Quinn Smelser
Quinn is currently practicing under the supervision of Eliana Gil, Ph.D., LMFT, ATR, RPT-S. She has specialized play therapy and trauma training and is also a Registered Play Therapist and National Certified Counselor.
She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She then earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Texas State University. Clinically, Quinn’s primary background consists of work with military families in a residential treatment center for children and adolescents who experienced trauma. She also worked as a counselor for at-risk youth in rural Texas and in hospice care where she counseled youth and families who were experiencing traumatic grief and loss as well as clients in care of hospice. She has had the honor of being supervised by Dr. Eliana Gil, Dr. Linda Homeyer, Dr. Mary Morrison-Bennett, and Dr. Elizabeth Kjellstrand-Hartwig.
Quinn is an instructor at The George Washington University where she also supervises master’s level clinicians in the community counseling clinic. She has published book chapters and articles on play therapy, family therapy, ethical practice, animal-assisted counseling, and spirituality. Quinn presents at conferences nationally on issues relating to ethical practice, child-centered play therapy, trauma informed care for children, LGBT and gender identity, grief and loss, and spirituality.
She lives in Washington, D.C. and is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Play Therapy, Chi Sigma Iota, and a volunteer with the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project.