Biography
Dr. Jeri Ellis is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Georgia, a national certified counselor (NCC), a Choice Theory/Reality Therapy Certified (CTRTC) counselor/educator, and holds an EdD in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Ellis has training and additional certifications in Telemental Health counseling, clinical trauma counseling, trauma-focused CBT, and training as a chaplain with Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Dr. Ellis counsels from an existential and ecological counseling perspective through the structure and beliefs of reality therapy. Her approach is integrative and she highly values spirituality as a foundation for healing.
Prior to joining the Liberty University faculty, Dr. Ellis helped to create and develop a school counseling program at the HBCU, Ft. Valley State University in Georgia. She completed all requirements for both mental health and school counseling before she finished her doctorate. From there she moved on to Capella University working remotely and learning to love online education. She has presented on this aspect of counselor training as well as extensive publication and presentations on groupwork training. Dr. Ellis has presented in Europe as well as the United States on various topics, often with colleagues and students. Her work at Capella focused significantly on doctoral mentoring and assisting students with their dissertations and comprehensive exams. She is known for her editing and writing skills, sometimes teased by peers and slightly annoyed students who get revision requests on their writing. She loves teaching and counseling and helping students to find their way through a call to help others, as she has experienced in counseling but also in teaching.