Biography
Dr. Jenifer Willson is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Niagara University (NU), where she also serves as the coordinator of NU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Bridge Program. She holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University at Buffalo (UB), and she is nationally certified as a Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).
Dr. Willson’s career in higher education spans over three decades. She served for more than 20 years at UB’s Graduate School of Education as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Administration, Program Director of the Counselor Education Ph.D. program, and adjunct clinical instructor. Following her retirement from UB, she joined Medaille University as a Clinical Assistant Professor until the institution’s closure. She then transitioned to NU as part of the Medaille-Legacy Teach-Out Agreement, where she supported students completing their degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Dr. Willson has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses at multiple institutions in the areas of clinical mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling, and grief counseling. She brings over 30 years of teaching experience to the classroom and continues to teach part-time at UB.
In addition to her academic career, Dr. Willson has extensive clinical experience providing counseling to children, adolescents, and adults, particularly in the areas of grief and loss and adjustment to disability. She previously worked as a bereavement counselor at Niagara Hospice and Hospice Buffalo, where she provided support to individuals facing life-threatening illnesses and their families, as well as crisis and trauma intervention services in local schools.
Her research interests include counselor education, higher education administration, and grief counseling education.