Tracy Deschler (Stodart) received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Tampa, and her Master's of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. She has held a Florida State license in Mental Health Counseling since 1999. Tracy has spent the past thirty-eight years working with children and families in the foster care system and has expertise in the areas of grief and loss issues, childhood trauma related to abuse issues, and training and support to caregivers. Tracy also has experience in providing training and workshops to social services agency personnel. In addition, Tracy has worked with adults with developmental challenges, providing counseling, life skills training and group work.
Since 2005, Tracy has been working primarily with domestic and international adoptive applicants, providing adoption training, home study assessments, and post-placement supervision services. She also conducts birth parent interviews and offers supportive services. In 2009, Tracy became Adoption Competent Certified through the Department of Children and Families. From April 2010 through June 2012, Tracy was the Executive Director of Axis Adoption and Consulting Services Inc. She now is in private practice, providing adoption-related services to adoptive parents and to birth parents who are making adoption plans.
Tracy’s philosophy of teaching is that she believes education should promote creative thinking, reasoning, application of skills and expand the learner’s knowledge base. Learning should be about personal growth and development, rather than completing a checklist of assignments. If a student can leave a class with one key learning point to take with them long after the course is over, then the education process was a success!
Personally, Tracy enjoys knitting, crafts, reading, and walking her beagles. She is the proud parent of four very entertaining children! Her twenty-eight-year-old son graduated from the Golf Academy and is a golf professional. Her twenty-six-year-old daughter is a graduate of the Aveda Institute and is writing a book about her experience of being diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). She also recently married the love of her life. Her twenty-four-year-old daughter lis attending NYU for her master's degree, and is loving the Big Apple! She is also a community advocate for a Florida non-profit working with women and children. Her twenty-two- year-old daughter is a senior at Florida State University and is focusing on Hospitality and Event Planning. She is also the comedian of the group. Tracy married her college sweetheart in 2015, and life is good.
