Research Interests

Research Focus
Dr. Hickman is primarily a clinician, but is involved in clinical research on the topics of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the role of mindfulness in perception of pain, coping with chronic pain and illness, and ways in which clinical psychology can facilitate and enhance treatment of serious medical illness like cancer.

Clinical Focus
As noted above, Dr. Hickman works almost exclusively with patients whose primary concern revolves around chronic and/or life-threatening medical illness. His particular specialty is in teaching courses in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to patients suffering with these conditions (as well as people dealing with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses). Mindfulness is a particularly fast-growing (and well-researched) aspect of psychology based upon the practice of meditation and present-moment awareness as a way of coping, healing and living with the challenges and opportunities of daily life. Dr. Hickman incorporates aspects of mindfulness and acceptance into his work with groups of patients, as well as in individual psychotherapy.


Publications

Lang AJ, Strauss JL, Bomyea J, Bormann JE, Hickman SD, Good RC, Essex M. The Theoretical and Empirical Basis for Meditation as an Intervention for PTSD. Behav Modif. 2012 Jun 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Lenze EJ, Hickman S, Hershey T, Wendleton L, Ly K, Dixon D, Dore P, Wetherell JL Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for older adults with worry symptoms and co-occurring cognitive dysfunction. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2014 Feb 18.
Dobkin PL, Hickman SD, Monshat K.Holding the Heart of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Balancing Fidelity and Imagination When Adapting MBSR. Mindfulness 2013
Day MA, Thorn BE, Ward LC, Rubin N, Hickman SD, Scogin F, Kilgo GR. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Headache Pain: A Pilot Study. Clin J Pain. 2013 Feb 26.