Charles E. Smith, PhD

Current Roles

Dr. Smith is currently the chair of the counseling and health psychology department. He also teaches classes for health psychology undergraduate students and master's students in nutrition and clinical health psychology, and he runs counseling shifts at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.

Education

• BA in psychology with minor in religion from Pacific Christian College, Fullerton, California, in 1978
• MA in general psychology with specialty in marriage and family counseling from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, California, in 1980
• APA Internship in counseling psychology from Iowa State University Counseling and Psychological Service from 1983-84
• PhD in counseling psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in 1988

Past Experience

After completion of his PhD program, Dr. Smith was director of counseling at the University of St Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He subsequently served as director for counseling and career services, health services, and wellness and disability services at St. Thomas before becoming the assistant vice president for student affairs and founding director of the Work/Life Center for alumni and graduate students.

Dr. Smith also taught in its psychology department for more than 15 years. After 17 years at the University of St Thomas, he moved to St. Cloud State University as director of psychological services and of the Learning Center. Before coming to Bastyr, he was a staff psychologist at the State Mental Health Service in Carson City, Nevada, and served as psychological consultant at Sierra Family Health Service, the nonprofit health clinic for the Carson City area.

Classes Taught

• Spirituality and Health
• Fundamentals of Counseling: Group Dynamics

Interests

Dr. Smith has a long-term interest in the intersection of East/West psychology. He has been a meditator for over 25 years. He uses a type of transpersonal psychology known as psychosynthesis and enjoys doing guided imagery and dream work with clients. He is also interested in career and life-purpose work and improving organizations to make them humane and responsive to human needs.

Philosophy

Dr. Smith is Socratic in his approach, or as Waldorf educators say, "education from the inside out." He believes that education can and should be fun and interesting for the learner and teacher.