Assistant Professor of Counseling
Quinn Smelser earned her PhD in Counseling from The George Washington University (CACREP- Accredited). She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Board Approved Supervisor (LPC-S).
Smelser鈥檚 clinical work is primarily focused on helping children and adolescents experiencing trauma and gender identity exploration as well as working to empower caregivers and parents to better understand themselves in order to care for their children. She has worked in urban, rural and suburban communities, under government-funded grants, and in homes, schools, and residential treatment.
Smelser is an active member of many professional counseling and play therapy associations and regularly presents at national, regional and state conferences. Her research interests include attachment in child-caregiver dyads and the counseling process; trauma-informed care in play therapy; grief and loss; and gender identity in children and adolescents. She has published many scholarly book chapters and peer-reviewed research articles on grief and loss, spirituality, play therapy, family therapy, trauma-informed best practices and LGBTQ issues such as gender identity exploration.
Smelser has taught courses across the counseling curriculum. Her favorite classes to teach are counseling children and adolescents, grief and loss, and field experience courses.