Elaine Clanton Harpine, PhD, is a motivational psychologist specializing in conducting and evaluating group programs with children and youth. Dr. Clanton Harpine has thirty years experience working in the church as a training consultant, conducting workshops on such topics as marriage, leadership development, family relations and motivational reading for at-risk readers. She is presently teaching at Kent State University, Stark, and conducting research on motivational reading programs with inner-city children.

Dr. Clanton Harpine earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology, Counseling, from the University of Illinois and her master’s in group communication from Texas Tech University. She is the author of eight books, including No Experience Necessary!, which received an Award of Excellence from Group Publishing in 1995 and was selected as one of the top five children’s worship books in its class. She is also the author of The Christment Tree series on making Christian ornaments for the Christmas tree. Her published writings for teens include articles on peer pressure, coping with failure, alcohol abuse and suicide.

Dr. Clanton Harpine has been featured on local early morning TV programs and in a local radio interview concerning her workshop “Communication for Married Couples” and is presently directing the Reading Orienteering Program, a motivational reading program for first- through third-grade inner-city children.