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Sarah Criss

Sarah Criss

Assistant Professor

    Off Campus
    (615) 283-0531
   scriss@bradley.edu

 

Ph.D. Clinical Counseling: Teaching and Supervision – Trevecca Nazarene University
M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy – Trevecca Nazarene University
B.A. Music Performance – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Biography

Although I grew up in Florida and Western North Carolina performing in music and theatre, life took a different turn towards psychology and clinical counseling as I began my own marriage in 2010. When I completed my graduate program in marriage and family therapy I found myself inspired by my experience in the classroom with professors and followed this new calling into a Ph.D. in Counselor Education. I became a licensed marital and family therapist in the state of Tennessee in 2017 after working with a diversity of clinical populations and settings from suicidality in adolescence, eating disorders in IPO, opiate relapse prevention groups, and school-based therapy through a community mental health agency. I completed my Ph.D. in 2020 and was on faculty at Belmont University before joining Bradley University in 2023. I have lived in Nashville, TN for 16 years and enjoy music, hiking, and time with my family.

Teaching

I have taught Pre-practicum, Practicum, Internship I, Internship II, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Bradley University. I enjoy helping counseling students become more comfortable with research and the awareness and integration of neurobiology in clinical counseling. I have a very relational teaching style that is student-centered. I like to invite students to increase self-compassion and wellness practices to bolster resilience as they head into the field of counseling. I believe in a scaled mastery approach to learning with frequent examples of real-life clinical application of course content.

Scholarship

My research and presentation areas have primarily focused on novice counselor development, the role of self-compassion and emotion regulation for counselors in training, and adverse childhood experience history among counselors. I am currently acting as a research consultant and co-trainer for a new systemic experiential family therapy model. I also have a current study examining professors’ experiences of Gen Z students. I would like to continue exploring the use of neurocounseling within clinical supervision.

Service

  • Departmental Committee Member on CACREP and Clinical Practice committees
  • Faculty advisor for Beta Phi Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota
  • Co-chair for 2024 Super Brain Summit

Licensures and Certifications

Licensed Marital and Family Therapist in Tennessee (LMFT)