Coming from a military family, Terry L. Dixon, MS, MSW, LPC, LCSW, was greatly inspired by her father and brothers, all of whom served in various military branches. First earning a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Valdosta State University in Georgia in 1994, she went on to complete a Master of Science in mental health counseling from Fort Valley State University in 1997. She was licensed as a professional counselor in 2002 and returned to Valdosta State University to pursue a second master’s degree in social work, which she achieved in 2005. In the early days of her career, Ms. Dixon served as a behavioral health professional at a therapeutic residential treatment facility and as a counselor in both the adult and juvenile correctional systems.
Armed with her two master’s degrees, Ms. Dixon joined the U.S. Army at the rank of specialist. She was on active duty from 2008 to 2012, spending 2009 to 2010 deployed to Iraq. She continued her military service by transferring to the Army Reserves in 2012, where she remains, and rose from sergeant to the rank of captain in 2022 through a direct commission as a clinical social worker. Furthermore, she was licensed as a clinical social worker in 2012 and has served in that capacity as a U.S. Army civilian ever since.
Bringing considerable expertise in counseling, behavioral health, case management and care coordination to this role, Ms. Dixon is primarily responsible for case management and therapy support within the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU), where she provides care to soldiers recovering from both physical injuries and mental trauma. SRU provides competent and compassionate leadership through mission command, complex case management, comprehensive transition planning, and primary care in a safe environment, promoting optimum healing for wounded, ill, or injured soldiers returning to the force or transitioning to civilian life as productive veterans.
Alongside her primary career responsibilities, Ms. Dixon has contributed her skills to a number of professional and civic endeavors. She is a regular volunteer in community and church, including with Read Across America and various local initiatives such as food drives, school supply drives and Christmas present drives. In order to remain up to date with developments in her field, she maintains professional affiliation with both the National Association of Social Workers and the Association of Social Work Boards. Looking toward the future, Ms. Dixon intends to keep serving as a captain and providing social work services to the Army, though she also hopes to eventually be promoted up to the rank of lieutenant colonel and perhaps obtain a doctorate as well.
Ms. Dixon has made a name for herself as a result of her humility. Coming to the military at an older age, she has operated under the mindset that she will never ask someone to do something that she wouldn’t be willing to do herself. As a social worker, she approaches her patients with the same care that she would want to see given to her family and feels strongly that in order to be a good leader, one must first be a great servant. She also credits the military with helping her to gain an appreciation of strategic planning and how to examine things from a tactical perspective. Above everything, Ms. Dixon considers the most gratifying aspects of her career to be making a positive impact on the lives of others and helping soldiers to achieve what they want from their own careers. She is incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity to serve.
For her excellence, Ms. Dixon has been the recipient of a number of honors and accolades from the U.S. Army. Over the years, she has received two Army Achievement Medals and two Army Accommodation Medals, as well as a variety of other additional awards and medals. In 2019, she was named the Best Social Worker/Cadre of the Year in Social Work out of 14 Soldier Recovery Units encompassing over 100 social workers. Ms. Dixon considers this accolade to be the absolute highlight of her professional career.
