Monmouth University Student Conducts Summer Research at AU with Dr. Mattingly

Miranda Bobrowski, an undergraduate student from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, recently spent two weeks at AU working on summer research projects with Dr. Brent Mattingly.  From June 6-17, Miranda worked on various projects ranging from coding and analyzing data to developing a research project which is currently being conducted online.  Miranda is one the undergraduate research assistants in Dr. Gary Lewandowski's laboratory (you may remember Dr. Lewandowski coming to AU in April 2010 and giving a talk on his research).

If you have any interest in conducting summer research either at AU or with a professor at another university, feel free to contact any one of the faculty members in the AU Psychology Department.

Alumni Spotlight - Jessica (Groth) Wood '06

After graduating in December, 2006 with a BA in Psychology, I was hired on to work for the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, where I served as a Caseload Assistant, helping individuals with visual impairments find jobs and enroll in job training. I knew I wanted to return to school and pursue my Master’s Degree in Counseling, so I enrolled in the Community Counseling program at the University of Akron while working full-time. I had the opportunity to go back to school and work full-time as a Graduate Assistant in the CHAMPS/Life Skills program for student-athletes, and could not pass it up. I spent the next 2 years planning career events, community service events, and monitoring the study hall program for the athletics department. I believe this was where I truly came to realize that my heart was in career counseling and helping others achieve their goals and acquire their dream jobs. So, I focused my practicum in my Master’s program towards this and also gained more experience through a Supported Employment program at my internship site. Upon receiving my Master’s of Education in Community Counseling and my Professional Counselor license, I was hired on at my internship site as the Intake Clinician and Emergency Services Therapist. I worked at this community behavioral health agency for a year until I landed my current dream job as the Employment Services Coordinator in the Career Services Center at Lakeland Community College. I get to spend my days planning new career events, presenting workshops, and meeting with students and alumni to help with their job search. My education at Ashland University was so vital to the career path I have taken. It was actually Dr. Ickes who told me about the opportunity with RSC, my first position after AU, which led me down my current path. The knowledge and education I gained at Ashland University has provided a great base for me and helped me in so many ways throughout each of my positions.  All of the professors were so willing to help, and I am still so appreciative of that! What is so great about the program is that it prepares you for so many different career tracks; you really have the opportunity to direct where you go and what you do. Enjoy your time at Ashland in the wonderful psychology program!

APA Rolls Out "This is Psychology" Video Series

We’d like to share with you a new series of public education videos featuring APA CEO Norman B. Anderson, PhD, discussing important trends and research in psychology. Called This is Psychology, the series features videos that will be posted about once a month on APA’s website, on an APA YouTube channel, and in iTunes as downloadable podcasts. 

These brief videos are intended to educate the general public about the science of psychology and to illustrate how psychological research can be applied to a broad range of issues and challenges. They are part of an expanded APA public education campaign to increase people’s understanding and appreciation of psychological science. We are particularly excited about their potential for use as part of secondary school psychology and other science programs.


The first release includes an introduction, an episode on bullying, and an episode on young children’s mental health. We hope you find them interesting and informative. Feel free to link to these videos from your professional websites. APA will be linking to them on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/video/this-is-psychology/index.aspx

http://www.apa.org/news/press/video/this-is-psychology/bullying.aspx

http://www.apa.org/news/press/video/this-is-psychology/infants-children.aspx

Sincerely,

Rhea K. Farberman, APR
Executive Director
APA Public and Member Communications

Online Occupational Resource for Psychology Majors and Faculty Advisors

The website for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) has a new online resource for psychology students and advisors that identifies many different psychology-related careers. As stated at the website, this resource "provides a list of 172 occupations that psychology majors may pursue, together with the associated URLs to various online descriptions of the occupations, from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), O*NET, the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), and other reputable Web sites. Advisors can use this resource to assist psychology majors in identifying potential career paths." Click here to be taken to the site where a .pdf file (containing links to websites that offer more information) of these occupational options can be downloaded.

Dr. Bonfiglio Examines Depression and Anxiety in Patients Seeking Organ Transplants

Psychologists are routinely involved in the presurgical screening of candidates for medical procedures, including the screening of potential organ recipients.  Psychologists doing these kinds of evaluations examine aspects of candidates’ psychological health that may influence the success of such surgeries, such as patients’ cognitive functioning, history of medical adherence, and degree of psychological distress.  New research by Dr. Kristin Kuntz (The Ohio State University Medical Center) and Dr. Diane Bonfiglio (Ashland University) examined the incidence of anxiety and depression in end-stage renal disease patients upon their first referral for transplant evaluation.  The researchers found that approximately 15% of patients screened met criteria for a current depressive disorder, while more than 7% met criteria for a current anxiety disorder.  It is hoped that this data will aid transplant teams in caring for patients that seek organ transplant.

This research is currently discussed in an Online First article on the website of The Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings; it also will appear in an upcoming print issue of the same journal. 

Ickes named "Player Development Specialist" for the Lake Erie Crushers

For the second summer in a row, Dr. Curt Ickes has been appointed as a "Player Development Specialist" for the minor league Lake Erie Crushers in Avon, Ohio.  Head Coach John Massarelli states that “Dr. Ickes gives our players an opportunity to develop the mental skills necessary to compete at the highest levels of baseball.  His teaching ability can give our players a competitive advantage that helps them reach their true potential.”  Click here for the complete press release which can be found at the website for the Lake Erie Crushers.

Alumni Spotlight - Jenn Seda '09

After graduating in December of 2009 with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Psychology (minor in Family Studies), I was accepted into the Master's of Counseling and Human Development (Mental Health track) program at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.  I began the program in May of 2010 and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have been well prepared by AU to excel in all of the classes I have taken in my program so far (including Research Methods, Theories of Counseling, Lifespan Development, Marriage and Family Counseling, Psychological Testing).  The Research Methods classes at AU have proven to be most helpful considering the amount of APA writing I have had to accomplish thus far. Also, as an elective part of the program I have just returned from a Global Learning experience in Kisubi, Uganda, Africa and Rome, Italy.  As part of the experience, myself and four other graduate students assisted our professors in conducting counseling technique and theory seminars for Ugandan counselors and counseling students.  The training they received far exceeded their formal educational training due to their lack of educational resources and materials.  We were able to provide hands-on training and personal examples and allowed them to modify the interventions to be applicable in the Acholi culture.  We were on the ground in Africa for 11 days.  On the return trip, we stopped in Italy for four days to see the traditional Roman sites (Coliseum, Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps), but we also held a meeting with the Ugandan Ambassador to Italy as well as the Farming and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to discuss their project on awareness about global hunger.  This fall I will be accepting a position as a Graduate Assistant in the office of Counseling and Human Development as well as taking classes. Next spring I am scheduled to do my practicum in the counseling center and then two semesters of internship in the summer and fall of 2012. Upon graduation I will be able to sit for the state licensing board Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) exam.  After 2 more years of supervision, I can then be independently licensed as an LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor). AU has given me an excellent background in research, theory, human development, and clinical knowledge; I am much further ahead in my knowledge (compared to my classmates) because of the education I received at Ashland University.

Psi Chi Awards and Grants for Undergraduate Students

Psi Chi, the international honorary society in psychology, has a number of grants and awards for which Ashland University students are eligible.  These range from research awards, research grants, and chapter awards, and students are encouraged to go to the Psi Chi website to find out more information.  Please click here to be taken to the page that lists all of the different awards, and consider applying for one.  Rachel Carson, a junior psychology major, will be spending her summer in New Jersey, thanks in part to receiving an APS Summer Research Grant through Psi Chi.   

This is where it all began...

Students of psychology know that the discipline has its deepest roots in eastern Germany, specifically in the city of Leipzig.  The year 1879 is regarded as the 'birth year' of psychology as the philosopher Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychological laboratory at the University of Leipzig at that time.  Leipzig is now a large urban area of approximately 500,000 inhabitants, and the Leipzig Symphony and Leipzig Opera House have helped establish the city as one of Germany's great cultural centers.  The University of Leipzig, portions of which are pictured at left, was founded in 1409 and is still regarded as one of the finer institutions of higher learning in all of Europe.  This university, founded over 600 years ago, is still growing and expanding, as can be seen in the major construction project depicted in the photo.  Department chair Dr. Mitchell Metzger, psychology majors Niki Valentine and Katie Schuster, and eleven other participants in the "AU in Germany" program recently visited Leipzig in their tour through eastern Germany.