Scientific, Policy, & Media Impact

Awards, Recognitions, & Distinctions

2025 Included in 8th Annual Psyche Awards for the Most Valuable Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy in 2024.  Honorable Mention for article deserving of an award but whose topic “did not closely align with any of the established award categories.”  Published in Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy.  For the development of the Clients’ Experience of Therapy Scale (Levitt et al., 2024). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10879-025-09682-w 

2023 Most cited article in first decade of the journal Qualitative Psychology (2014-2023).  Noted in Gergen, Freeman & Josselson (2023). The promises of qualitative research revisited: Ten years of qualitative psychology. Qualitative Psychology.  Over 1200 citations on Google Scholar. Article: Levitt, H. M., Motulsky, S. L., Wertz, F. J., & Morrow, S. L., Ponterotto, J. G. (2017). Recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research in psychology: Promoting methodological integrity. Qualitative Psychology, 4(1), 1-22. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/qua-qup0000082.pdf

2022 Listed as within the Top 2% of Top-cited Researchers for 2022.  Stanford-Elsevier Ranking of researchers across disciplinary fields. https://www.umb.edu/news/recent-news/stanford-elsevier-ranking-of-top-2-top-cited-rese/

2021 Most cited article in the American Psychologist during 2020 two-year impact factor period (i.e., of content published 2018-2019 and cited in 2020).  Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, Carola. (2018).  Journal article reporting standards for qualitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force report.  (From 2021 AP Journal Report)

2021 Most Valuable Paper on the Therapeutic Relationship in 2020.  Selected based upon a review of articles from over 100 journals that published research related to the field of psychotherapy research.  Wu, M. B., & Levitt, H. M. (2020). A qualitative meta-analytic review of the therapist responsiveness literature: Guidelines for practice and training. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 50, 161-175.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-020-09450-y.   Award announcement: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-021-09507-6

2020 Distinguished Contributions to Qualitative Inquiry Award. American Psychological Association, Division 5 (Quantitative & Qualitative Methods). This career award honors an individual who has “a long and distinguished history of scientific contributions within the field of qualitative research methods”. https://www.apadivisions.org/division-5/awards/inquiry?tab=4

2020 University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship. Recognizing the work of a UMB faculty member that “exhibits excellence, as evidenced by peer recognition of its import and impact.” 

2020 Most cited article in the American Psychologist during 2019 two-year impact factor period (i.e., of content published 2017-2018 and cited in 2019).  Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, Carola. (2018).  Journal article reporting standards for qualitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force report. (From 2020 AP Journal Report)

2018 Most downloaded article in 2018 across all 89 APA journals.  Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, Carola. (2018).  Journal article reporting standards for qualitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force report.  American Psychologist, 73(1), 26-46.  doi: 10.1037/amp0000151. http://www.apamonitor-digital.org/apamonitor/201812/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=36#pg39

2017 American Psychological Association Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods) Fellow. Fellow status is an honor bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in a field of psychology.  It requires that a person's work in an area has had a national-level impact on the field of psychology. 

2016 American Psychological Association Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology) Fellow.

2015 Article included in an online article collection featuring the top downloaded articles published in 2014 in Routledge Behavioral Sciences journals. Levitt, H. M. & Ippolito, M. R. (2014). Being transgender: The experience of transgender identity development. Journal of Homosexuality. 61, 1727-1758. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2014.951262  

2013 American Psychological Association Division 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity) Fellow.

2009 American Psychological Association Fellow & Division 29 Fellow (Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy).

2006 Carmi Harari Award for Inquiry, Division 32 (Humanistic Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. Awarded at the 114th American Psychological Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.

2006       Nomination for Student Group Advisor of the Year, The University of Memphis.  One of three nominees in recognition of my work advising the Stonewall Tigers (formally the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Student Association) for five years.

2005 Distinguished Teaching Award Finalist, The University of Memphis.  Identified as “one of the UM faculty members to receive the most nominations.”

2005 Early Career Research Award, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Memphis.

2002 Approved for an “Outstanding Researcher” (EB1) visa by the US National Visa Center.  This visa status required external reviews of one’s research from advanced members within one’s profession. 

2001 Psi Chi Outstanding Teacher Award, The University of Memphis.

1999 The Departmental Nomination for the University Dissertation Award, Department of Psychology, York University.

Films, Webinars, & Podcasts

2025 Black in Psych Webinar, Intro to Qualitative Research Methods: Critical-Constructivist Grounded Theory. Recording June 10.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCSJGuKZsdY  

2024 APA Film, Strengths and Flourishing in Psychotherapy.  With Sara Crabtree, Todd Farchione, Jesse Owen, Steven Sandage & Joel Wong.  American Psychological Association.  Recording April 10-11th. https://www.apa.org/pubs/videos/strengths-flourishing-psychotherapy 

2023 Society for Psychotherapy Research Webinar, Cutting Edge Issues in Qualitative Research. With William B. Stiles & John McLeod.  In SPR Handbook 7th Edition Webinar Series. Society for Psychotherapy Research. 10/17/23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJHS6iGIAtU

2022 APA Spotlight Video, How Clients Make Change in Therapy.  A discussion and demonstration with Jairo Fuertes, Amy Greaves, and Kathryn Kline. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (This film is purchasable via APA’s continuing education division.) November, 2022 https://www.apa.org/education/ce/ccw0082

2021 APA Webinar on Critical-Constructivist Grounded Theory.  Part of a webinar series on APA qualitative methods. (50 min.) May 1. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OMDt8p3LQQ27idDjLyZjCA

2020 SQIP Virtual Salon, Reclaiming Generalizability in Qualitative Methods, with Drs. Joseph Maxwell and Tone Roald.  October 16.  https://vimeo.com/474368271.

2020 UMass Boston Distinguished Faculty Lecture, Advancing Pluralistic Thought in Psychological Science.  (16 min. 13.00- 29.50) Presentation tied to the receipt of the UMB Chancellor’s Distinguished Scholarship Award. December 2.  https://youtu.be/0WOrw5YmF7g

2020 SQIP Distinguished Researcher Webinar, Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology.  (53 min.) Considering methodological integrity within a program of qualitative research on LGBTQ+ gender.  Interviewed by Logan Barsigian.  http://sqip.org/sqip-podcast-series/.

2020 Distinguished Contributions to Qualitative Research Award Lecture, Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (26 min. 1.13.25 to 1:39.50).  Description of program of work on methodological integrity and qualitative reporting standards.

2019 Psychology of Women Quarterly Podcast.  Interview by Mary Brabeck (Editor).  (28 min.) Based upon article: A psychosocial genealogy of LGBTQ+ gender: An empirically based theory of gender and gender identity cultures. https://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/podcasts

2018 Film, Designing and Reporting Qualitative Clinical Research.  Levitt, H. M. (Writer & On-Camera Narration) & American Psychological Association (Producer). (2018). In APA’s Clinician’s Corner Workshop Series. Washington, DC: APA.  (This film is purchasable via APA’s continuing education division.) https://www.apa.org/education/ce/ccw0082

2018 Developmental Support for Film and Webpage on the APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS).  Assisted in film and publicity material development to communicate the new sets of reporting standards and advance psychological science, in the capacity of being the Chair for the JARS-Qualitative. See: https://vimeo.com/258748160.  Featured on JARS website: http://www.apastyle.org/jars/

2017 SPR Distinguished Researcher Webinar.  Levitt, H. M. (2017, May).  (1hr. 11 min.) Distinguished Researcher Webinar Series, Society for Psychotherapy Research.  Designing and Publishing Meaningful Qualitative Psychotherapy Research: Establishing Methodological Integrity.  https://vimeo.com/218484595

2016 Film, Recommendations for Reviewing Qualitative Research. Levitt, H. M. (Writer & On-Camera Narration) & American Psychological Association (Producer) (2016). (27 min.) Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. This online film provides guidance on how to review qualitative research and is a companion to a film on reviewing quantitative manuscripts. (For a period of time, APA reviewers could receive continuing education credit for conducting reviews for APA journals after having watched this film, but now it set as open access: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/resources/how-to-review-manuscripts.)

2016 Researcher and Writer for HIV Prevention Public Service Announcements, Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s (now OutMemphis!) Synapse Project.  (1.5 min. each)  Co-developed four film public service announcements based upon our participatory action research on the needs in this African-American GBTQ Southern community and culturally congruent responses, featured on social media and men of color GBTQ social networking sites from 2016-2017. 

    https://outmemphis.org/programs-services/sexual-minority-health/#synapse;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zu1IfWtQFA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0h76--iE0; 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq75J8fhngU; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI0O0fiDgXI

2016 Procedural Fairness Interview Podcast. Both 5-minute and 26-minute interviews on my research are posted on website hosted by the National Center for State Courts and co-founded by Professor Tom Tyler and Judges Kevin Burke and Steve Leben.  The website provides various resources on the topic of procedural fairness—particularly as it relates to courts and policing. https://proceduralfairnessblog.org/2016/06/07/what-makes-a-judge-wise/

2010 Interview for Exploring Desire.  Interviewed for a documentary on butch and femme lesbians by Lenn Keller (Director/Producer/Founder of Bay Area Lesbian Archives). 

2005 Consultation for This is What Love in Action Looks Like.  Interviewed for a documentary on sexual orientation conversion therapy by Morgan Fox (Director/Producer).  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853155/

2001     Co-Produced and co-directed film with Dr. Sharon Horne, Schools Out: Experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Youth. 

Presentation at the Ohio State Psychological Association, November 2001.

Presentation at the Twinkie Museum Film Festival, April 28th, 2001. 

Film clip posted on the Planet Out On-line film festival, June 2001.

Presentation at Memphis Area Gay Youth, February 21, 2002.

Presented at Holy Trinity Church, July 21, 2004.

Public policy impact

2025 Invited Speaker at the Inaugural Austrian Conference of Humanistic Branch of Psychology regarding the restructuring of national psychotherapy training.  Speaking on the importance of the humanistic evidence when creating education policy as psychological training was being restructured nationally to become university-based. April 4.

2024 APA Advisory Steering Committee Statement on the Evidentiary Bases of Clinical Practice Guidelines.  Levitt, H. M., Muran, J. C., Tao, K. (subcommittee) and the Advisory Steering Committee of Clinical Practice Guidelines of the American Psychological Association. (2024). ASC Statement on the Evidentiary Bases of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG).  This statement, to be included in all CPGs, identified two distinct but inherent sets of limitations of our research systems and evidentiary base: (1) the need for greater evidence from diverse psychotherapy orientations and (2) the need for greater evidence on the application of psychotherapy to clients from diverse cultures. https://www.apa.org/about/offices/directorates/guidelines/evidentiary-basis-statement  

2020 Research described in US Supreme Court amicus brief by Lutheran Family Services to defend foster care non-discrimination in the city of Philadelphia.  In defense of city non-discrimination policy regarding LGBTQ foster care to be heard November 2020 (Levitt et al., 2020). https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-123/150805/20200820145948875_8.20.2020_Amicus_Brief.pdf

2019 Research described in deposition in US District Court for the middle District of FLA Tampa Division.  In arguing against LGBTQ+ conversion therapy (Levitt et al., 2009).  http://files.eqcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/192_3PDepExhibit28.pdf

2017    Invited Seminar.  Levitt, H. M. (2017, October). Good Judgment: Judicial Method and Decision Making. Canadian National Judicial Institute, Toronto, Canada.

2016 Summary of articles in Court Review. Article summary of my research with Dr. Bridget Dunnavant in Court Review newsletter (Volume 52, p. 92) by the National Center for State Courts and co-founded by Professor Tom Tyler and Judges Kevin Burke and Steve Leben.  (Dunnavant & Levitt, 2015; Levitt & Dunnavant, 2015) 

2015 Article Featured in Procedural Fairness Blog.  Levitt, H. M. & Dunnavant, B. (2015). Judicial wisdom: The process of forming wise decisions. Journal of Constructivist Psychology. doi: 10.1080/10720537.2014.928810 https://proceduralfairnessblog.org

2012 Research described by Australian Psychological Society amicus brief (submission 039) regarding Marriage Equality Amendment Bill.  In an argument for national same-sex marriage (Arm, Horne & Levitt, 2009). http://www.aphref.aph.gov.au_house_committee_spla_bill marriage_subs_sub 039 

2008    American Psychological Association Press Release, Anti Same-Sex Amendments Spark Psychological Distress among GLBT Adults and their Families, According to New Research. A summary of research conducted in our team (Arm et al., 2009; Levitt et al., 2009) and links to full text of two articles on anti-LGBT amendments were made available to the public during voting on state marriage amendment rights on the American Psychological Association homepage and at the APA Public Affairs Office, November 18. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2008/11/glbt-stress.aspx

Scientific & Media Impact

2024 Adoption of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Psychology & Sexuality.  Hammack, P. L., & Wignall, L. (2024). 13 years of Psychology & Sexuality: taking stock & outlining a new vision. Psychology & Sexuality, 15(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2024.2307213

2023 APA Editor Spotlight on Beginning as Incoming Editor for Qualitative Psychology, disseminated across APA social media, in The Score (Division 5 newsletter) and the SQIP Newsletter.

• https://www.apa.org/pubs/highlights/editor-spotlight/qua-levitt

• https://www.apadivisions.org/division-5/publications/score/2023/04/editor-spotlight 

• https://www.sqip.org/_files/ugd/137e44_6fe7b9e5456f4437bddab22d87444512.pdf 

2023 Interview by Jen Katz-Buonicontro for Mixed Method Textbook, How to mix methods: A guide to sequential, convergent and experimental research designs. On reflexivity and positionality.

2022 Interview for Division 35 Newsletter.  Interview by Elliot Tebbe.  A conversation with Dr. Heidi Levitt.  http://perspectivesongsod.blogspot.com/p/newsletters.html

2021 APA JARS admitted to the EQUATOR network.  EQUATOR is an organization that advances scientific reporting across disciplines.   Blog announcement by David Kovalt.  https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/jars-equator-network# (September 15)

2021 Adoption of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Journal of Black Psychology.  Vandiver, B. J. (2021). Editorial note: New editorial board and new submission guidelines. Journal of Black Psychology, 47(2-3, 87-90.   https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984211010528

2020 Recommendation of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Journal of Educational Psychology. Wallace, T. L., & Kuo, E. (2020). Publishing qualitative research in the Journal of Educational Psychology: Synthesizing research perspectives across methodological silos. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(3), 579–583. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1037/edu0000474

2020 Recommendation of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Academic Medicine. O’Brien, B. C., West, C. P., Coverdale, J. H., Durning, S. J., & Roberts, L. W. (2020). On the Use and Value of Reporting Guidelines in Health Professions Education Research. Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 95(11), 1619–1622. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003666

2020 Recommendation of the APA JARS-Qualitative by UK Psychologists.   Letter by Shaw et al. to UK psychologists on the decision of the British Journal of Health Psychology to endorse the APA journal article reporting standards for qualitative research (Levitt, et al., 2018).  In The Psychologist, the British Psychological Society’s Monthly Magazine, subscribed to by more than 50K psychologists in the UK.  Shaw, R. L., Bishop, F. L., Horwood, J., Chilcot, J., & Arden, M. A. (2020). What qualifies as the best kind of qualitative research.  The Psychologist (33), 2. https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-33/january-2020/what-qualifies-best-kind-qualitative-research

2019 Recommendation of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Social Workers.  White, Hurley & Ó Súilleabháin (2019). The journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic and mixed methods research: Applying the standards to social work research.  Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 16(5), 469-477. http://10.1080/26408066.2019.1650317.  After a review of the standards, the authors of this invited article “conclude with recommending the adoption of these standards by the social work research community.”

2019 Adoption of the APA JARS-Qualitative by British Journal of Health Psychology. Shaw, R. L., Bishop, F. L., Horwood, J., Chilcot, J., & Arden, M. A. (2019). Enhancing the quality and transparency of qualitative research methods in health psychology. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4), 739–745. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1111/bjhp.12393.  “The British Journal of Health Psychology has adopted the APA Journal Standards of reporting qualitative and mixed methods research.  These standards are widely applicable and offer a non-judgmental and robust way of assessing the quality of qualitative research with a range of epistemological stances.”

2019     Research described from article on self-criticism in Business Insider, (Kannan & Levitt, 2013) August 8, 2019: https://www.businessinsider.com/6-ways-stop-being-your-worst-critic-according-to-science-2019-8

2019 Program of LGBTQ+ gender research (Levitt, 2019) the focus of an invited special section of Psychology of Women Quarterly:

Levitt, H. M. (2019). A psychosocial genealogy of LGBTQ+ gender: An empirically based theory of gender and gender identity cultures.  Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 275-297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319834641.

Tebbe, E. A. (2019). What’s past is prologue: Advancing feminist psychological research on LGBTQ+ genders. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 271–274. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1177/0361684319847121

Moradi, B. (2019). Naming gender as axis of power and coalition politics. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 303–308. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1177/0361684319850439

Watson, L. B. (2019). Gender identity and expression in LGBTQ+ communities: Implications for the practice of psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 298–302. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1177/0361684319846498

Levitt, H. M. (2019). Applications of a functionalist theory of gender: A response to reflections and a research agenda.  Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 309-316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319851467 

2019 Research highlighted in Minority Masculinities blog column, Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities website, featuring my research on butch lesbian gender (e.g., Levitt, 2019).  Interview and writing by Zachary Gerdes, M.A., and William Elder, Ph.D. https://www.division51.net/post/march-s-highlighting-minority-masculinities-column

2018 Recommendation of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Engineer Educators.  Creamer, E. G. (2018).  Striving for methodological integrity in mixed methods research: The difference between mixed methods and mixed-up methods.  Journal of Engineer Education, 107(4), 526-530. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20240

2018 Adoption of the APA JARS-Qualitative by Counselling and Psychotherapy Quarterly. Iwakabe, S., & Knox, S. (2018). Editor’s note. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 31(4), 407.

2018 Press releases regarding APA Journal Article Reporting Standards. 

January 18, 2018: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-apa-journal-article-standards.html

May 15, 2018: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/05/journal-article-reporting

2018     Research discussed in article on self-criticism in New York Times (Kannan & Levitt, 2013) May 22, 2018: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/smarter-living/why-you-should-stop-being-so-hard-on-yourself.html

2016 Paper featured on the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration Website.   Levitt, H. M., Pomerville, A. & Surace, F. I. (2016). A qualitative meta-analysis examining clients’ experiences of psychotherapy: A new agenda.  Psychological Bulletin, 142(8), 801-830.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000057 

2012 The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring, “Distant Star: A conversation with Heidi Levitt.” Interviewed by Jean Rhodes. October 12, 2012.  http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/distant-star-a-conversation-with-heidi-levitt-associate-professor-of-clinical-psychology-and-author-of-study-on-whats-helpful-in-relationships/

2011 Research described in Psychotherapy Networker magazine article, “Wise is as Wise Does.” Interviewed by Garry Cooper, for an article published in the January/February 2011 issue. https://www2.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/recentissues/1208-clinicians-digest?start=1

2005 Research described in Psychotherapy Networker magazine article, “Shhh – Therapy in Progress,” interviewed by Garry Cooper, for an article published in the December 2005 issue.

2003 Research described in Psychotherapy Networker magazine article, “Keeping Secrets from Therapists,” interviewed by Garry Cooper, for an article published in the July/August 2003 issue.

2001 Research described in Psychotherapy Networker magazine article, “Working with Silences in Psychotherapy,” interviewed by Garry Cooper, for an article published in the January 2002 issue.