I, Dora Durante, am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), with a concentration in Spirituality and Pastoral Counseling. I am married, with three children (two daughters and one son), two granddaughters, and one grandson. I enjoy reading, playing tennis, and taking long solitary walks to experience the quiet, peaceful miracles of nature.

 

I hold a Master of Science Degree in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University – Baltimore, Maryland and a Master of Science Degree in Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary – Washington, DC. My training enables me to be available to a diverse clientele seeking soul justice in the form of healing.  I define soul justice as the proper and lawful healing of one’s brokenness from the inside out, a healing process from pain and destruction that produces life (joy, peace, happiness, and self-worth). 

 

Through my encounters as an intern and licensed counselor, I have experiences working with a diverse population of individuals, families, and groups. Diverse individual backgrounds include male and female, adolescents, young, middle age, and elderly adults across multiple socio-economic ranges and ethnicities, Africans, African Americans, Asians, Europeans, and English-speaking Hispanics. Group counseling diversity includes divorce care of men and women, single parenting, grief sharing, teen problems, domestic violence abuse intervention (victims and perpetrators), and anger management. These experiences have enlarged my awareness that a diverse population encompasses a multitude of belief systems and norms. 

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Licensure/ Certification

• The Maryland Board of Professional Counselors - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC): License #LC8951

• The National Board of Certified Counselors - National Certified Counselor (NCC): License #706755

• Certification: Telehealth for Mental Health Professionals

• Certification: Prepare/ Enrich Facilitator

• Master's Certification: Project Management Program 

 

Affiliations

• American Counseling Association (ACA) Certified

• Alpha Sigma Nu Academic and Professional Jesuit Honor Society

• The National Scholars Honor Society

 

Education

• Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling / Honors, Loyola University, Maryland (May 2016)

• Master of Science in Theological Studies / Honors, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC (May 2009)

• Secondary Education Coursework - Chemistry, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina (1992)

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina (May 1975)

 

Awards

• Alpha Sigma NU – The Honor Society of Jesuit Colleges and Universities – Lifetime Membership in Recognition of Scholarship, Loyalty and Service, May 2016

• The National Scholars Honor Society – Lifetime Membership in Recognition of Academic and Personal Excellence, May 2009

• 2021 Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service 

• 2013 Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service 

• 2010 Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service

• 2007 Executive Leadership Development Program, Department of Commerce Washington, DC 

• 2001 Federal Employee of the Year - United States Census Bureau Charlotte, NC Regional Office (Creative, Innovative, and Motivating Leadership)

• 2001 Federal Employee of the Year - Management Award Charlotte Federal Executive Association (Contribution to the Quality of Life in the Charlotte Area through Leadership)

• Combined Federal Campaign National Capital Association Decennial Census Management Division Team Leader Award - U.S. Census Bureau: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

• Department of Commerce - U.S. Census Bureau Special Achievement Awards: 2000 through 2020 

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Publications

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• Book: Becoming An Angel of Soul Justice: Listening Heart, Listening Ears, Listening Eyes

• Article:  Durante, D. B., (2013). "Enumerating Persons Experiencing Homelessness in the 2010 Census: Identifying Service Based and Targeted Non-sheltered Outdoor Locations, H2R Conference - Survey for Hard-to-Reach Populations, November 1-3, 2021, New Orleans, LA

• Article: The Interrelatedness of Theology, Sociology, and Ecology: An Exploration of the Role Religion Plays in the Interaction and Action of Humanity with the Natural World; March 31, 2009

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Speaking Engagements/ Presentations

• Navigating Grief and Loss: Healing for the Holidays

• U. S. Census Bureau - Multiple Presentations for Conferences and Meetings of Umbrella Organizations of Group Quarters Facilities

  • National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)

  • National Association Healthcare/ American Hospital Association

  • Veteran Affairs  

  • Correctional Leadership Association 2020 Annual Conference (San Diego, CA)

  • National Association of Confidential Address Programs 2019 Annual Conference (Seattle, WA)

  • International Seminar of Methodologies for Homelessness Surveys, (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

• Self- Care: Reid Temple African Methodist Church Marriage Retreat, 2019

• The Church’s Response to Domestic Violence: Effective Justice for the 21st Century, 2015

• Beating the System: Effective Parenting for the 21st Century

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Community Involvement

• New Life Nation Church

• Global Evangelism & Outreach Ministry (Somebody CARES) - Travel to and from Malawi to support the development of communities in and around Lilongwe. 

• U. S. Census Bureau’s Partners in Education Volunteer Program - Former Volunteer

• Director - Young People's Division of AMEC Missionary Society: Greater Bethel AMEC, Charlotte, NC 

• Director - Young People's Division of AMEC Missionary Society: Bethel AMEC, Greensboro, NC 

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Other Careers

• Department of Commerce/ U. S. Census Bureau – Chief, Special Enumeration Branch, Decennial Census Management Division (2008 – Current)

• SMR Counseling Services, Waldorf, Clinton, Burtonsville, MD - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (2016 - June 2021)

• Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration: Acting Deputy Director - Office of Africa (2007-2008)

• Guilford County Schools/Greensboro, NC - High School Science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics) Teacher (1986 - 1997)

• Tennis Coach: Ben L Smith High School, Greensboro, NC

• Special Project Coordinator: Gate City Junior Tennis Academy, Greensboro, NC 

• Summer Project Director/Mathematics Instructor – Mathematics, Science, Engineering, and Technology Program/Intensive Summer Science Program/NASA Program (Summer 1997 - 1998)

• Levi Strauss Research and Development Company, Greensboro, NC - Chemical Research Analyst 

• SPGPrints Group (Stork Screens America), Charlotte, NC - Chemical Laboratory Technician

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