Furlong, Courtney A

Courtney Furlong, Phd, LPC, CRC, joined the faculty at Huntingdon College as an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the fall of 2025. A native of Atlanta, GA, Dr. Furlong is a rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and licensed professional counselor (LPC). Throughout her 20+ year career as a nonprofit executive, Dr. Furlong assisted tens of thousands of victims of sex trafficking from ten countries covering Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Dr. Furlong focuses her research on sex trafficking, sexual assault, and gender violence. In 2012, she received Auburn University’s Young Alumni of the Year Award and was featured in the “Young Influencers List” in Brad Lomenick’s book, The Catalyst Leader. Dr. Furlong is a Research Scholar with the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS; gahts.com) and serves on the North America leadership team for the International Christian Alliance on Prostitution (ICAP; icapglobal.org). She likes dogs and singing.

• Licenses & Certifications:
  • Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Alabama, Credential ID# LPC04791 (2022 – Present)
  • Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (2007 – Present)
  • Graduate Certificate in Advanced Research Methods for Human Development and Family Science from Auburn University (2021)
  • Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Organizations and Community Governance from Auburn University (2021)
  • Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching from Auburn University (2022)
  • Certified Grant Writer from The University of Georgia (2016)
• Honors & Awards:
  • Kappa Omicron Nu Maude Gilchrist Fellowship (2024)
  • Outstanding Master’s Thesis, Auburn University (2023-2024)
  • Margaret K. Keiley Doctoral Dissertation Award (2023)
  • Women’s Philanthropy Board Scholarship, Auburn University (2022 – 2023)
  • Distinguished Future Faculty, Auburn University (2021)
  • Student poster award for the family therapy section for presentation, “Sexual Assault and Links to Sense of Control and Economic and Marital Stability,” National Council on Family Relations (NCFR; 2021)
  • Jeanne M. Priester Fellowship for Doctoral Study (2020 – 2021)
  • Featured on the “Young Influencers List: Fifty change makers on the rise” in The catalyst leader: 8 essentials for becoming a change maker by Brad Lomenick (2013)
  • TEDx Speaker Auburn University (2013)
  • Young Alumni of the Year, Auburn University (2012)
  • Rehabilitation Services Administration Scholarship, Auburn University (2006 – 2007)
  • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Highest honors awarded at Auburn University (2004)
• Publications:
  • Bakir, S., Furlong, C. & Ayoun, B. (2025). Yes, I see it! Unveiling the implications of human trafficking awareness on employees‘ quality of life in the hotel industry [Manuscript in preparation]. Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management, Auburn University.
  • Furlong, C., & Hinnant, B. (2024). Examining the intersections of family risk, foster care, and outcomes for commercially sexually exploited children. Social Sciences, 13(12), 660. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120660
  • Furlong, C., & Hinnant, B. (2024). Sex trafficking vulnerabilities in context: An analysis of 1,264 case files of adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. PLOS ONE, 19(11), e0311131. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0311131
  • Furlong, C., & Hinnant, B. (2023). Experiences of sexual assault and financial stability: Sense of control as a potential mechanism. Violence Against Women, 30(11), 2959-2980. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780122311664
• Professional Affiliations:
  • Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), 2007 – Present
  • International Christian Alliance on Prostitution (ICAP), North America Leadership Team, 2010 – Present
  • Alabama Board of Examiners of Counseling (ABEC), 2021 – Present
  • Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS)  Research Scholar Member, 2022 – Present