Professor
Department of Health and Human Service Professions
Biography
Grafton Eliason is a full professor and coordinator in the Department of Counselor Education and Services. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister volunteering as a member of the company of pastors at Bower Hill Community Church, and Chaplain at The Woodlands, a camp for children with disabilities.
Grafton has a special interest in pastoral care, counseling, cross cultural studies, spirituality, existentialism, grief and loss. He has taught classes and published extensively on these various subjects. Two of his co-edited books are: Career Development Across the Lifespan: Counseling for Community, Schools, Higher Education, and Beyond (2014), and Existential and Spiritual Issues in Death Attitudes (2008).
He has enjoyed participating in a number of mission trips in the past, and believes that he and his students gain just as much from their experiences as the people visited. So far, they have worked and studied in India, Peru, Belize, Puerto Rico, and South Africa. They have been able to work in schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly, addiction centers, and have had the opportunity to share experiences with nurses, police, teachers, and students.
Grafton received a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Duquesne University, an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Shippensburg University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a BA from Shippensburg University in English Literature and Psychology.
He has worked previously as a Presbyterian pastor of two rural churches, as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and community mental health therapist, and he has taught at Duquesne University, The Citadel, and Chatham University.
He was recently awarded the Southwestern Pennsylvania Red Cross 2014 Hero Educator.
- B.A.: Shippensburg University
- M.Div.: Princeton Theological Seminary
- M.Ed.: Shippensburg University
- Ed.D.: Duquesne University