Counseling and Student Affairs Staff

EMDR Cert., Brainspotting Cert., Somatic Exp. Practitioner, Certified Brain Health Professional

Jill Duba Sauerheber is a Professor and Department Head of the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs at Western Kentucky University. She serves as the Program Coordinator for the Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling program and College and Career Readiness Program. Additionally, Dr. Sauerheber is the Gottman University Outreach Program Coordinator, the CACREP-accreditation liaison and coordinates the department’s professional development offerings. She earned a B.S. in biology at Saint Xavier University (Chicago), a M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling at Governors State University, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, with a cognate in marriage and family counseling at Kent State University. Dr. Sauerheber became a Hilltopper in 2004 when she was hired as a Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling faculty member within the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs.

Dr. Sauerheber is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)-Supervisor, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) certified, Brainspotting (BSP) certified, Reality Therapy Certified, and is trained in Gottman Couples Therapy (Level 3). She is a Certified Brain Health Professional (Amen University) and completed the 33 hour Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice Course through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Dr. Sauerheber completed training in Neurofeedback through the Stens Corporation and holds a Certificate of Study in Adlerian Psychology. She is well-versed in and incorporates a integrative and systemic approach to counselor education, as well as in her private practice in which she serves individuals, couples and families. 

Dr. Sauerheber is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Management Development Program. She has an extensive record of research and scholarship related to couples and family counseling; marital satisfaction, trauma-informed practice and counselor education. She has authored and co-authored over 45 peer reviewed journal articles and 4 books, has conducted over 50 scholarly international and national presentations and provides the mental health training for “counselors” of various summer camps. Dr. Sauerheber also been actively involved in the counseling profession since graduate school. She is past president of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology, as well as the co-founder and past president of the Kentucky/Tennessee Society of Adlerian Psychology. Dr. Sauerheber served as Secretary, as well as Board Member-at-Large on the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors board; as a Site Team Member for the Council of Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP); as Interview Column Editor and Editorial Board member for The Family Journal; and as Co-Chair of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Professional Standards Committee.

Dr. Sauerheber has held many services appointments on campus, as well as within the community. She has served the university in various ways including as faculty sponsor of the WKU Newman Center, member of WKU’s Institute for Rural Health Restructuring Committee, and member of the CEBS Curriculum Committee. Additionally, she has served on the WKU Provost Search Committee; the WKU Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Continuance, Promotion & Tenure Committee; as well as on Faculty Senate. Dr. Sauerheber also chaired the Boyd-Lubker Visiting Scholar Program Committee, served as Program Coordinator and Clinical Coordinator of the Counseling programs, and as a member on various search committees. Her service has extended to the community including member of the Bowling Green Medical Center Health Foundation Community Relations Committee, Canonical Advocate for St Joseph’s Catholic Church, and as a mental and behavioral consultant within the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro. She appreciates work/life balance and when she is not working, she enjoys being on the lake with her husband and chocolate lab, visiting with family, traveling with her nieces, and training in jujitsu.