School of Education

Meet the departmentsAttend an Info SessionContact us

Abigail H. Conley, Ph.D.

Professor, Counseling and Special Education

Abigail H. Conley, Ph.D.

Education

  • Ph.D. in counseling and counselor education, North Carolina State University
  • M.A. in counseling psychology, Lewis & Clark College
  • B.A. in psychology and religion, Wake Forest University

Research interests

  • Interpersonal Violence (IPV) prevention, survivorship and healing
  • Wellness, resilience and contemplative practice
  • Spiritual diversity and spiritual development

Career highlights

  • Served as Editor of Counseling and Values Journal from 2019-2025
  • Received the 2022 American Counseling Association (ACA) Arthur A. Hitchcock Distinguished Professional Service Award
  • Received the 2019 VCU Survivor Solidarity Award
  • Received the 2015 Charles P. Ruch Award for Excellence in Teaching

Selected publications/projects

Book

  • Ohrt, J.H., Clarke, P., & Conley, A.H. (2018). Wellness Counseling: A Holistic Approach to Prevention and Intervention. Alexandria, VA: ACA.

Peer-reviewed publications

  • Waters, J.M. & Conley, A.H. (2025). A phenomenological analysis of the spiritual development of psychotherapists who work with sexual violence survivors. Frontier in Psychology, 16:15126444. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546444
  • Waters, J.M. & Conley, A.H. (2025). Trauma and spirituality: Faith interacting with counselors’ sexual violence work. Counseling and Values, 70(1), 39-64. https://doi.org/10.1163/2161007x-bja10029
  • Broda, M.D, Conley, A.H., Clarke, P.B., Ohrt, J. & Jeen, J. (2025). Examining the dimensionality, reliability, and invariance of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 (DASS-21) across age, race, ethnicity, and caretaking status. Psychological Reports, 332941241313105. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941241313105
  • Poandl, M. M. & Conley, A.H. (2025). Applying EMDR in counseling with survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 47(3). https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.47.3.01
  • Underwood, J., Conley, A.H., & Waters, J.M. (2024). The impact of adverse childhood experiences on college student stress and wellbeing. Journal of College Student Retention, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251231225415
  • Ohrt, J., Clarke, P.B., Conley, A.H., & Broda, M.D. (2024). Mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining well-being as a mediator of pandemic stress. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 46(1), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.46.1.02
  • Conley, A.H., Carlyle, K.E., Cuddeback, G., & Kornstein, S. (2023). Working with survivors of sex trafficking: Mental health implications. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 43(3), 597-606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2023.04.013

Bio

Dr. Abigail H. Conley is a professor of counselor education in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the counselor education program coordinator, and a research scientist in the IPV/SV workgroup with VCU’s Institute for Women’s Health.

Curriculum Vitae