Carin Burr

Carin Burr is a professor at Clark State College in Ohio, where she has built a distinguished career in higher education and behavioral health instruction. She began her professional journey as a therapist and treatment provider and became dually licensed in 1995 in both mental health and addiction studies. Early in her career, she worked across various clinical agencies and later founded her private practice, Connections Counseling Services, where she provided direct care from 2001 to 2008 while also beginning her transition into academia. In addition to her clinical work, Carin has been a dedicated educator since joining Clark State College as a part-time instructor in 2001 before becoming full-time faculty in 2005 in the social work and addictions studies department. She is widely recognized for her expertise in co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed care, and integrated mental health and addiction treatment. She played a key role in developing and launching Ohio’s first bachelor’s degree program focused on co-occurring disorders, which was approved in 2022 and has already supported the graduation of numerous students pursuing advanced clinical training. Throughout her career, Carin has maintained active involvement in professional and service organizations, including the Ohio Counseling Association, the Bio Forensic Counselors Association, and the National Consortium of Reciprocity. She is also engaged in community and recovery-focused initiatives such as Families of Addicts and COPE, as well as trauma recovery advocacy through the City Lookout Trauma Recovery Center. Recently retired from full-time teaching, she continues to contribute as an adjunct instructor and consultant, with a professional philosophy centered on empathy, workforce readiness, and integrating mental health and substance use treatment into unified, trauma-informed care.