In this episode, host Dana Brookover, PhD, hears from Jessica Scoggins, PhD about her clinical and research experience with adults with childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms. The title of her quantitative dissertation study is, "The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Dissociation." Dr. Scoggins also shares practical advice for the dissertation process, the differences between online and in-person doctoral work, and how she plans to use her PhD in the future.

Guest bio:
Dr. Jessica Scoggins earned both her master’s degree and doctoral degrees from Sam Houston State University. However, her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M gifted her a habit of forever starting her emails with “Howdy!”

Having worked in mental health as soon as she was able to, Dr. Scoggins has had experience at a psychiatric hospital as a mental health technician, a case manager at a local mental health authority, a counselor at a domestic violence shelter and a rape crisis center, before settling into private practice. Clinically, she serves adults who have experienced trauma; this is most often neglect and sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. Most of her clients are working to manage attachment issues, personality disorder symptoms, complex PTSD, and dissociation. Helping adults who survived their childhood trauma process the past and take control of their lives as adults is her passion. She works exclusively with trauma and dissociative disorders (including dissociative identity disorder and complex PTSD), provides consultation for other mental health professionals on how to work clinically with these issues and disorders, and does professional presentations and trainings.

Her advocacy and research interests include dissociation, childhood trauma’s effect into adulthood, DID, and complex trauma. As a professor, Dr Scoggins aims to help students develop into competent and confident counselors who can help clients from a trauma informed perspective, regardless of their work setting or chosen clinical interest. Her experience educating undergraduates and graduate students is growing and she brings current clinical knowledge into the classroom as a teaching tool. Additionally, she is a yoga instructor, dog lover, avid reader, and herbal tea enthusiast.

Dr Jessica Scoggins is also a member of the Texas Counselor Association, Texas Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors, and International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Link to dissertation: https://shsu-ir.tdl.org/handle/20.500.11875/3610