According to a University release, Barbara Clark Diekman has received Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women’s prestigious Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award for her professional achievements.
The Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award is presented annually to distinguished alumnae of Pi Beta Phi who exhibit “excellence and outstanding leadership” in service to their communities, according to the press release.
According to the release, Diekman, who studied child development at UNM, has served both women and families for 56 years as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
“I am most proud of my work in keeping families intact, particularly the many military families I’ve worked with,” Diekman is quoted as saying in the release. “Their capacity to learn skills that improved family life will continue to benefit generations to come.”
According to the release, Diekman earned her graduate degree at the University of Oregon and took her skills into the community while, simultaneously, working as a career counselor at National University, assisting students in pursuing the right career and finding a job.
Diekman later operated a private practice in marriage and family therapy, out of North County San Diego and, because she lived near Camp Pendleton, she worked with active-duty military members and veterans who had been deployed in war zones and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the release, the award is named for past Pi Beta Phi President Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg, who was instrumental in forming Pi Beta Phi Foundation during her term from 1985 to 1991.
Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88.
