Melissa Franzen

Assistant Professor and Practicum/Internship Coordinator in the Department of Education, Counseling and Leadership

Biography

Dr. Franzen’s professional journey began in 2003, when she worked in social services while earning her master’s degree in human development counseling from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Following that endeavor, she began counseling children in the specialized foster care system until 2012. She then made a career transition out of foster care and into higher education, where she provided students with clinical counseling, crisis services, and advising. She then obtained her doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision from Walden University.

Dr. Franzen approaches teaching from a constructivist and experiential lens. She believes engaging the students in experiences empowers them to apply the information from their texts to real-life situations. This allows for the opportunity to build a deeper understanding and reflect on the information not only from the content but also from the experiences themselves.