Rate My Professor Shelley Riggs

Shelley Ann Riggs is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical Psychology Masters Program in the Department of Psychology and Philosophy at Sam Houston State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996, and a B.A. in Latin and Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983. She completed her predoctoral internship in Counseling/Clinical Psychology at the University of California, Davis in 1999. Prior to her appointment at Sam Houston State University in 2020, Dr. Riggs served in various capacities at the University of North Texas from 2002 to 2020, progressing from Assistant Professor to Professor and serving as Associate Director of Clinical Training for the Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program. Her earlier professional experience includes positions at Texas Woman’s University, private practice as a forensic consultant, and roles in counseling and teaching.

Dr. Riggs specializes in clinical psychology with research interests in family systems, attachment relationships throughout the life cycle, trauma and loss, and military psychology. Her scholarly contributions include over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, with notable publications such as Creech et al. (2022) 'Pilot trial of a trauma-informed parenting support treatment for veterans' in Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice; Captari, Riggs, and Stephen (2021) 'Attachment processes following traumatic loss' in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy; and McGuffin et al. (2021) 'Military and Veteran Help-Seeking Behaviors: Role of Mental Health Stigma and Leadership' in Military Psychology. Her research has accumulated over 6,400 citations according to Google Scholar. Dr. Riggs has received major awards including the Distinguished Contribution to Couple and Family Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association Division 43 in 2021 and Fellowship in the same division in 2014. She has presented invited symposia and lectures at conferences such as the American Psychological Association annual convention and the Texas Psychological Association, and contributes to editorial boards of journals in her field.