Justin D. Henderson
Assistant Professor and PMHC-A Program Co-Director
Dr. Justin D. Henderson is program co-director, co-clinical coordinator, and assistant professor of Professional Mental Health Counseling with specialization in Addictions. He is also core faculty in the Eating Disorders Certificate program. He is a licensed psychologist and a National Certified Counselor.
Dr. Henderson’s scholarship focuses on improving individual and community wellbeing and advancing social justice. He is particularly interested in the application of compassion orientations and skills in counseling and systems change. His writing focuses on burnout, self-care, social justice, addiction, and mental health. Dr. Henderson values contributions both in traditional academic domains as well as produced works for general audiences. For example, he is a Medium Top Writer in the area of Leadership with his focus on systemic approaches to burnout.
Some of the courses Dr. Henderson teaches are: Drugs, Brain, and Human Behavior; Theories and Philosophy of Counseling; Counseling Interventions with Adults; Practicum and Internship Supervision; and Introduction to Counseling & Social Justice.
Dr. Henderson has clinical expertise in mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion-based therapeutic modalities (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Compassion Focused Therapy). Dr. Henderson is a Certified Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)™ Teacher through the Compassion Institute and the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. He is a professional member of the Compassion Institute, Compassion Education Alliance, and Compassionate Mind Foundation.
Dr. Henderson has clinical experience in a wide array of contexts including university counseling centers, hospitals, inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities, high schools, and residential treatment programs. He has been a clinical supervisor for both masters and doctoral student practitioners. Additionally, Dr. Henderson has extensive clinical administrative experience in his prior roles as director and clinical director for counseling center, behavioral health, and training clinics.
Nationally, he is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Counselors for Social Justice, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, the Society of Addiction Psychology, the Society of Counseling Psychology, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
Regionally, he has been involved with the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Oregon Counseling Association, and the Northwest Institute of Addictions Studies.
Locally, Dr. Henderson has served as a prior steering committee member of the Portland United Against Hate coalition and served as a consultant for Beaverton Sobriety Opportunity for Beginning Recovery (B-SOBR) program. He has been a mental health and organizational consultant to corporate, healthcare, and government agencies addressing a number of concerns including burnout, hate response, trauma-informed care, addiction, and mental health.
Personal Statement
I see the process of counselor development as a journey toward integration. Our capacity to manage dynamic and complex contexts is strengthened when we can integrate the psychological, emotional, biological, behavioral, cultural, relational, systemic, and broader ecological factors that contribute toward our understanding of self and other. I attempt to offer a compassionate stance toward student’s growth, offering both support and challenge-toward-potential. In this way, education becomes a collaborative process whereby both teacher and student are transformed in the experience.
Areas of Expertise
Compassion, Acceptance, and Mindfulness-based Therapeutic Modalities and Interventions; Addiction Processes and Counseling; Burnout; Shame Dynamics in Power, Privilege, and Oppression; Compassion Training; Mindfulness Training; Trauma; Body Image; Training and Supervision; Clinical System Administration; Organizational Development and Consultation
Current Research
Dr. Henderson’s scholarship focuses on the engagement of individuals, communities, and systems toward greater wellbeing. In this pursuit, Dr. Henderson’s research explores processes that both facilitate and hinder individual and community wellbeing including hate/bias, burnout, compassion training, and leadership. Dr. Henderson is interested in the integration of social justice work in the field of addiction and other mental health care.
Publications
GENERAL PUBLICATIONS
Henderson, J. D. (2024). Time is worth wasting: Confronting the harsh reality of a productive life. Coping with Capitalism
Henderson, J. D. (2023). I’m burned out–now what? A brief guide to addressing burnout in the modern world. Better Humans
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is not solution to burnout. Try this instead. Career Contessa Podcast.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is actually self defense. Surviving contemporary work culture requires a firmer side of self-care.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is not the solution for burnout: We need to address the systemic and cultural dimensions of burnout. Index–a publication from Medium about work, digging into the most pressing issues surrounding the modern career.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is not the solution for burnout. Syndicated article in The Beautiful Truth Magazine. London, England.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Leadership is a process, not a person. ILLUMINATION
Henderson, J. D. (2020). The myths of white guilt: And other reasons white people take systemic racism too personal. An Injustice! Magazine.
Henderson, J. D. (2020). Why white people contribute to cruelty instead of compassion: How George Floyd’s death illuminates white socialization.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Henderson, J. D. & de León, A. (2024). The Hate Response Model for mental health professionals [Video]. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publishing.
Henderson, J. D., de León, A., & Christensen, J. K. (2023). Cultivating Compassion for Resilience and Wellbeing: Applications for Individuals and Workplaces. In R. Bansal (Ed.), Perspectives on Stress and Wellness Management in Times of Crisis (pp. 230-251). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8565-1.ch015
de León, A., & Henderson, J. D. (2020). Introducing a clinical hate response model for professional counselors. Counselors for Social Justice Newsletter.
Contributor to the publication Plan to Extinguish Organizational Burnout by McLean & Company.
Christensen, J., Henderson, J. D., & Dorn-Medeiros, C. M. (2019). Bridging a connection with Rick: Navigating toxic masculinity as a beginning counselor. In King, B. C., & Stewart, T. A. (Eds). Cases on Cross-Cultural Counseling Strategies. Hershey, Pennsylvania: TGI Global.
Henderson, J. D., & DeLeon, A. (2019). Responding to hate: A guide for mental health professionals. Portland, OR: Authors.
Henderson, J. D. (2012). Promoting healthy body image in college men: An evaluation of a psychoeducation program. Published dissertation. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Scheel, M. J., Davis, C., & Henderson, J. D. (2012).Therapist use of client strengths: A qualitative study of positive processes. The Counseling Psychologist, 41 (3), 392-427.
Presentations
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Henderson, J. D. (2024). Beyond Self-Care Avoiding Burnout from an Ecological Perspective. Be Strong Families. Online Professional Training.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Sustaining Our Work: The Professional, Systemic, and Ethical Factors of Burnout. Colorado County Attorney Conference.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Sustaining Our Work: Burnout Prevention and Recovery in a Troubled World. Mission Driven Data. Virtual Presentation.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Beyond Self Care: Avoiding Burnout in a Stressed Out World. Be Strong Families. Virtual Training.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Sustaining Our Work: Burnout Prevention and Recovery in a Troubled World. Northwest Institute of Addictions Studies 2023 Conference. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Preventing burnout through adopting a compassion-centred approach. Invited presentation for the conference entitled Preventing, Reducing, Managing Stress at Work hosted by The Institute of Government & Public Policy in association with the University of East London, United Kingdom.
Henderson, J. D. (2023). Burnout Prevention as an Organizational Strategy. Invited training presentation for behavioral health leaders. Oregon Council for Behavioral Health.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is not the solution to burnout. Professional training presented for the Lunch, Link, & Learn event sponsored by the Oregon Counseling Association and Oregon Association for Counselor Education & Supervision. Portland, OR.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Reducing burnout: Collaborative approaches to increasing wellbeing and resilience in the workplace. Keynote to be delivered to the 30th A View from All Sides Conference hosted by Children’s Trust Massachusetts. Boston, MA.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Building caring communities to prevent burnout. Breakout professional training for the 30th A View from All Sides Conference hosted by Children’s Trust Massachusetts. Boston, MA.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Self-care is not the (only) solution to burnout. Professional training presented to Northwest Institute of Addictions Studies 2022 Conference. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Culture Change: Fostering a Resilient Workplace. Presented for Reach for Resilience North Dakota in association with North Dakota Department of Human Services, Behavioral Health Division and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services of America (SAMHSA). Online.
Henderson, J. D. (2022). Tending to the fire: Collaborative approaches to burnout and workplace wellbeing. HR100 training series for Colorado Executive Human Resources Professionals. Online.
Kaivan, N. C., & Henderson, J. D. (2015). Cultivating Compassion in Our Diverse World. Keynote address for the Washington Statue University Black Women’s Caucus, The Black T.I.E. Affair.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Henderson, A., & Henderson, J. D. (Dec, 2024). Beyond Self-Care: Navigating Burnout and Cultivating Sustainable Work Environments. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) national convention. Seattle, Washington.
Henderson, J. D., Christensen, J., & de Leon, A (Oct, 2024). Tending to the fire: Training counselors on burnout from an ecological perspective. Western Association for Counselor Education conference. Tucson, Arizona
Christensen, J. K., Henderson, J. D., & de Leon, A. (Oct, 2024). Safeguarding against exploitative internship sites: Protecting counselors-in-training. Western Association for Counselor Education conference. Tucson, Arizona
Henderson, J. D. (2024). Finding strategies to resist and address burnout. Presented at the 2024 Northwest Institute of Addiction Studies Conference. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D. (2024). An administrator’s and supervisor’s guide to addressing workplace burnout. Presented at the 2024 Northwest Institute of Addiction Studies Conference. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D., & Christensen, J. K. (2023). Beyond Self-Care: Training Counselors-in-Training on Burnout from an Ecological Perspective. Education session presented at the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision 2023 Conference in Denver, Colorado.
de Leon, A., & Henderson, J. D. (2023). Collective healing for Latinx communities impacted by addiction & recovery. Educational presentation for the Bridging the Gap Symposium, National Board of Certified Counselors Foundation. Atlanta, Georgia.
Henderson, J. D., & de Leon, A., (2023). Resisting Hate: Fostering Resiliency & Healing with a Social Justice Counseling Model. 2023 American Counseling Association Conference & Expo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Henderson, J. D., & Dorn-Medeiros, C. (2019). Disrupting Hate: Integrating Social Justice Advocacy and Counseling Services. Education Session presented at the 2019 American Counseling Association Conference & Expo, New Orleans, LA.
Henderson, J. D., & Christensen, J. (2018). Disrupting Hate: Integrating Training Clinics with Community Coalitions. Presentation for Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Santa Rosa, CA.
Henderson, J. D. (2018). Body image and body politics. Symposium discussion to be given for Social Justice Symposium and Alumni Awards Reception, Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education & Counseling, Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D. (2018). Chiseled: Understanding, Treating, and Preventing Men’s Body Image Concerns. Presentation to be presented at 2018 American Counseling Association Conference & Expo, Atlanta, Georgia.
Henderson, J. D. (2012). Confronting Adonis: An authoethnography of gender consciousness and embodied masculinity. In Badiee, M, Creswell, J, Henderson, J. D., Baker, C., & Bastami, S. Autoethnographies of gender consciousness. Symposium presented at the International Congress for Qualitative Inquiry conference, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL.
Chatters, L., Henderson, J. D., Wang, S., & Reznicek, J. (2009). Therapy outside the box: Working with ethnic minority males. Poster presented for Division 51, American Psychological Association conference, Toronto, Canada.
Henderson, J. D. & Klentz, C. (2009). Using qualitative methods in psychotherapy research. In Scheel, M. J. Innovative psychotherapy research. Symposium presented for Division 17, American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
Henderson, J. D., Scheel, M. J., & Klentz, C. (2009). Strength-based psychotherapy: An investigation of the phenomenon. Poster presented for Division 17, American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS
de Leon, A., & Henderson, J. D. (2022). Resisting Hate: Fostering Resiliency and Healing Through a Social Justice Model. National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation. Online Webinar.
Henderson, J. D., & de Leon, A. (2020). Trauma-informed hate response: How to offer help to those who have been a target of hate. Continuing education training provided as part of Portland United Against Hate. Online.
Henderson, J. D., & de Leon, A. (2019). Disrupting hate: A mental health providers guide to helping clients who have experienced hate incidents. Continuing education training provided as part of Portland United Against Hate. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D., & de Leon, A. (2019). Trauma-informed hate response: How to offer help to those who have been a target of hate. Continuing education training provided as part of Portland United Against Hate. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D. (2019). Shredded, Chiseled, & Swole: Understanding and Addressing Men’s Body Image Concerns. Continuing education training provided for Center for Community Engagement, Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Portland, Oregon.
Henderson, J. D., & Christensen, J. (2018). Integrating compassion-focused approaches into counseling. Full-day workshop to be given for Center for Community Engagement, Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education & Counseling, Portland, Oregon.
Academic Credentials
PhD (Counseling Psychology) University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Doctoral Residency: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MS (Mental Health Counseling): University of Wyoming
BA (Psychology & Criminal Justice): University of Wyoming
Licensed Psychologist (Oregon)
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) Certified Teacher