Vanessa Kent, Ph.D.

Bio

As a seasoned clinician of over 25 years, Dr. Vanessa Kent has a passion for strengthening couples and families. She brings experience as a clinical director and program director in various agencies, including community mental health, acute inpatient facilities, and church-based and private counseling practices. Throughout her career, she has developed and coordinated supervisory training programs. Holding dual licensure in multiple states as a clinical mental health counselor supervisor and AAMFT-approved marriage and family therapist supervisor makes her a sought-after supervisor for those seeking licensure.

Kent has specialized training in attachment theory, Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT, EFFT), EMDR, and trauma-focused interventions. Areas of clinical and/or research interest include adoption, couple/relational distress, developmental and reproductive trauma, spiritually integrated counseling/training, attachment-informed supervision, and women’s issues, including mentoring doctoral student mothers. She has provided trainings for churches, military bases, schools, clinics, crisis centers, and professional organizations. Her desire is that students become counselors of excellence, informed by clinical research, skilled in innovative techniques, and experience a spiritual transformation that guides their professional and personal lives.

Credentials

Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision, Regent University

M.A. in Clinical Counseling, University of West Florida

B.A. in Special Education, University of West Florida

LMFT-S (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia); LCMHC-S (Florida, North Carolina); AAMFT – Approved Supervisor

Publications

Ripley, J.S., Worthington, E.L., Kent, V.M., Loewer, E. & Chen, Z.J. (2022). Spiritually incorporating couple therapy in practice: Christian-accommodated couple therapy as an illustration. Psychotherapy.

Ripley, J.S., Worthington, E.L., Chen, Z.J., Kent, V.M., & Loewer, E. (2022). Spiritually integrated couples counseling. In Handbook of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies, APA books.

Kent, V., Runyan, H., Savinsky, D., & Knight, J. (2020). Mentoring Doctoral Student Mothers in Counselor Education: A Phenomenological Study. The Professional Counselor.

Newmeyer, M., Keyes, B., Palmer, K., Kent, V., Spong, S., Stephens, F., & Troy, M. (2016). Spirituality and religion as mitigating factors in compassion fatigue among trauma therapists in Romania. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 44 (2), 142-151.

Affiliations

American Counseling Association – ASERVIC Division

American Association of Marriage and Family Therapist – Clinical Member

COAMFTE Eligibility Review Committee

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS)

Chi Sigma Iota, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia Chapter – Faculty Advisor

Awards

• Regent University Grant with Drs. Ripley, Saunders and Sells for Graduate Students and Professional Competency Addressing Religion and Spirituality in Couple and Family Therapy (Family CARS).
• Templeton Foundation grant with co-investigators Drs. Ripley, Sells, and Saunders, researching Religious and Spiritual Competency Training for Clinician in Couple and Family Contexts, part of a block grant for religious and spirituality competency project.
• Templeton Foundation grant investigator with Dr. Jennifer Ripley and Dr. Everett Worthington, researching spiritually integrated couples counseling, part of a block grant on spiritually integrative therapy.