About the Instructor: Ms. Smith

I grew up in the west of England and initially trained as a HS music teacher gaining a teaching certificate from the University of London. I gained my BA in psychology, with a minor in education, from Great Britain's Open University - a then "new" organization that allowed one to study at home with weekly TV and radio lectures (no Internet back then!). I am therefore very well acquainted with the concept of distance learning.  I emigrated to the US in 1987 and gained my Masters Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on family and child counseling, from Chapman University, Orange.  I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, a Registered Addictions Counselor and a Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association.

For the past 13 years I have worked as a licensed clinical therapist with the County of San Bernardino's Dept. of Behavioral Health specializing in working with mentally drug addicts.  For many years I have worked from a cognitive-behavioral perspective, but as I become older (and hopefully - wiser!) I find myself more interested in the humanistic/trans-personal approach, so my own continuing education is on a slightly different path which I am enjoying immensely. Outside of psychology, my main interest is still music - I play medival and renaissance music with an amateur group performing at banquets, weddings and other social events. I also play folk guitar and am currently challenging myself to learn accoustic guitar and have a passion for rock music of all kinds!