Academics

CAPS director receives recognition for contribution to campus mental health

Benjamin Locke, senior director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), at Penn State, received the 2017 Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors Award for Excellence in Counseling Center Scholarship. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Benjamin Locke, senior director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), received the 2017 Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) Award for Excellence in Counseling Center Scholarship in recognition of his national contribution to campus mental health, student development and the work of campus counseling centers.

Locke was specifically recognized for his chapter “Emerging Issues and Models in College Mental Health Services,” which appeared in the larger publication, "College Student Mental Health: New Directions for Student Services."

Locke has over 20 years of clinical experience in a wide variety of mental health settings, including wilderness therapy programs, psychiatric hospitals, group homes, community mental health centers and college counseling centers.

During his tenure at Penn State, Locke founded the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), an international practice research network of more than 485 counseling centers. CCMH is now the largest practice research network on college student mental health in the world.

Locke is also an affiliate assistant professor of in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education and the Department of Psychology at Penn State. He presents and consults widely about college student mental health in higher education and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on the topic. 

Prior to his position as senior director, Locke served as the associate director of clinical services and as the assistant director of research and technology at CAPS. He completed pre- and post-doctoral internships at the University of New Hampshire and clinical fellowships in psychology at Harvard Medical School. Locke earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from Boston College and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Hampshire.

CAPS, a unit of Student Affairs, provides individual counseling, group therapy, crisis intervention and educational programming to thousands of students each year.

The AUCCCD is the largest organization of campus mental health leaders in the world. Each year, AUCCCD recognizes member achievements that exemplify excellence in the promotion of campus mental health.

Last Updated September 22, 2020