Hope Schuermann
Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone
352-273-4327
Address
1206 Norman Hall
PO Box 117049
Gainesville, FL 32611
About
The bulk of my research endeavors fall under two umbrellas: (a) trauma, and (b) counselor preparation. It is important to me that my research activities produce knowledge that is applicable in the classroom and the counseling session; therefore, I keep this in mind when choosing research projects.
In the past, my trauma research has been largely focused around Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which yielded three published articles. I have also written conceptual manuscripts on several aspects of trauma: Childhood Traumatic Grief, identifying trauma in schools, treating adolescent survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, and Shared Trauma - a topic that evolved from personal experience as a mental health provider during Hurricane Katrina. One realm of trauma that I am beginning to explore is Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). This is a fascinating phenomenon that occurs when trauma victims mentally and psychically grow from their experience, versus severely suffering from the trauma. I recently finished a research project exploring PTG in military personnel after returning from combat. PTG is a subset of trauma that I plan to continue developing in my research agenda. I continually work to further my trauma treatment knowledge and seek development through opportunities such as visiting the Sandy Hook/Newtown, CO community to be part of an in-service trauma team in 2015, and in 2016 conducting research-related interviews in Ferguson, MO with protesters, police, pastors, and other community members following the Michael Brown shooting and protests. Trauma is something all counselors will encounter in their work; thus, it is an area that deserves our continuing attention and research.
The other main topic of my research agenda is counselor preparation, including topics such as supervision, gatekeeping, and utilizing client outcomes. I completed two gatekeeping studies - one focused on professors' perceptions of gatekeeping, and one on doctoral students' perceptions of gatekeeping. Another area of counselor preparation in which I am heavily involved is the use of client outcomes measures. I began this line of research with my dissertation, which married the topics of client outcomes, supervision, and the therapeutic relationship. My work in client outcomes continued at my last university appointment, where I conducted an evaluation of the in-house clinic using outcomes measures. Assessing outcomes and what factors influence outcomes can impact the counselor and client; thus, it is an important facet to continue studying.
In the past, my trauma research has been largely focused around Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which yielded three published articles. I have also written conceptual manuscripts on several aspects of trauma: Childhood Traumatic Grief, identifying trauma in schools, treating adolescent survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, and Shared Trauma - a topic that evolved from personal experience as a mental health provider during Hurricane Katrina. One realm of trauma that I am beginning to explore is Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). This is a fascinating phenomenon that occurs when trauma victims mentally and psychically grow from their experience, versus severely suffering from the trauma. I recently finished a research project exploring PTG in military personnel after returning from combat. PTG is a subset of trauma that I plan to continue developing in my research agenda. I continually work to further my trauma treatment knowledge and seek development through opportunities such as visiting the Sandy Hook/Newtown, CO community to be part of an in-service trauma team in 2015, and in 2016 conducting research-related interviews in Ferguson, MO with protesters, police, pastors, and other community members following the Michael Brown shooting and protests. Trauma is something all counselors will encounter in their work; thus, it is an area that deserves our continuing attention and research.
The other main topic of my research agenda is counselor preparation, including topics such as supervision, gatekeeping, and utilizing client outcomes. I completed two gatekeeping studies - one focused on professors' perceptions of gatekeeping, and one on doctoral students' perceptions of gatekeeping. Another area of counselor preparation in which I am heavily involved is the use of client outcomes measures. I began this line of research with my dissertation, which married the topics of client outcomes, supervision, and the therapeutic relationship. My work in client outcomes continued at my last university appointment, where I conducted an evaluation of the in-house clinic using outcomes measures. Assessing outcomes and what factors influence outcomes can impact the counselor and client; thus, it is an important facet to continue studying.
Affiliations
- University of Florida- School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education
Research Interests
Child and Adolescent, Clinical Training and Internship, Counseling Issues, Creativity, Methodological Research, Psychological Studies, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Trauma
Education
- Ph.D. in Counselor Education, 2013 University of Central Florida
- M.S. in Community Counseling, 2006 Loyola University New Orleans
- B.S. in Psychology, 2003 Mississippi State University
Professional Appointments
- Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Florida, 2017 - Present
- Contract Mental Health Counselor, Alamo Heights Counseling, 2015 - 2017
- Assistant Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2013 - 2017
Activities and Honors
- SACES Dissertation Research Grant Award, 2012
- Licensed Professional Counselor, Texas # 73186, 2014 - Present
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 2013 - Present
- Editorial Board Member, Counseling and Values, 2012 - Present
- President, Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2016 - 2017
- Consultant/Trainer, Consultation Team for Sandy Hook Clinicians and Educators, 2015
- Treasurer, Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2013 - 2015
Selected Grants
Growth Through Pain: Post-Traumatic Growth in Military Personnel
Funding Agency
- UTSA COEHD Faculty Research Award
Project Period
- 2015 - 2016
Selected Publications
- Corley, S., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., Schuermann, H., & Blessing, N. (2020). A phenomenological investigation of doctoral students' gatekeeping experiences. Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, 2(1), 95-105. doi: https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc020109
- Hartman, T., Schuermann, H., & Kenney, J. (2018). Ranking soldiers' trust in mental health professionals. The Professional Counselor, 8(3), 213-225.
- Schuermann, H., Bursek, C., Wong, C., & Somody, C. (2018). Client outcomes in a university clinic: Norming the ORS and SRS for a largely Hispanic population. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, 9(2), 67-79.
- Schuermann, H., Avent, J. A., & Lloyd-Hazlett, J. (2018). The impact of academic role on perceptions of gatekeeping in counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 57, 51-65.
- Limberg, D., Schuermann, H., Fox, J., & Robinson III, E. (2018). Practicing counselors' in Scotland, perceptions of altruism: A phenomenological investigation. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research, 18, 49-58.
- Haiyasoso, M., & Schuermann, H. (2017). Application of Relational-Cultural Theory with adolescent sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling. doi: 10.1080/23727810.2017.1381933
- Bell, H. (2017). Creative approaches in teaching empathy in counselor education. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.
- Bell, H., Hagedorn, W. B., & Robinson, E. H. M. (2016). An exploration of supervisory and therapeutic relationships and client outcomes. Counselor Education and Supervision, 55, 182-197.
- Gonzalez, C., & Bell, H. (2016). Child centered play therapy for Hispanic children with Traumatic Grief: Cultural implications for treatment outcomes. International Journal of Play Therapy, 25(3), 146-153.
- Jacobson, L., Fox, J., Bell, H., Zeligman, M., & Graham, J. (2015). Survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder: Perspectives on the counseling process. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37(4), 308-322.