News

Jessye Cohen-Filipic Appointed to APA Virtual Working Group on Restrictions Affecting Diversity Training in Graduate Education

Jessye Cohen-Filipic was recently appointed as the only student member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) Virtual Working Group on Restrictions Affecting Diversity Training in Graduate Education. The working group is charged with preparing informative materials for education and training program administrators, faculty, and prospective and current students, as well as for state psychological associations and the general public, addressing the potential impact of legislative provisions or court rulings on diversity training in graduate education. Jessye is completing her final year of the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology.

Dr. Heather Jones Receives CTE Teaching Grant

Dr. Heather Jones, of the Clinical Psychology Program, has been awarded a VCU Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Small Grant to use bug-in-the ear technology to improve graduate therapist use of child behavior management skills. Dr. Jones is co-director of the ADHD Specialty Clinic at VCU’s Center for Psychological Services and Development. The funded project will entail Dr. Jones using bug-in-the-ear  technology behind a one-way mirror to provide immediate feedback to graduate student therapists in the ADHD Clinic at VCU as they work with children with attention and behavior problems and their families.

Dr. Ev Worthington Wins APA William C. Bier Award

Dr. Ev Worthington, of the Counseling Psychology Program, was selected to receive the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 36 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) William C. Bier Award. This award is offered annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution through publication and professional activity to the dissemination of findings on religious and allied issues. The award will be presented at the annual APA convention in Orlando, FL, where he will give an address entitled, "Virtue Resurrected: Theory and Research."

Dr. Michael Southam-Gerow Selected for APA Committee

Dr. Michael Southam-Gerow, Associate Professor in the Department (and member of Clinical Psychology Program), was selected to serve on the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) for a three year term starting in 2012. The CYF has 6 total members, selected from a pool of nationally nominated experts, who each serve staggered three year terms so that each year there are two new members. The mission of CYF is to increase the influence of psychological science on policy and services relevant for children, youth, and families.

Dr. Leticia Flores Honored for Service to Veterans

Dr. Leticia Flores, Director of the Psychology Department's Center for Psychological Services and Development, was recognized by the Lewis B. Puller, Jr Veterans Benefits Clinic for her outstanding commitment to serving veterans. Her award was presented at a ceremony as part of William & Mary's Law School Veterans Day observance.

View the article on the William & Mary Law School web site.

Dr. Jody Davis and Anthony Coy's Environmental Research Featured by European Commission

Dr. Jody Davis and graduate student, Anthony Coy, both of the Social Psychology Program, recently published research (with collaborator Dr. Ben Le) describing the relationship between individuals' commitment to the natural environment and their willingess to sacrifice for the environment (e.g., recycle, purchase energy-efficient products). Their research examined commitment to the environment, defined as psychological attachment and long-term orientation to the natural world. They theorize that commitment emerges from structural interdependence with the environment and leads to pro-environmental behaviors.

In December, a summary of their research was selected to be featured by the European Commission's environmental news service for policy makers. View the research summary published by the European Commission news service.

Primary Care Psychology Program "Champion" Wins 2011 Unsung Hero Award

The Department of Psychology's Primary Care Psychology team nominated the medical director of the primary care clinic where the program is embedded for the Virginia Healthcare Foundation 2011 Unsung Hero Award. Denise Borden, MD, was nominated for the outstanding work she has done in collaborating with Dr. Bruce Rybarczyk to build the program that has now provided over 3,000 treatment sessions to uninsured and underinsured patients who otherwise have very limited access to mental health services.

Dr. Borden was selected from among many nominated physicians from around the state who have dedicated their careers toward meeting the needs of undeserved Virginians. She has been tireless in championing the program and its accomplishments. The Primary Care Psychology program received a $2,000 prize as a result of Dr. Borden winning the award. The program has already been awarded over $500,000 in funding from both the Health Resources and Service Administration and the Virginia Health Care Foundation. It has 20 doctoral students embedded in both adult and pediatric primary care settings.

Please view the video posted at the Virginia Healthcare Foundation web site that is a tribute to the work of Dr. Borden with the program.  

Janet Lydecker Wins Dissertation Grant for Eating Disorders Research

Janet Lydecker, a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology, received an American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award. Her dissertation is on visual attention biases and body dissatisfaction in eating disorders. The project aims to establish whether biases exist in how women look at pictures, and whether these potential biases can be changed. Results from this study could have applications for psychotherapeutic and outreach interventions for eating disorders. This project will occur over the next year, and is part of Janet's broader research interest in body image and health-related applications of counseling psychology.

Department Honors Colleagues and Students at Veteran's Reception

As part of VCU's Military Services Appreciation Week, on Monday, November 7, the Psychology Department hosted a Veteran's Reception at the Richmond T. Robertson Alumni House. View the VCU Press Release news story. Some of the honorees included:

• Bradley Antonides, is a third year Counseling Psychology graduate student and Captain in the U.S. Army with 19 years of experience.  Brad is also the recipient of the F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.
• Courtney Jane Belmonte is a junior Psychology major whose father, Vicente Floriano Belmonte, is retired Army 15 years.  Courtney is considering a military career once she completes her degree in Psychology.
• Eric Benotsch, PhD., is an Associate Professor and Director of the Health Psychology Program, VCU Department of Psychology.  Eric served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy reserve from 1985-1992 and spent a year on active duty, including serving on the hospital ship U.S.N.S. Comfort during the Gulf War.
• Steven Brokob is a Psychology junior who served on active duty in the US Marine Corps for 5 years and whose sister is an active duty Marine. 
• Tom Campbell, Ph.D., is an Affiliate and Adjunct Professor, VCU Department of Psychology.  Tom is a Neuropsychologist at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center.  Tom teaches our graduate course in Neuropsychology.
• Jasmine Carson is a senior Psychology major.  Jasmine is an Air Force Reservist of 4 years and has served on active duty for 7 months overseas.
• Steven Danish, PhD., is a Professor and Director of the Life Skills Center, VCU Department of Psychology.  Steve’s development and teaching of a new course for graduate students in Psychology is filling a need and making a strong contribution.  This course is PSYC 664: The Psychological Needs of Service Members and Their Families across the Deployment Cycle.  Steve also serves as a consultant to the College Veteran’s Organization and to the National Guard.
• Heather Dela Cruz is a senior Psychology major.  Heather is planning a military career.  Upon graduation she will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army reserves.   Heather’s father is also in the military as in the U.S. Navy as an active duty senior chief - 24 years of service.
• Lauren A. DeLosSantosCoy is a senior Psychology major and Religious Studies Minor.  Lauren calls herself a military brat she is from a U.S. Marine Corp family.  Lauren plans on a military career in the Navy as a clinical psychology so graduate school is most immediately in her future.  Since her sophomore year, she has worked with Steve Danish – observing the wounded warriors programs and studying secondary traumatization of family members of service members.  Lauren also served on the committee which planned this event.           
• Michael S. Ellwood, Ph.D., is Affiliate Faculty, VCU Department of Psychology.  Michael is the Director of Training for Psychology (116B), Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
• Jennifer L. Elswick, is the Director for Strategic Initiatives and Assistant to the Chair, VCU Department of Psychology.  Jennifer’s brother SFC Dave LaBelle, is serving in the Army Delta Force for the past 7 years.
• Leticia Y. Flores, Ph.D., is the Director, VCU Center for Psychological Services and Development.  Lettie serves on the advisory council of Wounded Warrior Region 5; participates on the student veterans advisory council; and is a founding member with W&M of Helping Military Veterans through Higher Education (HMVHE) state consortium.
• Jason Gardner is a junior Psychology major, seeking dual degrees in Psychology and Mass Communications (Journalism).  Jason served on active duty  in the Air Force.
• Sandra Haines is a senior psychology major whose son served in Iraq for almost 2 years.  Sandra’s son was injured but is doing well now.                               
• Janette Hamilton is a first year graduate student in VCU’s counseling psychology program.  Her husband, Staff Sgt. Joe Hamilton, is currently serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army and is the recipient of a Purple Heart.   Upon graduation, Janette is planning a career in the military.                     
• Jennifer Joy-Gaba, PhD., is an Assistant Professor, VCU Department of Psychology.  Jennifer comes from a military family.  Her father, Gerald Joy, served in the Air Force from 1969-1973.  Her grandfather, Harry Shirey, served in the Army, 1951-1953; and her great uncle, Bruce Shirey, served in Air Force, 1941-1945 and lost his life in that service.
• Scott McDonald, PhD, is Affiliate Faculty, VCU Departments of Psychology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.  Scott is a Neuropsychologist at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. 
• Xue Ju Meyer is new to VCU. This spring she will be a senior psychology major who is serving in HHC, 49th Quartermaster Group, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), XVIII Airborne Corps.
• Aashir Nasim, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor, VCU Department of Psychology.  Aashir is a Desert Storm veteran who served in the United States Army Reserves, 1989-1997.
• Treven Pickett, PsyD, is Affiliate and Adjunct Faculty, VCU Department of Psychology.  Treven is Director of the  Polytrauma Post-doctoral Psychology Fellowship at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center.   Treven co-teaches PSYC 664, The Psychological Needs of Service Members and Their Families across the Deployment Cycle.
• Michael Riley is a senior Psychology major who is seeking dual degrees in Psychology and in Social Work.  Michael served as an E-3 Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps from 1987-1989.
• Katharine Stoddard, Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Online Initiatives, VCU Department of Psychology.  Katharine’s husband, Captain Collin Stoddard, is currently deployed and serving in the 2nd 183rd Calvary, C Troop, in Iraq.  Collin is a member of the National Guard since 2004.
• Richard Wilson is a senior Psychology major who is seeking dual degrees in Psychology and International Studies with a concentration in Asian Studies and a minor in Economics.  Sergeant Wilson is an  Intelligence Specialist, who  served on Army active duty, and has been in the Army National Guard for the past 5 years.             
• Everett L. Worthington, Jr. PhD, is a Professor, VCU Department of Psychology.  Ev served in the Naval Officer Cadet School from 1969-1970, was on active duty from 1970-1974, and inactive reserve from  1974- 1979.  Ev was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant.

Helping Military Veterans through Higher Education Fundraiser

On Thursday, November 4th, Governor McDonnell will speak at the Virginia Bar Association's kick-off event for the Veterans Legal Services Month. The VBA's Veterans Fundraiser this year will benefit Helping Military Veterans through Higher Education (HMVHE). HMVHE  was founded by William & Mary's law school and our Psychology Department's Center for Psychological Services and Development (CPSD), and stemmed from our successful collaboration assisting veterans through the Lewis B. Puller Veterans Benefits Clinic. HMVHE is a consortium of Virginia colleges and universities that are marshaling their schools' legal, mental health and medical resources to assist Virginia's veterans and military service members with a variety of needs. During last year's Veterans Legal Services Month, the VBA raised over $25,000 to support the Puller Veterans Benefits Clinic. These funds help the Puller Clinic to pay for the comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations their veteran clients receive at the CPSD. The collaboration has provided excellent services to our nation's veterans as well as excellent training to VCU's psychology doctoral students. For more information on the Puller veterans Benefits Clinic and CPSD's role in the clinic, go to http://law.wm.edu/academics/programs/jd/electives/clinics/veterans/.

Adriana Rodriguez Funded on an NIMH Diversity Supplement

Drs. Bryce McLeod and Michael Southam-Gerow received a Diversity Supplement to their NIMH R01 grant developing treatment integrity measures for child therapies. Treatment integrity is the degree to which therapists are delivering a specific therapy correctly (i.e., adherence) and skillfully (i.e., competence). The supplement award will provide research and career development experiences for Adriana Rodríguez, a second year clinical PhD student. Through the award, Adriana will develop research skills needed to progress toward independent research focused on treatment integrity through classroom experiences and guided research opportunities. Her specific focus will involve exploring what are called benchmarks. That is, she will be investigating whether or not there are minimum levels of therapist adherence or competence needed for treatments to produce positive effects. This research may help guide future research, particularly in the area of training therapists in novel treatment approaches.

Faculty Job Ad in Health Psychology

Our department is seeking to hire a tenure-track faculty member at the assistant professor level in the area of health psychology to begin August, 2012. For more information, please refer to our job ad.

Lily Christon Wins Dissertation Grant for Autism Research

Lily Christon, a doctoral student studying jointly in the Developmental Psychology Program and Clinical Psychology Program, was awarded a dissertation grant from the Organization for Autism Research (OAR). Her grant is called Coordination of care, treatment beliefs, and treatment practices in professionals working with children with autism spectrum disorders. First, the project aims to provide rich descriptive data of professionals' practices and intervention use with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A secondary aim is to provide a better understanding of the factors that predict two important aspects of evidence-based practice in these professionals working with children with ASDs: the use and recommendation of evidence-based interventions and use of family-centered care approaches that take into account patient preferences, characteristics, and values.

Clinical and Counseling PhD Programs Receive Reaccreditation from APA

The American Psychological Association (APA) manages accreditaton for certain types of programs in psychology, including two programs offered in our department. The Clinical Psychology Program and Counseling Psychology Program each received reaccreditation from the APA for 7 years.

Dr. Tom Eissenberg Appointed to FDA Committee

Dr. Tom Eissenberg, of the Biopsychology Program, recently began a multi-year invited membership on the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Eissenberg's primary area of research is the behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse, focusing primarily on nicotine/tobacco. His current work, funded by the U.S. NIH, involves 1) developing laboratory methods to evaluate potential reduced exposure products (PREPs) for tobacco users, and 2) understanding the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking.

Dr. Ev Worthington Wins APA Dorothy Booz Black Award in Counseling Psychology

Dr. Ev Worthington, of the Counseling Psychology Program, received the prestigious American Psychological Association (APA) Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) award, given to encourage and award outstanding research and practice in counseling health psychology. The award has an associated monetary prize, funded by Consulting Psychologist Press, Inc. Nominees must have made a primary contribution in research and practice of counseling health psychology focused on health-related processes and outcomes. One of his recommenders stated: "Ev's contributions to counseling health psychology reflect his research interests over the trajectory of his career. His more contemporary work in the study of forgiveness – in which he has advanced a theoretical and empirical agenda concerning the concept – has resulted in a series of studies that illustrate his influence in counseling health psychology – and beyond. Ev has always put his theoretical notions to the test in rigorous laboratory and field examinations, making him a true scholar and important figure in our field. Ev's contributions to counseling health psychology are apparent in his scholarship, training and mentorship." As another of his letter writers stated: "I believe he represents the true ideals of our scientist-practitioner model, and he has exemplified these ideals in the work most relevant to counseling health psychology."

Our VCU program in counseling psychology is the only program in the country that has two winners of the Dorothy Booz Black award for scholarship in counseling health psychology. In addition to Dr. Worthington, Dr. Marilyn Stern, Director of the Counseling Program, received the Dorothy Booz Black Award in 2005. Having two winners reflects the strength of the program in counseling health psychology and sets us apart from other programs in the country.

Dr. Wendy Kliewer's Project CARE Featured by Partner University

View the story on the University of Kwazulu-Natal web site.

"Project CARE is a collaborative research project by UKZN’s Department of Behavioural Medicine and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). CARE is an acronym for Community Assessment of Risk and Resilience. Project CARE, a pioneering study on the continent will span four to six years and will analyse risk and resilience amongst youth in Durban. It is the brain-child of Dr Wendy Kliewer, a Fulbright scholar and Head of the Department of Psychology at VCU and Professor Basil Pillay, Head of the Department of Behavioural Medicine at UKZN. The first of its kind undertaken in Africa, the project has received $64 509 in seed funding from VCU’s Global Education Office and the College of Humanities and Sciences. The project will follow two age-groups of youth as well as their caregivers from low income families in the greater Durban municipality annually for four years.."

Bruce Park Wins Fulbright Scholarship

Bruce graduated with his BS in Psychology with University Honors in May 2011 and was selected as a member of the Guaranteed Admission Class of 2015 at VCU Medical School. He will defer his admission to medical school to spend the next year in Korea teaching English and learning Korean and Korean culture.

View Archive News from 2010-2011