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College of Education & Human Development Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology
250 Education Sciences Building - 56 East River Road - Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
Tel: 612-624-1698 - Fax: 612-624-8241
Sunny Hansen

Post-retirement transition bio from 2000-2007

Sunny Hansen (formerly L. Sunny Hansen)

Professor emerita

Counseling and student personnel psychology

Publications

Hansen, Sunny S. Integrative Life Planning: A Holistic Theory for Career Counseling with Adults (2002), In 4th Edition, Adult Career Development, Spencer Niles (Ed). Tulsa, OK: NCDA, pp. 59-76.

Skovholt, T., Hansen, S., Goh, M., Romano, J. & Thomas, Kay, The Minnesota International Counseling Institute (MICI) 1989—Present: History, Joyful Moments, and Lessons Learned, International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, Vol 27, No. 1, March 2005.

Hansen, S. Integrating Work, Family, and Community through Holistic Life Planning,, Special Millennium Issue, Career Development Quarterly, Vol, 49, No. 3, March 2001, pp. 261-274.

Hansen, S. Career Counselors as Advocates and Change Agents for Equality, Career Development Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1, September 2003, pp. 43-53. Ellen Piel Cook (Ed.) Special Issue: Career Counseling in the Next Decade.

Harkins, A., Hansen, S., & Gama, E.P. Gender Issues in Multicultural Counseling (2007) In P. Pedersen, J.G. Draguns, W.J. Lonner, & J. E. Trimble, Counseling across Cultures (66h Edition), Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage, (In Press).

Flom, B. & Hansen, S. (2006) Please Don’t Shut the Door on Me: Aspirations of Adolescents in Crisis, The Professional School Counselor, October 2006, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 88-91.

Featured profile in Journal of Counseling and Development, based on four interviews by authors(colleague and three former doctoral students in 2004 and 2005):

Skovholt, T., Hage, S., Kachgal, M., & Gama, E.P. (2007). Profile—An Interview with Sunny Hansen: Pioneer and Innovator in Counseling and Career Development, Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol. 85, #2, Spring, 2007, pp. 216-226.

Invited video interviews

Hansen, S. (2003), Integrative Life Planning, Video made for Emerging Career Theorists, Career Development Facilitator Program, NCDA, David Reile, Director.

Hansen, S. (July, 2006) Integrative Life Planning, Video made for Career Development Facilitator Program, Manpower, Tokyo, Japan.

Creative activities

Founder and chair of ACES/NCDA Joint Commission on Preparing Counselors for Career Development in the 21st Century. Primary author of Commission’s Position Paper March 1, 2001. Presentations on Paper at National NCDA, ACA, and IAEVG Conventions 2001-2007.

BORN FREE Update

From 2005-2007 THE BORN FREE Update was planned and implemented with two volunteers and one part-time research assistant, an online program to archive the original BORN FREE materials, a revised literature review and three training packets, and to develop an international dimension of the project. Nine original DVDs were made from the videos, and video guides will be on the website. About a dozen international authors, specialists in education and counseling, were invited to contribute 15-25 page articles on gender issues in their culture. It is hoped that the updated and original print and multimedia materials will be of interest to gender development leaders across cultures, especially where active intervention programs for gender equality are just beginning, as well as to young educators who have had little or no training in gender equity.

Created concept of integrative life planning (ILP) and book of that title identifying six critical life tasks and using quilts as a metaphor. Concept is being taught as a theory in some countries, and the holistic approach has been introduced in several countries, including Japan, Ireland, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Tasmania, South Africa, and in counselor education programs and higher education around the U.S. The concept is being modified and will be rewritten. ILP has been widely presented in the U.S. and other countries.

Created distance learning class based on integrative life planning (ILP) for College of Continuing Education, 2003, EPSY4300  Integrative Career Life Planning, for adult and upper level undergraduates.

Keynotes and other presentations

Hansen, S. (2001). Life Stories, Life Planning, & Life Journeys. Keynote Presentation at the annual convention of the National Career Development Association, Tucson, AZ,2001.

Hansen, S. (1998). Spirituality, Life Planning, and Career Development of Women. National Convention of the American Psychological Association. San Francisco.

Hansen, S. Keynote address on Integrative Life Planning, IAEVG/AACC, Perth, Australia, April 5, 2000.

Hansen, S. Keynote address on Integrative Life Planning, National Conference, Padova, Italy, June 4, 2000.

Hansen, S. Invited Workshop on Integrative Life Planning, Auckland Technological University, Auckland, New Zealand, April 8, 2000.

Hansen, S. New Strategies for Preparing Counselors for Career Development, (with Jane Goodman, and Mark Savickas ), IAEVG Conference, Bern, Switzerland, September, 2003.

Hansen, S. Presentations from 2001-2007 on Experiential Activities for Preparing Counselors for Career Development in the 21st Century. Primarily at Conventions of NCDA and the American Counseling Association.

Hansen, S. (2004) Featured speaker at NCDA Conference on topic Spirituality, Career Development of Women, and Integrative Life Planning, San Francisco, CA.

Hansen, S. (2006). Keynote speaker at 10th Anniversary Celebration of the National Centre for Guidance in Education on Integrative Life Planning, Feb. 22, 2006, Dublin, Ireland.

Hansen, S. (2006). Invited guest lecturer on integrative life planning, M.A. Career Development Class, September 18, for Assoc. Prof. Michael Goh.

Hansen, S. (2006). Applying Integrative Life Planning, Annual Convention of IAEVG, Lisbon, Portugal, September, 2006 (with Agnes Watanabe).

Hansen, S. (2007). Chair and Presenter of Integrative Life Planning Panel at ACA Annual Convention, Detroit, MI, March 27, 2007 (with Jane Goodman and Michael Hall).

Hansen, S. (2007). Chair and presenter of Panel on Applying Integrative Life Planning with Diverse Populations (with Michael Hall, Barbara Suddarth, Christine Oatis Skinner, Martha Russell, Michi Mizuni and David Reile), NCDA National Convention, Seattle, WA, July 8, 2007.

Hansen, S. (2007). Featured speaker with Norman Amundson, Canada, on International Perspectives on Career Guidance: Reflections and Implications for NCDA. July 7, 2007, Seattle, WA.

Hansen, S. (2007). Speaker to counseling professionals at Auckland Technological University in Auckland, NZ on Trends and Issues in Career Counseling, April 24th.

Honors and awards

Selected as a charter fellow, National Career Development Association, 2002.

Selected as fellow in the second class of fellows, American Counseling Association, 2005.

Selected as one of 100 Distinguished Graduates (alumni) of the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, in its centennial year. Award presented at Gala Celebration, May 6, 2006.

First internal faculty member selected as Lowell Hellervik/Personnel Decisions International Distinguished Professor of Adult Career Development, 2000.

Professional and community organizations

Member, Outreach Board (2006-2008), Plymouth Congregational Church. Board Provides coordination and leadership for all of church’s community outreach activities. Created online quarterly newsletter for the Board, Summer 2007 (2007-2009)

Participated in seminar on Spiritual Eldering, Fall, 2006, Plymouth Congregational Church, led by Connie and Larry Hinckle.

Editorial advisor, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling (1980-2007).

Member, Minnesota Women’s Consortium, with BORN FREE as the focus.

Member, American Association of University Women (AAUW). St. Paul Branch.

Elected deputy member, Board of Directors, International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (2004-2007), Bern. Switzerland.

Volunteer in winter months to tutor international immigrant from El Salvador once a week in learning English. Through Literacy Council of Bonita Springs, FL, 2006-2007.

Co-director and presenter along with Tom Skovholt, Michael Goh, John Romano, and Kay Thomas of the 8th and 9th Minnesota International Counseling Institutes (begun In 1989) and offered summers biennially including 2001, 2003, and 2005, counseling and student personnel psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Teaching

Teach a distance learning course in the College of Continuing Education (since 2003) called Integrative Career/Life Planning, based on my new holistic concept of life planning called integrative life planning (ILP).

Occasional lectures on integrative life planning for CSPP master’s class in career development, taught by Professor Michael Goh.

Personal and family

Survived four major illnesses from 2001 through 2004 and, though more limited physically, am able to participate in traveling, boating, walking, dancing, and some golf.

Thanks to daughter Sonja and son Tor S. and their spouses, since 2001 have become a grandmother four times with four grandchildren under 5 (Walter, 4,Jana 2 1/2, Sofie, 4, and Kyra, 3).

Still live in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, with husband Tor, and this year celebrating our 45th anniversary. Spend 3 winter months in a condo in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Sunny Sundal Hansen
June 1, 2007  

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Last modified on February 11, 2009