Joan Hoffmann, EdD, has been an elementary school teacher, a middle school and high school counselor, an adjunct college professor and a supervisor of interns in the graduate counseling program at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

In her various educational and therapeutic roles, Joan has combined her academic training with real-world counseling experience, designed curriculum, and found unique ways to share her practical knowledge with her students. "Here are the challenges you are likely to face," she tells counseling interns; "and here is what they don't teach you in the counseling program about how to meet those challenges." It was the enthusiastic response to this "inside information" that prompted her to write Ready, Set, Counsel: A Practical Guide to Being a School Counselor in the Real World.

Joan received her master's in counseling from the University of Missouri at St. Louis and her doctorate in educational administration from St. Louis University. Although her education had prepared her to move into administration, Joan's love of counseling kept her in the field, including teaching at the college level in order to have direct impact on future counselors.