Kathy Handel earned her BA from Michigan State University in Social Studies and received an MA from MSU in Guidance and Counseling. Later, she received a M.Ed. in School Psychology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. When she and her husband moved to NYC, she attended New York University as a full-time student. Throughout her career Kathy has taken courses on a variety of campuses including the University of Hawaii and Ohio State University.

Her work experience includes teaching in a high school, counseling in a junior high school, and interning with pay for a year as a school psychologist. Immediately after moving to Columbia, she took a counseling position at Spring Valley High School. In 1995 she became the first Director of Guidance at Ridge View High School. Within months after retiring from Ridge View High School, she took a part-time counseling position at Richland Northeast High School where she continues to work.

Kathy has completed several certificate programs including a Primary Training Course from The Institute For Advanced Study in Rational Psychotherapy in New York City and the 40 hours of Family Mediation Skills Training from the SC Council for Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution in cooperation with Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the SC Bar Association and the USC Law School.

While a counselor at Spring Valley High School, Kathy helped to develop a career-based course for freshman where students developed electronic portfolios. She co-presented her program at numerous conferences. At Ridge View High School she organized guidance by career clusters and supervised teachers who taught the freshman career course in which each student developed an electronic portfolio. Also, she organized a career and college information center staffed by volunteer parents for students.

Kathy was awarded the Outstanding Counselor Award by the South Carolina Counseling Association in 1986. In 1994 she received the South Carolina Counseling Association Humanitarian Award.
Membership is held in the American Counseling Association and SC Counseling Association. Kathy is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC).