Dr. Dawn Scheick, professor of nursing at Alderson-Broaddus College, has had her research on the mindfulness to manage countertransference in the nurse-client relationship published in the March-April 2011 edition of the Journal of Professional Nursing.

The purpose of Dr. Scheick’s study was to evaluate whether her earlier instruction (in 2004) and use of a self-awareness development guide affected the self-control and sense of vibrant aliveness of students in a psychiatric nursing course. Scheick’s research determined that when nursing students grow in their ability to mindfully self-monitor they stand a better chance of managing not only countertransference in psychiatric nursing, but in other areas of nursing practice as well.

Dr. Scheick is a 1971 graduate of A-B College with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing; a 1974 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a Masters in Nursing, Psychiatric Mental Health; and, a 2007 graduate of Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a Doctor of Education in Higher Education and a major concentration area in Nursing.  She is a full-professor of nursing at A-B College and is board certified by the American Nurses Association as Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist. She also serves as the Chair of the Nursing Department at A-B College.

Dr. Scheick has over 30 years of professional nursing experience.  She is an expert in the field of mental health and has published numerous articles in her field as well as a contributing author of several nursing publications.  She remains active in the area as a nurse psychotherapist and provides client counseling at the Barbour County Health Department Circle of Caring on a part-time basis.  She has presented professional presentations to various local, regional and national audiences.  She is a member of the National League for Nursing and the West Virginia League for Nursing.