About Me

Dr. Carl J. Sheperis serves as Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies at Kutztown University. Dr. Sheperis has extensive experience in pediatric and family mental health and has served as an expert to various media outlets including The Huffington Post, The Conversation, the Denver Post, Seattle Times, Parenting, Prevention, Disney Family, Bustle, The Hill, Everyday Power Blog, Verily Magazine, The Vine, numerous radio talk shows, and others. His interviews have reached over 50,000,000 readers.

Prior to arriving a Kutztown University, Dr. Sheperis served as Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University – San Antonio for four years. Prior to A&M San Antonio, he served as Interim President and CEO for the National Board for Certified Counselors & Affiliates. Dr. Sheperis is also a former Chair of the Board of Directors for NBCC and is a Director-Emeritus. He began his career in higher education as a professor at Mississippi State University. Dr. Sheperis has over 25 years of experience in pediatric and family mental health and he has served as an envoy for professional counseling to UNESCO, the International Association for Counseling, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Turkey, the Kingdom of Bhutan, and numerous other international organizations/governments.

Dr. Sheperis has held several professional leadership positions in counseling. He served as President of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) and as Associate Editor for the Journal of Counseling and Development. He has worked with the American Counseling Association (ACA) as the chair of the Research & Knowledge Committee and has served as the Editor of the Journal of Counseling Research and Practice. In addition to counseling, Dr. Sheperis has served on advisory boards to the Health Resources Services Administration and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Sheperis is an author of several textbooks including: Research in Counseling, Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods; Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Diagnosing and Treating Children and Adolescents; Assessment for Counselors and Helping Professionals; Online Counselor Education: A Student Guide; and The Peace Train. He also has published chapters in various textbooks, academic journal articles, and reference volumes, Carl Sheperis has contributed articles and entries to the Journal of Counseling & Development; The National Academy of Medicine, The Family Journal; The Journal of Mental Health Counseling; The Clinical Supervisor; the ACA Encyclopedia; and elsewhere.

Dr. Sheperis was named as the Outstanding Counselor Educator by the Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision and was a recipient of the Counselor Education Advocacy Award by the American Counseling Association (ACA). In 2016, Dr. Sheperis received the David K. Brooks Jr. Distinguished Mentor Award from ACA and in 2018 he was named as a Fellow by the same organization. In 2022, Dr. Sheperis received the Carl D. Perkins Government Relations Award from ACA. This award is reserved for one individual annually who has made an impact at state and national levels on the development of policies and legislation that positively impact the counseling profession.

Throughout the course of his career, Dr. Sheperis has been awarded over $90,000,000 in sponsored research funding and contract services.

Dr. Sheperis is married to Dr. Donna Sheperis, and they have five children: Ellis, Jake, Joe Lee, Emily, and Laura Beth.