Astra Czerny


  • Ph.D., Counseling, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
  • M.A., Community Counseling, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
  • B.S., Education, Temple University

Astra Czerny is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania, a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH). Czerny has worked as an assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson University in the Community and Trauma Counseling program, where she was in charge of clinical development and taught clinical, addictions and advanced trauma intervention courses. Currently, Czerny works at Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina where she is the clinical coordinator and teaches skill development courses. She also coordinates the Trauma Certificate program and teaches trauma-specific courses.

Czerny has a private practice in Hickory, N.C. She is a certified Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist and specializes in working with women, trauma and addictions. She also provides clinical supervision for counseling graduates working toward licensure and EMDR clinicians working toward certification.

Her scholarly work reflects her passion for counseling women, trauma survivors and underserved populations. Czerny's larger research agenda encompasses the practical aspects of the healing and empowerment journey for victims of trauma, oppression and abuse. She has developed and published a conceptual model of empowerment for women healing from abuse.

Czerny is actively involved in local, state and national counseling organizations. She has served on the North Carolina Counseling Association’s board and the Greater Philadelphia Area Counseling Association as president elect (2017-2018), president (2018-2019) and past president (2019-2020). She currently serves as secretary for the Catawba Valley Association of Counselor and Therapists.