I am a faculty member in the Psychology Department and the Counseling Minor. I am also co-director for the H&S Pathways Program.
Teaching
I have taught at Ithaca College since 2012. I teach many counseling courses, as well as some core required courses for our Psychology majors. Some of these courses are listed below:
- Forms of Therapy: Overview of different approaches of individual psychotherapy and perspectives regarding change and symptoms of psychological problems. Over the course of the semester we cover topics in the field of psychotherapy including human connection, empathy, assessment, and methods of evaluating the outcome of treatment interventions.
- Skills for the Helping Professional: This course introduces students to theory and practice of psychotherapy and other professional helping relationships. Students learn about counseling, assessment, ethics, and helping skills. This course emphasizes basic and specialized skills necessary to function effectively in a helping relationship. Emphasis is placed upon understanding the nature of the helping process in a practical and applied way.
- Professional Development II: Exploration of career opportunities and options for individuals with an undergraduate degree in psychology, including graduate school (or other professional training) and employment in a related field.
In addition, I teach an Ithaca Seminar on Health Activism.
have also supervised many student internships and undergraduate student research projects in areas of mental health, therapist preparation, and grief and loss.
Professional Background and Focus
I am one of the only members of the Psychology Department who did not study psychology as an undergraduate. I use my own story to talk with students about how a path to a career may not be linear and completely obvious. I studied Francophone literature, gender studies, literary theory, and feminist theory as an undergraduate at a small women's liberal arts college. I did graduate coursework in creative writing, did grant writing for nonprofit organizations, worked in psychiatric hospital, a group home for adolescent boys, a jail, and a university research department before settling on psychology.
As a counseling psychologist, I am trained in both research and clinical work. I was trained as a therapist and a researcher. I love teaching students about approaches to therapy, careers in helping professions, and helping students navigate internships in the community.
I continue to provide clinical services (mostly therapy and training) in the community. I have worked with a local harm reduction health equity medical practice to develop their behavioral health program. I am passionate about ensuring that individuals, especially those from marginalized and oppressed groups, receive trauma responsive social and behavioral health services.
I provide trainings in motivational interviewing, integrated primary care, harm reduction, working with LGBTQ clients, recovery coaching, and ethics.
Research and Professional Service
have conducted research on health psychology and health behavior change. One area of interest is adjustment to and coping with chronic illness. You can see some of my published work here.
I am very involved in doing research, writing, and service related to training mental health professionals to be competent in serving clients from diverse backgrounds.
- I have chaired and worked on the American Psychological Association Committee on Continuing Education to review and provide guidance on continuing education for psychologists.
- I worked with an incredible group of psychologists on issues surrounding values conflicts in mental health professional training programs. You can read more about that here and see a journal article I authored on the topic here.
- I am co-President of the Ithaca SEPTA, the special education PTA
- I serve on the Board of Directors of The Community Foundation of Tompkins County.
Education:
- Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 2012
- M.S., Counseling Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
- M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
- A.B., Comparative Literature and Women's Studies, Northampton, MA
When not working, you can catch me sampling some good coffee, riding my lavender moped, or exploring playgrounds with my family!