Laura K. Jones, Ph.D., M.S.

Associate Professor of Health & Wellness and Athletics Mental Health Coordinator

Contact Information

  • ljones3@unca.edu
  • 251-6123
  • 457 Sherrill Center

 

Laura K. Jones, Ph.D., M.S., M.A. has a background in mental health, public health, and cognitive neuroscience, having received her Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education (with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Public Health), M.A. in Community Agency Counseling, and M.S. in Psychology-Cognitive Neuroscience. She has experience in numerous sectors of health promotion and public health policy, including: clinical mental health counseling; the application of neuroscience to clinical practice and training; the reciprocal influence of mental and physical well-being; social determinants of mental health; athlete mental health and performance; interpersonal trauma and trauma-informed practices; comprehensive sexual health education; and mental health stigma, parity, and policy. Dr. Jones is a national speaker and published author in each of these areas, including books, book chapters, and peer reviewed and popular publications, and has served as an editorial board member, associate editor, and co-editor for national and international journals around counseling and health psychology. She also actively supports undergraduate and graduate student research at both UNC Asheville and other UNC System Schools. 

In addition to her faculty role in Health Sciences and the Neuroscience minor, Dr. Jones serves as the Director of the Peak Performance Biofeedback lab as well as the Mental Health Coordinator and NCAA Health Care Administrator for the university’s Division I athletics program, helping athletes and coaches to better understand how mental health physiologically influences well-being, healing post-injury, and peak performance. 

Within the community and through her consulting work, she actively engages in initiatives around her areas of expertise, including serving as a: board member and clinical committee member for All Souls Counseling Center; board member for the WNC Bridge Foundation; research and program evaluation consultant for HelpMate; regular guest speaker for MAHEC’s primary care sports medicine fellowship program; and mental health, well-being, performance, and leadership consultant for local, state, and national businesses. Throughout all her work, she endeavors to help individuals, communities, and organizations create innovative, effective, and sustainable means of creating and living their most well, successful, and fulfilled lives.

 

Education

  • Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Cognate/Emphasis in Public Health
  • M.A. in Counseling from East Tennessee State University with a concentration in Community Agency Counseling 
  • M.S. in Psychology from University of Oregon with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience

 

HWP Courses Taught

  • HS 153: Health Promotion and Wellness
  • HS 190: Introduction to Health Promotion
  • HS 224: Mental and Emotional Health
  • HS 315: The Science of Stress, Stress Management, and Biofeedback
  • HS 345: Research Methods in Health Sciences
  • HS 353: Sexual Health
  • HS 356: The Science and Practice of Health Coaching
  • HS 365: Addiction, Drugs, and Health
  • HS 459: Senior Seminar in Health Sciences
  • HS 499: Undergraduate Research in Health Sciences
  • NEUR 480: Seminar in Neuroscience
  • NEUR 372: Special Topics in Neuroscience
  • NEUR 499: Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience
  • PSYCH 499: Undergraduate Research in Psychology

 

Research Interests

  • Integration of neurophysiology into conceptualizations of mental health, clinical mental health training programs, and best-practice approaches to addressing mental health struggles
  • Reciprocal influence of mental and physical health (including the relationship between mental health and the immune, endocrine, and gastrointestinal systems)
  • Influence of mental health on the peak performance of athletes
  • Social determinants of mental health
  • Neurophysiology of of trauma, resilience, and recovery

 

Select Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Pester, D. A., Jones, L. K., & Talib, A. M. (2023). Integrating the Social Determinants of Mental Health into the Counseling Profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 101, 392–401. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2023). Bulldog Mental Health Services. Athletics Administration, 58, 4.
  • Gonçalves, Ó., del Re, E., Jones, L. K., & Corbella, S. (2022). Towards a (Neuro) Science Based Clinical & Health Psychology. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 22(2): 100300.
  • Russo, GM, Schauss, E, Naik, S, Banerjee, R, Ghoston, M, Jones, LK, Zalaquett, CP, Beeson, ET, & Field, TA. (2021). Extent of Counselor Training in Neuroscience-Informed Counseling Competencies. Journal of Mental Health Counseling
  • Luke, C., Beeson, E. T., Miller, R., Field, T. A., & Jones, L. K. (2020). Counselors' Perceptions of Ethical Considerations for Integrating Neuroscience with Counseling. Professional Counselor, 10(2), 204-219.
  • Beeson, E. T., Field, T. A., Reckner, J. L., Luke, C., & Jones, L. K. (2019). Neuroscience research, training, and practice: Adding to or subtracting from counselor identity? Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 6(2), 97-113.
  • Wagener, A. E., Jones, L. K., & Hinkle, J. S. (2019). The Mental Health Facilitator Program: A Multi-Country Evaluation of Knowledge and Skills Acquisition. The Professional Counselor, 9(4), 324-333.
  • Luke, C., Redekep, F. & Jones, L. K. (2018). Addiction, stress, and relational disorder: A neuro-informed approach to intervention. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 40(2), 172-186.
  • Schmidt, M. K., & Jones, L. K. (2016, December). Illuminating the Complexities of Traumatic Brain Injuries: Neuroscience and Implications for Clinical Practice. Counseling Today, 17-20.
  • Field, T. A., Beeson, E. T., & Jones, L. K. (2015). The new ABCs: A practitioner's guide to neuroscience-informed cognitive-behavior therapy. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37(3), 206-220.
  • Jones, L. K., & Cureton, J. L. (2014). Trauma redefined in the DSM-5: Rationale and implications for counseling practice. The Professional Counselor, 4, 257–271. doi:10.15241/lkj.4.3.257
  • Sanders, A. E., Slade, G. D., Ranney, L. M., Goldstein, A. O., & Jones, L. K. (2012). Economic valuation of public preferences for tobacco control policy outcomes. North Carolina Medical Journal, 73(6), 439-447.
  • Lee, K., Hahn, E. , Jones, L.  K., Whitten, L., Robertson, H., & Zahn, B. (2010). Air quality in and around airport enclosed smoking rooms. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 12(6), 665-668.
  • Bailey, B. A., & Jones, L. K. (2009). Are obstetricians following best-practice guidelines for addressing pregnancy smoking: Results from Northeast Tennessee. Southern Medical Journal, 102(9), 894-899.

 

Books

Field, T. A., Jones, L. K., & Russell-Chapin, L. A. (Eds.). (2024). Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association.

Field, T., Jones, L. K., & Russell-Chapin, L. (Eds). (2017). Neurocounseling: Brain-Based Clinical Approaches. American Counseling Association.

 

Book Chapters

  • O'Halloran, M. S. & Jones, L. K. (in press). Crisis Intervention with early adolescents who suffered a significant loss. In A. R. Roberts (Ed.), Crisis intervention handbook: Assessment, treatment, and research (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2024). Anatomy and brain development. In T. A. Field, L. K. Jones & L. A. Russell-Chapin (Eds.), Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2024). Neurophysiological development across the lifespan. In T. A. Field, L. K. Jones & L. A. Russell-Chapin (Eds.), Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2024). The neurophysiology of traumatic stress. In T. A. Field, L. K. Jones & L. A. Russell-Chapin (Eds.), Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association.
  • Hall, S. B., Jones, L. K., & Walker, K. (2024). Clinical Neuroscience of Substance Use Disorders. In T. A. Field, L. K. Jones & L. A. Russell-Chapin (Eds.), Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association. 
  • Beeson, E. T., Field, T. A., Luke, C., Miller, R., Jones, L. K., Burt, I. (2024). Leveraging the Neuroeducation Process to Enhance Outcomes. In T. A. Field, L. K. Jones & L. A. Russell-Chapin (Eds.), Neuroscience-informed Counseling: Bringing the Brain and Body into Clinical Practice. American Counseling Association. 
  • Myers, J., & Jones, L. K. (2016). The applications of neuroscience to clinical mental health counseling: It’s all in your head. In J. S. Young & C. Cashwell (Eds.), Clinical mental health counseling: Elements of effective practice. Pearson.
  • Jones, L. K. (2016). Basic statistical concepts. In C. J. Sheperis, J. S. Young & M. H. Daniels (Eds.), Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (2nd ed.). Pearson.

 

Select Regional/National/International Presentations

  • Pester-Boyd, D., Jones, L. K., & Hays, D. (2024, November). Social Determinants of Mental Health: Clinical Best Practices.  Presented at the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference. Dallas, TX. 
  • Field, T., Jones, L. K., & Russell-Chapin, L. (2024, April). Neuroscience-informed Counseling in Clinical Practice. Presented at the American Counseling Association Conference. New Orleans, LA. 
  • Pester-Boyd, D., Jones, L. K., & Talib, Z. (2023, October). Social Determinants of Mental Health: Training Counselors to Understand How Environment Impacts the Individual. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference. Denver, CO. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2023, March). Supporting Athlete Mental Health: Promoting Vulnerability in Toughness. Accepted for presentation at the American Counseling Association Conference Toronto, Ontario. Canada. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2022, March). Moving Beyond Mental Toughness: Supporting Athlete Mental Health. Submitted for presentation at the American Counseling Association Conference. Atlanta, GA. 
  • Luke, C., Miller, R., & Jones, L. K. (2021, October). Integration of Neuroscience with Counseling Panel Consultation. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference. Atlanta, GA. Oral Presentation (Virtual).
  • Jones, L. K., Field, T. A., Miller, R., & Beeson, E. T. (2019, March). Neuroscience-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Expanding the Application of CBT. Presented at the American Counseling Association Conference. New Orleans, LA. 
  • Field, T. A., Jones, L. K., & Russell-Chapin, L. A. (2018, April). Neurocounseling and Trauma Work: Empirical Research Supporting its Efficacy. Presented at the American Counseling Association Conference. Atlanta, GA. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2018, April). Beyond Mental Toughness: The Impact of Mental Health on Resilience, Recovery, and Peak Performance. Presented at the Big South Health Summit. Asheville, NC.
  • Jones, L. K. (2018, April). The Role of Mental Health in Health, Healing and Performance. Presented at the Mountain Orthopaedic Update: Focus on Sports Medicine Conference. Asheville, NC.
  • Beeson, E. T. & Jones, L. K. (2016, October). The New ABCs: Neuroscience-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Accepted for presentation at the 57th Annual European-Branch of the American Counseling Association Conference. Geneva, Switzerland. 
  • Jones, L. K., Beeson, E. T., & Field, T. A., (2016, July). Enhancing resilience through biologically based counseling. Presented at the American Mental Health Counseling Association Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2016, April). Sex Specific Psychotherapy? Not so fast… The Influence of Sex and Sex Hormones on Neurophysiological Functioning and Mental Health. 2016 International Super Brain Summit. Center for Collaborative Brain Research. Bradley University.
  • Schmidt, M., & Jones, L. K. (2016, April). The Neuroscience of Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for Clinical Practice. Presented at the American Counseling Association Conference & Expo. Montréal, QC, Canada. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2015, October). Modern Day Sexual Slavery: Training Counselors to Recognize and Support Survivors of Sex-Trafficking. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference. Philadelphia, PA. 
  • Jones, L. K. (2015, March). Beyond Brain Basics: Exploring Advanced Research in Trauma Neurophysiology. Presented at the American Counseling Association Conference & Expo. Orlando, FL.  
  • Jones, L. K. (2014, July). Thriving in a New Era of Neuroscience: Using Principles of Brain Science to Inform Clinical Practice. Presented at the American Mental Health Counselors Association Annual Conference. Seattle, WA.