Terra Wagner

Dr. Terra Wagner received her PhD in Counseling from the University of North Texas, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. Dr. Wagner primarily teaches practicum, group counseling, and diverse communities as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Additionally, she serves as the Clinic Director, overseeing operations at all SMU counseling clinics.

She owns a private practice in uptown Dallas where she specializes in working with clients who have extensive psychiatric history and trauma; essentially, high-risk clients needing a therapist that understands the complexity of continual hospitalization and chronic mental illness. She has years of clinical experience in emergency rooms, shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and psychiatric hospitals. Also, she specializes in assisting overwhelmed and stressed professionals in achieving a work/life balance.

Most of Dr. Wagner's research and passions are related to crisis, cultural diversity, inclusion, and best practices for new clinicians. She was a key figure in organizing and providing crisis counseling services for UNT Dallas Law School and El Centro students and police officers after the 2016 Dallas police shooting. Through her supervision work at the Resource Center and working with students on LGBTQ+ and multicultural inclusion research for conference presentations, she has been able to connect with aspects of each of her interests. Dr. Wagner has done numerous presentations about cultural humility and inclusion, including speaking as a panelist at the DFW Urban League Young Professionals Conference, speaking on the ASC LGBTQ+ panel, and serving as a facilitator on Conversations on Hate and Bias at SMU.