About

Area of Specialization – Adult Clinical Psychology, Suicide

Research Advisor/Mentor – Dr. James Overholser

Research Interests – I am interested in the ways people experience suicidality, particularly suicidal thinking and its relationship to suicide-related behaviors. I am also interested in the use and evaluation of specific interventions aimed at reducing suicide risk. My current research aims to examine the relationships between healthy psychosocial development and severity of suicidal ideation in Veterans experiencing depression. Findings may shed light on ways to tailor intervention targets based on the individual’s psychosocial needs that may be related to their suffering.

Selected Publications and Presentations – Overholser, J. C., & Hernandez, S. C. (April, 2021). Practical strategies for reducing suicide risk among depressed adults. E-poster presented at the 29th Virtual European Congress of Psychiatry Conference.

Sokol, Y., Ridley, J., Goodman, M., Landa, Y., Dixon, L., & Hernandez, S. (2021). Continuous Identity Cognitive Therapy (CI-CT): Feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention for suicidal symptoms. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 35(1), 64-80. DOI: 10.1891/JCPSY-D-20-00023

Lehmann, J. K., Overholser, J.C., Athey, A., Hernandez, S., Beale, E., & Ridley, J. (2021). View of Self Scale: Measuring negative self-referential thoughts in depression. Annals of Cognitive Science, 5(1), 185-195. DOI: 10.36959/447/351

Hernandez, S. C. & Overholser, J. C. (2020). A systematic review of interventions for hope/hopelessness in older adults. Clinical Gerontologist, 44(2), 97-111. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2019.1711281

Hernandez, S. C., Overholser, J. C., Philips, K. L., Lavacot, J., & Stockmeier, C. A. (2020). Suicide among older adults: Interactions between risk factors. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. DOI: 10.1177/0091217420982387

Hernandez, S., Overholser, J. C., Lavacot, J., Phillips, K., & Stockmeier, C. (November, 2019). Beck to basics: Hopelessness as the mediating factor for completed suicide among older adults. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Scientific Meeting, Austin, TX.

Favorite Part of the Program – The flexibility, approachability, and care of the clinical psych faculty has made my experience in the program meaningful and enjoyable.