NBCC Awards Spotlight: Servant Leadership Award

Suicide prevention is personal for Camila Angelica Pulgar, PhD, NCC, LCMHC.

Dr. Pulgar was a counselor-in-training around 10 years ago when her brother made a suicide attempt. He survived, and then her family struggled to find a mental health provider who could understand their unique experiences and lives. While going through this struggle to find the help the family needed, Dr. Pulgar became determined to be a solution for other families who may struggle to find specialized suicide prevention care.

“A lot of that experience has shifted my career path. I’ve dedicated my career to ensuring that families—maybe they lost a loved one to suicide, or have a loved one in their family who struggles with suicidality, or are a suicide attempt survivor—that they don’t feel alone and feel like there are resources out there for them,” she says.

NBCC is honored to recognize Dr. Pulgar with the 2025 NBCC Servant Leadership Award. Dr. Pulgar has exemplified professional excellence in counseling, expanded access to mental health services, strengthened the profession, and promoted equity in health and education. 

“Receiving the NBCC Servant Leadership Award is truly an incredible honor that I hold deeply in my heart,” she shares. “I am grateful for the support of my colleagues, mentors, and the community. This award is a powerful reminder that true leadership is about lifting others up and working together to create a positive impact.”

Dr. Pulgar was previously Chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Research Committee, a board member of the National Latino Behavioral Health Association, and a 2019 NBCC Foundation doctoral fellow.

She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, owner of Salud Mental Health PLLC, and Vice President of Latino Concerns in the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.

For Dr. Pulgar, servant leadership starts with listening. She works with community members to learn how she can best serve them.

“I have gone to Latino churches, into schools. I have gone to organizations that are actively serving our community because those are the places where there are people asking for support, so I can’t just sit in my office and wait for them to come to me,” she shares. “So going to them and being intentional about being part of the community and in the community, I think, is key as a servant leader.”

In 2020, Dr. Pulgar worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and mental health leaders to create suicide prevention workshops in Spanish. Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the LatinX and Hispanic Communities was created and is offered in Spanish and English across the United States.

Despite her ongoing work to promote mental health in her community, the need is great. It can be easy to take on too many opportunities to try and change the world as a counselor. Dr. Pulgar’s fellowship mentor, Juanita Barnett, PhD, NCC, LPC, taught her the importance of self-care and relying on community.

“The NBCCF Fellowship Program absolutely has supported my journey. At some point in my life, I probably thought I needed to do this by myself, but thankfully my mentors were like, well, you need to find community,” Dr. Pulgar says. “[Dr. Barnett] always kindly reminded me to take care of myself as well.”

Dr. Pulgar says other mentors like Deborah M. Morton and Dr. Nathaniel Ivers have helped her become the leader she is today. She shares a message her mentors taught her: set boundaries and do what you can to serve others.

“I think one of the hardest lessons I had to learn was that I couldn’t do it all. I had to differentiate what was an opportunity that I wanted to do because it sounded really nice, and shiny, and fun, versus something that was really going to make an impact in my community,” she says.

Dr. Pulgar demonstrates that intentional service can inspire profound change. Listen to Dr. Pulgar share part of her story on the 2025 NBCC Awards YouTube playlist.

Camila Angelica Pulgar, PhD, NCC, LCMHC, is an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She is the owner of Salud Mental Health PLLC, which focuses on providing mental health resources to Latinx communities. Dr. Pulgar earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2021.