Dr. Deborah Hill

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology

I began my academic career in Modern Languages, teaching at Florida State and Ohio State Universities. During seven summers in those positions I directed study abroad programs in Europe. I was also interested in developmental psychology, particularly the development of the sense of humour.

I always had an idea that I wanted to see the world before I could call myself a teacher. After my first sabbatical I decided to change careers and became a freelance journalist and writer. I enjoyed that career for ten years but when I came to London in 1994 I returned to school to get a second Master’s Degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling.

I have since qualified as a relationship and psychosexual therapist, hypnotherapist and trauma specialist working with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

My original idea was to return to university as a full-time counsellor. As it turned out, I opened a private practice in addition to teaching Counselling Theory and Practice and Human Sexuality here at Richmond. In my counselling work I help people to embrace change, to rediscover temporarily lost personal power or to develop coping strategies following an unexpected tragedy. In my job at the university, I am teaching young people how to do this, and this feels like a natural part of the cycle of living, learning and then passing that learning on.

Selected Publications

• Humor in the Classroom. A Handbook for Teachers & Other Entertainers. Charles C. Thomas, 1988.
• School Days, Fun Days: Creative Ways to Use Humor Skills in the Classroom. Charles C. Thomas, 1993.
• Crisis and the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Teachers. Charles C. Thomas, 2002.