Position:

Professor and Chair, Department of Counseling

Contact Information:

counseling@paloaltou.edu

Programs:

Master's

Education:

• PhD University of Mississippi, Counselor Education
• MEd Delta State University, Community Counseling
• BBA University of Mississippi, Marketing

Biography:

Dr. Donna Sheperis is a Professor in the Department of Counseling. She earned her PhD in Counselor Education from the University of Mississippi. Dr Sheperis has taught for land-based and online programs since 2000. Dr. Sheperis is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Board Certified Telemental Health Provider, and Approved Clinical Supervisor with over 30 years of experience in clinical mental health settings.

Dr. Sheperis is the Past-President of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling. She has served as Co-Chair of the ACA Ethics Committee. She currently serves on the ACA Ethics Appeals Committee. She has authored more than 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, multiple book chapters, and textbooks. She recently published the 2nd editions of her books: Ethical Decision Making for 21st Century Counselors (2024) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Fundamentals of Applied Practice (2025).

Dr. Sheperis presents regularly on a variety of topics and has received numerous awards for her teaching, scholarship and research.

Areas of Interest:

Telemental Health; Distance Counselor Education; Supervision and Training; Assessment

Selected Publications:

Sheperis, D. S. & Sheperis, C. J. (2023). Conversion therapy is discredited and increases risk of suicide – yet fewer than half of
US states have bans in place. In Jules Gill-Peterson (Ed.) The Conversation on Gender Diversity. Johns Hopkins University Press. https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/33265/conversation-gender-diversity#book__authors

McKibben, W.B., Sheperis, D.S., & Lenz, A.S. (2023). A meta-analysis of supervisee attachment style and the supervisory relationship. Journal of Counseling and Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12476

Sheperis, D. S. & Nazzal, K. (2022). The Great Pivot: The Profession of Counseling has Changed, Has Your Pedagogy? Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 1. https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0017. Available at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/tces/vol2/iss2/1

Sheperis, D.S., Gomez, R., Wathen, C., Frank, M., & Brown, L. (2022). Addressing Isolation, Loneliness and Mental Health of Older Adults Living during COVID-19: A University Training Partnership with Senior Living Communities. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2022.2096602

Simmons R.T., Coker K., Hanks B.B., Sheperis D.S., Bohecker L. (2021). Mothering Identity Experiences: A Backwards Glance. The Family Journal. doi:10.1177/10664807211023927 Retrieved at https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/KMKHPSC29ASW2ENMENUI/full

Sheperis, D. S. & *Smith, A. (2021) Telehealth Best Practice: A Call for Standards of Care, Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0004
Available at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/tces/vol1/iss1/4

Lamar, M. R. and Sheperis, D. (2021) Virtual Research Conference Presentations: A Research Course Assignment Students Love. Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0005. https://digital.sandiego.edu/tces/vol1/iss1/5

Chen, S.Y; Coker, K.; Wathen, C.; and Sheperis, D. (2021) Effects of Clinical Skills Training: Technology and Pedagogy for the Quality Virtual Classroom. Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0009
Available at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/tces/vol1/iss1/

Wathen, C.C.; Speciale, M.; Chen, S.Y.; and Sheperis, D. (2021) "Effective Online Synchronous Group Counselor Training: Challenges, Strengths, and Solutions," Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0010
Available at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/tces/vol1/iss1/10

Sheperis, D. S., Coker, J. K., *Haag, E., & *Salem-Pease, F. (2020). Online Counselor Education: A Student--Faculty Collaboration. Professional Counselor, 10(1), 133–143. https://doi-org.paloaltou.idm.oclc.org/10.15241/dss.10.1.133

Sheperis, D.S., Ordway, A., & Lamar, M. (2020). Legal and ethical issues in online counselor education. The Professional Counselor. 10 (1), 106-119. https://doi-org.paloaltou. idm.oclc.org/10.15241/ dss.10.1.106
Nelson, J., Pender, D. A., Myers, C. E., & Sheperis, D. (2020). The Effect of Affect: Krathwohl and Bloom’s Affective Domains Underutilized in Counselor Education. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 13(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.7729/131.1279

Nelson, J.S., Pender, D., Myers, C., & Sheperis, D.S. (2019). Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) and counseling student online learning. Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning. 16, 23-33.
 

Sheperis, D. S., Karani, K., *Milan, N. M., & Sheperis, C. J. (2019). Marketing of Professional Counselors: A Q‐Sort Study of Best Practices. Journal of Counseling & Development, 97(1), 25–32.Books:

Sheperis, D.S., Henning, S., & Kocet, M. (2016). Ethical decision making for the 21st century counselor. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

Sheperis, D.S. & Sheperis, C. J. (Eds.) (2015). Clinical mental health counseling: Fundamentals of applied practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson 

Book Chapters: 

Sheperis, D.S. (2020). Supervision in clinical mental health settings. In B. Flamez and A.S. Lenz Practical Approaches to Clinical Supervision Across Settings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Haddock, L.R. & Sheperis, D.S. (2019). Group therapy for treatment of addictions. In D. Capuzzi & M. Shaffer (Eds). Foundations of Addictions Counseling (3rd ed). Allyn & Bacon

Sheperis, D., Perepiczka, M., &  Limoges, C. (2018). Career Assessment. In D. Capuzzi & M.D. Stauffer (Eds.) Career Counseling: Foundations, Perspectives, and Applications (3rd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Sheperis, D.S. & Lopez, B. (2016). Counseling children of poverty in B.T Erford (Ed.) Professional School Counseling: A Handbook of Theories Programs and Practices (3rd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed

Perepiczka, M., Sheperis, D.S, & Moore, R.O. (2016). Online research. In C. Sheperis & R.J. Davis (Eds.). Online Counselor Education: A Guide for Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

Sheperis, D.S. & Perepiczka, M., (2016) Reviewing the literature. In C. J. Sheperis, J. S. Young, & M. H. Daniels (Eds.) Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Single Subject Design. (2nd ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.