Education:
M.A., Spirituality, Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America
Ph.D., Social Work, The Catholic University of America
M.S.W., Social Work, The Catholic University of America
B.S., Psychology, Brigham Young University
Biographical Information:
Dr. Smith developed her interest in practice and research with cancer patients as a clinical licensed clinical social worker at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center.. Her doctoral dissertation examined the relationship between psychosocial distress and spirituality of cancer patients in the process of confronting their mortality (1990). Continuing part-time at Johns Hopkins as the Psychosocial Research Coordinator and later as a part-time Research Associate on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Smith joined the faculty of NCSSS full-time in 1989. She completed a Master of Arts degree in Spirituality from CUA’s School of Religious Studies in 1999.
Teaching courses in the Masters program in clinical theory and practice and in the Doctoral Program in Philosophical Issues, Dr. Smith is one of the few social work scholars to introduce transpersonal theory into clinical social work. She developed two courses unique in social work education: Death; and Transpersonal Theory (the first such social work course in the country. Her extensive scholarly work and publications are in the area of issues of cancer patients facing life-threatening illness and death, as well as social work and spirituality.
Dr. Smith has twice received the Jennifer L. Brager Award for Psychosocial Research at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Currently she is Director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Work at NCSSS and Director of the Center for Social Service at the Integral University (an online university). She also maintained a private practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW) for over fifteen years.
Dr. Smith now lives in South Africa.
