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Lindsey Wilson University's Hannah Coyt Receives Top Award from Kentucky Counseling Association

Longtime counseling educator presented KCA's prestigious Dr. Bill Braden Award.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (11/11/2026) — Hannah Coyt '98 knew she was going to receive the Kentucky Counseling Association's most prestigious award, but that still didn't make it any easier to hold back her emotions.

"I cried when I received the call informing me I had received the award, and I cried when they announced my name," said Coyt, who is associate dean in the Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling. "It's an award I never expected to get."

Coyt received the KCA's Dr. Bill Braden Award on Nov. 7 at the end of the Kentucky Counseling Association's annual three-day meeting, held in Louisville. The state branch of the American Counseling Association, the KCA is more than 40 years old and is composed of more than 1,200 counseling professionals who work in educational, health care, residential, private practice, community agency, government, business and industry settings.

The KCA's highest honor, the Dr. Bill Braden Award is given annually to a counseling professional who has made the greatest contribution to guidance and counseling in Kentucky through professional leadership, service and advocacy.

Recipients of the award are nominated by supervisors, peers or colleagues and selected by the KCA awards committee based on their professional service, leadership and contributions to the counseling profession.

This is the second major award Coyt has received from the KCA. In 2023, she was presented with the Outstanding Counselor Educator Award.

"For me, it's about continuing to give back to KCA because I've received so much from being a member," said Coyt.

Coyt is a longtime faculty member in the Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling, and she's been instrumental in several state counseling initiatives. She's also spearheaded an assortment of educational partnerships between the university and professional organizations. She currently serves as chair of the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors, the regulatory body that administers and enforces laws governing professional counseling in Kentucky.

Coyt is also chair of the Dr. Bill Braden Mentoring Leadership Academy, which helps develop emerging leaders in the state's counseling profession.

"One of the reasons I serve as a chair of the Bill Braden Leadership Academy is because of him," said Coyt. "He would see things in people that other people didn't."

During his career, Braden helped position KCA as one of the most respected state branches within the American Counseling Association. Coyt said the profession continues to reap the benefits of Braden's work in the commonwealth, especially a strong working relationship between KCA and the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. That cooperation helps allow the licensure board to protect the public while KCA advocates for professionals in the state.

"That's kind of a special sauce that Kentucky has that I've noticed other states do not always have," said Coyt. "There is really good cooperation between the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and the KCA, and that helps create a positive atmosphere for counseling in the state."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, six graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

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Lindsey Wilson University School of Professional Counseling Associate Dean Hannah Coyt receives the Kentucky Counseling Association Dr. Bill Braden Award from KCA President Jonathan Durr at the annual KCA conference, held Nov. 4-6 in Louisville.

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