Director of Continuing Education Instruction / Lecturer
Elizabeth Smull is a dedicated educator, counselor, and leader in the field of restorative practices, with over two decades of experience advancing restorative practices approaches across education, justice, and community systems. She currently serves as Director of Continuing Education Instruction at the IIRP Graduate School, where she oversees foundational curriculum development, supports instructors, and contributes to designing innovative professional learning opportunities.
Elizabeth is also a Lecturer at the IIRP, teaching graduate-level courses on the foundations and applications of restorative practices. Her expertise has shaped learning experiences for educators, school leaders, social workers, nonprofit professionals, and community practitioners both nationally and internationally.
Prior to her work in higher education, Elizabeth built a strong foundation in youth counseling and addiction treatment through her role at the IIRP’s model programs at Community Service Foundation. In her role there, she provided counseling, coordinated an outpatient program, and guided system-involved youth and families through restorative-grounded and therapeutic interventions. She did extensive work with youth and families, oversaw the Conferencing Program, which includes both Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and restorative conferences, and supervised counselors for at-risk youth. Elizabeth coauthored a book on FGDM, Family Power: Engaging and Collaborating with Families (2013).
A frequent presenter, Elizabeth has contributed to national and international conferences, webinars, and publications on topics including restorative school culture, listening circles, motivational interviewing, and restorative pedagogy. She helped develop the IIRP professional development event on Motivational Interviewing (MI) and supported the implementation of MI at the IIRP model programs through training, coaching, and observation.
Elizabeth holds a Master's degree in Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling from the IIRP Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Social Studies Education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She is also a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the Pennsylvania Certification Board. She is currently enrolled at the IIRP Graduate School, pursuing a graduate certificate in Change Implementation in Organizations and Social Systems
Passionate about creating communities of care, Elizabeth is committed to equipping individuals and organizations with the tools to build, sustain, and restore relationships.
Twitter: @bethsmull_IIRP
Selected Publications
- Hebling, M. J., Hickman, K. & Smull, B. (2021, February 8-11). Restorative practices: A prevention framework for advancing student well-being in K-12 [Paper presentation]. 2021 ESEA National Conference. https://www.eseanetwork.org/sched/E21/session/restorative-practices-a-prevention-framework-for-advancing-student-well-being-in-k-12
- Abrams, G. B., Smull, E., & Hala, A. (2020, January 16-18). Restorative practices: An innovative prevention framework for advancing health and well-being [Pre-conference institute]. NASPA Strategies Conference, New Orleans, LA, United States.
- Abrams, G. B., & Smull, E. (2019, November). Advancing campus community wellbeing using restorative practices [Keynote address]. presented at the Restorative Practices in Maryland Student Affairs Meeting, Baltimore, MD, United States.
- Abrams, G. B., & Smull, E. (2019, July 8-10). Strengthening cross-sector collaboration [Paper presentation]. IIRP 2019 Summer Symposium, Bethlehem, PA, United States.
- Abrams, G. B., Smull, E., Hala, A., Stone, J., & Willson, S. (2019, May 28-June 1). Building health campuses by increasing social connectedness and sense of community [Pre-conference workshop]. American College Health Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, United States.
- Abrams, G. B., Hebling, M. J., & Smull, E. (2018, October 24-26). Proactive restorative practices: Creating the conditions for individuals and communities to flourish [Paper presentation]. Strengthening the Spirit of Community, IIRP World Conference, Detroit, MI, United States.
- Smull, E., Wachtel, J., & Wachtel, T. (2012). Family power: Engaging and collaborating with families. International Institute for Restorative Practices.
