91ÖÆƬ³§

Nicole Ditchman is an associate professor and core faculty member in the Division of Counseling and Rehabilitation Science. She joined 91ÖÆƬ³§ Tech in 2010 and teaches courses in human growth, career development, job placement, assessment, positive psychology and teaching & curriculum development. She also supervises master’s and doctoral students during counseling, teaching and research experiences.

Ditchman received her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin­-Madison in 2010 and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in 91ÖÆƬ³§. She has over 15 years of experience working, conducting research, and training in the field of rehabilitation and mental health counseling, and adheres to a strengths-based, person-centered approach to the delivery of services to individuals from diverse circumstances experiencing disability.  

Ditchman’s research interests focus on factors impacting community participation and well-being for people with disabilities, with an emphasis on transition-­age youth with disabilities, as well as the application of positive psychology in rehabilitation and mental health counseling. She has published over 60 peer-­reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has been successful in obtaining and managing federally-funded research and training grants. Ditchman is the recipient of five research paper awards from the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) and was awarded 91ÖÆƬ³§ Tech’s Department of Psychology Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2013 and 2022.

Education

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison (2010)
M.S., University of 91ÖÆƬ³§ at Urbana-Champaign (2005)
B.S., University of 91ÖÆƬ³§ at Urbana-Champaign (2003)

Research Interests

• School-to-work transition for youth with disabilities
• Community participation and engagement outcomes for individuals with disabilities
• Vocational rehabilitation
• Sense of community, belonging, and social inclusion
• Positive psychology
• Health promotion for people with chronic illness and disability

Publications

Ditchman, N., Thomas, J. A., Johnson, K., Haak, C., & Rafajko, S.  (2022). The impact of employment on quality of life for adults with brain injury. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, (Preprint), 1-15. 

Dutta, A., Kundu, M., Iwanaga, K., Ditchman, N., & Chan, F. (2020). Transition engagement of African American youth with disabilities: A serial mediation model. Exceptional Children, 86, 273-292.

Lee, E., Ditchman, N., Thomas, J., & Tsen, J. (2019). Microaggressions experienced by people with Multiple Sclerosis in the workplace: An exploratory study using Sue’s taxonomy. Rehabilitation Psychology, 64(2), 179-193.

Ditchman, N., Miller, J. L., & Easton, A. (2018). Vocational rehabilitation service patterns: An application of network analysis to examine employment outcomes of transition-age individuals with Autism. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 61, 143-153.

Ditchman, N., Easton, A., Batchos, E., Rafjako, E., & Shah, N. (2017). The impact of culture on attitudes toward the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities.Sexuality & Disability, 35, 245-260.

Ditchman, N., Chan, F., Haak, C., & Easton, A. B. (2017). Factors impacting sense of community among adults with brain injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 62, 130-142.

Ditchman, N., Keegan, J., Batchos, E., Haak, C. L., & Johnson, K. S. (2016). Sense of community and its impact on the life satisfaction of adults with brain injury. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 60, 239-252.

Ditchman, N., Sheehan, L., Rafajko, S., Haak, C., & Kazukauskas, K. (2016). Predictors of social integration for individuals with brain injury: An application of the ICF model. Brain Injury, 30, 1581-1589.

Keegan, J., Ditchman, N., Dutta, A., Chiu, C-Y., Muller, V., …  Kundu, M. (2016). Social cognitive and planned behavior variables associated with stages of change for physical activity in spinal cord injury: A multivariate analysis. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, & Education, 30, 89-106.

Lee, E., Ditchman, N., Fong, M. W., & Piper, L. (2014). Mental health service seeking among Korean international students in the United States: A path analysis. Journal of Community Psychology, 42, 639-655.

Wehman, P., Chan, F., Ditchman, N., & Kang. H. (2014). Effect of supported employment on vocational rehabilitation outcomes of transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A case control study. Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, 52, 296-310.

Ditchman, N., Werner, S., Kosyluk, K., Jones, N., Elg, B. & Corrigan, P. W. (2013). Stigma and intellectual disability: Potential application of mental illness research. Rehabilitation Psychology, 58, 206-216.

Carter, E. W., Ditchman, N., Sun, Y., Trainor, A. A., Swedeen, B., & Owens, L. (2010). Summer employment and community experiences of transition-age youth with severe disabilities. Exceptional Children, 76, 194-212.