Nicole Ditchman, PhD
Assistant Professor
Office: Life Sciences Building, RM 283
Office Hours:
Phone: 312.567.3511
Fax: 312.567.3493
Email:
nditchma@iit.edu
Web:
Nicole Ditchman is an assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling in the College of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology. She teaches graduate level courses in counseling techniques, job placement and assessment. She also supervises master's degree students during counseling practicum and internship experiences.
Dr. Ditchman received her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Transition planning has been a central focus of her professional and training experiences. Dr. Ditchman has been employed as a manager of a community-based high school transition program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has worked in a therapeutic school setting to provide therapy to students with Autism and their families, and has experience providing counseling to adolescents in an intensive mental health facility for incarcerated youth. Dr. Ditchman has pursued professional and research experiences in effort to better understand myriad factors affecting quality of life and successful outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities.
Dr. Ditchman received her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Transition planning has been a central focus of her professional and training experiences. Dr. Ditchman has been employed as a manager of a community-based high school transition program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has worked in a therapeutic school setting to provide therapy to students with Autism and their families, and has experience providing counseling to adolescents in an intensive mental health facility for incarcerated youth. Dr. Ditchman has pursued professional and research experiences in effort to better understand myriad factors affecting quality of life and successful outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities.
Expertise
Education
- Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010
Research & Major Accomplishments
Dr. Ditchman's research interests include exploring factors that contribute to sense of community and belonging, meaningful engagement in activities, reciprocity in community relationships and ultimately, how community interaction impacts quality of life for individuals with disabilities. She is particularly interested in ways to assess and promote effective and collaborative transition planning services and interventions for youth with disabilities. She has experience working as a research assistant on a three-year IES-NCSER funded project aimed at increasing summer employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Current Projects
Awards/Honors
Patents
Books
Selected Publications
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.
Carter, E.W., Trainor, A.A., Ditchman, N., Swedeen, B., & Owens, L. (2009). Evaluation of a multi-component intervention package to increase summer work experiences for transition-age youth with severe disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 34, 1-12.
Chou, C.C., Ditchman, N., Pruett, S.R., Chan, F. & Hunter, C. (2009). Applications of social cognitive theory in psychosocial interventions. In F. Chan, E. Cardoso, & J. Chronister (Eds.), Psychosocial interventions for people with chronic illness and disability: A Handbook for evidence-based rehabilitation health professionals (pp. 243-276). New York: Springer.