Shippensburg University faculty member Dr. Shannon Shoemaker has been named the inaugural recipient of the Shannon Shoemaker Emerging Professional Award, an honor established by the Association for Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness (ACSSW).
The award, named in Shoemaker’s honor, celebrates emerging professionals who exemplify innovation, inclusivity and courage in advancing sexology. Shoemaker served as ACSSW President from 2023-24 and is the current editor of the Journal of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness.
“It’s deeply humbling,” Shoemaker said. This award represents years of collective effort by so many people who have helped build sexology counseling and sexual wellness into a vibrant, evidence-informed area of practice.”
As a scholar, Shoemaker predominantly focuses on expanding sexual wellness beyond trauma recovery support, emphasizing pleasure, intimacy and healthy relationships.
“Too often sexual wellness counseling is framed only in terms of abuse recovery,” she said. “We also need evidence-based approaches that help individuals and couples build positive, fulfilling sexual lives.”
As an educator, she prioritizes translating research into digestible concepts.
“By translating emerging finds into training, tools and classroom experiences, I help ensure that students and practitioners aren’t just reading about best practices – they’re learning how to apply them immediately in their own clinical settings”, Shoemaker expressed.
For students interested in the field of sexual wellness, Shoemaker encourages them to remain open-minded and curious.
“You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she shared. “Curiosity, cultural humility and a willingness to keep checking your own biases are just as important.”
Shoemaker credited several mentors for their support during her research and leadership, including Angie Schubert, Nikki Freeburg, Marty Jencius and Skip Niles.
“This award reflects far more than my own work, she said. “It represents the collective energy of the people who believed in me.”
Shippensburg University is proud to celebrate Shoemaker for being named the recipient of the Shannon Shoemaker Emerging Professional Award. It is an honor to be the first to receive this prestigious award named in her honor for admirable work and contributions to the field of sexual wellness counseling, and she continues to make contributions to the emerging field
As the first recipient of the Shannon Shoemaker Emerging Award, named in her honor, Shoemaker continues to contribute and inspire research and leadership in sexual wellness counseling. Shippensburg University is proud to recognize the positive impact that she continues to have on this emerging and underserved field.
