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Victoria Shivy, Ph.D.

Dr. Vicky Shivy

Associate Professor
Counseling Psychology
800 W Franklin, rm 107
vshivy@vcu.edu
(804) 828-0294

Associate Professor (tenured)
Ph.D. (1994), University at Albany, State University of New York 

Doctoral Program Affiliations

Primary: Counseling Psychology
Secondary: Social Psychology

Research Interests

My work centers around the role work plays in peoples' lives: how people decide on career and educational paths, respond to a range of career-related events and experiences, and negotiate the socioemotional aspects of employment. These efforts can take me to the intersection of career and human health—as in exploring how trauma can impact career choice and adjustment, or how individuals might reengage with work following interruption (e.g., raising kids, experiencing burnout).

I’ve long worked with underserved populations (first-gen college students, people from lower SES backgrounds, underrepresented minority students, and those who’ve been imprisoned) helping individuals to enter, adjust to, and thrive at work. Vocational psychology, my area of specialization, is assessment/measurement-oriented; so, psychological testing figures prominently in my work.

Trained as a generalist, I have a (small) clinical practice in town that’s oriented towards career-related concerns. I love to teach—my undergraduate courses at VCU include Careers in Psychology and Experimental Methods. Finally, Careers in Biomedical Sciences is an innovative and interdisciplinary graduate-level course that equips graduate and first professional students with the information and strategies they need to enter career paths outside of academe.

Select Publications

Shivy, V. A., Guion, D. B., Green, B. A., & Wingate, J. A. (in press). INTUIT: A career decision-making intervention for female offenders in reentry. Journal of Career Development.
Zanardelli, G., Shivy, V. A., Perrone‐McGovern, K. M. (2016). Predicting behavioral career commitment of college students with attachment and separation relationships. Journal of Employment Counseling, 53, 162-173.

Recent Courses

  • Experimental Methods in Psychology, undergraduate level
  • Careers in Psychology, undergraduate level
  • Career Development and Occupational Mental Health, graduate level
  • Careers in the Biomedical Sciences, graduate level (MCV campus)

Recent Grants

Economic Impact Survey

Amount: $5,000
Role: Co-Principal Investigator (Suen)
Source: Friends of the James River Park
Period: 8/2017 – 8/2018

Affordable Course Content Award: Creating an Open-Access Text for Research Methods

Amount: $5,000
Role: Co-Principal Investigator (Porter)
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University
Period: 8/2017 – 8/2018

VCU Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity

Amount: $345,225
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Barbour)
Source: National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Period: 8/2010 – 7/2018

VCU-BEST Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training

Amount: $50,000
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Wu-Pong)
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University Quest Innovation Fund (Presidential Award)
Period: 1/2014 – 1/2015

Fetch-A-Cure Pen Pals: A Program for Virginia's Inmates 

Amount: $20,000
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University, Division of Community Engagement
Period: 7/2011 – 6/2012

Award

  • National Research Service Award, National Institute of Mental Health, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Department of Psychology, Division of Quantitative Methods

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