Sabine Scoggins, Ph.D, LPC-MHSP

First, Dr. Scoggins in a nutshell . . .

Dr. Sabine Scoggins: Ph.D, MSCP, LPC-MHSP, ATTS BCTTS

• Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with a major in Behavioral Medicine
• MSCP - Master of Science in Counseling Psychology
• BS - Bachelor of Science with a double major in Psychology and Sociology
• Founder & President, Counseling Connection, Inc.
• LPC MHSP - Licensed Professional Counselor with a Clinical Mental Health Services Provider designation.
• Board Certified Trauma Treatment Specialist, ATTS
• Trauma / Crisis Intervention With Military Applications Extensive Experience
• EMDR Trained - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing trained by EMDRIA-approved instructors, Master EMDR Provider

Now, Get to Know Dr. Scoggins

Dr. Sabine Scoggins earned her baccalaureate degree with majors in both Psychology and Sociology in 1996, a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Psychology with a major in Behavioral Medicine in 2007. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Clinical Mental Health Service Provider (MHSP) designation (LPC-MHSP, TN # 2460). She is also an ATTS Board Certified Trauma Treatment Specialist. 

Dr. Scoggins' work history reflects a background that is professionally varied, as well as seasoned. Beginning with her Clinical Internships for her Master's degree in 1997, she has had the opportunity to work with client populations from a multitude of backgrounds, ethnicity, and age groups, presenting with a variety of psychiatric problems, including but not limited to issues associated with traumatic events (PTSD), adjustment, bereavement, attachment, mood (depression, mania), anxiety, marital, pre and post divorce care, parenting, co-parenting issues and caretaker stress. As such, Dr. Scoggins works with individuals, couples, and families, using a variety of treatment tools, such as crisis intervention, brief-, solution-focused and long-term therapy, Cognitive Behavioral therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and Play Therapy (for children). 

Over the past 37+ years, Dr. Scoggins has moved 11 times all across the U.S., while her husband served in and retired from the military. Since 2009, she has made Knoxville her permanent home. Below is a more detailed listing of Dr. Scoggins professional and personal experiences:

• Counseling Connection, Inc., Founder & President, providing individual, couples, family, and group counseling (2009 to present)
• Dr. Scoggins serves as a subcontractor for referrals from the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) for the City of Knoxville and Knox County, as well as other organizations in East TN, thereby enabling their employees and their family members to receive counseling support at no cost to the employees
• Board Certified Trauma Treatment Specialist, ATTS ('17 to present)
• Blount Memorial Hospital, crisis intervention and assessment ('14 to '15)
• Counseling Connection, Inc. ('12 to present), providing individual, couples, and family counseling.
• With Counseling Connection, Inc. served as a subcontractor to Military Health Net as a Military Family Life Counselor around the world ('10-'12), providing individual, couples, and family counseling to service members and their families. Assignments included
  • Supporting the 101st Airborne Division families at Fort Campbell for five months (while they were deployed in the Middle East)
  • Support of families at Fort Greely, in Northern Alaska during the coldest, dark, cold (-55 degrees) winter months (Jan. to Mar.)
  • Deployment to Japan in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster to provide support to the families and military members for several weeks immediately thereafter.
  • Deployments to Germany (three times) to support military families assigned there for overseas duty
• Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital Outpatient Clinic in LaFollette, TN, providing individual, couples, family, and group counseling ('09-'10)
• Youth Villages in Knoxville as a Crisis Intervention Counselor ('09) for children.
• Established Counseling Connection, Inc., in Knoxville in July 2009 and provided assistance at other clinical operations as needed over the next few years, as shown above.
• Liberty University, teaching graduate level Psychology courses ('08-'11) to those pursuing Master's degrees in Professional Counseling
• Columbia College, teaching undergraduate Psychology courses ('06-'08)
• Anderson Family Counseling Center in Anderson, SC, providing individual, couples, and group counseling ('05-'08)
• Pensacola Bay Baptist Association Health and Hope Clinic, providing individual, couples, & group counseling ('03-'05)
• Meyer New Life Clinic in Pensacola, FL, providing individual, couples, and group counseling ('02-'03)
• Trauma Intervention Programs (TIP) of Northwest Florida, on call rapid assistance at the scene of crisis on or near Pensacola ('00-'05)
• Family Continuity Programs in St. Petersburg, FL, as a Family Reunification Counselor ('99); services included in-home counseling for adults, children, and families.
• Parents Assistance Center in Oklahoma City, providing individual, couples and group counseling ('97-'98) to adults who were court-ordered to participate in counseling following accusations of child abuse.

Dr. Scoggins has received additional training in a number of areas:

Trauma Counselor

Since 2017, Dr. Scoggins has been a Board Certified Trauma Treatment Specialist by the ATTS, recertifying in March 2021 through 2024. Dr. Scoggins worked with Trauma Intervention Programs of Northwest Florida ('00-'05), being called in to assist victims of crime, natural disaster, and other traumatic events. She has received training in Trauma Intervention and Crisis Counseling with Military Applications, as well as completing extensive training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - an effective method of treating those exposed to trauma - in Bethesda, MD. This comprehensive training and more than a decade and a half of experience in assisting those who have encountered trauma in their lives enhances her ability to effectively treat first responders, such as firefighters, paramedics, police officers and sheriffs. She also serves as a Volunteer for the American Red Cross in Disaster Response (in which she provided support during a major bus crash in Knoxville and deployed to Texas during the wildfires that destroyed many neighborhoods).

Full Spectrum Support

Dr. Scoggins has years of experience providing brief-, solution-focused- and long-term therapy to individuals, families and groups ranging in age from young adults to senior adults presenting with the full range of psychiatric complaints, including but not limited to issues surrounding family and domestic violence, marital problems, parenting problems, complex trauma-related reactions (including PTSD and DID) and associated attachment disorders, schizophrenia, affective and anxiety disorders, as well as traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In her Ph.D. in Psychology with a major in Behavioral Medicine studies, Dr. Scoggins focused on the effects of external factors, such as neurotoxins, diet, sleep, and lifestyle, on mental health. In her dissertation she conducted a large-scale study exploring the relationship between long-term and early exposure to abuse and the occurrence of dissociative identity disorder.