Hee Kyung Park, Ph.D.
Professor of Health Service Psychology,
College of Human Sciences and Humanities
Contact number: 281-283-3378
Email: parkh@uhcl.edu
Office: Bayou 2529
Biography
Hee Kyung (Catherine) Park, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of School/Health Service
Psychology. Dr.Park earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
and completed her predoctoral internship in school psychology at the Santa Barbara
Psychology Internship Consortium (APA-accredited). She then completed postdoctoral
training at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where her work focused on
addressing the shortage of school-based mental health practitioners. Dr. Park holds
credentials as a Licensed School Psychologist in Massachusetts and a Pupil Personnel
Services credential in California.
Dr. Park's research examines how equitable, evidence-based school mental health practices
can improve children's social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Her work integrates
culturally responsive social-emotional learning (SEL) with implementation science
to understand how educators adopt, implement, and sustain interventions that support
diverse learners. Her scholarship also includes examining strength-based assessment
of student well-being and international collaborations advancing SEL in South Korea.
Beyond schools, Dr. Park brings a range of experience from clinical settings—where
she utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy—as well as international organizations and
start-ups. Across these varied settings, she is driven by a passion for interdisciplinary
collaboration and a commitment to translating research into practice, anchored in
providing accessible, high-quality services that promote children's well-being.
Areas of Expertise
- Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- School-based Universal Mental Health Screening
- Implementation Science of SEL
- International School Psychology
Publications
- Gueldner, B., Whitcomb, S., Moy, G., Carrizales-Engelmann, D., Feuerborn, L., Pearlman, J., Park, H., & Gordon, K. How effective and why: Meta-analysis of Merrell's Strong Kids program. (In Press)
- Furlong, M.J., Chan, M.K., Dowdy, E., Park, H.K., & Geng, A. (2026). Toward an enhanced understanding of the dual-factor model of mental health. School Mental Health, 18, 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-025-09816-4
- Chan, M.K., Dowdy, E., Park, H.K., Furlong, M.J., & Nylund-Gibson, K. (2026). Validation of the Social Emotional Distress Survey-Brief in adolescents with intersecting sexual and gender identities. Assessment. Advance online publication.
- Feuerborn, L., Gueldner, B., Wallace, C., Park, H.K., Gallegos, J. (2026). A method for monitoring SEL implementation in the classroom. Contemporary School Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-026-00585-8
- Park, H.K., Whitcomb, S.A., & Harlacher, J.E. (in press). Behavior rating scales. In R.P. Archer & S.R. Smith (Eds.), Personality Assessment. Routledge.
- Whitcomb, S.A., & Park, H.K. (2024). Social, emotional, and behavioral assessment. In B. Bracken, L. Theodore, & M. Bray (Eds.), Desk Reference in School Psychology. Oxford University Press.
Courses (Current Academic Year)
- PSYC 6230 Intervention II: Social and Behavioral Skills
- PSYC 6032 Cognitive Assessment