Noelle St. Germain-Sehr (They/Them)

Profile

Noelle R. St. Germain-Sehr (They/Them) is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Online Counseling Program at William & Mary. They earned a doctorate from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2003 and have over thirty years of clinical experience working with diverse client populations in various settings, including community mental health clinics, employee assistance programs and private practice.

Dr. St. Germain-Sehr is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas (LPC-S), a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist (CBT), and an ACISTE Certified Mental Health Professional (ACMHP) trained to assist individuals with the integration of spiritually transformative experiences.

Their professional leadership experience includes serving on the Executive Board for the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) as Secretary (2022-2024), President-Elect (2024-2025), President (2025-2026), and Past-President (2026-2027), as Co-Chair of the SACES Women’s Interest Network (SACES WIN) (2017-2022), and as the Director of Research for the IADC International Institute, which advances training and ethical research and practice of IADC - a brief psychotherapeutic treatment for grief. They have served on several counseling journal editorial boards and is an active presenter at professional conferences.

Dr. St. Germain-Sehr maintains a part-time psychotherapy practice specializing in Bioenergetic Analysis (a relational mind/body psychotherapy developed by Dr. Alexander Lowen), transpersonal counseling, and LGBTQ+-affirmative therapy. Their research focuses on expanding education, research and training related to traditionally marginalized topics and populations, and reducing associated pathologization, stigmatization, oppression and discrimination. Specific topics/populations of interest include transpersonal experiences, LGBTQ+-affirming training and neurodivergence in higher education. Current research projects include veridical after-death communication (ADC), LGBTQ+- affirmative counseling training and developing neurodivergent-affirming policies, procedures and practices in higher education and counselor education.

Education

Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, 2003
M.Ed. in Counselor Education and Supervision, The University of New Orleans, 1993
B.M. in Music (double major in Music and Psychology) with a minor in Women's Studies, Loyola University, New Orleans, 1991

Activities and Honors

Past-President, Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), (July 2026 - June 2027)

President Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), (July 2025 - June 2026)

President-Elect, Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), (July 2024 - June 2025)

Secretary, Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), (July 2022 – June 2024)

Director of Research, IADC International Institute (2025 – present)

Co-Chair, Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Women’s Interest Network, (2017 - 2022)

Nominee, 2021 SACES L. DiAnne Borders Clinical Supervision Award

Nominee, 2021 American Counseling Association David K. Brooks, Jr. Distinguished Mentor Award

Selected Publications

Pope, A. L., Hartzell, K., Munthali, G., Tsai, Y., Luxumé, T., Snowden-Gregg, S., Jackson, T., Xu, Y., St. Germain-Sehr, A., Augustine, B., & St. Germain-Sehr, N. (2026). Learning LGBTQ+ Affirming Counseling Asynchronously: A Thematic Analysis of Master’s Student Perspectives. Teaching and Supervision in Counseling. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ceas.70020

Pope, A. L., Hartzell, K., Siroty, M. B., St. Germain-Sehr, N., St. Germain-Sehr, A., Lexumé, T., Augustine, B. R., & Moe, J. (2026). Asynchronous LGBTQ+ affirming counseling training with early career counselors: A mixed methods program evaluation. Counselor Education & Supervision. http://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.70020

Nehmy, T. J., Daniels, J., Williamson, P., Stegall-Rodriguez, S. E., & St. Germain-Sehr, N. R. (2026). Efficacy of Induced After Death Communication Therapy for grief: A single-group wait-list controlled trial. Omega – Journal of Death and Dying, 302228261418413. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228261418413

McCormick, T., Grahams, G., Wise, F., Burns, M., Charania, A., St. Germain-Sehr, N. R., Roe, C., Cooper, C. E., Lorimer, D. M., Elsaesser, E., & Penberthy, J. K. (2025). Differences in after-death communication: A comparative analysis of unexpected vs. expected deaths and their impact on survivors’ grief and perception of death. Omega – Journal of Death and Dying, 302228251376896. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228251376896

Pope, A. L., St. Germain-Sehr, N., Augustine, B. R., St. Germain-Sehr, A., & Lexumé, T. (2024). Using a cultural humility framework for LGBTGEQIAP+ affirming counseling training. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Newsletter, Spring 2024, Vol. 19, Issue 2.

Pope, A. L., St. Germain-Sehr, N., Augustine, B., St. Germain-Sehr, A., Lexumé, T., Moe, J., Snowden-Gregg, S., & Jackson, T. (2024). Developing an asynchronous LGBTQ+ affirming counseling training: A mixed methods study. Counselor Education & Supervision, 63(4), 350-363. http://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12317

Penberthy, J. K., St. Germain-Sehr, N. R., Grams, G., Burns, M. Lorimer, D., Cooper, C. E., Roe, C. A., Morrison, S., & Elsaesser, E. (2023). Description and impact of encounters with deceased partners or spouses. Omega – Journal of Death and Dying, 92 (3), 1487-1504. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228231207900

St. Germain-Sehr, N. R. & St. Germain-Sehr, A. M. (2023). Core Counseling Attributes. In L. S. Stretch & K. N. M. K. Powers-Carey (Eds.). National Counselor Exam (NCE) and Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE): Your Study Guide for Success and Online Exam Prep (1st ed., pp. 225-244). Springer.

Holden, J. M., St. Germain-Sehr, N. R., Reyes, A., Loseu, S., Schmit, M. K., Laird, A., Weintraub, L., St. Germain-Sehr, A., Price, E., Blalock, S., Bevly, C., Lankford, C., Mandalise, J. (2019). Comparative effects of Induced After-Death Communication and traditional talk therapy on grief. Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief and Bereavement, 22(1), 4-9.

St. Germain-Sehr, N. R. & Maxey, G. A. (2019). Case studies in Induced After-Death Communication (IADC). Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief and Bereavement, 22(1), 18-21.

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