About Dr. Tracy Hutchinson

Dr. Tracy Hutchinson is an author, psychotherapist, consultant, and Assistant Professor in the field of clinical mental health counseling.  She currently serves on the faculty at The College of William & Mary in the graduate clinical mental health program, and has served on the faculty for several universities in the field of Counselor Education and Supervision. She has worked in numerous therapeutic settings including partial hospitalization, sexual behaviors clinics, with victims and perpetrators of sexual/psychological abuse, and the domestic violence population. She specializes in narcissistic abuse  and recovery in families, relational trauma, PTSD, spirituality, and mental strength and resilience.

Dr. Hutchinson earned her Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida, a Master’s degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in both Florida and New York, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and an Approved Qualified Supervisor in Florida providing both supervision and training to mental health therapists. She has worked with clients ranging in ages from children to adults and supervises counselors in training in university settings, private practice, and mental health clinics in preparation for licensure.

Public Speaking, Teaching & Supervision

Dr. Tracy Hutchinson

Dr. Hutchinson has published in peer-reviewed academic journals and textbooks in the field and has presented at numerous international, national, and local conferences in the field of mental health counseling. She is the author of Adult Children of High-Conflict Parents: Healing Your Relational Trauma and Finding Self-Love, to be released Summer of 2025. Most recently, she presented at the European Branch of the American Counseling Association in Athens, Greece. She has taught many courses to both master’s and doctoral students including the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5-TR) and serves as Chair of dissertation committees for Ph.D. students in the field of Psychology. She writes for Psychology Today, CNBC and has been featured in various national publications, such as ABC and CBS news, the Associated Press, SELF Magazine, and “Ask America’s Experts” in Woman’s World Magazine.

Both columns in Psychology Today “The Pulse of Mental Health” and “Silencing Your Inner Bully” focus on a wide variety of topics in mental health such as healing from narcissistic parents/family, PTSD, mental strength, resilience, childhood trauma, parenting, and ways to heal through gratitude, yoga, and self-compassion work.

Dr. Hutchinson is an approved clinical supervisor for mental health counseling interns in Florida for licensure and provides training and supervision for therapists. Her clinical and research interests include trauma recovery, positive psychology/emotions (gratitude, resilience, and post-traumatic growth), spirituality, and meditation. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). Additionally, Dr. Hutchinson specializes in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and is trained and qualified specifically by the EMDR Institute to use this treatment. EMDR is a leading treatment for relational trauma and is also used by the US Department of Defense for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with war veterans and those who are diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

Sample Academic Publications

Young, M. E. & Hutchinson, T. S. (2017). Instructors Manual: Learning the art of helping: Building blocks and techniques. (Text book by Mark E. Young).Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill/Pearson

Foster, J., Leppma,  M., Hutchinson, T. S. (2014) Students’ Perspectives on gatekeeping in counselor education: A Case Study: Counselor Education and Supervision, 53(3), 190-203.

Hutchinson, T. S. & Young, M. E. (2012). The Rediscovery of Gratitude: Implications to mental health practice. Journal of Humanistic Counseling and Development, 51(1), 99-113.

National and International Presentations

Hutchinson, T.S. (2019). Understanding developmental trauma: Implications for Counselor Education. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Conference, Seattle, WA.

Hutchinson, T.S. & Leppma, M. (2019). The role of Self-Compassion in Counselor Education. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Conference, Seattle, WA.

Hutchinson, T.S. & Leppma, M. (2018). Self Compassion: Benefits to clients and counselors. Presented at the European Branch of American Counseling (EB-ACA) Conference,  Athens Greece.

Hutchinson, T.S. & Leppma, M. (October, 2013). The art and science of loving-kindness meditation: A practical guide for counselor and educators. Presentation proposal accepted at Association for Counselor Education and Supervision National Conference (ACES), Denver, CO.

Hutchinson, T. S. (March, 2012). Working with challenging clinical populations: Strategies for wellness. Presentation proposal presented at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference  San Francisco, CA.

Guittierez, D., Hutchinson, T.S., Young, M.E., & Butler, K. (March, 2012). Examining the experience: An investigation of students’ perceptions of their multi-cultural training. Presentation proposal accepted at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Leppma, M., & Hutchinson, T. S. (March, 2011). Cultivating positive emotions through loving-kindness meditation: Implications for counselors and counselor educators. Presentation proposal presented at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

Hutchinson, T. S. &  Leppma, M. (November, 2010). The power of positive emotions. Presented at the European Branch of American Counseling (EB-ACA), Annual Conference, Heidelberg, Germany.

Young, M. E., & Hutchinson, T. S. (November, 2010). Psychodrama 101. Presented at the European Branch of American Counseling (EB-ACA), Annual Conference, Heidelberg, Germany.

Hutchinson, T. S. (August, 2010). The rediscovery of gratitude: Research and implications for counseling practice. Presented at the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) Conference, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Hutchinson, T., & Young, M.,(October, 2009). Gratitude as a transformative practice: Benefits for clients and counselors. Presentation proposal presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference in San Diego, California.