Counseling (including Telehealth)

David Hansen studies child maltreatment, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect and witnessing domestic violence. He can speak about factors related to identification and reporting; assessment and intervention with victims and families; and the correlates and consequences of maltreatment. He also researches social-skills assessment and intervention with children and adolescents. His research emphasizes procedures for enhancing the effectiveness of clinical interventions, through assessing and improving adherence, generalization, maintenance, and social validity. Hansen is the co-cirector of the Family Interaction Skills Clinic, with Mary Fran Flood; and director of Project SAFE, a clinical treatment program for sexually abused children and their families. He joined the UNL faculty in 2012.

Michael Scheel, chair of the Department of Educational Psychology, regularly teaches a popular class on positive psychology. His work is based on the premise that therapists must, in collaboration with clients, facilitate interventions that fit well with each client’s unique context, as defined by culture and client strengths. Therapy designed to fit well with a client’s context is believed to foster hope and optimism. His work roles include therapist, supervisor, researcher, and teacher and uses the power of encouragement and emphasizing strengths rather than deficits which empowers individuals to attain positive goals.

Richard Bischoff seeks to improve access to high-quality mental health care via the use of technology and videoconferencing. He has been on the UNL faculty since 1998, having moved to Nebraska from San Diego, Calif., where he worked as a marriage and family therapist. He applies his interest in collaborative health care and medical family therapy to Nebraska’s rural medical settings, using videoconferencing as a primary treatment delivery option to provide care to underserved populations. This strategy has increased access to mental health care for underserved rural residents and has resulted in improved perceptions about mental health problems and mental health care in the communities served. Participating student therapists receive firsthand experience with mental health care technology and working with providers and patients in rural areas. (Updated December 2024.)

Carrie Hanson-Bradley is director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a licensed marriage and family therapist, she specializes in treating individuals, couples and families affected by grief, loss, illness and trauma. She has advanced training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and trains student and community clinicians in Narrative Exposure Therapy. Her research centers on individual, family and community-based interventions for those affected by stress, crisis and trauma; using relationships to improve student learning outcomes; and providing evidence-based trauma interventions to underserved populations. She maintains a small private practice and has worked in hospital intensive care units, emergency rooms, and community-based crisis centers. (Updated December 2024.)