This fall, three distinguished scholars will add a diverse mix of teaching and research expertise to the University of Vermont's Department of Counseling, Human Development and Family Science. 

“In Human Development and Family Science, we are joined by Dr. Yatma Diop and Dr. Asa Billington," said Department Chair Christine Proulx. "Their areas of expertise complement the program’s emphasis on inclusivity, cultural diversity, and development across the lifespan. In Counseling, ShaRhonda Stevenson's expertise in rehabilitation counseling, African American mental health, and cultural competence will expand our curriculum in a growing program.”

Yatma Diop

Dr. Diop’s areas of expertise include early childhood development, parenting, language development, and caregiver engagement programs in low-income countries. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on child growth and development, parenting, and cultural diversity in human development.

Of particular interest to Diop is exploring how parents and families support children’s language and literacy development, and how culture influences parenting. He has collaborated with international organizations such as the World Bank to design and evaluate programs supporting families and child literacy in Africa. 

Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods, Diop’s research is at the intersection of parenting, culture, and child language and literacy development in Senegal and African immigrant populations. His work investigates how early caregiver-child interactions and home learning environments support children's language and literacy abilities. 

Supported by a competitive faculty research grant, Diop examined African immigrants' parenting beliefs and practices in the U.S. and how acculturation influences parenting patterns. He aims to implement culturally relevant interventions that support language and literacy development for parents and children in Africa and for African immigrant families in the U.S.

Diop earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies and Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University. He also holds a Master of Arts in Linguistics from Gaston Berger University in Senegal.

Asa Billington

With extensive experience in undergraduate teaching and mentorship, Dr. Billington’s interests include gender and sexuality, identity development, human development, and research methods. 

At UVM, they with teach courses such as Human Relationships and Sexuality, Interrogating White Identity, and a service-learning internship course that connects students with community organizations.

Billington’s scholarship focuses on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities with particular attention to identity development, rural and agricultural contexts, and mental health. They have used mixed methods and intersectional approaches to examine how sexual and gender identities are shaped by race, ethnicity, geography, and community belonging.

Before joining UVM, Billington served as a Visiting Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where they led and supported projects focused on farm stress, LGBTQ+ mental health, and rural well-being. Their community outreach efforts have included workshops, extension programs, and webinars to promote inclusive environments and mental health advocacy

Billington holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Arts in Psychological Science from Northern Arizona University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology from Truman State University.

ShaRhonda Stevenson

As a licensed counselor, counselor educator and scholar, ShaRhonda Stevenson’s clinical and research interests focus on addressing systemic barriers to mental health to improve wellbeing. Her areas of expertise include clinical rehabilitation counseling, African American mental health, and cultural competence.

ShaRhonda's research goals involve the understanding and development of culturally informed, evidence-based interventions guided by an understanding of health-related social determinants and their direct and indirect impacts, including natural and unintended consequences on the populations we serve. She has served as a member of the Innovative Partnership for Advancing Rehabilitation Research and Training (IPARRT) with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for more than a year.

Over the trajectory of her career, ShaRhonda has worked with people across the lifespan with a disability. This includes individuals who have an addiction, children and teenager living in residential settings with developmental and behavioral disorders, recipients of Medicare/Medicaid, and families with teens in the judicial system.

ShaRhonda is working to earn her doctoral degree from Idaho State University. She holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health from Immaculata University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Drexel University.

More about the Department

Academic programs in the Department of Counseling, Human Development and Family Science focus on the dynamics of close interpersonal relationships and the healthy development of individuals, relationships, families and communities. 

As leaders in their respective fields, faculty in the department share a deep commitment to impactful teaching, interdisciplinary research, professional service, and a collaborative scholarly environment. 

Graduates serve in a variety of professions in human service agencies, clinical mental health settings, school contexts, and other public and private sector organizations.