Rita Smith

Contributing Faculty
College of Social and Behavioral Health
School of Counseling
M.S. School Counseling

Dr. Smith earned her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and a doctorate degree in Counseling Education and Supervision. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia and works full time as a Military Family Life Counselor for soldiers and their family members stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dr. Smith works as a part-time professor at Walden University. Her areas of professional interest include marriage, family, career and lifestyle concerns of military soldiers and family members. She is not currently working on research projects. Dr. Smith has been involved in a community project, Light, Health, and Wellness, as a grassroots developer of the program for children impacted by HIV/Aids. She is very passionate about her military and community service work and inspiring the students whom she is honored to teach at Walden.

Dr. Smith has more than 20 years of experience working with individuals and organizations with issues pertaining to the field of psychology and mental health, especially as it relates to human behavior (normal and abnormal) and organizational functioning. She has worked in higher education, government, and community health agencies. She is a nationally certified counselor and licensed professional clinical counselor. She is certified in the Myers-Briggs personality test, the Strong Interest Inventory, the DiSC profile, and facilitative training.

Courses Taught

COUN 6753 6753 - Career Counseling

COUN 6723 - Multicultural Counseling

COUN 6111s - Introduction to School Counseling

COUN 6214 - Lifespan Development

COUN 6301 - Counseling Theories of School Counsleors

Education

PhD, University of Maryland at College Park

Masters Degree, University of Maryland at College Park

BA, Morgan State University

Public Service

BALTIMORE PEDIATRIC HIV PROGRAM , Other - Baltimore

Awards / Honors

Cum Larde, Morgan State University, 1992

Presentations

Power, P., Smith, R. P., Whitehead, D. (1999). African Americans, Mental Illness, and Spirituality . Spirituality

Smith, R. P., Whitehead, D. (1998). Spirituality and Mental Illness . The First Annual Alliance for Rehabilitation Counseling