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College of Education & Human Development Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology
250 Education Sciences Building - 56 East River Road - Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
Tel: 612-624-1698 - Fax: 612-624-8241

Thomas M. Skovholt

Counseling and student personnel psychology

Ph.D., University of Missouri

Office: 160 Education Sciences Building
Tel: 612-625-3573
E-mail: skovh001@umn.edu

My main research focus is practitioner development in the helping, teaching and healing professions with a concentration on counselors and therapists. Topics within this area include mastery and expertise, resiliency development and burnout prevention, struggles of the novice practitioner, clinical supervision, the counseling process and helping skills.

Selected publications

Books

Skovholt, T. M. (2007). Helping stills and strategies. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Co.

Schank, J., & Skovholt, T. M. (2006). Ethics in small communities: Challenges and rewards for psychologists. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Skovholt, T. M., & Jennings, L. (Eds.) (2004 ). Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Skovholt, T. M., & Rivers, D. (2004). Skills and strategies for the helping professions. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Co.

Skovholt, T.M. (2001). The resilient practitioner: Burnout prevention and self-care strategies. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Skovholt, T.M. & Ronnestad, M.H. (1995). The evolving professional self: Themes in counselor and therapist development. New York: Wiley.

Skovholt, T.M., Schamble, P.A. & Davis, R. (1980). Counseling men. Menlo Park, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Recent articles and chapters

Skovholt, T.M. (2008). Two versions of erosion in the helping professions: Caring burnout and meaning burnout. New Therapist, 52, 28-29.  

Jennings, L., D’Rozario, V., Goh, M., Sovereign, A., Brogger, M. L. & Skovholt, T.M. (2008). Psychotherapy expertise in Singapore: A qualitative investigation. Psychotherapy Research, 18, 508-522.

Skovholt, T.M., Ebata, N., & Hirai, T. (2007) Strategies for burnout prevention and optimal counselor development. In T. Inoue (Ed.), Counseling for empowerment.  Toyko: Kawashima Books (In Japanese), 209-243.

Skovholt, T.M., Hansen, S., Goh, M., Romano, J.L. , and Thomas, K. ( 2005) The Minnesota International Counseling Institute 1989-Present: History, joyful moments, and lessons learned. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling 27, 1, 17-33.

Skovholt, T.M. (2005). The cycle of caring: A model of expertise in the helping professions. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27, 82-93.

Skovholt, T.M. and L. Jennings. (2005) Mastery and expertise in counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27, 13-18.

Jennings, L., Hansen, M., Skovholt, T.M. and Grier, T. (2005) Searching for mastery. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27, 19-31.

Skovholt, T. M., Goh, M., Upidi, S. and Grier, T. (2004). The resilient multicultural practitioner. The California Psychologist, 37 (6), 18-19.

Brisset, A , Turner, S. , & Skovholt, T. M. (2004). Parent support and African-American adolescent career self-efficacy. Professional School Counselor, 7,124-132.

Strike, D, Skovholt, T.M., & Hummel, T. (2004). Counselors’ competencies with disabled clients. Rehabilitation Psychology, 49, 321-327.

Skovholt, T. M., Hanson, M., Jennings, L., & Grier, T. (2004). A brief history of expertise. In T. M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.), Master therapists: Expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. pp. 1-16.

Skovholt, T.M., Hanson, M., Jennings, L. & Grier, T. (2004 ). Expertise in therapy and counseling. In T.M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.). Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Pp. 17-30.

Skovholt, T. M., Jennings, L., & Mullenbach, M. (2004). Portrait of the master therapist: the highly-functioning self. In T. M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.), Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. pp.125-146.

Jennings, L., & Skovholt, T. M. (2004 ). The cognitive, emotional, and relational characteristics of master therapists. In T. M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.), Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. pp. 31-52.

Mullenbach, M., & Skovholt, T. M. (2004 ). Emotional wellness and professional resiliency of master therapists. In T. M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.) Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. pp. 77-106.

Sullivan, M., & Skovholt, T. M. (2004 ). Master therapists’ construction of the working alliance. In T. M. Skovholt & L. Jennings (Eds.), Master therapists: Exploring expertise in therapy and counseling. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. pp. 53-76.

Skovholt, T.M. Ronnestad, M.H. (2003 ). The hope and promise of life-span counselor and therapist development. Journal of Career Development, 30, 1, 1-3.

Skovholt, T.M., & Ronnestad, M.H. (2003 ). Struggles of the novice counselor and therapist. Journal of Career Development, 30, 1, 44-58.

Skovholt, T.M., & Wood, R. (2003). The complexity of supervision. Contemporary Psychology, 48, 463-465.

Jennings, L., Goh, M., Skovholt, T.M., Hanson, M., & Banerjee-Stevens, D. (2003). Multiple factors in the development of the expert counselor and therapist. Journal of Career Development, 30, 1, 59-72.

Ronnestad, M.H. & Skovholt, T.M. (2003). The journey of the counselor and therapist: Research findings and perspectives on development. Journal of Career Development, 30, 1, 5-44.

Schank, J., Slater, R., Banerjee-Stevens, D. & Skovholt, T. (2003). Ethics of multiple and overlapping relationships. In W.T. O’Donohue & K. Ferguson (Eds). Handbook of professional ethics for psychologists. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. pp. 181-193.

Classroom teaching

  • Doctoral Seminar on Counseling Theory and Ethics
  • M.A. Practicum
  • Doctoral Supervision Practicum
  • Burnout Prevention and Self-Care in Counseling, Teaching, and Health Care

Honors and awards

  • James Cosse Distinguished Award for Extraordinary Contributions to the Professional Practice of Counseling Psychology
  • MPA Outstanding Graduate Professor in Psychology Award
  • Licensed Psychologist, State of Minnesota
  • Publication Award, Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (with L. Jennings) for Master Therapists
  • President, American Board of Counseling Psychology
  • Academy of Distinguished Teachers, Univ. of Minnesota
  • Research Award, Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (with H. Ronnestad) for The Evolving Professional Self
  • Bjorn Christensen Research Award (with H. Ronnestad), for The Evolving Professional Self
  • Fellow, American Psychological Association
  • Board Certified in Counseling Psychology, ABPP

February 2009

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Last modified on September 10, 2009