Faculty

Kelly Coker, PhD, LCMHC, BC-TMHC

PhD, LCMHC, BC-TMHC

Full Professor

Faculty Senate Chair (2024-2025)

Contact

Email: counseling@paloaltou.edu

Biography

Dr. Kelly Coker (she/her) is a professor in the Counseling Department at Palo Alto University and also serves as the Faculty Senate Chair at PAU. Dr. Coker has been a counselor educator for more years than she can count and as part of this work, has published and presented a lot.

She loves to encourage emerging counselors to be their best selves and to always strive to meet their clients where they are. Dr. Coker is particularly excited these days by considering how lifespan development, particularly older adult development, through a cultural and contextual lens can directly inform our work with clients.

As a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina, Dr. Coker works with adult clients in a small, tele-mental health private practice. On a personal note, she is also a fierce and loyal wife, mother, sister, daughter, and aunt, and friend. She believes in advocacy, taking an anti-racist stance in education, society, and life, and acknowledges that she is humbly still learning, growing, and evolving.

Education

PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from UNC-Greensboro (CACREP Accredited)
MBA from Walden University
MA in Agency Counseling from Appalachian State University (CACREP Accredited)

Areas of Expertise

Online learning, Tele-mental health counseling, Assessment and Accreditation in Higher Education, Lifespan Development, Clinical Training at the Doctoral Level

Publications

BOOKS:

Russo, J., Coker, J. K., King, J. H. (2024). DSM-5-TR and Family Systems, 2nd Ed. Springer Publishing Company.
Coker, J. K., Cannon, K., Dixon-Saxon, S., & Roller, K. (2023). Lifespan development: Contextual and cultural dimensions. Springer Publishing Company.
RECENT ARTICLES:
Corzine, A., Coker, K., Simmons, R., & Cannon, K. (2024). Are advanced counseling skills really valued in counselor education and supervision PhD programs? Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision, 5(1).
Horton, E., Smedley, D., Roller, K. & Coker, J. K. (2024). De-colonizing and enlivening lifespan development in counselor education. Journal of Counselor Preparation & Supervision, 18(2), 1-15.
Roller, K. M., & Coker, K. (2023). Teaching anti-oppressive lifespan development online through a cultural and contextual lens. Journal of Technology in Counselor Education & Supervision, 3(1), 1-13.
Bond, J. C., & Coker, J. K. (2022). The impact of twin separation on adult experiences. Journal of Human Services, 41(1), 10-21.

BOOK CHAPTERS:

Coker, J. K. (2024). Types of graduate programs in counseling. In A Guide to Graduate Programs in Counseling (2nd ed.).
Coker, J.K., King, J.H., & Russo, J.A. (2024). The DSM 5-TR and family systems: Interdisciplinary applications. In J. Russo, K. Coker, and J. King (Eds.) DSM-5-TR and Family Systems (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing.
Russo, J.A., King, J.H. & Coker, J.K. (2024). Future trends and directions with DSM-5-TR and family systems. In J. Russo, K. Coker, and J. King (Eds.) DSM-5-TR and Family Systems (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing.