Working with Grief & Traumatic Loss: Theory, Practice, Personal Reflection & Self-care for Clinicians, by Cognella Publishing, and two textbooks on Human Behavior in the Social Environment.
She has participated in over 35 research presentations at pre-eminent professional conferences in the social work, medical, psychology, teaching and technology fields. The recipient of four grants from Columbia University, the American Association of University Professors, and the Adelphi University Provost’s Office, Dr. C’s research focuses on deconstructing barriers to service provision – exploring the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment, understanding what factors facilitate post-traumatic growth and creating sustainable frameworks for retention of folx – in treatment, in educational settings and academia and particularly related to students, faculty, clients and other community members with marginalized identities and trauma survivors.
Joyce T. Williams,
Lead Researcher
Founder & President of Keepers of the Flame Foundation
Joyce is a graduate of Furman University and spent seven years teaching middle and high schoolers before staying at home with her little girls. When they were 4 and 5, Joyce was diagnosed with invasive ductile carcinoma. In a ten-month period, she had a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiation, and a hysterectomy. She learned first-hand the physical and emotional trials accompanying a diagnosis and has become a huge advocate for breast cancer patients and their mental health.
Since treatment, she has founded Keepers of the Flame Foundation. She developed their website to connect other survivors with resources and support needed; she created a podcast, interviewing key professionals and uploading an episode a week for 52 weeks. She then researched, did curriculum planning, taught, and digitally produced KotF’s free resilience curriculum. She’s done educational presentations and inspirational speaking engagements, partnered with yoga-instructors to provide free classes to patients; and she has peer-counseled over 35 newly diagnosed patients. She’s the founder and president of Keepers of the Flame Foundation and works closely with her team to continue to support breast cancer patients physically and emotionally with both local and digitalized programs.