Shon D. Smith

About Shon D. Smith

Professional Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, Advocate, Leader, and Veteran. Serves youth, adolescents, and adults of all ages. Provides individual, couples, family, and group counseling sessions to a diverse clientele. Utilizes an integrative counseling approach that is most heavily influenced by rational emotive behavioral therapy, structural family therapy, and liberation counseling approaches to counseling in a multicultural and social justice context. Provides clinical supervision and consultation to pre-service and professional counselors and other helping professionals. Educator and advocate in mental health and access to counseling.Dr. Shon Smith has been a professional counselor for over 30 years, a clinical supervisor for 25 years, and a Counselor Educator for 22 years. His primary research intersects mental health public policy and mental health disparities. Secondary research, leadership, advocacy competency development within the counselors and pre-service counselors, counselor education curriculum and program evaluation, use of technology in mental health delivery and training, multicultural & social justice issues in community mental health & counselor programs, and clinical supervision. Tertiary research, intimate partner violence prevention & relapse prevention, and working with military personnel and families (reservist, national guard) on adjustment and readjustment issues.A Veteran, SSG Smith has been deployed to Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and stateside and has conducted several humanitarian missions in Central and South America as a Combat Medic.SpecialtiesHigher education, multicultural, social justice, counselor education and supervision, military families, mental health public policy

Experience

1. Associate Professor of Counselor Education & Clinical Coordinator of Field Work Experience

   Virginia State University

   Mar 2025 — Present · US

   Measured and managed all field work experiences for the department, ensuring alignment with program standards and student developmental needs. Conducted routine onboarding, evaluation, and supervision of field experience faculty, including the recruitment, support, and coaching of three full-time and adjunct instructors. Assessed and enhanced the quality of field placements while serving as liaison to community mental health agencies, behavioral health hospitals, universities, and school districts. Actively recruited new clinical sites and students, participated in outreach initiatives, and supported departmental public relations efforts. Provide academic instruction and clinical supervision in CACREP-aligned graduate courses in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling; advise and mentor students in professional identity, clinical skills, and multicultural competence. Oversee all practicum and internship experiences, ensuring compliance with CACREP 2024 standards, state licensure requirements, and university policies through structured placement tracking, supervision, and evaluation systems. Design and manage field placement operations, including partnership development, supervisor onboarding, student remediation, and site evaluations. Recruit, train, and evaluate field faculty; coordinate orientation and ongoing development for site supervisors, students, and faculty. Engage in research, publications, and professional presentations related to counselor education and clinical supervision; contribute to accreditation preparation, curriculum development, and university service.

Education

• PennWest Edinboro

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Criminal Justice

  1990 — 1994

• Duquesne University

  Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Counselor Education and Supervision: Focus in Marriage and Family

  1999 — 2005

• PennWest Edinboro

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Rehabilitation Counseling & School Counseling

  1995 — 1997