Title: Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist

Company: Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc.

Location: Stoughton, MA

STOUGHTON, MA, September 30, 2011, Carol J. Smith, Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist for Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc., has been recognized by Elite American Nurses for dedication, achievements, and leadership in substance dependence and bereavement counseling.

Dr. Smith has worked as a professional nurse for 45 years. She discovered her passion for behavior modification while working as a delivery room nurse, developing a childbirth preparation and education program. Today, she is a board-certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist with more than two decades of experience in psychiatric nursing and expertise in substance dependence and bereavement counseling. She utilizes her skills in her role with Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc. Dr. Smith conducts initial psychiatric evaluations of patients, provides counseling services and prescribes psychiatric medications. When necessary, she assigns patients to psychiatric hospitalization if she feels that they present a danger to themselves or others. Furthermore, she trains staff on how to maintain a calm demeanor when dealing with angry or upset patients.

A graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Smith holds a Doctorate of Nursing Practice; she wrote her dissertation on long-term parental grief and later developed a graduate program focusing on bereavement counseling. Dr. Smith also holds a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Rhode Island, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Rhode Island College, and a diploma in nursing from Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing. She retains affiliation with the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau International. Dr. Smith has also been invited to be a guest lecturer for The Compassionate Friends, a nonprofit organization that provides support services to family members who have experienced a death of a child.

When reflecting on her career, Dr. Smith attributes her success to her ability to help her patients think positively, rather than be destroyed by negative thoughts. She also credits her extensive knowledge of prescription medications. A few important people have influenced her career, including her mentor when she received her doctorate, Mary Burke, DNS, RN, and the psychologist and mentor who spoke at the first Compassionate Friends meeting she attended, Therese A. Rando, Ph.D. from Warwick, RI. She also acknowledges Dr. Gregg Etter, who was the medical director at Arbour Fuller Hospital when she was working there as an attending physician. He provided the education for treatment of drug dependence, which reinforced her expertise. In the years to come, Dr. Smith plans to continue treating patients and providing exceptional care at Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc.

To learn more about Carol Smith, visit http://www.linkedin.com/pub/carol-smith. For more information about Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc., visit http://www.comcounseling.org.

Contact Carol J. Smith