Professional Experience

Dr. Vaughn has been editing, writing, and publishing research in the field of counseling since 2009. In 2016, she published, Transgender Youth, an academic text. Currently, she is a reviewer for the Editorial Team at Betterhelp. Her areas of expertise include sexuality, disability, psychiatric disorders, mental health counseling, and psychology.

As a college professor, licensed professional counselor, and certified rehabilitation counselor, Dr. Vaughn has published in the Rehabilitation Counselors & Educators Journal, the Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, Sexuality and Disability, the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Training and Education in Professional Psychology, the Journal of Rehabilitation, and the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation about topics such as counseling, social justice, cultural issues, lesbian relationships, employment, and chronic disability. In addition to writing, she also teaches college students on a variety of topics including addiction, career counseling, case management, mental health and recovery, advocacy, and group counseling. Using experiences from her private practice, she is able to help make abstract concepts more relatable by using real-life examples.

She started her career in the field of research by collecting data regarding asthma, smoking cessation, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. She decided to use her research background to enter the field of counseling and enjoyed helping others improve their quality of life. Her last career move was to find a way to combine her favorite passions: researching, counseling, and teaching. She became a college professor in 2004 and now enjoys a life as a professor with a private practice engaging in interesting research projects, the latest of which is studying mental health care access for military sexual trauma among female veterans.

Educational Experience

Dr. Shemya Vaughn graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also holds a master’s degree from Maryville University in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a doctoral degree from Michigan State University in Rehabilitation Counselor Education.

"My Philosophy on Mental Health & Wellness"

As someone who has professionally, clinically, and personally experienced trauma, I am a firm believer in being gentle with ourselves and others. We should all aspire to speak our truths while at the same time, being very careful with our words. Taking a mental health and wellness journey brings inner peace, harmony to your external environment, and comfort with impermanence.

Website

 http://drmyav.wixsite.com/shemya