About John Liptak, Ed.D.

John is interested in exploring the ability of hope to help people transcend their problems, flourish, and move to a higher, more mentally well level of consciousness. John believes that....

• Hope has healing powers that help clients transcend and mitigate their problems.
• Hope is that feeling that keeps clients going and gives them something for which to live. It is critical when clients are dealing with chronic stress, mental health issues, life problems, and challenges. 
• Hope helps clients maintain resilience in the face of obstacles. It propels clients toward goals, even when things seem stressful or uncertain. It provides a positive vision of life’s possibilities, a plan to make this vision a reality, and the practical tools to look forward to a better future. 
• Hope helps clients remain committed to their goals and motivated to take action toward achieving them. It gives clients a reason to persevere and believe that their current circumstances will improve, despite the unpredictable nature of human existence. 
• Hope reduces stress and builds resilience to cope. 

John is an internationally recognized author with over thirty years of experience in counseling, consulting, and training. He has authored over 100 workbooks with Ester Leutenberg on topics such as stress management, substance abuse, domestic violence, and developing and maintaining effective personal and intimate relationships.  In addition, John has authored 31 career assessment instruments and ten books.  John has experience as a therapist in prison settings, private practice, mental health centers, and university settings. John has also written ten books with Michelle Scallon, including The Hope Series, which serves as the basis for the HOH Approach.

John’s work has been featured in the Associated Press, in numerous newspapers, including the Washington Post, Tampa Bay Times, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and on MSNBC television and CNN Radio. John also appeared in the PAX/ION television series “Success without a College Degree.” John earned a Doctor of Education degree in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech. He resides in Radford, Virginia, and serves as the President of CCA, Inc. He recently founded the HBPM Institute to research, develop materials, and promote the Hierarchy of Hope. 

John has worked with Michelle Scallon in developing the Hope-Based Problem Mitigation therapeutic approach. She has created much of the materials from the Hierarchy of Hope and the five critical hope skills needed to mitigate problems. She is an internationally recognized expert on using Positive Psychology techniques to generate hope.

While earning her doctoral degree, she worked as a clinician during rotations at a community mental health clinic with culturally diverse, underserved populations and a private, outpatient setting. She is skilled at treating clients with a wide range of diagnoses. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Fifth Avenue Center for Counseling and Psychotherapy in New York City. After earning her Ph.D., she was employed by Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare, where she was a clinician contributing to research on the GAU Pilot Project. 

For over ten years, Dr. Scallon worked as a mental health clinician in a correctional institution, treating incarcerated individuals, conducting therapeutic groups, and supervising staff members. She was an integral part of running a mental health program called a Modified Therapeutic Community aimed at helping incarcerated individuals increase prosocial skills to reduce their chances of recidivism. 

Dr. Scallon conducted her own research study while completing her dissertation, titled “The Impact of Social Support and Humor on Levels of Hope in Individuals who are coping with HIV/AIDS. In addition to this research, she made peer-reviewed presentations at the Western Psychological Association conference in Palm Springs, CA. She presented research on cognitive flexibility, coping, and hope in the HIV/AIDS population. She also presented a paper on “The effects of exercise on acculturative stress in international students." Dr. Scallon is passionate about helping people capitalize on their strengths to maintain hope. Her current interest lies in finding ways to help people remain positive and cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

HBPM is the most extensive and productive research, design, and development institute specializing in Hierarchy of Hope resources for therapists, teachers, career counselors, and mentors. We provide consultation and information about implementing HOH as an adjunct therapy or a stand-alone therapeutic approach.

To hire John to conduct FREE training for organizations in underdeveloped or underserved countries and  INEXPENSIVE  training or consulting for developed nations, please e-mail me at jjliptak1@verizon.net.  

John has trained career and mental health professionals in the United States and many other countries, including Jamaica, the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, China, and Romania.