Jack Simons
Jack Simons
About
Dr. Jack Simons, Associate Professor with tenure, graduated from University of Missouri-St. Louis with a doctorate in counseling in 2015. He began working at Mercy University in 2016. Dr. Simons has authored papers and assessments, and his career includes work in educational settings; hospitals; and research institutes such as the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Arizona. His teaching interests include assessment, multicultural counseling, and school counseling internship. In addition to directing the Advancing STEM Achievement Project to improve STEM competence among students and educators in K12 educational settings, he is currently overseeing the Transgender Resilience Project, a strengths-based study of gender minorities in the United States and Europe.
As a core faculty member in the Department of Counseling, Dr. Simons provides graduate level instruction. Additionally, he serves as the lead coordinator of the Advancing STEM Achievement Project.
Dr. Simons' research has been influential across many academic fields including vocational psychology, environmental studies, business, human development, and restorative justice. His work to protect and promote human rights through casework, consultation, and education explores the interplay between identity and behavior that characterizes well-being.
Simons, J. D., Smetáčková, I., Kuchirko, Y., Mujica-Urzúa, P., Okrosy, K., Belser, C., & Hrabec, O. (2025). STEM life stories: A qualitative phenomenological study of the experiences of sexual and gender minority K12 STEM educators in the United States. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. doi:10.1057/s41599-025-04749-4
Simons, J. D., Kudrnáč, A., Kepic, M., McCajor-Hall, T., & Smetáčková, I. (2024). Beyond tolerance toward inclusion: Response to homo- and trans-negative language. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Social Services. doi:10.1080/29933021.2024.2413550 NIHMSID: 2039943
Smetáčková, I., Simons, J. D., & Pavlík, P. (2023). Czech teachers’ attitudes towards LGBT+ students. Pedagogika, 72(4). doi:10.14712/23362189.2023.2841
Alemi, F., Carmack, S., Gustafson, D., Jacobson, J., Kreps, G. L., Nambisan, P., Remezani, N., Simons, J., & Xiao, Y. (2023). Support for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), with caution. Quality Management in Health Care, 32(4), 278–280. doi:10.1097/QMH.0000000000000424
Simons, J. D., Bahr, M. W., & Ramdas, M. (2022). Counselor Competence Gender Identity Scale (CCGIS): Measuring clinical bias, knowledge, and skills. Professional School Counseling, 26(1), 1-15. doi:10.1177/2156759X221110790
Simons, J. D. (2021). From identity to enaction: Identity Behavior Theory. Frontiers in Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679490 PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8423104
2025: Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling International Research Award
2025: Society of Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) Ned Farley Service Award
2024: Honorary Distinguished Professional Membership Award (Research) from Mediterranean Region Counselors Association
2023: Marquis Who’s Who in America Biographical Registry