Fall 2013 - Suffolk University

Dates to Remember
December 24- Jan 1—Winter
Break: University Closed
Jan 6—OUTREACH Fellowship Application for Ph.D.
Program Applicants due by
12pm
Jan 13—Spring 2014 Courses
Convene
Jan 20 —Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day: University Closed
February 1—Deadline to apply for May 2014 Graduation
February 17 - Presidents’
Day: University Closed
Feb 28-March 1 - Ph.D. Program Interview Weekend
Inside this issue:
Director of Clinical
Training Update
2
UG Psych Club
3
Psychology LLC
3
Alumni Highlights
4-5
Department
Announcements,
Publications, &
Presentations
6-9
Colloquium Recap
9
Department Chair’s
Notes
10
Suffolk University
Psychology Department
Newsletter
Volume 16, Issue I
Fall 2013
School Counseling Program Update by Dr. Tim Poynton
The school counseling program has benefited tremendously from the contributions of Dr. Carol Kerrissey,
our Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2013-2014
academic year. As a longtime school counselor and
guidance director in area
schools, we all benefit from
her knowledge and expertise. Dr. Kerrissey is not
new to us, though – she has
been teaching and mentoring our students since 2009
as an adjunct faculty member. While she may be a
little less present after this
academic year, she will not
be absent!
We have been fortunate
over the years to have had
wonderful adjunct faculty –
a sampling of the
knowledge and expertise
our adjunct faculty bring to
our classroom includes two
guidance directors, an energetic school psychologist,
and a school counselor with
over 15 years of experience. All of our adjunct
faculty have earned doctoral
degrees in addition to their
experience, and are therefore highly qualified to prepare our graduate students
to be effective school counselors.
We have started the process
of searching for a tenuretrack assistant professor to
join the school counseling
program. While we are relatively early in the search
process, I am pleased to
report a robust pool of
Continued on page 3
Mental Health Counseling Program Update
by Dr. David Shumaker
The Mental Health Counseling (MHC) Program continues to enjoy a seamless
transition into the Psychology Department. Both faculty and students greatly
appreciate the warm welcome we have received from
the department faculty,
staff, and students. Dr.
Medoff, the MHC Program
Director, and Dr. Shumaker, the other full-time faculty member, have appreciated the wealth of expertise
that the Psychology Department Faculty has offered to
us and our students. Given
the warm reception we have
received it is perhaps no
surprise that, in addition to
being one of our largest
classes in recent years, our
2013-2014 first-year incoming class includes several
former Suffolk undergraduates. We hope to continue
to get to know the many
talented Suffolk undergraduate Psychology majors. To
that end, both Dr. Medoff
and Dr. Shumaker are looking forward to their undergraduate-level course offerings which will provide students a unique opportunity
to experience first-hand our
passion for the profession
and field.
We are also happy to report
that our second year students are thriving at a variety of challenging and rewarding practicum placements throughout the great-
er Boston area. A sample of
this year’s practicum placements includes the South
Boston Community Health
Center, Roxbury Head Start
Program, MCI-Concord
Department of Corrections,
and Victory Programs residential substance abuse
treatment facilities. In addition, our Certificate of
Advanced Graduate Studies
(CAGS) program has enjoyed a robust enrollment as
well, with several of our
students earning internship
credit hours at full-time,
paid positions that were
offered to them upon completion of the MHC program. These dynamic graduates of our MHC program
Continued on page 3
Page 2
Suffolk University
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Update
by Dr. Dave Gansler, Director of Clinical Training
The faculty and staff and
student body welcome the
nine first-year graduate
students to our Suffolk
University Psychology
Department Community.
As of this writing there are
65 members of the doctoral program student body.
The nine outstanding new
students are - in alphabetical order - Alexandra
Dick, Daniel Glass, Grace
Gu, Leela Holman, Amanda Khan, Jessica Pan, Kerrie Pieloch, Carlos Rivera,
and Kristin Serowik. As I
write this update these
students are completing
their first semester of
coursework (the first of six
semesters), preparing
their Early Research Project proposals, and thinking about which first year
practicum options might
best suit them. Some of
them, like Jessica Pan,
were born and raised in
Boston, and know what it
is like to get through a
New England winter. For
others from balmier cli-
mates, such as Amanda
Khan, we welcome them to a
Boston winter, and hope
that they have sharpened
their ski edges, or are planning on taking a few lessons
in the winter sport of
choice! Among the practicum options being considered by these students are
placements in the Newton
Public Schools, McLean
Hospital’s OCD program,
and Outpatient Psychiatry
at BWH. We wish them the
best in the application process, and over the course of
their entire first year.
ers) in the state of their
choice (many of our students
remain in Massachusetts but not all). Those students
are - in alphabetical order Kirstin Birtwell (Mass General Hospital- Child Track),
Jill Bloom (Harvard Cambridge Health Alliance), Erika Clark (Bedford VA),
Bridgid Conn (Primary Children’s Medical Center- Utah),
Adriana DeAmicis (Yale University- Psychiatry Service),
Carla Gabris (Visiting Mental
Health, Davie, Fl.), Debra
Glick (Tewksbury Hospital),
Michelle Jackson (University
of Mississippi, Jackson VA),
At the opposite phase in the
Mary Beth McCullough
process of becoming clinical
(Brown University- Child
psychologists are our ten
Track), and, Sarah Valentine
students now on clinical
(Mass General Hospital- Beinternship throughout the
havioral Medicine). Many of
United States, engaged in
these students will be defendthe provision of high quality
ing their doctoral dissertaclinical care and important
tions in the springtime while
research projects. Once
simultaneously applying for
those students successfully
post-doctoral fellowships in
complete the internship
areas of clinical expertise that
year and the doctoral disserwill be the focus of the early
tation they will become eliphase of their careers. These
gible as licensed psycholostudents will soon experience
gists (health service provid-
the thrill of signing ‘Ph.D.’
after their name for the first
time in July or September of
2014, and they often contact
their mentor on that day to
share the moment (a rewarding event for a mentor). We
wish them all the best as they
arrange their first postdoctoral year.
There are also thirteen students who are in the process
of applying for clinical internship. These students have
typically completed most
coursework, are enrolled in
an advanced practicum, and
are engaged in the data collection phase of their doctoral
dissertation. As I am writing
this, those students have
completed the internship application forms, and are waiting to hear from programs
that will invite them for interview. At this time, we wish
those students all the best in
obtaining the interviews they
are seeking.
Happy Holidays to Alumni,
Faculty, Staff and Students!!
Psychology Dissertation Research Award
The Psychology Department plans to acknowledge outstanding academic achievement of a doctoral student engaged in
dissertation research through its Psychology Dissertation Research Award. This is a meaningful opportunity for alumni,
parents, and friends to contribute to the success of a deserving Ph.D. student.
A heartfelt thank you to all the alumni who generously donated to this award.
You can be confident that your donation of $25 or more will directly benefit the Department’s award winner, to be announced in March. If you have already made a contribution, THANK YOU! If you have not, but would like to, please
see the link below to make your gift online. Click on “Donate Now” found in the bottom right corner, and then under
“Area of Giving” please select OTHER and enter: Psychology Award.
http://www.suffolk.edu/support.php
If you prefer to send a check by mail, please indicate “Psychology Award” on the MEMO line and remit to:
Suffolk University Office of Advancement
8 Ashburton Place - Boston, MA 02108
Volume 16, Issue I
School Counseling Continued
applicants that have expressed an interested in joining us. The search committee, consisting of myself, Dr.
Coyne, Dr. DiBiase, and Dr.
Fireman will have to make
some difficult choices in the
coming weeks, but we are all
looking forward to a successful search.
practicum placements
across a variety of schools
in urban and suburban
communities in the greater
Boston area. It is always
refreshing to see the transformation from graduate
student to counselor unfold as these students hold
responsibility for growing
the profession of school
The class of 2014 are out
counseling in the future –
applying their school counthe future of school counseling knowledge and skill in seling is in good hands.
Page 3
Mental Health Counseling Continued
are working in a variety of
mental health counseling settings, including as an adjustment counselor at Medford
High School, an outpatient
clinician at Arbour Counseling
Services, and a staff clinician
at the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. Following completion of our
CAGS program, these students will be eligible to sit for
a licensing examination that
ultimately leads to careers as
Licensed Mental Health
Counselors (LMHC).
Although not the focus of our
applied clinical program,
MHC Program faculty continue to involve our students
in ongoing research leading
to publications in both edited
volumes and peer reviewed
journals articles. For those
students who are interested
in these types of opportunities, this adds a valued layer
of professional experience.
Undergraduate Psychology Club by Laurah Shames BS’14
The biggest goal for our club in the past couple of years has been to establish a presence in the Suffolk community. Students
this year have come together to help reach this goal. We still have a long way to go but feel there has been a great improvement.
With great ambition, our E-Board has worked together to create two awesome events that will take place in the spring semester.
Our first event will be from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) where we will have two individuals with mental illnesses come talk to us about their experiences and then show a video. For our second event, we are very excited because the
Student Leadership and Involvement office chose our club’s idea to receive a financial grant to hold an event during their Unity
Week. We are very excited to share that this award-winning public speaker, HIV/AIDS educator and author will be joining us
here at Suffolk. Although this is an event that will be led by the Psychology Club (people think that just because it is a psychology club they need to be a psychology major, which is not true), Scott Fried is the perfect educator for all aspects of life. Mental
and physical health, religion, the arts, to name a few, but most importantly the difficult steps we go through in life and how to
approach them are some of the topics he speaks of in his lecture. For more information on him, please visit his website at
www.scottfried.com. Dates and locations have yet to be determined but will be announced as soon as possible. We appreciate
any extra promotion that can be given by you all in order to make this a bigger and more successful event from which many can
benefit. We look forward to seeing you all there and don’t forget to like us on Facebook @ Suffolk University Psychology Club
and follow us on Twitter @SUPsych_Club to keep up with whatever we have going on!
Psychology Living Learning Community by Reid Turner Fultz BS’16
The Psychology Living Learning Community at Suffolk University is relatively new, only commencing Fall 2012 semester. The
purpose of the Psychology LLC is to give on-campus Psychology majors the opportunity to form deeper connections with each
other, faculty and graduate students, by participating in events and activities related to the major outside of the classroom. The
LLC students all live within a single community (usually one floor) and have the added benefit of forming relationships with one
another based on similar academic interests and pursuits. As the Resident Assistant, I am responsible for the Psychology LLC,
along with Dr. Gary Fireman, my advisor. We’ve done an excellent job of ensuring that LLC students are aware of the resources
available to them and the manner in which they can manipulate these resources. Dr. Fireman has offered to advise all of the
LLC students during their time here at Suffolk, and the students have responded with gratitude knowing that they have the
Chair of the Psychology department as their mentor. The first Psych LLC event for the semester was a welcome event to the LLC
and meeting Dr. Gary Fireman and I so we could talk about the purpose of the LLC and hear suggestions for any further events
that we could tailor to the students’ particular interests within psychology. Over plates filled with Chipotle burritos, we got to
know each other, and discussed how to succeed in psychology at Suffolk and explore resources students could use to advance
their academic careers at Suffolk. The second event of the semester was a visit to Samaritans - a 24 hour suicide hotline agency
that started in Boston and has spread its community outreach to help many individuals in these very sensitive cases. The students learned about the intense training involved in dealing with these types of phone calls and the necessary skills and appropriate techniques required in handling the very serious phone calls. Samaritans also educated the students on the myths of suicide and when there should be cause for concern. The Psychology students look forward for what we have in store for the spring
semester and are using their voices to express which events they would like to see planned in the future.
Page 4
Suffolk University
Alumni Highlight: Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Pollie Lang ’96 has been active in many areas pertaining to psychology. Since graduation
she has worked in a variety of fields including Human Resources at the Dept. of Mental Health in
Boston where she was involved with training & development, workers’ compensation, and recruitment. She also spent some time in Columbia, SC hospital systems within a grant position helping
an educational healthcare team teach physicians to hone their skills in rural areas.
After moving to Philadelphia and starting a family, Pollie has also become very active in Hospice
work by volunteering her services in mostly grief work. For the past seven years, Pollie founded
and has facilitated Life Changes bereavement group. It’s a free service that meets every Tuesday
and is open to all residents within the Philadelphia region. Pollie’s also currently enrolled in a clinical social work masters program at Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work and Social Research
in Bryn Mawr, PA. Pollie has concentrated her studies on trauma, brain injury, and veterans’ affairs along with suicidality, grief,
meditation, sexuality issues, individual, group, and family therapy. Her field placement last year involved working at a local
community hospital with Substance Abuse individuals who also suffered from co-occurring disorders and brain injury. This year
she will be focusing her therapeutic efforts on those who suffer from severe mental illness, again at a local community hospital.
Pollie graduates with her MSS and CBT Certification in May 2014. Shortly thereafter she plans to sit for the LSW exam and eventually the LCSW exam. She hopes to find work providing therapeutic services in a hospital or other agency system and eventually private practice. Pollie also plans to maintain her grief group and possibly expand it.
What is your favorite memory at Suffolk?
One of my fondest memories of Suffolk was Dr. Webb’s Brain & Behavior class which opened my mind to the capabilities of the
human mind and why we behave as we do. It was a fascinating class that has informed my thinking ever since. Another favorite
was Dr. Bursik’s Advanced Personality Perspectives class. It was new to the curriculum that year and, as such, we got an amazing, nearly masters-level education that was very insightful for me. Finally, I really loved Suffolk in general and the student body
who was a hard-working and dedicated group.
Do you have any advice for current students at Suffolk University?
Network with your peers and professors and take advantage of other professional organizations and above all, enjoy exploring all
that Suffolk has to offer in your field and other fields which will help broaden your strengths and employment options.
Alumni Highlight: Master’s in Metal Health Counseling
Patricia Bethune, LMHC, graduated from Suffolk University in 2006 with her master’s
in Mental Health Counseling and again in 2007 with her CAGS. She worked at Health & Education Services, Inc. (currently Lahey Health Behavioral Services) in Haverhill from her internship
through the next five years as a fee-for-service clinician. In 2012, Patricia accepted a position as
clinic director for Riverfront Counseling Center in Fitchburg, Mass as part of the COSI Counseling
Centers. There, she oversees an administrative team of four and a clinical staff of fourteen while
seeing her own clients.
What is your favorite memory of Suffolk?
I was Dr. David Medoff’s graduate fellow and loved every minute of it. His classes were amazing
and directly impacted the kind of clinician that I am today. In 2007, I was invited to be on the
search committee for a new Suffolk University professor and it was a great opportunity to see the process by which someone
becomes a professor at the university.
Do you have any advice for current students at Suffolk University?
Everything you are learning now you will use in the clinical setting. As a therapist, you will be committing to a lifetime of learning in order to become a fully competent clinician. Take every opportunity to learn from these fantastic professors and other
students to build a comprehensive network of like-minded professionals. Last, but not least, be mindful of self-care as this type
of work can be difficult. In order to help others, you need to take good care of you!
Want to stay connected with our alumni network? Update your contact info:
http://www.suffolk.edu/alumni/1332.php
Volume 16, Issue I
Page 5
Alumni Highlight: Master’s in School Counseling
Laura Matthews ’13 graduated from Stonehill College in 2009 with a double major in Psychology and Criminology. She spent a year working as an advocate in a domestic violence shelter before
deciding to go back to get to get a master's degree in school counseling. She went to Suffolk University
full time for 2 years, and graduated with an M.Ed. in School Counseling in May 2013. She was fortunate enough to start working as a school counselor the fall after graduating from Suffolk. She was
hired in August of last summer to fill a 3 month maternity leave position at a junior high school in
Webster, MA. Two weeks before she was supposed to be finishing her position in Webster she was
asked to interview in Norwood, MA for a permanent position as a middle school guidance counselor. A
few hours after she interviewed, she received a call saying that she was hired for the position and loves
the job!
What is your favorite memory at Suffolk?
My favorite memory at Suffolk was definitely my internship experience working in Boston Public Schools. My position as an intern in Boston was incredibly challenging and often times a bit overwhelming, but it taught me very quickly what it was to be a
school counselor in a tough urban environment. I often use the experiences I had there and the lessons I learned to inform the
work I carry out in my current position. It was also great that the internship went along with a practicum class where my peers
and I were able to share experiences and learn from one another.
Do you have any advice for current students at Suffolk University?
My advice for current students would be to start applying for jobs early! I started applying in February of my final year, and although the following September (when I hoped to start working) seemed incredibly far away, I was able to get a feel for the job
market early on. I didn't hear back from many positions until later in the year, but by the time summer rolled around I felt like I
had my application perfected and I was confident in what I was sending out. Another piece of advice I might have is to seriously
consider any interim or short-term positions that might come up. My first instinct was to apply only to permanent positions because that seemed like the best option. The market was tough though and it wasn't until summer rolled around that I realized I
needed to broaden my search. Taking the maternity leave position ended up being the best thing I could have done and it is one
of the reasons that I was hired for my current job.
Alumni Highlight: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Dr. Peter Vernig ’12 came to Boston from Colorado to study clinical psychology at Suffolk.
While in the program, he worked under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Orsillo, and completed clinical practica at Bornewood Hospital, the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA, and the Men’s Addiction Treatment Center. In addition to teaching at Suffolk, he taught courses in psychology at Newbury College and the New England School of Acupuncture. During his time in the program, Dr.
Vernig served as the President of the Association for Psychological Science Student Caucus. He
completed his internship at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the
Anxiety Treatment Center of Austin. After his post-doc, he received his license and returned to
Friends Hospital as a Supervising Clinical Specialist. Dr. Vernig’s current position involves helping
to oversee the hospital’s psychology, social services, expressive art therapy, chaplaincy, and residential departments, as well as developing the hospital’s interdisciplinary research program.
What is your favorite memory of Suffolk?
I met so many great people and had so many amazing experiences that it’s hard to narrow it down (the 21st with my cohort,
teaching my first course, discussing cases with Edith, supervision with Tracey, Matt’s multivariate class, ABCT conferences with
the AME Lab, defending my dissertation with Amy, Matt, and Sue). Two probably stick out most for me, though. First, my many
meetings with Sue Orsillo. She really shaped my development as a psychologist and mentored me in every area of the program.
Second, working under Gary Fireman and Dave Gansler at Bournewood. They taught me so many practical skills, and helped me
to see what it is like to function as a psychologist in a hospital setting.
Do you have any advice for current students at Suffolk University?
Avail yourself of every opportunity you can while you are in graduate school. This is one of the last times you’ll be in a position
where you have a faculty to distill and present to you the received knowledge of our profession. Take the opportunity to learn
and try new things. And also, try to have some fun.
Page 6
Suffolk University
Department Announcements
Kirstin Brown Birtwell and Dr. Lisa Coyne received grant funding: Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (ACT) for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Organization for Autism Research (OAR). 2013-2015 ($2,000).
Haley Duncanson was nominated for a P.E.O. Sisterhood Scholar Award which is a
"philanthropic organization that seeks to promote educational opportunities for
women through scholarships, grants, awards, and loans. P.E.O. Scholar Awards
(PSA) was established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women
of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral level degree at an accredited college or university." Additionally, Haley got married to Peter Gagnon on
11/8/2013 at the Public House in Sturbridge, MA — Picture right: Haley on her wedding day surrounded by her cohort.
Dr. Tim Poynton, along with Lisa Shatz, Leonardo Gomez, and John Zinkowski, were
awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) training grant for support of a project, entitled “Electrical Engineering Scholars at Suffolk University.”
Department Publications and Presentations
Publications
pathology. Guilford.
Cavalari, R., DuBard, M.,
Luiselli, J., Birtwell, K. B.
(2013). Teaching an adolescent with autism to tolerate
routine medical examination:
Effects of compliance training
through graduated exposure
and positive reinforcement.
Clinical Practice in Pediatric
Psychology, 1(2), 121-128.
Gansler, D., & Duncanson, H. (2013). Substance
Abuse Disorders. In : Stucky,
K., Kirkwood, M., & Donders, J. Clinical Neuropsychology Study Guide and
Board Review, Oxford University Press.
Coyne, L. W. & Birtwell,
K. & McHugh, L. (2013). Acceptance and commitment
therapy: transdiagnostic processes in child and adolescent
psychopathology. In J. T. Ehrenreich & B. Chu (Eds).
Transdiagnostic treatment
approaches to youth psycho-
B.A. (Eds.). Psychologists’
desk reference (3ndedition)
pp. 82 - 87. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kivisto, A., Gacano, C., &
Medoff, D. (2013). Does
Conn, B. M., Marks, A. K., the R-PAS meet standards
& Coyne, L. (2013). A three- for forensic use? Considerations with introducing a new
generation study of Chinese
Rorschach coding system.
immigrant extended family
child caregiving experiences Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice,13,389-410
in the preschool years. Research in Human DevelopMedoff, D. & Sternlieb, S.
ment, 10(4), 308–331. Doi:
(2013). Screening for sexual
10.1080/15427609.2013.846 offender risk. In Koocher, G.
047
P., Norcross, J. C., & Greene,
Mello, N. K., Peltier, M. R., &
Duncanson, H. (2013).
Nicotine levels after IV and
Smoked Tobacco in Men.
Experimental and Clinical
Psychopharmacology, 21,
188-195.
Mustakova-Poussardt, E.,
Lyubanksy, M., Basseches, M., Oxenberg, J., Eds.
(2013) Toward a sociallyresponsible psychology for
a global era. New York:
Springer
Basseches, M. (2013, October 2) Contexts for Adult Development: Work, Higher
Education, Life-Crises, Psychotherapy and Supervision
of Psychotherapy. Invited
honor seminar by the University of Minho. Braga, Portugal
Basseches, M. (2013, June
8) Invited discussant for symShumaker, D. & Medoff,
posium on Therapeutic ColD. (2013). Ethical and legal
laboration: Interactive and
considerations when obpsychophysiological processes
taining informed consent
at annual meeting of the Socifor treating minors of high
ety for the Exploration of Psyconflict divorced and sepachotherapy Integration. Barrated parents. The Family
celona, Spain.
Journal, 21 (3), 318 - 327.
Basseches, M. and Brandao,
Presentations
A. (2013, June 8) Using developmental analysis of psyAlvarez, V., Clapp, M.,
chotherapy processes for reBasseches, M., Smidt,
flective practice and decision
K., Thomas, A. (2013,
making: Respecting all theoJune 9) Tracking the Proretical and technical apcess of Development
proaches. Miniworkshop preThrough Conflict Resolusented at annual meeting of
tion in a Case of Couples
Therapy. Paper presented at the Society for the Exploraannual meeting of the Soci- tion of Psychotherapy Integration. Barcelona, Spain
ety for the Exploration of
Psychotherapy Integration.
Bedard, K. K., Tresvant, J.,
Barcelona, Spain
Volume 16, Issue I
and Dunlap, P. (2013, October 12) Putting process into
practice: Building community
as a mental health care professional. Presented at Psychology, Social Justice, Science, and Spirituality: Integrating Work for Peace and
Justice with Respect for Data
Birtwell, K.B., Lyman, B.,
and the Search for Truth."
Parent, V., & DuBard, M.
Psychologists for Social Re(2013, October). CBT and
sponsibility New York City
ASD: Utilizing school-based
Regional Conference, 15th
consultation to promote skills
Street Friends Meetinghouse,
generalization. In Cavalari, R. New York, NY
(Chair), Promoting SocioEmotional Development: In- Collier, M. K. & Friedman,
tegrating Cognitive Behavior- P. (2013, October). From Conversion Disorder to Creutzal Therapy into Special Edufeldt-Jakob disease: A case
cation Settings. Symposium
presented at the annual meet- highlighting the importance of
ing of the Berkshire Associa- clinical flexibility and differtion for Behavior Analysis and ential diagnosis. Poster preTherapy (BABAT), An Affiliat- sented at the National Acadeed Chapter of the Association my of Neuropsychology Annufor Behavior Analysis Interna- al Conference, San Diego, CA.
& Marks, A. K. (2013,
April). Dating, relationships,
and sexuality in female adolescents: A qualitative analysis. Poster presentation at the
Society for Research in Child
Development Biennial Meeting, Seattle, Washington.
Page 7
K. (2103, August). A crosscultural qualitative study of
adolescent prescription drug
misuse. Poster accepted for
presentation at the American
Psychological Association
Convention, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Danitz, S.B., & Orsillo,
S.M. (2013). The mindful
way through the semester:
An investigation of the effectiveness of an acceptancebased behavioral therapy
Program on psychological
wellness in first year students. Poster presented at the
annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Nashville,
TN.
Danitz, S.B., & Orsillo,
S.M., Hayes-Skelton, S. &
Roemer, L. (2013, November). Predictors of change in
tional (ABAI) and of the Asso- Conn, B. M. (2013, Deceman acceptance-based behavciation for Professional Beber). A three-generation study ior therapy and applied relaxhavior Analysts (APBA), Am- of Chinese immigrant extendation for GAD. In M. J. Duherst, MA.
ed family child caregiving ex- gas, (Chair), Beyond the
Brooks, A., & DiBiase, R., periences in the preschool
Horserace: What Are the Facyears. In What We Might
(2013, March) Who is Doing
tors that Predict and Explain
the Rating Matters When Pre- Have Missed: Lessons from
Treatment Response to CBT
dicting Child Behavior Prob- Diverse Methodologies in the for GAD? Symposium conlems. Presented at the annual Study of Immigrant Families. ducted at the annual meeting
Invited webinar paper presen- of the Association for Behavmeeting of Eastern Psychological Association. New York, tation for the Society for the
ioral and Cognitive TheraResearch in Human Develop- pies, Nashville, TN.
NY
ment.
Brooks, A., DiBiase, R., &
DeAmicis, A,, Forbes, H.,
Ezen, M. (2013, November) Conn, B. M., & Marks, A.
Taylor, N., Fireman, G.
K. (2013, April). CrossThe Relationships Among
(2013, November) Perceived
cultural
differences
in
the
inTemperament, Attachment,
social support serves as a
fluence of parental and peer
Life Events, and Mental
protective factor against peer
substance use disapproval on aggression and victimization
Health in Young Adulthood.
adolescent prescription drug and negative psychological
Presented at the meeting of
misuse. Poster presentation at adjustment of first year colthe Society for the Study of
the Society for Research in
Human Development. Fort
lege students. Poster presentChild Development Biennial
Lauderdale, FL.
ed at the annual meeting of
Meeting, Seattle, Washington. the Association for BehaviorCampbell, M., Oxenberg J.,
al and Cognitive Therapies,
Conn, B. M., & Marks, A.
Basseches, M., Chien, V.,
Nashville, TN.
DiBiase, R. & Miller, P.M.
(2013, April) Are Impulsive
Preschoolers Living in Poverty More Likely to Have
Behavior Problems Than
Those who are Not? Presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Seattle, WA .
Ezen, M., DiBiase, R., &
Brooks, A., (2013, November) Predictors of Maternal Acceptance and SelfConcept in Preschoolers.
Presented at the meeting
for the Society for the Study
of Human Development.
Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Ferreira, J.F., Vasco, A.B.,
Basseches, M., Conceicao, N. VazVelho, C.
(2013, June 8) Looking at
Lisa again! Can a phase-byphase map add anything to
a moment-by-moment
map? Paper presented at
annual meeting of the Society for the Exploration of
Psychotherapy Integration.
Barcelona, Spain
Foglia, M., Carpenter,
L., Taylor, N. Fireman,
G. (2013, November)
Mindfulness, stress exposure, and daily sleep. Poster
presented at the annual
meeting of the Association
for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Nashville,
TN.
Jackson, M. J., Bennett,
T., & Raiker, J. S. Executive
functioning and PTSD in a
cohort of Veterans: Implications for treatment. Poster accepted at the Associa-
Page 8
tion of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Neurocognitive
Therapies/ Translational Research Special Interest Group
(SIG).
Jarvi, S. M., Swenson, L.
P., Muehlenkamp, J. J., &
Batejan, K. L. (2013, November). Use and motivations for social network sites
among self-injurers and noninjurers. Presented at the
Association for Behavioral
and Cognitive Therapies
(ABCT) Conference in Nashville, TN.
Suffolk University
May). The Nexus of Psychological testing and Parenting: Clinical and Legal Considerations. Fiftieth Annual
Conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Los Angeles,
California.
obesity: The mediating role
of sedentary behaviors. Poster presentation at the biennial meeting for the Society
for Research in Child Development, Seattle, Washington.
Organizers: António P. Ribeiro and Miguel M. Gonçalves, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal Basseches, M. (2013, June 8)
Invited discussant for symposium on An integrative
model on the regulation of
psychological needs satisfaction at annual meeting of the
Society for the Exploration
Jarvi, S. M., Swenson, L.
of Psychotherapy IntegraDaniel Millstein chaired a
P., Muehlenkamp, J. J., &
tion. Barcelona, Spain. Orsymposium "Expanding the
Batejan, K. L. (2013, Noganizer: António Branco
vember) Expectancies and the Focus in GAD: UnderstandVasco, University of Lisbon,
ing and Addressing Probrelationship between nonPortugal.
suicidal self-injury and alco- lems in Interpersonal Funchol use. Presented at the As- tioning and their Impact on Organizer: Cláudio Pina FerTreatment Outcome" at the nandes, University of Lissociation for Behavioral and
47th annual conference of
Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
bon, Portugal Basseches,
Conference in Nashville, TN. the Association for Cognitive M. (2013, June 8) Invited
and Behavioral Therapies in discussant for symposium
Kivisto, A., & Medoff, D.
Nashville, TN on November on Innovative Moments and
(2013, March) Progress and
23rd. Also taking part were Ambivalence in PsychotherPerils: The Status of the RorDr. Susan Orsillo and Dr.
apy at annual meeting of the
schach in Forensic Contexts.
Jonathan Lee, both of Suf- Society for the Exploration
Paper presented at the 75th
folk University.
of Psychotherapy IntegraAnnual Meeting of the Society
tion. Barcelona, Spain.
Millstein, D.J., Orsillo,
for Personality Assessment,
S.M., Hayes-Skelton, S.A., & Organizers: Eugénia Ribeiro
San Diego, California.
Roemer, L. (2013, Novem- and António P. Ribeiro, UniMarks, A. K., Bedard, K.
ber) Changes in Interperversidade do Minho, Braga,
K., Brown, C., Perkins, C. &
sonal Problems Over the
Portugal Basseches, M.
Garcia Coll, C. (2103, April)
Course of an Acceptance(2013, June 8) Invited disMultiethnic identities and the
Based Behavior Therapy for cussant for symposium on
school context: A mixedGeneralized Anxiety Disor- Different levels of promoting
methods approach. Paper
der. Paper presented at the and evaluating change in
symposium presentation at
47th annual conference of
work with a specific populathe Society for Research in
the Association for Behavtion: Integrative psychotherChild Development Biennial
ioral and Cognitive Theraapy with university students.
Meeting, Seattle, Washingpies, Nashville, TN.
at annual meeting of the
ton.
Society for the Exploration
McCullough, M. B., &
Medoff. D., Ferriter, M.,
of Psychotherapy IntegraMarks, A. K. (2013, April)
Jones, A. & Harper, J. (2103,
tion. Barcelona, Spain.
The immigrant paradox and
Medoff, D. Durand, J.,
Deutsch, R. & Hurley, R.
(2013, April). Attorney
Mental Health Professional
Consultation in Action. Annual Conference of the Massachusetts Chapter of the
Association of Family and
Conciliation Courts, Weston,
Massachusetts.
Smidt, K. E., Suvak, M.
K., Chiupka, C. A., Carpenter, L. S. (2013, November). Investigating correlates
of emotional granularity.
Poster presented at the 47th
Annual Convention of The
Association of Behavioral and
Cognitive Therapies, Nashville, TN.
Vasco, A.B. and Basseches,
M. (2013, January 4-5). Seminar: Improving psychotherapy using the "developmental
analysis of the psychotherapy
process (DAPP)," the
""phases of therapeutic process " and "the regulation of
needs satisfaction.” Two-day
workshop sponsored by the
Portuguese Association of
Cognitive and Behavioural
Therapy, (Lisbon, Portugal)
Xi, P., Hollis, A., Duncanson, H., Kapust, L., & O’Connor, M. (2013). An update on
mental status screening for
the impaired driver. Massachusetts Neuropsychological
Association Symposium.
Dissertation Defenses
Anthony Annunziata successfully defended his dissertation on July 22, 2013 entitled: The Impact of Fear of
Self-Compassion on the Relationship Between Mindful
Attention and Well-Being
Rachel Bieu successfully
defended her dissertation on
June 6, 2013 entitled: Structural Neuroimaging Analysis
of Executive Functioning
Jill Bloom successfully defended her dissertation on
June 6, 2013 entitled: Effect
of Adolescents' Emotional
experience on Judgment:
Volume 16, Issue I
Page 9
Positive, negative and mixed emotions
Carla Gabris successfully defended her dissertation on August 29, 2013 entitled: A Comparative Therapeutic Relationship Study in a Group of Older Adults with Depression and Executive Dysfunction
Athene Lee successfully defended her dissertation on June 10, 2013 entitled: Psychopathic Personality Traits and the
Brain's Default Network
Kara Massie successfully defended her dissertation on May 16, 2013 entitled: Hooking Up or Settling Down: An Empirical Examination of Sexual Commitment, Intimacy, and Satisfaction among Emerging Adult Women
Annie McCue successfully defended her dissertation on July 23, 2013 entitled: Internalization of the Thin-Ideal, Experiential Avoidance, and Body Image Flexibility as Predictors of Dietary Restraint and Disordered Eating Behaviors: A Correlational and Experimental Investigation
Fall 2013 Colloquium Recap by Dr. Lisa Coyne
On Wednesday, December 4, 2013, Dr. Anthony Biglan, a Senior Scientist and prevention researcher from the Oregon
Research Institute, gave a spirited talk detailing how we might make the best of our evidence-based interventions to create a “nurturing environment” for our young people in the United States. Such an environment would promote prosocial
skills, such as empathy, kindness, and altruism, and in so doing, reduce coercive behaviors, such as aggression. The audience was deeply engaged in his talk, as evidenced by their many excellent questions and wholehearted applause at the
conclusion of his lecture.
Top Left: Mental Health Counseling graduate students, Alicia Brooks and Molly Ezen, presenting at the Society for the Study
of Human Development in Fort Lauderdale, FL in November 2013.
Top Right: Representing the Psychology department at Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Dodgeball Tournament on November 21st,
Ph.D. students Vanessa Alvarez, Zack Held, along with Drs. Matt Jerram and Michael Suvak.
Bottom Left: The 3rd year cohort excited on the first day of the Fall 2013 semester.
Bottom Right: Dr. Sue Orsillo introduced her mentees, Ph.D. Students Dan Millstein and Sara Danitz, to her own graduate
school mentor, Dr. Rick Heimberg, at the ABCT conference in Nashville, TN in November 2013.
Suffolk University
Psychology Department
41 Temple Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 573-8293
Fax: (617) 367-2924
Department Email:
[email protected]
PhD Program Email:
[email protected]
The Department Newsletter
can be found on the web:
http://www.suffolk.edu/
college/
departments/14449.php
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Update your contact information:
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This Newsletter was brought
to you by:
Lauren Vermette,
Editor-In-Chief
Chair’s Notes by Dr. Gary Fireman
With finals over, grading done and folks off for the winter
break it is time to say Happy Holidays and Congratulations
for completing the semester. For those students who are
graduating mid-year a huge congratulations. A review of the
rich material in this newsletter highlights the impressive activities and accomplishments of our students, faculty and
alumni. Members of the department have presented at National conferences, published in peer review journals, and
provided important services to agencies and individuals in
the Boston Metropolitan area. Our undergraduate and graduate students have been placed with Medical Centers, Schools,
Courts, Community Centers, Community Service organizations, and businesses organizations in practicum and internship experiences. In exciting ways students have built their
professional skills (and resumes) while giving back to the
community and being great ambassadors representing Suffolk University. Bringing these experiences back to the classroom through your discussions with peers enhances the educational experience for all. Please remain engaged in clubs,
organizations, and affiliations so that you can be a part of
making the Psychology Department an exciting community.
See you in the new year!