

#Health advocate virtual counseling professional#
In that position, he played a vital role in passing a historic piece of legislation that enabled licensed professional counselors (LPCs) to continue their practice, which was threatened by a proposal from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). In 2016, Harrington was appointed president of the Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association (MMHCA), a role he held for four years. “I grew both personally and professionally by leaps and bounds by getting involved in a variety of programming dedicated to improving race relations and multicultural understanding.” “While at Oakland, I was able to learn leadership skills and develop a greater sense of purpose by getting engaged in opportunities at the campus level and surrounding community,” he said. Harrington credits much of his professional success to the experiences he had in his time at OU, which included leadership roles in the Association of Black Students, Men of Umoja (Unity) and Apostolic Lighthouse Campus Ministries. Additionally, he now serves as a member of the OU Graduate Study Advisory Council. Brooks Patterson and as president of the 28th class of Leadership Oakland, a nationally recognized leadership program. He has since been inducted as a member of the fifth class of the “Elite 40 Under 40 of Oakland County” by then-County Executive L. In 2008, Harrington - now known as the “Courage Counselor” - founded Ambassador Counseling and Resource Group, an organization devoted to providing mental health services for individuals, youth and families. “Oakland truly provided a learning atmosphere that challenged me to stretch beyond restrictive schools of thought and learn the value of critical thinking and applying the things we learned.” “The rigor built into my assignments encouraged me to challenge the existing standards in the field so that I could develop my own original thoughts and theories, and in turn become an innovator in my careers,” he said. He was so satisfied with the education he received that he began pursuing a master’s degree in counseling with a community focus that same year, which he completed in 2004. Harrington decided to major in Human Resource Development (HRD) with a minor in labor relations, ultimately graduating in 2002 as a recipient of OU’s Human Relations Award.

He was, however, given provisional admittance under a probationary period, an opportunity that he says changed his life. When Harrington finally received a letter in the mail from OU, he was stunned to learn that he had again been denied regular admission. “My hopes began to fade and the enthusiasm I once had for college was dashed after everyone I sent an application to basically told me a resounding ‘no,’” he said. He was surprised, however, to receive a string of rejection letters from every Michigan-based university to which he applied. “It was only natural for me to follow the crowd and do what everyone else did.” “That’s where everyone else applied and had been accepted,” he said. Harrington, a Flint native, had always planned on pursuing post-secondary education in Michigan, like many of his peers. For many, a college acceptance letter is the gateway to opportunity, but for two-time Oakland University graduate Napoleon Harrington, his success story started with rejection.
