Faculty Profiles

Dr. Eric Davis

Assistant Professor, counselor education

Davis headshot

Email: esdavis1@usf.edu 
Phone: 813-974-0040


Dr. Eric Davis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Lifelong Learning. He is a Florida Certified School Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and School-Based Registered Play Therapist.

Dr. Davis serves as an Editorial Board Member of Professional School Counseling and the Journal of International Counselor Education. He is Principal Investigator on recently funded projects related to Elementary School Counselors’ Perceptions of Working with Illness-Related Trauma and Professional School Counselors Understanding and Application of Group Counseling Skills.

His research interests include play therapy practice and pedagogy, school counseling practice and pedagogy, and creative techniques in counselor education and supervision.  His publications include several book chapters and articles in the Journal of School Counseling, International Journal of Play Therapy, International Journal of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy, and Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.


Grants

Project ready for success: A short-term intervention to improve language and behavior skills in pre-kindergarten children with developmental language disorders (Submitted).
Funded by the Institute of Educational Sciences
Amount: $1,549,192 Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Understanding the recruitment, training, and retention needs of male school counselors through a qualitative research study. (Funded).
Funded by University of South Florida Mini-Grant
Amount: $2880 Role: Co-Principal Investigat

The examination of child teacher relationship therapy training for speech pathologist students working with preschool children with language disorders and behavior issues (Funded)
Funded by University of South Florida Nexus Initiative Awards
Amount: $7,000 Role: Co-Principal Investig

The use of aggressive toys in schools: Insights and experiences of school-based play therapists (Funded).
Funded by Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling
Amount: $400 Role: Principal Investigator

Recent Publications

Loeb, D., Davis, E. S., & Lee, T. Interprofessional collaboration between child play therapy and speech-language pathology: A novel language and behavior intervention. (In Press). American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 

Davis, E. S., Babel, K., Davis, A., O’Bryan, T., & Ritz, J. The use of aggressive toys in schools: Insights and experiences of school-based play therapists. (In Press). International Journal of Play Therapy.

Davis, E. S., Loeb, D., & Lee, T. (2021). Implementing Play and Language Therapy (PAL) to work with preschool children with language and behavioral issues.
International Journal of Play Therapy, 30, 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000148

Davis, E. S., Lee, T. & Towns, L. (2020). Utilizing reality art therapy to counseling elementary students with chronic illnesses: An outline of six sessions. International Journal of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy, 40, 13-22. https://www.wglasserinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2021/04/IJCTRT-Fall2020.pdf

Davis, E. S., & Paro, C. (2020). Preparing high school students with chronic illnesses for college: Lessons learned from a qualitative study. Professional School Counseling, 23, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X20907070 

Davis, E. S., Smith, V., Smith, S., Haberlin, S., & Wolgemuth, J. (2020). Being a stay-at-home dad: Implication for the mental health profession. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 28, 150-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480720906121

Davis, E. S., Norton, A., & Chapman, R. (2020). Counselors’-in-training perceptions of using music for theoretical conceptualization training. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 15, 443-456. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1731041

Davis, E. S. & Paro, C. (2020). College counselors perceptions of working with first-year students with chronic illness and college readiness. Journal of College Counseling, 23, 15-29. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocc.12146 

Loeb, D., & Davis, E. S. (2019). Play therapy. In J. K. Damico, & M. J. Ball (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of human communication science and disorders. Sage Publications, Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483380810.n464 

Manzano-Boulton, E., & Davis, E. S. (2019). The relationship between empathy and theoretical orientation among counselors-in-training. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 12. https://repository.wcsu.edu/jcps/vol12/iss4/5 

Davis, E. S., Smith-Adcock, S., & Towns, L. (2019). Experiences of elementary school counselors and students in using reality art therapy to address chronic illness issues. Professional School Counseling, 22, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X19870792

Davis, E. S., Norton, A., & Chapman, R. (2019). Using music for case conceptualization: Looking through an Adlerian lens. Journal of Individual Psychology, 75, 156-170. https://doi.org/10.1353/jip.2019.0013

Davis, E. S., Wolgemuth, J., Haberlin, S., Smith, V. S., & Smith, S. (2019). Stay-at-home dads’ experiences with their children’s elementary schools. Journal of School Counseling, 17, 1-35. http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v17n15.pdf

Haberlin, S., & Davis, E. S. (2019). An evocative portrayal of the experiences of stay-at-home-dads in elementary schools through poetic inquiry. Journal of Poetic Therapy, 32,
252-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/08893675.2019.1639882

Davis, E. S., Flick, S., Mendez, P., & Urbina, B. (2018). Aggression in sessions: Strategies and interventions for school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 16, 1-31. http://jsc.montana.edu/articles/v16n16.pdf

Davis, E. S. (2018). Elementary school counselors’ experiences counseling students with chronic illness. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 4, 239-252.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2017.1422661 

Recent Presentations

Davis, E. S., & Pinellas, M. Exploring the experiences of male school counselors with insights gained through a qualitative research study. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Atlanta, Georgia (Accepted).

Davis, E. S., Pinellas, M, Beahm, R., & Putnam, S. Training, supervision, and practice experiences of male school counselors: Insights gained from a qualitative research study.
Florida Counseling Association Annual Conference, Virtual, Florida (Accepted).

Davis, E. S. (2021, June). Play therapy in schools: Tools, techniques, and strategies. Tennessee School Counselor Association Virtual Conference. 

Loeb, D., & Davis, E. S. (2020, February). An Intervention for Children with Language Impairment and Challenging Behaviors. Texas Speech-Language Hearing Association Annual Conference, Houston, Texas.

Davis, E. S., & Topdemir, C. (2019, November). Embracing Senate Bill 7030: School counselors’ roles, duties, and concerns for enhancing school-based mental health services. Florida School Counselor Association Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Loeb, D., & Davis, E. S. (2019, November). A new intervention for children with language impairment and challenging behaviors. American Speech-Language Hearing Association Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Davis, E. S., Curry, N., & Sathe, A. (2019, October). Implementing a modified Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) model to enhance parental relationships for children with chronic illnesses. Florida Counseling Association Annual Conference, Tampa, Florida.

Davis, E. S. (2019, October). Using music as a creative means to develop theoretical conceptualization skills. Florida Counseling Association Annual Conference, Tampa, Florida.

Davis, E. S., Wolgemuth, J., Smith, V., Haberlin, S., & Smith, S. (2019, March). Being a SAHD: Implications for the mental health profession. American Counseling Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.