Laura S. Wheat, PhD, LPC (GA), NCC

Assistant Professor, Graduate Certificate Coordinator, GOI Coordinator

Biography

I grew up in an Air Force family, but I claim Rock Hill, South Carolina, as home, and that is where I’ve lived the longest. My paternal relations are all from the towns surrounding Knoxville, though, and I grew up singing “Rocky Top.” My outside interests include hiking, going to the movies, UT football, and doing all the voices when I read fiction out loud.

Research

• Loss and Life Transitions across the Lifespan
• Grieving Children and Adolescents, particularly Youth of Color
• Losses Experienced by LGBTQ Individuals
• Counseling Children & Adolescents from Highly Mobile Families, including Military and Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

Education

• PhD, Counselor Education, University of Virginia, 2011
• MEd, Counseling & Development, Winthrop University, 2007
• BA, Psychology, Winthrop University, 1999
• Download CV

Publications

Wheat, L. S., & Whiting, P. P. (2018). Sacred privilege: Using narrative reconstruction as a postmodern approach with grieving children and adolescents. In M. B. Scholl & J. T. Hansen (Eds.), Postmodern perspectives on contemporary counseling issues. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

DeDiego, A. C., Wheat, L. S., & Fletcher, T. B. (2017). Overcoming obstacles: Exploring the use of adventure based counseling in youth grief camps. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.

Pollard, B., Varga, M. A., & Wheat, L. S. (2016). Grief experiences of graduate counseling students. Manuscript in preparation.

Wheat, L. S., & Lopez-Baez, S. I. (2016). “Young people supposed to live forever:” American youth of color and the experience of peer bereavement. Manuscript in preparation.

Pollard, B., & Wheat, L. S. (2015, May). Students helping students: The Grief Outreach Initiative. ADEC Forum: The Quarterly Publication of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, 41(2), 12-13.

Wheat, L. S., & Whiting, P. P. (2015). The forget-me-not book of reminders during deployment (pp. 239-243). In S. Degges-White & B. Colon (Eds.), Expressive Arts Interventions for School Counselors. New York, NY: Sage.

Presentations

Spurgeon, S., & Wheat, L. S. (2016, October). Counselors and counselor educators responding to media requests. Content session accepted for presentation at the Southern Association for Counselor Education & Supervision, New Orleans, LA.

Wheat, L. S., & Gilbert, K. R. (2016, April). Loss and gain: The third culture kid growing up within/outside culture. Educational session presented at the Association for Death Education and Counseling, Minneapolis, MN.

Wheat, L. S. (2015, December). Adolescent grief: Developmental and cultural considerations. Invited webinar sponsored by the National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation.

Wheat, L. S. (2015, October). Grief and growth: Supporting students after loss. Invited content session presented at the Tennessee Association of School Social Workers, Knoxville, TN.

DeDiego, A. C., & Wheat, L. S. (2015, October). Pedagogy and popular culture: Creative tools for connecting with millennial learners. Education session presented at the Association for Counselor Education & Supervision, Philadelphia, PA.

Gibbons, M., Kronick, R., Burgin, E. C., Wheat, L. S., Basma, D., & Brooks, T. P. (2015,October). Service learning and outreach to connect students with culturally diverse populations. Education session presented at the Association for Counselor Education &Supervision, Philadelphia, PA.

DeDiego, A. C., Wheat, L. S., & Fletcher, T. B. (2015, June). Exploring the use of adventure based counseling in grief camps. Workshop presented at the National Alliance Grieving Children, Portland, OR.

DeDiego, A. C., & Wheat, L. S. (2015, June). Bibliotherapy tools for grieving youth. Poster presented at the National Alliance for Grieving Children, Portland, OR.

Wheat, L. S., & Whiting, P. P. (2015, April). Innovative ideas for teaching thanatology. Educational session presented at the Association for Death Education and Counseling, San Antonio, TX.