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CV

Education

2018 - 2022

The University of Missouri - St. Louis |
PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision 

2016 - 2018

Northwestern University |
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

2011 - 2015

The University of Chicago |
BA in Comparative Human Development
Minor: Gender & Sexuality Studies

Experience

2025 - Present

Assistant Professor
University of Missouri - St. Louis

  • Teach master's level Counseling Core classes following CACREP-standards.

  • Advise and mentor master's and doctoral students.

2022 - 2025

Clinical Assistant Professor
Marquette University

  • Teach master's level Counseling Core classes following CACREP-standards.

  • Advise and mentor students.

2020 - 2024

Co-Founder and Co-Organizer
#BlackInMentalHealth

  • Co-organized #BlackInMentalHealthWeek, an international online initiative to promote and highlight Black mental health professionals, researchers, students, and advocates.

2016 - Present

Clinical Mental Health Counselor

  • Provide individual and group therapy to clients of diverse cultural identities.

  • Present at workshops and invited talks focusing on mental health and wellness for marginalized communities.

2016 - Present

Social Media Coordinator and 
Content Creator

  • Coordinated and co-coordinated social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for Black in Mental Health (#BlackInMH), the University of Missouri - St. Louis's Counseling Program (#UMSLCounseling), and the North Central Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (#NCACES).

  • Created original content and had interdisciplinary collaborations with other content creators via Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

2015 - 2016

Special Projects Assistant

  • Aided in the Illinois Secretary of Education in projects related to the health and equity of youth in the state of Illinois from cradle to career.

  • Coordinated Early Childhood Councils and Illinois P-20 Councils. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Bisexual+ women of color and mental health

  • LGBTQIA+ youth

  • Mentorship

  • Intersecting multiple marginalized identities

  • Counseling ethics

  • Ethical social media and artificial intelligence (AI) in counseling & research

  • Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and the emotional development model (PCIT-ED)

Selected Conference Presentations

  • Paul, Z. A. (2024, September 5 – 6). Black and Getting Bi: Understanding the Unique Mental Health Needs of Black Bisexual+ Individuals [Conference session]. Presented at the 9th Black Mental Health Symposium, virtual.

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  • Isadore, K. M. & Paul, Z. A. (2024, March 15 – 16). Operationalizing Microaffirmations for Queer and Trans People of Color [Conference session]. Presented at the NBCC Foundation’s 2024 Bridging the Gap Symposium, Washington, D. C.

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  • Dipre, K., Gallardo, D., Paul, Z.A., & Rohlfing, J. (2023, October 11 - 15). Is It Broken, and Can It Be Fixed? Mentorship Rupture and Repair [Conference session]. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2023 Conference, Denver, CO.​

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  • Balin, E., Edwin, M., Liu, Y., & Paul, Z. A. (2023, June 29). Moments of Excellence in Career Counseling: Evidence-Based Counseling Adaptations for Diverse Clients and Contexts [Conference session]. Presented at the National Career Development Association 2023 Conference, Chicago, IL.

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  • Paul, Z. A. & Ravi, N. (2023, April 20 – 22). Bisexual+ Women of Color and Racial/Ethnic Collective Self-Esteem [Poster session]. Presented at the 95th Annual Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) Conference, Chicago, IL.

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  • Paul, Z. A., Hurless, N., & Ravi, N. (2023, April 20 – 22). Ethical Framework for Social Media Use for Mental Health Professionals [Conference session]. Presented at the 95th Annual Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) Conference, Chicago, IL.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2022, October). The Moderating Effects of Racial/Ethnic Collective Self-Esteem on Bisexual Microaggressions with Bisexual+ Women of Color [Poster session]. Presented at the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities 2022 Conference, Chicago, IL.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2022, September). Psychometric Results and Implications of the Bisexual Microaffirmation Scale for Women with Bi+ Women of Color [Conference session]. Presented at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling National Conference, St. Louis, MO.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2022, August). Understanding Affirming Identity Variables and Social Appearance Anxiety with Bi+ Women of Color. In E. McCabe (Chair), Division 44 Committee on Bisexual Issues Research Symposium [Symposium]. Presented at the American Psychological Association 2022 Convention, Minneapolis, MN.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2022, June). "Not Half and Half": Affirming Care for Bisexual+/Plurisexual Individuals of Color [Conference session]. Presented at the 2022 NBCC Bridging the Gap Symposium, Washington D.C.​

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  • Pryor, J., Paul, Z. A., Gallardo, D., & Dipre., K.A. (2021, October). A Pilot Study on Rupture and Repair in Counseling Mentorship [Conference session]. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Atlanta, GA.

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  • Coker, A.D., Brown, E., Martin, C., Freedle, A., Cables, E., Miller, R., Paul, Z. A., Dooley Hussman, M., & Abernathy, M. (2021, June). Women and the Practice of Self-Censorship [Conference session]. Presented at the 2021 Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development Virtual Conference.

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  • Gallardo, D., Dipre, K.A., Paul, Z. A., & Pryor, J. (2020, June). Repairing Mentorship Relationships in Cross-Cultural Dyads [Conference presentation]. Presented at the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development Virtual Summit, online.

Invited Talks & Media Appearances

  • Paul, Z. A. (2024, November). Ethics of Critical Digital Literacy in Counseling and Advocacy.  Presentation for Marquette University’s CECP Speaker Series, virtual.

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  • Westcott, J. B., Akers, W. A., Savitsky, D., Dunn, M., Oaks, C., Pope, A., & Paul, Z. A. (2024, October 4 – 5). Research as a Tool for LGBTGEQIAP+ Advocacy. Presentation for the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) 2024 Conference, virtual.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2024, September). The Invisible Majority: Bisexuality and Mental Health. Presentation for Mizuno Consulting, virtual.

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  • APA Division 44's Bisexual Issues Committee. (2023, September). Black Bi+ Mental Health. Virtual Symposium Presentation for the APA Division 44's Bisexual Issues Committee, virtual. 

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  • Paul, Z. A. & Hurless, N. (2023, August). "Like, Comment, and Subscribe!": Using Social Media to Develop Competence in Counselors-in-Training. Presentation for the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2023 - 2024 Webinar series, virtual.

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2023, January). Insta-Counselors: Ethically Using Social Media as a Marketing, Research, and Advocacy Tool. Presentation for the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation Live Webinars, virtual. https://www.nbccf.org/webinars/building/part10

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  • Paul, Z. A. (2021, October). Women+ of Color Project Graduate School Workshop: Sexuality and Gender Identity. The Women+ of Color Project. Webinar to W+OCP participants, virtual.

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  • LGBTQ Institute. (2021, September 28). Research and Campaigns focused on LGBTQ People, Health, and Wellbeing [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NRkhi7NDTeo

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