The Team
Who We Are
Dr. Jennifer Cook
Associate Professor
Jennifer M. Cook, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a passionate multicultural counselor, educator, researcher, and supervisor who infuses advocacy throughout her work. Her research focuses on counselor cultural development, with specific emphasis on social class, socioeconomic status, and intersectional identities. Dr. Cook has published extensively, completed over 40 national and international peer-reviewed presentations, and recently published a multicultural counseling textbook, "Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling: A Systemic, person-centered, and Ethical Approach." She has served individual, couple, and family clients, many from underserved populations, in private practice and clinical mental health settings, and she has supervised clinical mental health, school, and clinical rehabilitation counselors-in-training.
Malvika Behl, Ph.D., LPC (TX), NCC, School Counselor (OH) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She received her master’s degree in Counseling from Lindenwood University and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Toledo, Ohio. Her research interest primarily focuses on a) understanding the experience of international students in counselor education, b) mental health of adults and children with Specific Learning disabilities, c) impact of the diagnosis of a Specific Learning Disability on the family system, d) mental health of neurodivergent people, and e) trauma and individuals with a disability.
Dr. Malvika Behl
Assistant Professor
Emma Tharp
Graduate Assistant
Emma Tharp is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, is board-certified in neurofeedback, and is an LPC-Associate. Her research interests lie at the intersection of counseling, personality, and professional identity development, focusing on intrapsychic identity formation and how counselors’ internal worlds shape therapeutic processes and client encounters.
As the lab manager at the IDEA Lab, Emma coordinates educational sessions, maintains open communication with students, and helps ensure the lab runs smoothly behind the scenes.