College of Education

Dr. Kathy Biles is the OSU Cascades Master’s in Counseling School Counseling Program Coordinator. Dr. Biles’ undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Psychology from Charleston Southern University, and her M.S. degree in Counseling is from Oregon State University, Corvallis.  While working as a school counselor, Dr. Biles earned her PhD in Counseling, with an emphasis in Counselor Education, from Oregon State University in 2004.

Dr. Biles was instrumental in starting the Master’s in Counseling Program at OSU Cascades in 2004.  She has developed partnerships with Central Oregon School Districts, providing evidenced based school counseling field placements for graduate students, along with continuing education for licensed school counselors. She has served as the President of the Oregon School Counselor Association (OSCA) and currently serves on the High Desert Educational Service District (HDESD) Board.  Dr. Biles collaborates with a group of Counselor Educators from around the country in providing a Summer Diversity and Cultural Immersion Program for graduate students in New York City each summer. 

Dr. Biles also works with a team of school counselor educators researching elementary school counseling preparation and advocacy for elementary school counselors.  Other research interest includes using motivational interviewing in the school setting, student motivation and academic achievement, social justice and advocacy and school counselor leadership. She is interested in addictions and adolescent substance abuse research and participates in a SAMHSA Grant for SBIRT Training.   Dr. Biles has worked as an addictions counselor, while serving in the Navy, as a counselor for an Upward Bound program and as a middle school and high school counselor.  She is passionate about the school counseling profession. She has presented nationally on student motivation and academic achievement and providing a professional practicum model from a social justice framework.