Profile

I began my journey as a professional counselor in 2000 and then served as a professor and program director of counselor education at Florida International University (in Miami) until the end of 2006. At the beginning of 2007, I began my work in the Counselor Education Program at UCF, where I currently serve as the program director. Whereas you are welcome to review my CV to see my research interests and level of professional involvement, you won't find my personal life philosophies, some of which I’ve included here:

Trust the Process: Trusting the process involves acknowledging and accepting your current feelings, circumstances, and experiences, for without such acceptance as a necessary first step, you will find yourself wasting energy in self-judgment. Judgment often takes the form of negative self-evaluation (e.g., “I shouldn't be depressed!” or “Why do I keep getting so stressed?”), which results in feeling depressed about being depressed, or feeling stressed about being stressed. “Trusting the Process” does not imply that nothing can or should be done, but without first freeing the energy held captive by non-acceptance and self-judgement, movement is difficult, if not impossible.

Live in the And: Living in the "And" involves accepting that life involves tension, and that life “happens” between your current status and your future hopes and dreams. Stated otherwise, “And” happens in the journey, in the messy middle, and not the destination. Too many people live their lives in the “Or”, or perhaps even worse, in the “But” (and trust me, it's never good to live in the But…). Living this way is messy and isn’t easy, but I've found that those who embrace the tension, learn how to rely on God and others, and find value in the journey, are the most alive people I’ve met.

• Addictions Counseling
• Spirituality and Counseling
• Counselor Development

• Ph.D., Counseling and Counselor Education (2003)
  The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• M.A., Counselor Education, Mental Health Counseling (2000)
  The University of Central Florida
• B.A., Psychology (1994)
  The University of Illinois at Chicago
• United States Marine Corps (1987-1991)
  Camp Pendleton, California

• Qualified Clinical Supervisor (QCS – Florida)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC – Florida)
• Master Addiction Counselor (MAC – NBCC)
• National Certified Counselor (NCC - NBCC)

Dr. Hagedorn entered the academy as a result of seeing significant disparities in the provision of mental health services. Most notably, the clients with the most clinical needs (i.e. those who struggle with additive disorders, those with severe and persistent mental illnesses, and those from marginalized and underserved populations) are often treated by those with the least amount of experience (i.e. registered interns and student interns). As a result, Dr. Hagedorn’s research agenda began with the development of competencies for counseling clients who struggle with sexual addiction. That work evolved into a research agenda that contributed to the development of Addiction Counseling accreditation standards for CACREP. Another misunderstood and underserved population are those who desire the competent integration of religion and spirituality into their counseling services. Dr. Hagedorn’s research in that area has led to his being able to contribute to the development of ASERVIC’s Spiritual Competencies. Finally, to address the lack of competent care to work with marginalized and underserved populations, Dr. Hagedorn’s work in Counselor Development has led to the creation of a program of integrated health care to address mental illness and substance use disorders among such groups as migrant farmworkers, the uninsured, the homeless, and the incarcerated. Overall, Dr. Hagedorn has (a) written more than 90 publications, (b) presented over 300 times at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels, (c) secured more than $8.5 million in federal funds to support training efforts, and (d) co-authored the book titled Counseling Addicted Families.

• Addictions Counseling
• Addicted Family Systems
• Spirituality and Counseling
• Counselor Development
• Counseling Military Service Members and Veterans

Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program

• Principal Investigator: W. Bryce Hagedorn, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Gulnora Hundley, Ph.D. and Melissa Zeligman, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
• Award Period: 2024-2028
• Total Award:$ 2,333,500

Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) for Professionals

• Principal Investigator: W. Bryce Hagedorn, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Dayle Jones, Ph.D., Ann Shillingford, Ph.D., and Melissa Zeligman, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
• Award Period: 2021-2025
• Total Award: $1,903,231

Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program

• Principal Investigator: Dayle Jones, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Gulnora Hundley, Ph.D., Melissa Zeligman, Ph.D., and W. Bryce Hagedorn, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
• Award Period: 2020-2024
• Total Award:$1,954,374

UCF-Aspire Counselor Training Program in Integrated Care for Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders

• Principal Investigator: Dayle Jones, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: W. Bryce Hagedorn, Ph.D. and Gulnora Hundley, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
• Award Period: 2019-2022
• Total Award:$494,412

Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Paraprofessionals and Professionals

• Principal Investigator: W. Bryce Hagedorn, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Dayle Jones, Ph.D., Viki Kelchner, Ph.D., and Richelle Joe, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
• Award Period: 2017-2021
• Total Award:$1,912,284

• UCF College of Community Innovation & Education, Partnership of Distinction Award (2025)
• American Counseling Association, Doctoral Student Ethics Competition Award (1^st place) (2023)
• American Counseling Association, David K. Brooks Distinguished Mentor Award (2021)
• University of Central Florida, Scroll & Quill Society (2020)
• American Counseling Association, ACA Fellow Award (2017)

In addition to his service and leadership at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Hagedorn serves/has served the counseling profession in several leadership positions at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Examples of leadership and service positions include (a) the American Counseling Association, (b) the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), (c) the Association of Spiritual, Ethical, & Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), (d) the Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC), (e) the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (IAAOC), (f) the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), (g) the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), (h) the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), and (i) the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH).

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Technical Advisory Committee

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Chair, Accreditation Site Team

Grace Medical Home, Orlando, FL
Member, Board of Directors

Grace Counseling Center, Orlando, FL
Member, Board of Directors

Lotus Behavioral Health, Orlando, FL
Member, Board of Directors