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Mitchell Waters

Mitchell Waters

Assistant Professor, Mental Health Counseling

College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Ph.D. Counselor Education and Supervision, Virginia Commonwealth University; MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Richmont Graduate University, Chattanooga, TN; BA Psychology, University of Tennessee Chattanooga

Location: Jack C. Massey Center 360

mitchell.waters@belmont.edu

Biography

Mitchell Waters, Ph.D., LPC-MHSP has worked in a variety of settings including community mental health, private practice, jail, and in peer support substance use recovery. His clinical specialties include the treatment of complex trauma, religion and spirituality, and panic disorder. He is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Dr. Waters' research is focused on traumatic stress, secondary traumatic stress, religious and spiritual diversity, and interfaith harmony. He has presented his research at numerous conferences including conferences for the American Counseling Association, Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and more. 
 
He enjoys reading fiction and mythology, playing games, and traveling and his favorite people in the world are his kind and sharp-witted wife, Liz and son Oliver who has a curiosity that one could argue rivals his own. 

  • Trauma Therapy
  • Spiritual and Religious Identity in Counseling
  • Social Determinants of Mental Health

  • American Counseling Association (ACA)
  • Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor Association (TLPCA)
  • Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)
  • Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES)
  • International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling (IARTC)
  • Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC)

Waters, J. M. & Conley, A. H. (Under Review). Trauma and spirituality: Faith intersecting with counselors’ sexual violence work. Journal of Counseling and Development

Underwood, J., Conley, A. H., & Waters, J. M. (Under Review). The impact of adverse childhood experiences on college student stress and wellbeing. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice

Waters, J. M., Gantt, A., Worth, A., Duyile, B., Johnson, K., & Mariotti, D. (2022). Motivated but challenged: Counselor educators’ experiences teaching about social determinants of health. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 15(2). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/jcps/vol15/iss2/6

Sami, W., Waters, J. M., Liadis, A., Lambert, A., & Conley, A. H. (2021). Disenchantment, buffering, and spiritual reductionism: A pedagogy for counseling and psychotherapy. Religions, 12(8), 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080612

Waters, J. M. (September, 2023). The intersection of spirituality and trauma. A qualitative study of diverse counselors’ experiences. Poster session at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) in Nashville, TN. 

Van Dyke, R. & Waters, J. M. (June, 2023) Social media and mental health outcomes in adolescents. Poster presentation at the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor Association (TLPC) in Nashville, TN.

Waters, J. M. (May, 2023). Social determinants of health in counselling and psychotherapy: Implications for research and practice. Discussion session at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) in Leeds, UK.

Waters, J. M. (May, 2023). The experiences of religiously and spiritually diverse counsellors and psychotherapists who work with survivors of sexual violence. Research paper presentation at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) in Leeds, UK.

Conley, A. H., Waters, J. M., & Sami, W. (November 2022) I fit in but don’t belong: Experiences of religiously diverse CES students. Research presentation at the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) in Baltimore, MD.

Waters, J. M. & Liadis, M. (October, 2022). Can you see me? Preparing counselors to work with survivors of sex trafficking. Educational presentation at the American Counseling Association (ACA) Virtual Conference Experience.

Waters, J. M., Sami, W., Liadis, M., Lambert, A., & Conley, A. (October, 2021). Do we practice what we preach? Exploring counselor education doctoral students experiences from diverse religious/spiritual backgrounds. Research presentation at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) in Atlanta, GA

Waters, J. M. (October, 2021). SACES graduate student lounge research presentation. Educational presentation at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) in Atlanta, GA

Waters, J. M. & Conley, A. (September, 2021). Religious and spiritual identity as a moderator for post-traumatic growth following sexual assault: A quantitative examination in a college sample. Poster presentation at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) in Cincinnati, OH

Waters, J. M. & Gnilka, P. B. (September, 2021). School counselor burnout, perfectionism, perceived stress, and religious coping: A longitudinal study. Poster presentation at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) in Cincinnati, OH

Waters, J. M. & Duyile, B. (July, 2021). We don't know everything: Motivation, challenges, and experiences teaching about social determinants of health. Poster presentation at the Association for Adult Development and Aging (AADA) in Charlotte, NC.

Waters, J. M. (February, 2021). Counseling, school, and the sacred: The experiences of religiously and spiritually diverse counselor education doctoral students. Educational presentation at Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES), Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

Waters, J. M., Robinson, K., Cabell, A. L., Crane, E., & Gnilka, P. B. (September, 2020). Multidimensional perfectionism, depression, and anxiety: Test of a social support mediation model among an LGBTQ+ population. Poster presentation at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) in Cincinnati, OH

Robinson, K., Gnilka, P. B., Waters, J. M, Craddock, I., Crane, E. Livingston, A. (September, 2020). Social support as a mediator of multidimensional perfectionism, depression, and anxiety among a sample of LGBTQ+ undergraduate students. Poster presentation at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) in Cincinnati, OH

Waters, J. M. (March, 2020). Vicarious traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, and practitioner burnout. Educational presentation at the 2020 Joint Research Symposium, Williamsburg, VA. 

Waters, J. M. & Ramsey, H. (February, 2020). Vicarious trauma and burnout in the counseling profession. Educational presentation at Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES), Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

 

Do We Practice What We Preach? Exploring Counselor Education Doctoral Students Experiences from Diverse Religious/Spiritual Backgrounds. 2020. Funded by the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. Co-PI ($1,150, Conley/Waters)