Dr. Laura Simpson earned her M.Ed. in Community Counseling from Delta State University and Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of Mississippi.  An Assistant Professor of Counselor Education since 2005, Dr. Simpson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Approved Clinical Supervisor with 15 years of experience as a mental health clinician. Dr. Simpson is the coordinator for the Community Counseling Program and her teaching responsibilities include Social & Cultural Foundations, Group Counseling, Psychodiagnostics, General Internship, Spirituality in Counseling and Substance Abuse Counseling. She was the recipient of the 2007-2008 College of Education Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. Simpson is also the faculty advisor to Chi Sigma Iota, international counseling honor society. The governor recently appointed Dr. Simpson to serve on the Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners. She has presented research at a variety of state, regional, and national conferences and serves on the executive board for Mississippi Counseling Association and Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselor Association. Dr. Simpson has published numerous scholarly writings within professional journals and counseling textbooks.  Her primary areas of interest include counselor wellness and secondary trauma, spirituality, crisis response, cultural diversity, and supervision.