News and Events

Professor Emeritus Nathan Azrin Receives NSU Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Contributions That Have Bettered Humanity

2011-04-08T08:34:00.001-07:00

On February 1, 2011 Professor Emeritus Nathan Azrin was honored by NSU with the first Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Contributions That Have Bettered Humanity. Dr. Azrin, who retired from the university following 30 years of service, was recently granted Professor Emeritus status. A student of B.F. Skinner at Harvard, Azrin went on to publish hundreds of research studies that were used by other researchers at an unprecedented rate that placed him among the most cited psychologists in the world. His work transformed the lives of the mentally handicapped and those with problem behaviors. His findings are widely applied today in such areas as toilet training and alternatives to physical punishment (i.e. time out).

Dr. Azrin retired from NSU in August 2010.

CPS Master’s Program Receives DOE Approval

2011-04-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Center for Psychological Studies Master’s Program in School Counseling has received full program approval from the Florida Department of Education. The School Counseling program is designed for the continued professional development of persons who presently serve or are interested in serving our youth and their families in an educational, Pre-K-12 setting. The training is based on a developmental model that emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, prevention, and responsive services.

CPS Presents at National Academy of Neuropsychology Conference

2011-04-08T08:27:00.004-07:00

CPS faculty, alumni, and doctoral students presented on their research at the annual National Academy of Neuropsychology Conference that took place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The center had 33 posters accepted for presentation at the conference. This was a 100% acceptance rate.

CPS General Psychology Program Up and Running

2011-04-08T08:27:00.003-07:00

The Center for Psychological Studies is pleased to announce that its newest program, a Master’s Degree in General Psychology welcomed its first class in January 2011. The Program is a 30-credit online program that will prepare students to develop foundational knowledge in psychological theory and research. Local, national, and international students may select this M.S. degree as an opportunity to obtain prerequisite courses to meet eligibility requirements for application to other psychology programs, including advanced doctoral studies

Howard Finkelstein Presents at CPS

2011-04-08T08:27:00.001-07:00

The Center for Psychological Studies’ Forensic Concentration recently hosted a special presentation, How Can Lawyers and Psychologists Talk to One Another?, given by Howard Finkelstein, Broward County’s Chief Public Defender.

CPS Chancellor’s Research and Development Grants Involve Students

2011-04-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

A priority of the center is to develop research expertise in students and thus, involvement of students in research studies is a goal. A few are highlighted below:

Comprehensive Analysis of Military Offenders

Professor Vincent Van Hasselt is the principal investigator on a research project whose objective is to conduct interviews of military offenders and to determine their motivations for committing acts of interpersonal violence; and use the resulting data to develop theoretical constructs designed to improve mitigation and prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery measures relating to acts of interpersonal violence. CPS doctoral student Andrea Brockman is co-investigator on the grant.

Exploring Biofeedback as an Assessment Tool in Sport-Related Concussion

Assistant Professor Stephen Russo is principal investigator on this study that will be used primarily to examine the utility of biofeedback as an assessment tool in the clinical management of sport-related concussion. Additionally, the study will seek to further explore the relationship between cerebral blood flow following sport-related concussion and mild traumatic brain injuries in a sample of high school and collegiate athletes. Andrew Kusienski (HPD) and four CPS doctoral students are co- investigators on the grant.

Latino Parental Acceptability towards the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

Associate Professor Ana Fins is the principal investigator on a project that seeks to elucidate barriers to parental vaccine acceptability and help inform the development of interventions that can increase parental acceptability of the vaccine. Mindy Ma (FAR) and four CPS doctoral students are co- investigators on the grant.

CPS Professor Receives National Award

2011-02-25T09:04:00.001-08:00

Ralph “Gene” Cash, Ph.D., associate professor at the Center for Psychological Studies, has been selected as the recipient of the National Association of School Psychologists, Government and Professional Relations Certificate of Appreciation Award. This award is being presented to Dr. Cash for his efforts to improve the educational outcomes of youth and to advocate for mental health services for children and families. Cash, who is a passionate advocate for children, has devoted much of his professional life to the Florida Association of School Psychologists (FASP), serving on an its Executive Board for more than 30 years and was instrumental in founding the FASP Children’s Services Fund.

CPS Professor Featured on Good Morning America

2011-02-25T09:03:00.001-08:00

Scott Poland, Ed.D., Center for Psychological Studies associate professor and expert on school violence, was featured on Good Morning America on January 19^th. Dr. Poland was interviewed about the need for bullying prevention in the schools. He also was interviewed on this topic for local radio 610. Poland will be a keynote speaker at the National Bullying Prevention Conference in Orlando on February 14^th. His presentation will be entitled, Bullying and Victimization: Implications School Safety and Bullicide.

CPS Faculty Wins NASP Secretary

2011-02-25T09:02:00.001-08:00

Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D., associate professor at the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS), was elected Secretary of the National Association for School Psychologists (NASP) for the 2011-2014 term.

Over the last decade, Dr. Valley-Gray has served as a faculty member, led the development of the specialist and doctoral programs in school psychology, and directed the continuing education program. She is currently serving her second term as a member of the NASP Delegate Assembly. Additionally, she has served on the NASP Standards Revision committee, is a member of the NASP Early Career Workgroup as well as the NASP Graduate Education Workgroup. Through these ventures, she is able to provide support to future leaders in psychology in furtherance of her passion to “enhance the learning and mental health of all youth.”

Dr. Valley-Gray has similarly served on the Florida Association of the School Psychologists (FASP) Executive Board for the last decade in a variety of positions including, Chair of Awards, Professional Development, and Training and Credentialing. As Training and Credentialing Chair, she led the development and implementation of the standardization of the internship selection process within Florida. She has served as Fundraising Chair and more recently as President, of the Children’s Services Fund, Inc. (CSFI), FASP’s charity arm. She has organized the annual auction, which has netted over $50,000 to meet the needs of disadvantaged children within Florida. More recently, she has led the “adopt-a-school” campaign to provide support to students in schools devastated by the country’s economic woes. With each of these projects, she has mobilized the enthusiasm of the dedicated executive board as well as devoted students and practitioners throughout Florida.

Throughout her journey as a school psychology practitioner, graduate educator, researcher, administrator, professional association leader, and classroom teacher; her motivation has been to make a difference in the lives of children! Her leadership and wisdom have contributed greatly to the evolution of our school psychology program at NSU, the continuing education program, and the profession of school psychology through her leadership within professional association work. Her expertise will continue to benefit the field of psychology as she embarks on her next venture as Secretary of NASP.

CPS Students & Faculty Co-author Book Chapter

2011-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

CPS doctoral students Sam Browning and Andrea Brockman along with Professor Vincent Van Hasselt, Ph.D. and Gregory Vecchi, Ph.D., Unit chief of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, have co-authored a chapter entitled “Crisis situations: Communications, Goals, and Techniques, to appear in Crisis Communication: Principles and Practice.

Nathan Azrin Awarded Lifetime Service Award

2011-02-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

Professor Nathan Azrin was recently presented with the Victor G. Laties Award for Lifetime Service to the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB). The award was created to recognize those individuals who made significant scientific contributions to the disciplines. Azrin is among the most internationally recognized faculty at NSU. He is known as an investigative scholar whose research and treatment/training programs are now in widespread usage. He helped establish the field of applied behavior analysis. Examples are the token economy or point reward program ; use of time-out; and effective self-care programs for persons with disabilities including toilet training, nocturnal enuresis, dressing, proper mealtime skills, self-stimulation, aggression, and self-injury. He also developed programs for persons including for alcoholism, drug use, medication adherence, tics, stuttering, Tourette’s Disorder, etc.

CPS Students Present at National Conferences

2010-08-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Recently five Center for Psychological Studies doctoral students presented on their research at two national conferences. Gillian Cohen, Shannon Worton, Shane Lutchman, Reeva Ramcharan, and Ashley Simmons, under the mentorship of assistant professor Shannon Ray, Ph.D. and adjunct professor Craig Marker, Ph.D., presented on their work on predisposing factors of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the 22nd Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention and the 6th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: Translating Science into Practice. Their work was funded by a 2009-2010 President’s Grant.

CPS alumnus Invited to Meet with President Obama

2010-08-09T12:46:00.003-07:00

Center for Psychological Studies alumnus, Michael Bourke, Ph.D. (2000) recently was invited to accompany the director of the United States Marshall’s Service (USMS) to a meeting with the President and Vice-President at the White House. Bourke served as the subject matter expert for the meeting which concerned sex offender apprehension).

Bourke is Chief Psychologist for the USMS, serving as the head of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The unit, a component of the National Sex Offender Targeting Center, works in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), acting as an international intelligence and operations center supporting the identification, investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of noncompliant sex offenders.

New Counseling Student Organization Focuses on Education, Community Service, and Professional Development

2010-08-09T12:46:00.001-07:00

The NSU Counseling Student Organization (CSO) was chartered in Spring, 2010 by faculty and students interested in providing future counselors with professional and service opportunities related to the counseling field. The purpose of the CSO is to promote excellence, professionalism and a strong counselor identity in the counseling profession through engagement, opportunities and education across all NSU campuses.

Already the CSO has participated in the NSU Autism Walk, the Phillip Zimbardo lecture, the United Way Luncheon, and the CPS Professional Development Institute. We have also completed clothing drives for veterans and area domestic violence shelters, and hosted distinguished speakers on both Bipolar Disorder and Professional Counselor Licensure. Other recent events include a Spring student happy hour, newsletter publication, and a graduation celebration. Our future goals are to increase opportunities for attendance and involvement in professional counseling conferences and organizations, and to provide networking and educational opportunities through our newsletter and beyond.

Students and Alumni in the CPS Counseling program (including our Education Centers and Online Counseling program) are eligible to join the CSO. Look for information posted on the Counseling Student Organization module on WebCT, in the Maltz Psychology Building on the main campus, or on our Facebook page: Nova Counseling Student Organization. You may also email ps617@nova.edu for more information. We are looking forward to an excited year!

From the Desk of Dean Karen Grosby

2010-07-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce the appointments of Drs. Stephen Messer, Amarilis Acevedo, and F. Charles Mace to the CPS faculty.

Dr. Stephen Messer

Dr. Messer received his Master’s Degree in Experimental/General Psychology from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi. He completed his clinical psychology residency at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he trained in the nationally recognized Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC), and gained expertise in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a broad range of child, adolescent, and adult disorders, as well as in cognitive behavioral interventions.

Dr. Messer received four NIMH Fellowship training awards to include Clinical Research Methods for Psychologists at WPIC, Developmental Epidemiology & Services Research at Duke University School of Medicine/C.G. Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and in Behavior Genetics and Developmental Psychopathology at the George Washington University School of Medicine/Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC. He served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke University, a Research Professor at Children’s National Medical Center, and is currently on faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda MD. He has received significant extramural research funding /awards from the National Association for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD), SAMHSA, NIMH, and the DoD.

Over the last decade, he has worked in the military setting, serving as the Chief of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and is currently the Deputy Director of Research at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Throughout his career, Dr. Messer has been fascinated with, and has studied, the risk, course, and outcomes of mental health disorders, and the most powerful methodologies to address such antecedents, processes, and sequelae.

Dr. Messer’s role as statistical/methodological consultant began while he was completing his doctoral degree as he was selected to work as a University Statistical Consultant, a position that featured extensive one-on-one consultation with other graduate students and faculty. In his various roles since graduating with his Ph.D., Dr. Messer has continued to provide statistical and methodological consultation to colleagues and students at various institutions/centers. Dr. Messer has an extensive publication history with over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, a half-dozen book chapters, and approximately a hundred presentations at national conferences, NIMH and DoD workgroups, and testimony to Congressional staff, on a broad array of topics relevant to clinical psychology and methodology.

Dr. Amarilis Acevedo

Dr. Acevedo received her doctorate in physiological psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She subsequently completed an APA-approved respecialization program in clinical psychology followed by a neuropsychology internship at the Boston V.A. Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Acevedo completed a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic neuropsychology at the Department of Neurology of the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Acevedo holds a Diplomate from the American Board of Professional Psychology with specialty in clinical neuropsychology. Prior to joining NSU Center for Psychological Studies, Dr. Acevedo was the Director of Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she also served as the Associate Director of the Neuropsychology Program.

Dr. Acevedo has been a co-investigator in several research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the state of Florida. In addition, Dr. Acevedo served as a consultant to specialized and prestigious projects including the Toolbox Project for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function Across the Lifespan of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the Neuropsychological Special Task Force of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centers (NACC); and the U.S.A.-Venezuela Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Project.

Dr. Acevedo has published extensively in peer reviewed journals in areas related to early prediction of cognitive decline in English- and Spanish-speaking elders, cognitive interventions in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, and the development of new tests to identify early memory loss among the elderly. One of her areas of expertise, and the subject of several of her scientific publications, book chapters, professional presentations, and interviews on radio and television, is the cognitive assessment of individuals of heterogeneous ethno-cultural/linguistic backgrounds and the early detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Dr. Acevedo’s main interests include geriatric psychology and neuropsychology, cognitive sequelae of degenerative and non-degenerative neurological disorders, cross-cultural neuropsychology, neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation of neurocognitive disorders, and neurogenetics.

Dean Roni Leiderman (Mailman Segal Institute) and I are pleased to announce the joint appointment of Dr. F. Charles (Bud) Mace as the Unicorn Children’s Foundation Professor of Psychology in the Center for Psychological Studies and Executive Director of the Autism Institute of Mailman Segal Institute at Nova Southeastern University. We believe this appointment will contribute to building a center for excellence in our division, to advancing training, research, and service activities, and creating expanded opportunities for students.

Dr. F. Charles Mace

Professor Mace has held faculty positions at Lehigh University, Rutgers University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the University of Wales, and the University of Southern Maine. At each university, he developed programs for children with developmental disabilities that have served as nationally recognized sites for research and post-graduate training.

Professor Mace has published over 100 research papers and book chapters and his work is among the most highly cited in behavioral psychology. Five of his papers are ranked as citation classics, having been cited well over 100 times each. In 2004, he was ranked 6th among all applied behavior analysts in research productivity for the period 1992-2001. His research has concentrated on the functional analysis of severe behavior disorders, behavioral momentum, and the Matching Law. In 1995, he received the prestigious Don F. Hake Award for Translational Research from the American Psychological Association. Considered a career achievement award, Professor Mace is the youngest person to receive the Hake award.

Professor Mace is the Past-President of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. He also serves on the editorial boards of several leading research journals and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) from 1999-2001. Currently, Professor Mace is the Editor for Translational Research for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. He has been the principal investigator for several state and federal research grants including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the United States Office of Special Education Research, and the Welsh Office for Research and Development.

We thank the search committees: Chair (Reitman) and members of the search committee (Lewis, Valley Gray, Reeve and Hebb); and Chair Dr. Mark Sobell and members Ed Simco, Christian DeLucia, and Renee La Forte for their diligent work.

Please join us in welcoming Drs. Stephen Messer, Amarilis Acevedo, and F. Charles Mace to the CPS faculty.

South Florida Consortium Pre-doctoral Internship Program Continues to Expand

2010-07-29T11:12:00.001-07:00

The South Florida Consortium Pre-doctoral Internship Program (SFCIP) continues to expand pre-doctoral internship placements in the South Florida Community. Ten positions were recently added for a total of 23 positions. The program began with 6 positions. The SFCIP is sponsored by the Center for Psychological Studies who developed the program in response to the shortage of quality pre-doctoral internship sites in South Florida.

2010 CPS SGA Research Fair Winners Announced

2010-05-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

2010 CPS SGA Research Fair Slideshow of Presenters

On behalf of the Student Government Association, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Research Conference to make it a success. Also, thanks to Drs. Dorfman, Golden and DeLucia for judging all of the student posters.

Prizes will be given to the top three submissions and they are as follows:

1st place: Jonathan Perle, Alison Levine & Megan Cannon
The Influence of Internalizing Variables on Predicting Externalizing Behaviors

2nd place: Sean Robinson, Jada Stewart, Kate Hoefling & Lindsay Phebus

Examination of the Effects of Microaggressions in a Sample of Gay Males

3rd place: Jocelyn Rodriguez

Relationship Between Clinical Measures and Brain Atrophy in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Lewy Body Disease (LBD)

Please contact Alison Mulcahy at amulcahy@nova.edu to collect your prize.

CPS & Farquhar Co-present on Multiculturalism

2010-04-28T08:43:00.001-07:00

CPS professor John Lewis, Ph.D., and Lena Hall, Ph.D, associate professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences presented “Multiculturalism” as part of the Hot Topics in Psychology Research series being co-sponsored by CPS and Farquhar. The series is designed to bring together faculty and undergraduate and graduate psychology students to foster greater exposure to and participation in research.

CPS Psychology Services Center Offers Training in Parenting Skills Program

2010-04-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Training In Parenting Skills (TIPS) is a parent training program that promotes an active parenting style and focuses on communication with children 2-12 years old. The series of classes, which is offered by the Center for Psychological Studies’ (CPS) Psychology Services Center, Child Adolescent and Family Services Program, also focuses on the prevention of problematic behavior.

Who: Parents and guardians of children, ages 2 – 12

What: Six weekly classes, each class is 2 hours

When: Mondays, May 10 – June 21, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Maltz Psychology Building, NSU main campus

Cost: $90 per couple – includes the cost of a book and handouts.

For more information about TIPS, call Tara or Erica at 954-262-5862.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CPS STUEY AWARD FINALISTS

2010-04-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Please join Dean Karen Grosby in congratulating CPS nominees, as well as others from around NSU, who made it to the final round for the 2010 Student Life Achievement Award. The nominating committee consisted of representatives from across the university. The awards will be presented on April 20, 2010.

Thank you to those who submitted nominees. While everyone nominated could not become a finalist, we are proud of the contributions of faculty and staff of CPS.

NSU STUDENT OF THE YEAR-OVERALL

Judy Schmelzer (FSEHS)
Jaime Puente (SCIS)
Jessica L. Mackelprang (CPS)
Serena Mann (Huizenga)
Ryan Galka (Law Center)
Lauren Butler (Farquhar)
Gina Pettineo (Pharmacy)
Damian Black (Dental Medicine)
Lance Jordan (Oceanography)
Matthew Seely (University School)
Jessica Hilst (Osteopathic Medicine)
Kayleigh Fessenden (CAHN)
Sara Smith (SHSS)
Michelle Levin (Optometry)

NSU CORPORATE PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Chartwells
Vision Service Plan
Paramount Vending and Coffee Services
American Red Cross
ANF, Group Inc.

NSU GRADUATE ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR

Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students (CPS)**
Student National Medical Association (Osteopathic Medicine)
Student Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (Optometry)
Shark Pride Committee (SHSS)
Nova International Student Association (Farquhar)

NSU PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR

Russell Abratt, Ph.D. (Huizenga)
Lori B. Dribin, Ph.D. (Osteopathic Medicine)
Emily Schmitt, Ph.D. (Farquhar)
Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D. (CPS)
Angela Gimore, J.D. (Law)

NSU STUDENT GOVERNMENT OF THE YEAR

West Palm Beach SEC Student Government Association
College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Government Association
School of Humanities and Social Sciences Student Government Association
Student Bar Association
Undergraduate Student Government Association

NSU UNDERGRADUATE ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR

Haitian Student Association
Lambda Theta Alpha
Delta Phi Epsilon*
Pre-Medical Society
Beta Theta Pi

NSU CO-CURRICULAR ADVISOR OF THE YEAR

Donna Smith (Jacksonville SEC)
Edward Packer, D.O. (Osteopathic Medicine)
Sharon Siegel, D.D.S. (Dental Medicine)
John Lewis, Ph.D. (CPS)
Carla Withrow (Huizenga)

SEC STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Chih Chin (West Palm Beach)
Lauren Overstreet (Jacksonville)
Edward Alvarez (Miami)
Melanie Figueroa (Orlando)
Sheryl Stewart (Tampa)
Jennifer Crews (Fort Myers)

NSU STAFF PERSON OF THE YEAR

Jorge Sanchez (Jacksonville SEC)
Elaine Brenner (ESS)
Karen Gruenstrass (Huizenga)
Leslie Jones (Osteopathic Medicine)
Dawn Dacosta (Pharmacy)

NSU NCAA FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Sandra Changkja (Golf)
Lauren Lopez (Softball)
Abbie Tepe (Basketball)
Ashley Lofria (Rowing)
Carly Perschnick (Volleyball)

NSU ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR

Mike Mominey (Athletics)
Fran Franconeri (Optometry)
Barbara Karpel (Optometry)
Ana Martinez, Psy.D. (CPS)
Leanne Lai, Ph.D. (Pharmacy)

NSU NCAA MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Eric McCans (Baseball)
Craig Heenighan (Soccer)
Ben Vertz (Golf)
Alex Gynes (Basketball)
Matt Meagher (Cross Country)

NSU ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

John Geake, D.O. (Osteopathic Medicine)
Kristen Cunningham, Psy.D. (CPS)
Tamara D. Henson, M.B.A. (Huizenga)
Robert Diaz, J.D. (Law)
Cristina Medina, Pharm.D. (Pharmacy)

NSU EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

Paula Habib (Law)
Frank DePiano, Ph.D. (Academic Affairs)
Betty Jean Harris, Pharm.D. (Pharmacy)
Wren S. Newman, SLP.D. (FSEHS)
Hal Lippman, D.D.S (Dental Medicine)

**Previous STUEY winner

CPS Offers Training in Parenting Skill Program

2010-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Training In Parenting Skill (TIPS) program is a general parent training class offered by NSU’s Psychology Services Center’s Child Adolescent and Family Services (CAFS) program that promotes an active parenting style. It focuses on prevention of problematic behavior and promotes communication with children 2-12 years old.

The next TIPS class begins May 10, from 6-8 p.m., in the Maltz Psychology Building. The total cost of the 6-week course is $90.

For more information, call Tara or Erica at 954-262-5862.

CPS Honors Polly Wilkie as Humanitarian of the Year

2010-03-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

From left: George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., president of NSU; Honoree Polly Wilkie; Karen Grosby, M.Ed., dean of the Center for Psychological Studies; Linda Danoff, CPS Advisory Board member; and Joe Millsaps, chair of the CPS Advisory Board.

More than 300 hundred people turned out to honor local activist Polly Wilkie at the Center for Psychological Studies' 9th annual Humanitarian of the Year dinner held recently at the Signature Grand in Davie.

Hosted by WPLG Channel 10 anchor Kristi Kreuger, the evening's dinner highlighted Wilkie's substantial contributions to education and her selfless devotion to the welfare of the citizens in need in Broward County. Wilke is the founder and a committed member of the Prestige Club, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money to support children in need and educational programs. Organizations that have recently benefited from funds raised by the Prestige Club include the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center; A Child is Missing; Light of the World Clinic; Hope Outreach; SOS Children's Village; Children's Harbor; Easter Seals; Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital; and many others. The Prestige Club also supports an ever-growing number of individual children in need as well as those who have experienced trauma.

Attendees were also treated to a very special musical performance by seven-year-old Julie Dale, whose performance was so moving that Joe Millsaps, chair of the CPS Advisory Board, referred to her as a "future Grammy winner and one of the best young voices in America."

All sponsorship dollars and other donations generated by the dinner will be used to fund a scholarship established in Polly's honor. The Polly Wilkie Community Service Scholarship Fund will support students who are committed to following in Polly's footsteps. Highlights of the dinner can be viewed by clicking here.

10th Annual EMAGS Multicultural Conference

2010-03-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Nova Southeastern University

Center for Psychological Studies
&
Ethnic Minority Assessment of Graduate Students

10th Annual EMAGS Multicultural Conference:
What’s Right About Our Youth? Uncovering the Potential of Latino/a Youth

Presented by:

Enedina Garcias-Vazquez, Ph.D. & Luis A. Vazquez, Ph.D.

Saturday April 24, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Maltz Psychology Building room 2057

Six Continuing Education Credits

For additional information regarding the event, visit our website at:
http://cps.nova.edu/CE/pdf/EMAGS%20Conference%202010.pdf

For additional information about this continuing education presentation and all upcoming programs, please contact Suzanne O’Sullivan
osulliva@nova.edu

CPS FACULTY & Staff Answer Call to Haiti

2010-03-15T16:57:00.001-07:00

Associate Professor Stephen Campbell was the first NSU faculty to be on the ground in Haiti. Campbell participated in the Project Medishare Haiti Relief Program organized by NSU in collaboration with the University of Miami. He was the only psychologist who accompanied physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers in this effort. He provided counseling and crisis intervention to Haitians suffering from PTSD and other major psychological problems. Dr. Campbell also worked with medical staff and other first responders experiencing depression, anxiety, and secondary trauma due to their exposure to difficult conditions.

The Center for Psychological Studies is also facilitating a group for NSU employees who lost family and friends in the recent Haitian earthquake. Associate Professor Scott Poland led the first group meeting with the assistance of Jean Menes and Stephane Louis, CPS staff. Since that time, Mr. Menes has continued to lead support sessions in Haitian Creole three times a week.

Commencement 2010

2010-03-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

CPS Commencement exercises will take place on June 12, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

The Bank Atlantic Center (Panther Arena, formerly the Office Depot Center) is located at 2555 Panther Parkway (NW 136th Avenue), Sunrise, Florida.

Graduation
CPS Commencement exercises June 12, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. at the Bank Atlantic Center (Panther Arena) located at 2555 Panther Parkway (NW 136th Avenue), Sunrise, Florida. Click here for directions http://www.bankatlanticcenter.com/about/directions.asp.

Important Information Regarding Security Procedures at Bank Atlantic Center:
Security measures have been increased at all public facilities since the incidents that took place on September 11, 2001. For your protection, and that of your guests, the following items are not permitted inside the Center: Air horns, balloons, duffle bags, backpacks/backpack style purses, diaper bags, oversize/large purses, alcohol, bottles, food, cans, thermoses, coolers, drugs, chains, fireworks, weapons, noisemakers, laser pointers, and strollers. Purses are subject to inspection prior to entering the center. Please advise your guests not to attempt to bring any of these items into the center. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, however, for your safety, and that of your guests, we ask for your patience and cooperation.

Information Packets
Graduating students will receive two packets of information on regalia, hotels, etc. from the University Registrar by mail. Click on this link for details http://www.nova.edu/cwis/registrar/commparticipation.html.

Ceremony
During the commencement ceremony graduates will be called to the stage, announced as a candidate, and be awarded certificates of congratulations. Diplomas will not be distributed at commencement. In order to receive the official diploma, graduating students must submit an Application for Degree to the Office of the University Registrar. Please see details at http://www.nova.edu/cwis/registrar/commencement.html.
For additional information on hotels, regalia, etc. please see the NSU commencement page.

Hot Topics in Psychology Lecture to Discuss Neuropsychology

2010-03-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS) at NSU will continue the Hot Topics in Psychology lecture series on Mar. 18 from 12-1 p.m., in the Carl DeSantis Building, room 3032/3034. The event will include a discussion on neuropsychology, led by Mercedes Fernandez, Ph.D., associate professor in the college’s Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Charles Golden, Ph.D., coordinator of the CPS neuropsychology program and director of the center's neuropsychology practicum.

Fernandez will present "Neuropsychological Test Performance in Monolinguals Compared to Bilinguals: Advantages and Disadvantages of Speaking Two Languages."

Hot Topics is a free brown-bag lecture series. Those attending are encouraged to bring their lunches to the event, providing their own "food for thought." The series enables students to gain a first-hand perspective of research in specific areas of psychology and also serves to open up potential scholarship collaboration among students and NSU faculty members, as exemplified by this lecture.

For more information on the Hot Topics in Psychology series, contact Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., at (954) 262-8192 or tartar@nova.edu; or Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D., at (954) 262-5783 or valleygr@nova.edu.

Presidential Proclamation - National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

2010-02-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

The White House Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 04, 2010
Presidential Proclamation - National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

A PROCLAMATION

The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade.

As we continue our fight to deliver on the promise of freedom, we commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment, which was sent to the States for ratification on February 1, 1865. Throughout the month of January, we highlight the many fronts in the ongoing battle for civil rights -- including the efforts of our Federal agencies; State, local, and tribal law enforcement partners; international partners; nonprofit social service providers; private industry and nongovernmental organizations around the world who are working to end human trafficking.

The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge.

We must join together as a Nation and global community to provide that safe haven by protecting victims and prosecuting traffickers. With improved victim identification, medical and social services, training for first responders, and increased public awareness, the men, women, and children who have suffered this scourge can overcome the bonds of modern slavery, receive protection and justice, and successfully reclaim their rightful independence.

Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month

Department of Continuing Education Presents: “Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan: What the Practitioner Needs to Know”

2010-02-10T09:10:00.001-08:00

Nova Southeastern University

Center for Psychological Studies

Department of Continuing Education Presents:
“Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan:
What the Practitioner Needs to Know”

Presented By:

Jose A. Rey, Pharm D., BCPP / Davie Retiman, Ph.D.

Main campus Fort Lauderdale
April 30 - May 1, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Meets Florida requirements for state licensure renewal
Six Continuing Education Credits

For additional information regarding the event, visit our website at:
http://cps.nova.edu/CE/secun.html

For additional information about this continuing education presentation and all upcoming programs, please contact Suzanne O’Sullivan
osulliva@nova.edu

Department of Continuing Education Presents: Ethics, Domestic Violence, and Medical Errors: What the Licensed Psychologist Needs To Know”

2010-02-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

Nova Southeastern University
Center for Psychological Studies

Department of Continuing Education Presents:
“Ethics, Domestic Violence, and Medical Errors:
What the Licensed Psychologist Needs To Know”

David Shapiro, Ph.D., ABPP Lenore Walker, Ed. D., ABPP

Andy Nott, Ed. D., NCSP

Main campus Fort Lauderdale
Friday March 12, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
&

NSU Student Education Center Kendall Campus
Saturday March 13, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Meets Florida requirements for state licensure renewal
Seven Continuing Education Credits

For additional information regarding the event, visit our website at:
http://cps.nova.edu/CE/ethics.pdf

For additional information about this continuing education presentation and all upcoming programs, please contact Suzanne O’Sullivan osulliva@nova.edu

Joint Research Series

2010-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

CPS and the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences are co-sponsoring a research series called “Hot Topics in Psychology Research”. This series brings together undergraduate and graduate students and faculty to increase students’ exposure to research in psychology.

CPS Faculty Present Applied Community Based Grant Research

2010-01-22T08:10:00.003-08:00

Drs. Diana Formoso and Mercedes ter Maat, co-investigators for Connections: Families and Schools Supporting our Youth, presented year 1 results and goals for year 2 of this research study to the NSU Quality of Life Council Board. This study is part of a collaborative effort between NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies, the Children’s Services Council, and Broward County Public Schools (three low-income, elementary schools). Its overarching goal is to enhance the quality-of-life of low-income, ethnic minority children living in Broward County by developing and evaluating a pilot program to increase the family and school support available to them. This intervention targets protective factors that consistently have been shown to improve outcomes for low-income youth: child coping skills, positive family relationships, effective parenting practices, parental involvement and school-home communication, and relationships with supportive adults and peers. These factors, in turn, are expected to promote children’s academic achievement and positive mental health outcomes. This study, in its second year, is the first step in a program of intervention research seeking to adapt existing evidence-based practices for use with low-income families from Latin America, Haiti, and the English Speaking Caribbean and to develop new strategies—ones that are culturally-competent and contextually-relevant, when existing interventions fall short.

Harvard Professor Presents on Changing the Course for Angry and Resistant Youth

2010-01-22T08:10:00.001-08:00

In a joint effort between CPS and NSU’s Office of Alumni Relations, over 100 CPS alumni, faculty, and student supervisors attended a continuing education program with a leading authority in developing resilience in children and youth. The event was held at Grand Oaks Golf Club. Robert Brooks, Ph.D. presented “Working with Angry and Resistant Youth: Strategies for Fostering Motivation, Self Discipline and Resilience,” Brooks who holds a faculty position at Harvard Medical School has lectured nationally and internationally to audiences of parents, educators, mental health professionals, and business people on topics pertaining to motivation, resilience, self-esteem, family relationships, and the qualities of effective leaders and executives.

CPS Receives First Robert Wood Johnson Grant

2010-01-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has awarded a one-year grant ($150, 000) to assess physical activity levels and fitness in afterschool programs. The study will identify if evidence-based physical activity curricula are effective in afterschool programs when compared to unstructured physical activity. Jean M. Thaw, Ph.D. is the principal investigator and CPS Associate Professor David Reitman, Ph.D. is the co-principal investigator; CPS Assistant Professor Christian DeLucia will serve as the grant quantitative evaluator.

CPS Site Manager Earns Phil Seat Award

2009-12-11T07:24:00.003-08:00

Jane Lazarus, Ed.S, NCSP, the site manager for the Center for Psychological Studies School Psychology Program, is the recent recipient of the Phil Seat Award, which is given each year to an outstanding school psychologist in Broward County. The award is given in memory of Phil Seat – a well-respected consultant and school psychologist in the county. Lazarus has served as a Broward County school psychologist for more than 25 years.

CPS Continuing Education Program Granted Five Year Full Approval

2009-12-11T07:24:00.001-08:00

The American Psychological Association Continuing Education Committee has granted the Center for Psychological Studies Continuing Education Program Five Year Full Approval. The Continuing Education Committee’s function is to review APA approved Continuing Education programs to ensure compliance with the APA standards set forth in the APA Standards and Criteria for Approval of Sponsors of Continuing Education for Psychologists.

FBI Unit Chief Presents to CPS Students

2009-11-25T07:16:00.001-08:00

Gregory M. Vecchi, Ph.D., a unit chief of the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and graduate of NSU's Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, gave a lunchtime presentation on "Current Research Projects at the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit" at NSU's Center for Psychological Studies on Oct. 20.

The special presentation provided an opportunity for CPS students to learn more about research, training, and consultation activities in behaviorally-based conflict analysis and resolution, crisis management, crisis communication, and global hostage-taking.

CPS Shows Strong Presence at the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN)’s Annual Conference

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

For more information about each poster presented please click here! .

The Center for Psychological Studies was strongly represented by students, faculty and alumni at the National Academy of Neuropsychology’s 29th annual conference which took place in New Orleans, November 11-14, 2009. CPS students,faculty. And alumni produced more than thirty posters. Faculty members Charles Golden, Ph.D. & Wiley Mittenberg, Ph.D., along with CPS alumni Christine Corsun-Ascher Psy.D. (2007), Jessica Garcia Ph.D./Psy.D. (2008) and Robert McCue Psy.D. (1994) assisted 31 students in preparing presentations on their research in the areas of aging and dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Attention Deficit Disorder, learning disabilities, and neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders including traumatic brain injury, memory and amnesia, and forensic neuropsychologial practice.

Alumna Patricia Espe-Pfeifer Ph.D. (2002), Clinical Assistant Professor and Neuropsychologist at the University of Iowa Healthcare Department, co-presented a panel for Pediatric Grand Rounds entitled Progression of Neurocognitive Deficits Associated with Juvenile Huntington’s disease: A Pediatric Case Study.” Alumni Jessica Foley, Ph.D./Psy.D. (2007) and Lindsay Hines, Ph.D. (2009) collaborated with colleagues from UCLA to discuss “The Combined Effects of Aging and HIV Infection: Cognitive, Psychiatric, & Functional Sequelae.” Foley completed her post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA and recently accepted a faculty position at Harvard University (Department of Psychiatry). Hines is currently completing a post doctoral fellowship at UCLA.

CPS Professor Receives National Award

2009-11-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

Center for Psychological Studies Assistant Professor Shannon Ray, Ph.D. was presented with the 2009 Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision President's Service Award during the recent biannual conference of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision where she presented Training Counselors to Address the Varying Spiritual Needs of Clients in Chronic Pain.

NSU Receives Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMSHA) Grant

2009-11-06T14:06:00.001-08:00

The NSU Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention (SVP) has been awarded a 3 year/$300,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). The annual award will be matched by the university each year. CPS Associate Professor Scott Poland, Coordinator of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office and Associate SHSS Professor Douglas Flemons, Director of NSU Student Counseling Center, are the co-directors and principle investigators for the grant. The project includes a diverse and accomplished group of individuals including Dr. Erin Procacci (CPS alumnus) who will serve as the grant coordinator and Dr. Christian DeLucia (CPS) will serve as the grant quantitative evaluator.

The grant is a unique opportunity for NSU because of its on campus, off campus and online student populations. The Suicide and Violence prevention team (SVP) recognizes that university students are of an age vulnerable to suicide, thus more in need of training and services. SVP’s goal is to “create a human safety net for the entire NSU community, providing training on prevalence of student suicides, detail the warning signs, demonstrate ways to help suicidal students access to crisis and longer-term mental-health resources. Implementation involves increasing awareness of risk and protective factors and reducing the stigma associated with help-seeking behaviors among students attending classes at the NSU Student Educational Centers (SECs).

For more information on SVP activities, visit the web site at http://www.nova.edu/suicideprevention/index.html

Final Fall Hot Topics in Psychology Lecture to Discuss Effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2009-11-04T08:09:00.001-08:00

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS) at NSU will present the final lecture of the semester in the Hot Topics in Psychology series on Nov. 12 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Carl DeSantis building, room 3028. The talk, titled “Beyond 9/11 and War: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Widely Affects the Health of Civilians,” will be presented by Mindy Ma, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of psychology in the college’s Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Jeff Kibler, Ph.D., associate professor in the Center for Psychological Studies; and Kavita Joshi, MS, doctoral student in the Center for Psychological Studies.

The presentation will highlight collaborative efforts between the college and CPS to conduct research on cardiovascular health consequences of posttraumatic stress. This research has provided training opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Kibler will provide an overview of these research projects and discuss an ongoing project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Joshi will present a project that assesses rates of hypertension in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Ma will describe the collaborative training of students from both programs.

Hot Topics is a brown-bag series—those attending the lectures are encouraged to bring their lunches to the event, providing their own “food for thought.” The series enables students to gain a first-hand perspective of research in specific areas of psychology and also serves to open up potential scholarship collaboration among students and NSU faculty members, as exemplified by this lecture.

For more information on the Hot Topics in Psychology series, contact Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., assistant professor in the college’s Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, at (954) 262-8192.

CPS Professor Receives APA’s Highest Award

2009-10-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

NSU’s College of Psychological Studies (CPS) professor Lenore Walker, Ed.D., ABPP, was recently honored by the American Psychological Association (APA), at their 117th annual convention with an award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Media Psychology.

This is the highest award given by the APA Media Psychology Division to recognize an individual for a sustained body of work in developing, refining, and/or implementing applications, procedures, and methods that have had a major impact on the public and the profession of media psychology. Walker also serves as the APA Council Representative for the Division of Media Psychology.

In addition to being honored, Walker was a participant at the symposium, Sex, Love, and Psychology- A Town Hall Meeting. She also participated in a workshop entitled, Trauma Treatment in Independent Practice-Principles and Resources.

Walker and CPS doctoral students Ruhama Hendel, MS, and Yenis Castillo, MS, exhibited a poster presentation within the poster session: Violence Against Women, Body Image, and Women’s Health Issues. Their poster, Cases of Domestic Violence in Israeli Women highlighted the plight of Israeli women who suffer abuse under the tyranny of highly patriarchal societies in that region of the world.

Walker is the coordinator of the Clinical Forensic Psychology Concentration and a member of the faculty of the Institute for Trauma and Victimization at CPS. Walker is also the Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Institute www.dviworld.org, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the education and training, research and public policy issues around domestic violence with affiliate centers around the world.

She has written 13 books in the area including the now classic, “The Battered Woman,” which has published extensively in journals and book chapters and presented her work at scientific meetings around the world.

Earlier this year, she published the third edition of her groundbreaking book, The Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS). This third edition presents updated data generated at NSU, using the newly modified Battered Women Syndrome Questionnaire (BWSQ), with revised research on topics including posttraumatic stress disorder, learned helplessness or learned optimism, the cycle theory of violence and much more.

Walker has been in the national and local media discussing issues around domestic violence, introduction of the Battered Woman Syndrome in self-defense cases where women killed their abusive partners, and drew attention for her work with the O.J. Simpson defense team. More recently, Walker provided expert commentary in People magazine and USA Today regarding the domestic assault involving entertainers Chris Brown and Rihanna.

CPS 2009 Distinguished Alumna Receives NIH Grant

2009-10-28T07:19:00.001-07:00

NSU Center for Psychological Studies (CPS) alumna Joan M. Cook, Ph.D., (1999) of Yale University is the recent recipient of a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant.

The grant addresses a proposed topic for NIH “Strategies to Support Uptake of Interventions within Clinical Community and Setting.” Cook submitted her grant as part of President Obama’s America Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The grant will implement two evidence-based psychotherapies for treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans. The research team will characterize and assess the implementation of Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Residential PTSD Treatment Programs. PET involves using mental imagery, writing, and other tasks to safely confront fears and feelings associated with trauma. CPT asks veterans to describe their trauma and then the therapist helps to redirect pervasive and destructive thoughts associated with the trauma.

Cook and her colleagues will collaborate with the Northeast Program Evaluation Center, monitoring all Veteran’s Affairs mental health programming and patient outcomes, and the National Center for PTSD, overseeing the dissemination of PET and CPT nationally among Veteran’s Affairs providers.

BROWN BAG PRESENTATION: “Current Research Projects at the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit”

2009-10-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Presenter: : Gregory M. Vecchi, Ph.D.
Unit Chief, FBI Behavioral Science Unit
Date : October 20, 2009
Room : 2045

About the presenter:

Gregory M. Vecchi, Ph.D., is Unit Chief of the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), Federal Bureau of Investigation where he conducts research, training, and consultation activities in behaviorally-based conflict analysis and resolution, crisis management, crisis communication, and global hostage-taking.

Dr. Vecchi began his service with the FBI in Miami, where he worked a variety of organized crime and drug cases, both domestically and internationally. He became an FBI-certified hostage negotiator in 2002. In 2003, Dr. Vecchi was promoted and transferred to the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, where he was assigned to the Rapid Deployment/Logistics Unit (RDLU) and subsequently to the Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) as a program manager. During his time at RDLU, Dr. Vecchi deployed to Iraq in support of counterterrorism operations. And while assigned to CNU, he responded to and conducted research on international kidnapping matters.

Dr. Vecchi earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University. He has conducted extensive research in the area of conflict and crisis management and communication. In addition, Dr. Vecchi teaches, trains, and consults with executive law enforcement officers on the topic internationally.

CPS Associate Professor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from American Psychological Association

2009-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

College of Psychological Studies (CPS) associate professor, Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D., was recently named recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (Division 22). The award was presented to Nierenberg at the 117th annual APA convention recently held in Toronto, Canada.

Nierenberg holds a Diplomate in Rehabilitation Psychology, is a member of the Executive Board of the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology and is the current President of the Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology. He is also a past President of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Rehabilitation Psychology.

For the past 30 years, he has held numerous leadership positions as a psychologist working with other healthcare professionals in hospitals across the country. He has just completed a six year term on the Executive Board of the Florida Department of Health’s Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Advisory Council where he previously held the post of Chairman.

In February of this year, Nierenberg chaired the 11th Annual Rehabilitation Psychology Conference in Jacksonville, FL and he has been appointed Chair for the 2010 Conference. This joint venture between APA’s Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) had over 200 attendees. Nierenberg presented two papers at the conference.

CPS Faculty Member Invited to Address National Convention

2009-09-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Linda Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, professor and Associate Director of Clinical Training at the Center for Psychological Studies, was recently invited by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) president, James Bray, to address scientists and practitioners at the 117th annual APA convention.

Sobell was invited to present a 1-hour in-depth talk on Motivational Interviewing: A Common Currency Among Health and Mental Health Care Practitioners and for Treating Risky Problem Behaviors.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a non-confrontational interactional style for promoting behavior change. Although it was initially developed for working with substance abusers, it has been extended to, and evaluated with, a wide variety of health and mental health populations that engage in risk problem behaviors. A key goal of MI is to assist reluctant individuals to reconsider changing their behaviors by establishing a non-confrontational and supportive climate in which people feel comfortable exploring their risk problem behaviors.

Sobell is known nationally and internationally for her work on the assessment and treatment of addictions, particularly brief motivational interventions, the process of self-change, and assessment instruments including the Timeline Follow-back method. In addition to her role as professor and Director of Clinical Training at CPS, she is Co-Director of the Guided Self-Change clinic at NSU.

CPS Associate Professor to Speak on Family and Schools’ Support of Youth

2009-09-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Mercedes B. ter Maat, Ph.D., LPC, ATR-BC, associate professor in NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies, will present “Connections: Families and Schools Supporting Our Youth,” on Oct. 8 from 12 – 1 p.m., in the Carl DeSantis building, room 3028. The talk is part of Hot Topics in Psychology, a new series co-sponsored by the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS). Throughout the academic year, faculty from the college and CPS will discuss their current research projects in relation to their specific fields.

The professor’s research project, which received an NSU Community-Based Applied Research Grant for two consecutive years, is part of a collaborative effort between CPS, the Children’s Services Council, and the School Board of Broward County (including three low-income, elementary schools). Along with a co-principal investigator from CPS, Diana Formoso, Ph.D., ter Maat is aiming to enhance the quality of life of low-income, ethnic minority children living in Broward County by developing and evaluating a pilot program to increase the family and school support available to them. More than 30 students have participated in this funded project.

Hot Topics is a brown-bag series - those attending the lectures are encouraged to bring their lunches to the event, providing their own “food for thought.” The series enables students to gain a first-hand perspective of research in specific areas of psychology and also serves to open up potential scholarship collaboration among students and NSU faculty members.

For more information on the Hot Topics in Psychology series, contact Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., at (954) 262-8192; or Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D., at (954) 262-5783.

To learn more about NSU’s Community-Based Applied Research Grants, visit http://qol.nova.edu/.

CPS Professor New President of APA Trauma Division

2009-09-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

Steven Gold, Ph.D., Center for Psychological Services professor, and founder and Director of the Trauma Resolution Integration Program (TRIP) at NSU, has been inducted as the 2009 president of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division of Trauma Psychology (Division 56).

Division 56, the newest division of the APA, has already exceeded the median among APA divisions in membership. Gold is also the inaugural editor of the Division’s professional journal, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy.

Gold has established a Committee for Collaborative Endeavors, chaired by Constance Dalenberg. The role of this committee will be to receive requests for consultation and collaboration from outside the division, to assess whether it is feasible and appropriate for Division 56 to participate in these projects, and to identify members of the Division who by virtue of their expertise and geographic location are particularly well suited to respond to each request.

In addition, he created a Task Force on Dissemination, chaired by Joan Cook to examine how the Division can reach out to various constituencies – such as other APA divisions, psychologists in general, graduate training programs, and the general public – to increase awareness and understanding of trauma psychology.

At the 117th annual APA Convention, Gold’s graduate assistant, Yenys Castillo, exhibited a poster presentation of a study she conducted as a member of his research team entitled, Alexithymia and Symptom Profile in Clients with a Trauma History. Alexithymia, a condition in which an individual is unable to express feelings with words, has wide ranging effects on trauma and mental health.

Trauma Resolution Integration Program is a clinic for adults who have been exposed to a traumatic situation and who currently experience problems functioning as a result of trauma, including childhood abuse, rape, physical assault, or a life threatening accident or injury. TRIP also treats adults with dissociative experiences that are disturbing to them and/or which are interfering with their ability to function effectively.

CPS Professor Invited to Address APA Convention

2009-09-16T06:21:00.001-07:00

Recently, Center for Psychological Services professor David L. Shapiro, Ph.D., was invited to chair a discussion on Internet Addiction: Research Trends and Lingering Questions at the 117th annual American Psychological Association (APA) convention in Toronto, Canada.

Shapiro is president-elect of the APA’s Media Psychology division (Division 46). He is an expert in forensic psychology, mental health law, forensic and clinical assessment, expert witness testimony, malingering, and legal and ethical issues.

In addition to his invited address, Shapiro participated in a symposium entitled Future of Internet and Media Psychology.

9th Annual EMAGS Multicultural Conference Presentation

2009-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

The 9th Annual EMAGS Multicultural Conference presents Gargi Roysircar, Ph.D. presenting "Evidence Based Practice and Its Implications for Culturally Sensitive Treatment" on Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 9:00am to 4:00pm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

For more information please click: http://cps.nova.edu/CE/EMAGS_Conference2009.pdf

CPS Students Make Significant Presentations at APA Convention

2009-09-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

During the 117th APA Convention held recently in Toronto, Canada, many CPS students conducted inspiring and informative presentations. It certainly appeared that CPS students had the largest showing of any single university in attendance during the conference. The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the U.S., and is the world’s largest association of psychologists.

CPS students Dalea Alawar, B.A., Laura Kupperman, B.A, Karen Findon, B.A., with CPS professor John Lewis, Ph.D., presented their findings on research entitled “ARAB-AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH: INFLUENCE OF PARENTING, RELIGIOSITY, AND ACCULTURATION.” Their study focused on the need to increase knowledge about mental health care of Arab-American clients for current practitioners.

CPS students Jessica L. Mackelprang, M.S., Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., Jessica Karle, M.S. and CPS assistant professor Craig D. Marker, Ph.D., presented research on “Executive Control is Associated with Mathematical Ability and Reading Comprehension.”

Presentations were also made by CPS professor Charles J. Golden, Ph.D., ABPP/ABCN and the following CPS students:

Students Sarah West, B.A., Jamie Rice, B.A., Lena Prinzi, B.A., and Jessica Holster, B.A., “Evidence that ADHD is Normal but Delayed Cortical Development.”

Students Kynan Metoyer, B.A., Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., and Bryan T. Reuther, B.A., “Spatial and Digit Span: Memory or Attention in Low IQ?”

Students Jessica Holster, B.A., and Sarah West, B.A., “Influence of Mathematics Disorder on Executive Functioning in Learning Disabilities.”

Students Jessica Holster, B.A., and Sarah West, B.A., “Differences in Memory Patterns in ADHD Based on Subtypes.”

Students Jamie Rice, B.A., Sarah West, B.A., Ryan Boddy, B.A., and Josie Bolanos, B.A., “Simultaneous and Sequential Processing in Children with ADHD.”

Students Sarah West, B.A., David Scarisbrick, B.A., Christine Corsun-Ascher, Psy.D., and Jessie Robbins, M.S., “Extending Testing Time: Sufficient Accommodations for Adults with Reading Disorders?”

Students Anthony P. Odland, B.A., Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., and David Scarisbrick, B.A., “Effects of Education, Gender, Handedness, and Age on Memory Performance.”

Students Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., Jessica Mackelprang, M.S., and David Scarisbrick, B.A., “Is Picture Completion More Correlated with Crystallized than Fluid Tasks?”

Students Stephanie L. Renfrow, M.S., and Daniel Frisch, B.A., “Can MMPI-II Depression Factor Scales Differentiate Clinical and Organic Depression?”

Students Miriam J. Rodriguez, B.A., Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., Allison M. Myers, M.S., and Luz Restrepo, B.A., “Memory Performance in Adults with Anxiety and Depression.”

Students Ryan Boddy, B.A., David Scarisbrick, B.A., Isaac Tourgeman, B.A., and Jamie Rice, B.A., “Relationship of Cognitive Flexibility to the Performance Intelligence Quotient.”

Students Daniel J. Heyanka, M.A., David Scarisbrick, B.A., and Anthony P. Odland, B.A., “Memory in Parkinson’s Dementia Compared to Cortical and Subcortical Dementias.”

Students Jessie Morrow, B.A., Miriam J. Rodriguez, B.A., and Daniel Frisch, B.A., “Cognitive and Historical Factors Affecting Performance on a Driving Simulator.”

Students Jessie Morrow, B.A., Miriam J. Rodriguez, B.A., and Daniel Frisch, B.A., “Visual Performance on Simulated Driving and Cognitive Assessments.”

Students Julio Gurrea, B.A., Isaac Tourgeman, B.A., Michelle Stack, M.A., with Yvonne Demsky, Ph.D., “Impact of Acculturation on Neuropsychological Test Performance.”

CPS Faculty Member, CPS Student and University School Senior Present at APA Convention

2009-09-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

Nina Campanile, University School senior; Jan Faust, Ph.D., CPS professor

Nina Campanile, University School senior; Jan Faust, Ph.D., CPS professor; John E. Lewis, Ph.D., CPS Professor and Director of Academic Affairs

During the recent 117th annual American Psychological Association convention, CPS professor, Jan Faust, Ph.D., along with CPS doctoral student Lindsay Stewart, M.A., and University School senior, Nina Campanile, featured a poster presentation entitled, Family Cohesion, Adjustment, and Ethnicity in Sexually Abused Children.

University School seniors Nina Campanile and Gabbi Roland coded data and conducted literature searches as part of the University School Capstone Project, a collaboration between the University School and NSU, where junior students receive mentoring by NSU faculty.

The study investigated the perceived levels of family cohesion and its protective factor against internalizing and externalizing behaviors that often result from the trauma of being a victim of child sexual abuse. The study concluded that African American and Hispanic/Latino families scored significantly higher on measure of family cohesion, lower on internalizing behaviors, but higher in externalizing behaviors than did Caucasian children. Thus, these findings illustrate that family cohesion may serve as a buffer against emotional distress, but not acting out behaviors.

CPS Alumna Begins Faculty Appointment at Harvard and Boston Healthcare System

2009-08-26T08:01:00.001-07:00

Jessica Foley, Ph.D. (2007), a Center for Psychological Studies alumna, has received a joint faculty appointment in neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School and the Boston VA Healthcare System. Her work will include conducting research in neuroimaging of neurodegenerative conditions of aging. She will also supervise neuropsychology interns and doctoral students in clinical psychology at the Boston Consortium, providing training on white matter degeneration and subcortical dementia.

CPS DOCTORAL STUDENT WINS FIRST PLACE IN STATE FOR RESEARCH

2009-08-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Florida Psychological Association (FPA) student research competition took place July 9 – 12 at the Ritz Carleton, Palm Beach as part of FPA's annual convention. The competition offered graduate students an opportunity to present and discuss their research findings with psychologists across the state of Florida. Posters were judged on coverage and clarity and required that researched be based on culled empirical data. Students from Florida State University, University of Florida, Hobart and William Smith College, Touro College South, and Nova Southeastern University were all represented in the poster competition. Three monetary awards were presented to the student winners.

The first-place winner was KC Collins, a second-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS), who presented Personal Psychotherapy during Graduate Clinical Training: An Initial Investigation. Ms. Collins’ research explores the impact of graduate training in clinical psychology on students’ perspectives, pursuit, and experiences of personal psychotherapy. Her research will investigate whether doctoral-level psychology students have considered engaging in or have participated in psychotherapy, and whether they consider it to be an essential component of professional development.

CPS students also represented by research on Domestic Violence in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Females: Domestic Violence and Perceptions of Social Support in Dead and Hard of Hearing Women (M. Levi-Minzi, P. Johnston-McCabe, Ph.D., and V. Van Hasselt, Ph.D.), and Pharmacotherapy and Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C. Supervielle, J. Kibler, Ph.D., and C. Marker, Ph.D.).

Nierenberg Recipient of American Psychological Association (APA) Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology Lifetime Achievement Award.

2009-08-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D., ABPP will receive the Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to Dr. Nierenberg at the Annual APA Convention meeting in Toronto Canada.

Walker Receives APA Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions

2009-08-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

The APA Division 46 Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Media Psychology.

Dr. Lenore Walker was honored with the American Psychological Association’s Division of Media Psychology "Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Media Psychology", the Division's highest award!

It was awarded at the APA Annual Convention held in Toronto in August.

CPS Professors Present at Research Society on Alcoholism Symposium

2009-07-23T09:24:00.001-07:00

Center for Psychological Studies professors Linda C. Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, and Mark B. Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, gave four presentations on their research at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism that took place in San Diego, Calif., in June.

The Sobells are co-directors of the NSU Healthy Lifestyles Guided Self-Change Program.

CPS Faculty and Students Edit Encyclopedia

2009-07-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

Sixty-five chapters have been completed for the Encyclopedia of Neuropsychology, all of which will be co-authored by Center for Psychological Studies faculty and students. This is the largest number for this volume from any single university.

CPS Professor Presents on Self Injury

2009-07-23T09:22:00.003-07:00

Scott Poland, Ed.D. associate professor in the Center for Psychological Studies, recently presented on self injury via satellite from Tallahassee. The broadcast was seen at 364 locations in the United States and Canada and had more than 4,800 registered participants. The two-hour presentation will soon be posted on the Center for Child Welfare website at the University of South Florida.

The presentation on June 30 was organized by Poland and was titled "Self Injury: Insight and Testimony." It featured two young women, Lori Pede and Emily Rose, who previously received an award from the National Mental Health Association for their willingness to talk about their struggle with self injury.

The Florida Department of Health's Distance Learning Satellite Network, the Office of Performance Improvement and Children's Medical Services (CMS), Division of Prevention & Intervention in collaboration with DOH/Office of Injury Prevention, Florida Department of Children and Families, and Florida Office of Drug Control/Statewide Office of Suicide served as sponsors.

CPS Professors Present at American Counseling Association Conference

2009-07-23T09:22:00.001-07:00

Shannon Ray, Ph.D., Center for Psychological Studies assistant professor, and Donna Nguyen, Psy.D., presented a workshop titled "Engaging Online Students: Best Teaching Practices" at the American Counseling Association Conference held in Charlotte, N.C.

Dr. Ray also presented a workshop on "Spiritual Interventions for Counseling Clients in Chronic Pain" at the conference.

Also at the conference, CPS associate professor Mercedes ter Maat, Ph.D., LPC, ATR-BC, presented a paper titled "Cultural Competency and Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children."

Professor Steve Gold Leads in Trauma Psychology

2009-06-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

CPS Professor Steven Gold is the 2009 president of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, the newest division of the American Psychological Association. The new division has already exceeded the median among APA divisions in membership. Gold is also the inaugural editor of the Division’s professional journal, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy.

As inaugural editor of the journal, Psychological Trauma: Research, Theory, Practice and Policy, Gold worked with journal associate editors Christine Courtois and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett to assemble an editorial board composed of nationally known leaders in the field of trauma psychology and oversaw the manuscript review process and compilation of the issues comprising the first volume of the journal.

Gold created a task force chaired by CPS alumna and Yale University faculty member Joan Cook (Ph.D., 1999) to identify mechanisms for making knowledge and skills in the field of trauma psychology more visible and accessible to college students, graduate students in mental health, professionals and the general public. Cook recently was awarded the 2009 NSU Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Gold established a Division of Trauma Psychology Fundraising Committee chaired by CPS graduate and former chair of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Rob Rella (Ph.D., 1994). He has promoted collaborative efforts between the Division of Trauma Psychology and other divisions of APA with common interests including the Division of Psychotherapy; Division of Counseling Psychology; Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence; Society for the Psychology of Women; Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues; and the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual and Transgender Issues.

In 2004 Gold was president of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. He also was founding co-editor, with CPS faculty member Jan Faust, of the Journal of Trauma Practice and was guest editor of a special issue of the APA journal Psychotherapy:Theory, Research, Practice, Training about trauma-related disorders. Gold authored the book Not Trauma Alone: Therapy for Child Abuse Survivors in Family and Social Context, and co-edited the volumes Trauma Practice in the Wake of September 11, 2001, and Trauma and Serious Mental Illness. He serves as a board member of the Sidran Institute for Traumatic Stress Education & Advocacy and is on the advisory board of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence.

At NSU, Gold directs the the Trauma Resolution and Integration Program (TRIP), a clinic for adults who have been exposed to a traumatic situation and are currently experiencing problems in functioning as a result of the traumatic experience. Such traumatic experiences include childhood abuse, rape, physical assault, or a life threatening accident or injury which is creating ongoing distress. Trauma-related distress can often interfere with day to day functioning and maintaining satisfactory interpersonal relationships. Gold’s clinic also treats adults with dissociative experiences that are disturbing to them and/or which are interfering with their ability to function effectively. Dissociative experiences are a common result of traumatic experiences, but can also arise for other reasons. Examples of dissociative experiences include “spaciness,” difficulty staying focused on the here and now, not feeling real, feeling as if one’s surrounding are not real, losing time or not being able to remember entire periods of one’s life, and radically shifting sense of self. A combination of individual psychotherapy and participation in coping skills training groups form the core of the treatment offered. TRIP also provides couples and family therapy to individuals with trauma-related and dissociative symptoms as needed.

For more information on clinic services at NSU, visit the web site at http://www.nova.edu/healthcare/psychology/trip.html
Or call for an appointment (954) NSU-CARE (678-2273)

CPS Collaborates on Autism Research and Services

2009-06-22T07:44:00.001-07:00

In Broward County, last year there were about 100 children under the age of 3 diagnosed with autism. Therefore, there is a critical need to offer parenting support and training to families with autistic children. CPS is involved in a research project recently awarded the NSU Quality of Life Faculty Community-Based Applied Research Grant, a collaborative effort with the Center of Psychological Studies (CPS), the Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies (MSI), and the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS); and two community partners, Early Steps and the UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disorders (UM-NSU CARD).

The project will compare the effectiveness of two parenting interventions, a didactic and an interactive model, aimed at parents with a child between the ages of 18 and 36 months diagnosed with autism. The results of this project can have an important impact on the services available to families with a child under the age of 3 diagnosed with autism living in Broward County. CPS doctoral students, under the supervision of Dr. Kristen Cunningham and Dr. Nurit Sheinberg, will maintain active involvement in the project by administering assessments and by providing individual sessions to teach parents how to implement the Responsive Teaching (RT) curriculum, a child development curriculum that was designed to be implemented by parents to help maximize the potential of each routine interaction. Dr. Gerald Mahoney, the Verna Houck Motto Professor of Families and Communities at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and author of RT, will visit NSU in July to provide direct training to CPS doctoral students on the RT curriculum.

CPS Professor Provides Keynote Address at Australian Conference

2009-06-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Associate Professor Scott Poland Provides Keynote Address at the Australian National Suicide Postvention Conference

Dr. Scott Poland Associate Professor and the Coordinator of the NSU Suicide and Violence Prevention Office recently presented at the 2nd Australian Postvention Conference held in Melbourne, Australia May 21st to 23rd. Dr. Poland provided the keynote address on suicide postvention in addition to workshops on prevention in the schools and suicide contagion. He also participated in the conference closing panel with the National Secretary for Suicide Prevention, the Chair of the Australian Suicide Prevention Advisory Council and the National Advisor to the Australian Government on Suicide Prevention. The conference theme was Connectedness: A Link to Hope and attendees were from all over Australia and represented various government, school, community agencies, practitioners and bereavement support and emergency personnel. The attendees were particularly interested in Dr. Poland’s extensive experience assisting U.S communities that have experienced youth suicide clusters and contagion.

Dr. Poland also conducted a number of media interviews in Melbourne and Sydney and appeared on four television programs including, Today Show in Australia and the Kerry Anne Show (which in Australian is comparable to Oprah). He also was interviewed by the Sydney Herald and the Australian Teacher Magazine and appeared on national radio and local radio in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

CPS/SGA 2009 Research Fair

2009-06-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

The CPS Student Government Association recently hosted the CPS/SGA 2009 Research Fair at which time more than 40 CPS students presented on their faculty supervised research. The annual event provides students with an opportunity to gain professional experience in presenting their research. Presenters included:

Title: The Impact of Graduate Clinical Training on Students’ Perceptions of Receiving Psychotherapy
Presenter: K.C. Collins

Title: Investigation of the Role Parental Variables and Imagination Play in the Development and Maintenance of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Presenter: Gillian Cohen

Title: Dealing with the Mentally Ill: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Efficacy in Law Enforcement
Presenter: Sam Browning
Faculty Advisor: Vincent B. Van-Hasselt, Ph.D.

Title: Barring the Mentally Ill from the Death Penalty: A National Survey
Presenter: Ron Dahl

Title: An Investigation into the Characteristics in the Development and Maintenance of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Presenter: Shane Lutchman

Title: An Investigation into the Interaction of Psychopathology, Personality, and Sleep Disturbances in Clients from a Community Mental Health Center
Presenter: Allison L. Bates
Faculty Advisors: Ana I. Fins, Ph.D.; Barry Schneider, Ph.D.; & Craig Marker, Ph.D.

Title: Investigation of the Role of Imagination in the Generation of Noxious Scenarios and Disgust Sensitivity in Individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Presenter: Reeva Ramcharan

Title: Use Histories and Recovery Practices Among Long-Term Members of Narcotics Anonymous
Presenter: Brandon Bergman

Title: Victims of Domestic Violence: Social Problem-solving and Assertion Skills
Presenter: Amy Angleman

Title: The Role of Ethnicity/Race in Reporting Child Behavior: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the CBCL/6-18
Presenters: Jessica Holster & Necil Kimble

Title: Promoting Self-Change in Alcohol Use and Social Anxiety
Presenters: Kimberly Wisotzke & Kristina Booth
Faculty Advisor: Craig Marker, Ph.D.

Title: An Investigation of the Interaction Between Imagination, External Locus of Control, and Disgust Sensitivity in Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Presenters: Ashley Simmons, Gillian Cohen, Shane Lutchman, Reeva Ramcharan, & Shannon Worton
Faculty Advisor: Craig Marker, Ph.D.

Title: Domestic Violence & Perceptions of Social Support in Deaf & Hard of Hearing Women
Presenters: Micol Levi-Mini & Paula Johnston-McCabe

Title: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Parent and Teacher Report of Children’s Reactions
Presenters: Benjamin Greenberg, Ginger Villareal Armas & Jeffrey Mandelkorn

Title: Assessing Trauma History, Perceived Stress, and Neuropsychological Function in a Community Sample of Homeless Adults
Presenters: Jessica L. Mackelprang & Robyn Hardie
Faculty Advisors: Craig Marker, Ph.D. & Efrain A. Gonzalez, Psy.D.

Title: Internet-Based Interpretation Bias Retraining for Social Anxiety: A Preliminary Study
Presenter: Jonathan Perle
Faculty Advisor: Craig Marker, Ph.D.

Title: Effects of Mood Induction on Problem-Solving with Different Levels of Emotional Intelligence
Presenter: Shannon Worton

Title: Investigation of the Interaction Between Locus of Control, Locus of Responsibility, and Desire for Control in the Development and Maintenance of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Presenter: Shannon Worton

Title: A Comparison of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Child-Rearing Beliefs of One-Month-Old Infants
Presenters: Alexis Resnick & Sasha Stok
Faculty Advisor: Craig Marker, Ph.D.

Title: Teacher Perceptions of Emergent Literacy Skills in Pre-school Students
Presenters: Catherine Samuel-Barrett & Lauren R. Parker
Faculty Advisors: Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D. & Ralph (Gene) Cash, Ph.D.

Title: The Correctional Officer Stress Survey
Presenter: Andrea M. Brockman

Title: Validation Study of the Law Enforcement Officer Stress Survey (LEOSS)
Presenter: Ryan Reddin

Title: What Makes Tennis Players Win?
Presenter: Lorena Martin

Title: The effect of Child-Rearing Practices on the Onset of Autobiographical Memory
Presenters: Jason Hutchings, George Butler & Janessa Dominguez
Faculty Advisor: Alexandru Cuc, Ph.D.

Title: Predicting Attachment Style by using the Rorschach, Creation of an Attachment Style Index
Presenters: Jason Hutchings & Ryan Boddy
Faculty Advisor: Barry Schneider, Ph.D.

Title: The Rorschach and its Ability to Differentiate Between Brain-Injured and Control Populations
Presenters: Jason Hutchings & Ryan Boddy
Faculty Advisor: Barry Schneider, Ph.D.

Title: The Rorschach Intellectualization Index and its Relation to Verbal and Performance Intelligence
Presenters: Ryan Boddy & Isaac Tourgeman
Faculty Advisor: Charles Golden, Ph.D.

CPS Professor Chairs Annual Rehabilitation Psychology Conference

2009-06-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

Associate professor Barry Nierenberg chaired the 11th Annual Rehabilitation Psychology Conference in Jacksonville, FL. This is a joint venture between the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and had over 200 attendees. Dr. Nierenberg presented 2 papers at the conference. Nierenberg was recently elected to membership in the National Academy of Practice (NAP), a nonprofit professional organization composed of elected representatives from ten different health professions. Founded in 1981, the central purpose of NAP is to advise public policy makers on health care issues, using NAP’s unique perspective — that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interdisciplinary dialogue. It is the only interdisciplinary group of health care practitioners dedicated to these issues. Only 150 practitioners or scholars may be elected to each Academy.

CPS Presents Research on Suicide Prevention among Adolescents

2009-05-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Recently Associate professor Gene Cash, Ph.D. and CPS doctoral students Erin Johns and Lindsay Lennertz presented to Nova Southeastern’s Quality of Life Council (QOL) on the results of their project, Suicide Prevention among Adolescents: Research and Evaluation. The project that was awarded the 2007Applied Community Research Grant was funded by the Broward County Children’s Services Council. Cash and the students partnered with the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention (FISP). Johns extended this work to a dissertation. She will begin her internship in the Army this summer.

CPS Annual Research Conference

2009-05-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

The CPS Student Government Association will host the Annual Research Conference on Friday, May 29th, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. All students involved are encouraged to present on their research. Poster presentations will be judged by a faculty panel and awards will be presented for outstanding projects.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase ideas and current research to faculty and fellow students. All students, including first year students, are welcome to present their research. The conference will allow one to gain professional experience presenting and can be included on your curriculum vitae. In the past students have presented previous research, current research, research "in progress” as well as future ideas.

Please contact Nicole Englebert, M.S. for any additional information at: engleber@nova.edu

Faculty Expert To Present CE on Motivational Interviewing: June 12th

2009-04-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

USING MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES TO HELP PATIENTS CHANGE RISKY/PROBLEM BEHAVIORS

Presenter: Linda Carter Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP

Friday, June 12, 2009

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Division

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

This training program is offered free of charge by the Nova Southeastern University AHEC Program through a contract to NSU from the State of Florida Department of Health, Division of Health Access and Tobacco.

This 6-hour workshop will teach attendees motivational interviewing (MI) skills to work more effectively with their patients. MI, initially developed for resistive substance abusers, has been adapted to address other health behaviors and conditions (e.g., dual disorders, smoking, diet, physical activity, HIV screening, sexual behavior, diabetes control, gambling, medical adherence, depression). MI is not an entirely new intervention; rather it is a collection of strategies and techniques from existing models of psychotherapy and behavior change. A key goal is to assist individuals who are ambivalent or low in readiness to change. The tone of the MI encounter is nonjudgmental, empathetic, and empowering. MI techniques and strategies will be demonstrated using short role-plays, and videotaped clinical vignettes. MI techniques can be used to enhance patients’ commitment to change. Handouts of the major materials will be distributed. Participants will also learn how to discuss smoking cessation with patients who smoke.

All mental health professionals will receive six (6) continuing education credits for the workshop. Full attendance is required. No partial credit will be awarded. Check your licensing state’s rules and regulations for more information regarding your continuing education requirements.

For complete continuing education and registration information and to register on-line,

please visit our website at http://cps.nova.edu/CE.

SGA is hosting an event on April 26

2009-04-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

The Student Government Association of the Center for Psychological Studies is hosting a dual fund raising event on Sunday, April 26th from 12-4pm on the lawn in front of the Alvin Sherman Library. The aim is to raise money for I Care I Cure and Locks of Love, two non-profit organizations that strive to make the lives of children with cancer easier. There will be food, music, and great activities all free.

Contact Raquel Palacio at raqupala@nova.edu for more information.

Professional Development Institute, May 29 and 30, 2009

2009-03-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

Professional Development Institute:

The second annual Center for Psychological Studies Professional Development Institute is scheduled for May 29 and 30, 2009. The Professional Development Institute is a conference designed to cover topics relevant to practicum students as well as those preparing to begin practicum. In a conference-style program students will attend sessions on important concepts necessary for beginning clinicians offered by faculty and other community experts. This is a perfect opportunity to learn (or review) those very important issues that make beginning therapists anxious about client care.

Topics will include evaluation of lethality and dangerousness, abuse reporting, substance abuse screening, group therapy basics, documentation/charting, working with families, psychopharmacology, and preparation for professional career/licensure,

Click here to register.

(EMAGS) Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students Diversity Luncheon, Thursday, March 12th

2009-03-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students (EMAGS) Diversity Luncheon

The Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students (EMAGS) was formed in 1994 by a group of students interested in multicultural issues in the mental health field. Living in an area characterized by a diverse cultural population, we strongly believe that our academic and clinical training should correspond to the needs of our community. This organization was created to help graduate students expand their knowledge in providing services for major ethnic minority groups in the area. EMAGS not only serves as a medium to disseminate multicultural information, but also facilitates the building of a regional network of students interested in multicultural issues and supporting a diversified student body.

Our Diversity Luncheon is our most popular event, and we hold it once every semester. This year our luncheon will be held on Thursday, March 12th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in room #s 2055/2057/2058. We invite all of CPS students, faculty, and staff to come together as a "family" to get to know one another. People bring dishes from various cultures to share, and they dress in their cultures attire. We also have local restaurants donate dishes and we try to provide entertainment during the luncheon - for example, Dr. Reitman played guitar and sang at one luncheon last year.

On April the 3rd and 4th, GARGI ROYSIRCAR-SODOWSKY, Ed.D. will present on "Evidence-Based Practice and Culturally Sensitive Treatment" at the EMAGS Annual Mulicultural Conference.

We invite you to come out and enjoy the food and fun.

Julie R. Hamrick, B.S.
President, EMAGS
Ethnic Minority Association of Graduate Students

CPS Alumnus Speaks to Illinois House of Representatives

2009-03-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

On February 20, 2009 CPS alumnus Jeremy Bidwell (Ph.D. 2008.) was asked by the Illinois Psychological Association to testify at the Illinois House of Representatives, Health Care Licenses Committee hearing in support of a bill proposing prescriptive authority for licensed psychologists with additional training in psychopharmacology. Dr. Bidwell is the Associate Director of the Illinois Center for Rural Psychology which has recently adopted the push for prescription privileges for Medical Psychologists as a central mission focus of the organization and will be showing support in Illinois and Wisconsin as a means to providing greater mental health care services in rural communities. Dr. Bidwell was awarded a masters degree in clinical psychopharmacology in 2007.

APA Award Goes to CPS Alumnus

2009-02-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

CPS Alumnus Mark Blais (Psy.D. 1990) is the 2009 recipient of the Theodore Millon Award in Personality Psychology. Presented by the American Psychological Association (APA), the award honors an outstanding psychologist engaged in advancing the science of personality psychology including the areas of personology and personality disorders. The award will be presented to Dr. Blais at the 2009 APA convention in Toronto. Dr. Blais is an Associate Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School and the Associate Chief of Psychology and Director of the Psychological Evaluation and Research Laboratory, a comprehensive psychological assessment and research program. He also serves as the Director of the Adult Track of the Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Psychology Internship.. Dr. Blais is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Personality Assessment.

CPS Welcomes Joan Cook, Ph.D. - Distinguished Alumna 2009

2009-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

The Center for Psychological Studies was proud to welcome home its distinguished alumna of the year, Joan Cook, Ph.D. of Yale University, for the NSU Celebration of Excellence.

Dr. Cook is currently on the faculty of psychology and psychiatry at Yale University. She previously served as assistant professor at Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania. She has been nationally recognized for her work in trauma in geriatric populations and for her empirically validated treatments for psychological trauma. She has been a principal investigator on grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Mental Health. She has over 36 peer reviewed publications, and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Gerontology and the Journal of Psychological Trauma. She testified before Congress on military trauma in 2004.

On Friday, January 23, Dr. Cook presented a colloquium to CPS faculty and students on her findings from clinical trials where she treated nightmares in Vietnam Veterans with PTSD.

Center for Psychological Studies Professor Receives National Award

2009-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

CPS Professor Timothy Moragne received the GLB Professional Psychologist Award during the recent National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology (NCSPP) Mid-winter meeting. Dr. Moragne was also elected to serve as Chair of the NCSPP Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Committee and will serve a two-year term on the NCSPP Executive Committee beginning summer 2009.

Students present their research at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention

2009-01-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

CPS doctoral students in clinical psychology made an impressive showing at the Annual Conference for the Association of Behavior and Cognitive Therapy that took place recently in Orlando. Thirteen students participated in presentations. The projects and corresponding presenters included::

Doctoral students Jeremy Mandelkorn, Wesley Smith, and assistant professor Craig Marker presented “Confirmatory factor analysis of the Mood Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ).”

Doctoral students Kimberly Wisotzke, Allison Myers, Cassandra Marsello, and Marker presented “Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Scale (LSDS).”

Doctoral students Elissa R. Golden, Lori Gulley-Boynton, Eric Kiner, and Marker presented “The clinical utility of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) for monitoring treatment progress.”

CPS alumna Beth Zeldis, Psy.D. (2007), doctoral student Veronica G. Tilden, and CPS faculty David Reitman and Craig Marker presented “Relations between perceived weight status, actual weight status, and self-concept in an at-risk sample of youth participating in an after-school program, ” A second presentation “Predictors of Body Mass Index in an at-risk sample of youth participating in an after school program” was led by Ms. Tilden.

Doctoral student Sarah Rainer and Marker are presented “Determining the optimal cut-score using the PTSD Checklist (PCL).”

Doctoral students Andrew Voluse and Elliot Joseph and professors Linda and Mark Sobell and doctoral student Miriam Dum presented a poster on “Psychometric Properties of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) in Two Clinical Settings.”

Four CPS Students Participate in Hostage Negotiation Training

2009-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

CPS doctoral students Andrea Brockman, Sam Browning, Amy Angleman, and Micol Levi-Minzi participated in a hostage negotiation training with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and S.W.A.T. teams. The students worked with the officers and S.W.A.T. team members to simulate a hostage negotiation scenario and to act as hostages and hostage-takers.

Dr. Campbell and Students to Present on Their Humanitarian Efforts in S. Africa

2008-12-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Center for Psychological Studies Celebrates Black History Month

Back to Africa: Part 2

Presented by: Stephen Campbell, Ph.D. & Team Members

Tuesday, February 17, 2009
12:00p.m.—1:00p.m.
Alvin Sherman Library Room 4009

This presentation will address the stigma of mental illness and HIV/AIDS among Blacks in the United States and South Africa. A cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivates fear, rejection, avoidance, and discrimination against people with mental illness and HIV/AIDS will be discussed. Participants will view a slide/video presentation demonstrating efforts to combat these biases within South Africa.

CPS Students Present at the Florida Association of School Psychologists

2008-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

CPS students were well received at the recent Florida Association of School Psychologists (FASP) Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida. Presentations were given by students from both the clinical psychology and school psychology programs CPS faculty Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D, Ralph “Gene” Cash, Ph.D. (President of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)), Angela Waguespack, Ph.D, Shannon Ray, Ph.D., Ana Fins, Ph.D. and Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D., and CPS Alumni Jessica Garcia Ph.D./Psy.D., and Kristen Cunningham Psy.D.

The projects and corresponding presenters included:

“Student perspectives on personal therapy: Are students empowered to empower others?” by KC Collins and Barry Schneider.

“Empowering Future Faculty: Graduate Training in the Teaching of Psychology” by Alyssa Rothenberg, Jessica Mackelprang, Karen Regan, Sarah Valley-Gray, Barry Nierenberg, Shannon Ray, Ana Fins, and Kristen Cunningham*.

“Accident Prevention and Safety Programs to Implement in Your School and Community” by MaryBeth Bailar-Heath and Sarah Valley-Gray.

“Continuing Education: Fostering Lifelong Learning for School Psychologists” by Julie Snyder, Sarah Valley-Gray, Ralph “Gene” Cash, Kristen Cunningham*, and Jill Driest

“Teacher Expectations Regarding Preschooler’s Academic Performance” by Eva Benmeleh, Jill Driest, Laura Bruder, Lauren Marocco, Leanne Shapiro, Sarah Valley-Gray, and Ralph “Gene” Cash.

“Latino Preschool Students: Sociocultural Factors Affecting Emerging Literacy” by Eva Benmeleh, Leanne Shapiro, Kristen Cunningham*, Jill Driest, and SarahValley-Gray.

“The Implementation of Problem-Solving Group with Adolescents” by Ralph “Gene” Cash, Kate Hoefling (not NSU), Joyce Matthews-Rurak (not-NSU), Lindsay Lennertz, Heather Bauer, Erin Johns, and Jessica Garcia*.

“Empowering Parents and Teachers: The Effects of Sleep on Academic Success” by Lauren Marocco, Dorothy Klaiber, Catherine Majorossy; Kelly Miller, Leanne Shapiro, Kimberly Van Epps, Katie Hoefling, Ana Fins, and Sarah Valley-Gray.

*Jessica Garcia, Ph.D./Psy.D. and Kristen Cunningham, Psy.D. are CPS alumni.

CPS to offer required CE’s in Ethics and Boundary Issues, Domestic Violence and Medical Errors.

2008-11-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

ETHICS AND BOUNDARY ISSUES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND MEDICAL ERRORS: LESSONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS

2 LOCATIONS:
ORLANDO – Saturday, January 10, 2009
NORTH MIAMI – Saturday, February 7, 2009

This seven-hour course is designed to meet the biennial licensure renewal requirements for clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. Participants will meet Florida’s mandate for continuing education in the areas of professional ethics and boundary issues. Content specific to domestic violence, including evidence-based techniques to assess and treat battered women who demonstrate Battered Woman Syndrome and other clinical disorders will be discussed. The medical errors portion of the course will cover prevention, including a study of root-cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, and patient safety.

Click here for additional information

Doctoral Students Present Research at the National Academy of Neuropsychology

2008-11-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

CPS doctoral students in clinical psychology made an impressive showing at the National Academy of Neuropsychology Conference held in October in New York City. Professors Charles Golden and Wiley Mittenberg supervised the students whose presentations were based on their neuropsychological research. The projects and corresponding presenters included:

“IQ-Memory Differences in Traumatic Brain Injury”
Kristen Domboski, Abigail Stevens, Lori Miller,* and Wiley Mittenberg.

“Premorbid Memory Prediction using the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading”
Allison Myers, Angela Kuemmel, Lori Miller,*and Wiley Mittenberg.

“Working memory capacity in child anxiety disorders: Testing the processing efficiency theory”
Ryan Boddy, David Scarisbrick, and Charles Golden.

“Relationship of executive function to memory in depressed adults”
Daniel Frisch, Howard Buddin, Stephanie Renfrow, David Scarisbrick, and Charles Golden.

“Executive functioning performance in children and adolescents with ADHD and LD”
Lindsay Hines, Daniel Heyanka, Sara West, Jennifer Speisman, and Charles Golden.

“Evaluation of executive functioning deficits in children with a learning disability”
Miriam Rodriguez, Lindsay Hines, Daniel Heyanka, and Charles Golden.

“Memory Deficits in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder”
Isaac Tourgeman, Julio Gurrea, Daniel Frisch, William H. Buddin, and Charles Golden.

“Distinguishing Alzheimer’s Disease from Vascular Dementia: An exploration of five cognitive domains”
Daniel Heyanka, David Scarisbrick, and Charles Golden.

“Frontal Lobe function in children with Conduct Disorder”
David Scarisbrick, Ryan Boddy, Daniel Heyanka, Daniel Frisch, and Charles Golden.

“Can the MMPI-2 differentiate between neurodegenerative and psychiatric populations?”
Daniel Heyanka, Lindsay Hines, David Scarisbrick, and Charles Golden.

“Parietal functioning contributes more than frontal functioning to word pair learning in Normal”
Lindsay Hines, Ben D. Hill, and Charles Golden.

“An argument for the utilization of crystallized abilities rather than education as a covariate in elderly populations”
Daniel Heyanka, Julio Gurrea, David Scarisbrick, and Charles Golden.

“Relationship between objective versus behavioral measures of ADHD”
Amy Rosenberg, Jessica Mackelprang, and Charles Golden.

“Are the working memory and processing speed indices from the WISC-IV associated with performance on measures of attention?”
Julio Gurrea, Isaac Tourgeman, Daniel Heyanka, and Charles Golden.

“Depressive symptomatology in adults with and without acquired brain injury”
Stephanie Renfrow, Daniel Frisch, MaryBeth Bailar-Heath, Jamie Rice, and Charles Golden.

“Impact of comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and learning disabilities on observed behavior and social competence in school-age youth”
Jessica Holster, Sarah West, and Charles Golden.

“Does location of cerebral compromise result in differing performances in memory and executive functioning in patients diagnosed with dementia?”
Daniel Heyanka, David Scarisbrick, Bryan Reuther, and Charles Golden.

*Lori Miller, Ph.D. is a CPS alumna.

November Alumni Event in Washington, D.C.

2008-11-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dean Grosby invites CPS alumni, faculty, and interns to the NSU networking event for alumni and friends to be held at the:

Liaison Capitol Hill – Affinia Hotel
Sunday, November 16, 2008
5:00 to 7:00 pm

The event will feature a talk on Supreme Decisions: The Future of the United States Supreme Court After the Election.

The discussion will be led by Dean Athornia Steele and Professor Bruce Rogow of the Shepard Broad Law School and Tim O’Brien, distinguished visiting professor and former chief ABC news correspondent at the U. S. Supreme Court.

For more information, please visit www.nova.edu/alumni/events.html or call the Office of Alumni Relations at 800-541-6682. Contact the Center to RSVP at 954-262-5701 or grosby@nsu.nova.edu.

Dr. Alex Cuc Joins CPS faculty

2008-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

CPS welcomed assistant professor Alexandru Cuc, Ph.D. to the faculty this fall.

Cuc earned his doctorate in cognitive psychology and masters in psychology from New School University in New York. His undergraduate degree was in psychology from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. Prior to moving to the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS), he served as assistant professor at the Farquhar College’s behavioral sciences department at Nova Southeastern University.

Cuc’s dissertation research on memory formation in family conversations was awarded a National Science Foundation fellowship. He has co-authored several research articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, such as Memory and Cognition, Psychological Science, and Applied Cognitive Psychology. In 2003, he co-authored a book chapter on “The construction of collective memory” in an internationally edited book. Two years ago, Dr. Cuc received a research grant from the Jacobs Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland to study “Collective amnesia of traumatic events and its relation to narratives of national identity in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.”

Cuc will be teaching History and Systems, Cognitive/Affective Bases of Behavior, and Social Bases of Behavior this year in the doctoral program.

Anxiety Treatment Center Offers Health Tip

2008-10-15T10:33:00.002-07:00

Useful and Not so Useful Worry

Chronic worriers often get advice that may not be helpful to them: “Don’t worry”, “It will all work out” or “You need to believe in yourself”. Worriers seldom find this well-meaning advice to be helpful. In fact, they often find it to be invalidating. Worriers often get mixed messages about their worry. On one hand, they might feel the worry is “driving me crazy”, but on the other hand they get something from their worry. Worriers believe that their worry can help them prepare, avoid uncertainty, or get motivated. There is some truth in the idea that worry can help people prepare and avoid uncertainty. However, when worry becomes extreme it can cause tension and stress.

It is useful to distinguish between productive and unproductive worry. Productive worry can be distinguished from unproductive worry if something can be done about it today. That is, the worrier can do something today to prepare or be productive.

To take an example regarding someone who is worried about his health. This person notices aches and pains that are unusual. He begins thinking, “I wonder if I have cancer.” This thought then leads to worse and worse scenarios of getting sicker and sicker. These images lead to further thoughts and ‘what-ifs’ such as, “What if the doctor doesn’t diagnose me correctly?” and “What if it’s too late?” In this example, the person has a productive worry about his health. This productive worry leads him to contact a doctor and schedule an appointment. However, this person also has unproductive worry in imagining all the worse case scenarios. This worry is unproductive because he cannot do anything else except call his doctor.

We could think of the utility of worry in this way: “Can I do anything about this?” If the answer is yes, then it is productive worry. Then it would be wise to do what we can to change the situation and then stop worrying. If the answer is no, then our worry is serving no purpose other than making us more anxious.

Another example is a person having an exam coming up next week. She is worried and thinking, “What if I fail? What if I get thrown out of school? What if I end up homeless? What if my parents disown me for letting them down?” All of these “what-ifs” are unproductive worries. They are unproductive because she can not do anything to solve the problem. Since she has not taken the exam, she does not know if she is going to pass. Thus, she cannot solve the problem of being homeless. She can’t solve problems that don’t exist. Unproductive worry is about what-ifs, in which nothing can be done. Productive worry allows us to take action. In the above example, she could set time aside to study over the next week. Productive worry helps to take action. To figure out what we can do to change the situation. It allows to get ‘out of our heads’ and do something to solve the problem. If we cannot do anything to solve the problem, then we might say to ourselves that worry is not helping me out in this situation. This article was prepared for NSU by Assistant Professor Craig Marker who directs the Anxiety Treatment Center at NSU’s Psychology Services Center. For help in dealing with these issues, contact the treatment center by calling (954) NSU-CARE (678-2273).

Faculty Research on Mexican American Families Wins Award

2008-10-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

Assistant Professor Diana Formoso will receive an award on November 5th from the National Council on Family Relations for her research on men in families. Her research on Interparental Relations, Maternal Employment, and Fathering in Mexican American Families was selected from many applicants. Justin Dyer of the council said, "The committee was impressed with your (Dr. Formoso's) research and we would be pleased to honor your work with this award".

Dr. Formoso is currently working with Dr. Mercedes ter Maat, recent recipients of a 2009 Quality of Life Council Research Award, on interventions with students and families in four Broward County Schools.

Research on Law Enforcement and Mental Illness Presented

2008-10-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

According to CPS Professors Lenore Walker, Vincent Van Hasselt, and David Shapiro, along with Dr. James Pann of NSU's Fischler School, a recent Department of Justice report indicated that over 50% of people in jails and prisons across the nation have been treated for a mental illness and/or substance abuse problem prior to their being detained. Given the incarceration of people with serious mental health needs accused of committing a crime in Broward County, Florida is not very different from those around the country although some studies suggest that Florida may even be higher than the national average.

A recent study for the Broward Sheriff’s Office indicates that 18% of the 5,500 inmates currently held in their five facilities are known to have a serious mental illness. Further, police officers are often “first responders” to calls involving mental disturbance, which they may not be fully equipped to handle (see Dr. Van Hasselt’s article below).

http://brief-treatment.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/mhn014?ijkey=JCCDYw6Vp8DORF5&keytype=ref

Programmatic lines of research are needed to create and evaluate model programs in law enforcement first response and in working with individuals with a mental illness who have been incarcerated.

The faculty research was presented to the Quality of Life Council. For more information on the council, visit the web site at

http://qol.nova.edu/ .

Sobells Receive Prestigious Scientific Achievement Award

2008-10-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Louise Floyd and the Project CHOICES teamwere the winners of the 2008 Charles C. Shepard Science Award in the category of Prevention and Control for their publication, "Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial" which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in January 2007. Project CHOICES has found that brief motivational counseling sessions can help women reduce their risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy either by decreasing alcohol use, by use of more effective contraception, or both. In this study, women who received the motivational counseling were twice as likely to reduce their risk compared with those who did not receive counseling.

The Shepard Award ceremony took place at 10:00 a.m. OD Friday, June 6, 2008, at the Tom Harkin Global Communications Center at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Award winners all received plaques honoring their work.

nce 1985, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have presented the Charles C. Shepard Science Award to authors of the most outstanding peer-reviewed research paper published by CDC/ATSDR scientists during the preceding year. The award recognizes scientific achievement at CDC/ATSDR and honors the memory of Dr. Charles C. Shepard, whose career was marked by the pursuit of scientific excellence.

The Charles C. Shepard science awards is the preeminent honor recognizing excellence in science at CDC/ATSDR. Inaugurated in 1986, the award is named in honor of Charles C. Shepard, M.D. The internationally recognized microbiologist served as chief of the Leprosy and Rickettsia Branch at CDC for more than 30 years, until his death on February 18, 1985. Although Dr. Shepard's contributions to science and public health were prodigious, perhaps his greatest legacy is the influence, both personal and professional, that he had, and continues to have, on his many friends and colleagues.

Their award was one of three given in the areas of endeavor: Assessment and Epidemiology; Laboratory and Methods; and Prevention and Control. The Sobells partnered with Ken Johnson, M.D. of the Health Professions Division and others on this project.

Authors: Floyd RL, Sobell M, Velasquez MM, Ingersoll K, Nettleman M, Sobell L, Mullen PD, Ceperich S, von Sternberg K, Bolton, B, Skarpness, B, Nagaraja, J, Johnson, K.

Preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2007;32(1):1-10.

CPS Professor Receives Award

2008-10-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Vincent Van Hasselt, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the Center for Psychological Studies, recently received an Outstanding Presenter Award at the Annual Conference of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators held in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Dr. Van Hasselt’s address, “Police-Assisted Suicide (‘Suicide By Cop’): Risk Factors and Negotiation”, was presented to local, state, and federal law enforcement hostage negotiators from across Florida, as well as other parts of the country.

CPS Research fair

2008-10-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 19th, the CPS Student Government Association and the Center for Psychological Studies held the annual research fair to kick off another great year of research. Participating in the fair were students and faculty representing some of the many different research opportunities available to new and returning students at CPS.

The Anxiety Research Lab with Craig Marker, Ph.D.,
The Family Violence Program with Vincent Van Hasselt, Ph.D.,
The Multicultural Research Group (MRG) with John Lewis, Ph.D.,
The Neuropsychology Program with Charles Golden, Ph.D.,
Project RISE with David Reitman, Ph.D. and Jean Thaw, Ph.D., and
The Trauma Resolution and Integration Program (TRIP) with:
Steven Gold, Ph.D.,
Christian DeLucia, Ph.D.,
William Dorfman, Ph.D.,
Diana Formoso, Ph.D.,
David Shapiro, Ph.D.,
Nurit Sheinberg, Ed.D.,
Mercedes ter Maat, Ph.D.,
Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D., and
Lenore Walker, Ed.D.

Poland to Present: 2008 State Suicide Prevention Symposium

2008-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Associate Professor Scott Poland will be a featured speaker at the 2008 State Suicide Prevention Symposium.

Poland will present on school safety and self injury. Poland currently coordinates the NSU Suicide and Violence Prevention Program. A CPS alumnus and postdoctoral resident Jessical Garcia and graduate assistant Erin Johns also work with this initiative.

The Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention proudly will hold the 2008 Suicide Prevention Symposium, September 30th -October 1st, at the Caribe Royale Resort and Suites in Orlando, Florida. This two-day event attracts clinicians, social workers, parents, community members, school personnel, counselors, and mental health and substance abuse professionals to learn about the latest research, best practices and model programs. This year, the Symposium is being held in conjunction with the Statewide Prevention Conference (Oct. 1-3), which is one of the largest prevention focused conferences in the nation. Some of the workshop topics will focus on elder, veteran, youth and faith based populations; transforming communities and lives to promote healthy development; caring for those who have lost loved ones to suicide; addressing trauma; treating at-risk youth; school crisis and school safety; self injury; mental illness; and evidence based practices.

The conference theme, "Transforming Communities & Lives", focuses on each person's ability to contribute to changing the culture to promote healthy development, reduce stigma, improve quality of life, and prevent suicide. The symposium will feature innovative workshops, plenary sessions, and an opportunity for poster presentations that will inspire our work and take us to a new understanding of the problem of suicide. A few of the nationally renowned presenters we are honored to welcome are Dr. David Litts, Ms. Carla Fine, Dr. Kelly Posner, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Dr. Scott Poland, Mr. Terry Gorski, and many more. To view the brochure please visit:

http://www.meetingmasterminds.com/2008_suicide_prevention_symposium_brochure.pdf

On September 29th, we will be hosting the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's day long Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk Training. Developed in collaboration with the American Association of Suicidology, this workshop is designed to meet the needs of care providers across the entire professional spectrum and recognizes the complex ethical issues that must be considered when providing care for suicidal clients. For $65, you can register for this training which will be conducted by Maureen Underwood. For more information on this training and how to register please visit:

http://www.meetingmasterminds.com/fl_amsr_flyer.pdf

To review the brochure and register for the conference or training please visit:

www.MeetingMasterMinds.com/prevention.htm

Try the New Sharklink!

2008-10-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

The new SharkLink is a great way to log into your NSU email, address book, WebCT, WebSTAR, and other links that you choose! It is much improved from the previous system – not only because you can log in once and get into all the places you need, but also because the actual email program is much better than the previous server.
When I came to NSU last August (‘07), it was a bother to try to check all these various places for the messages I needed to get. I forwarded my email. But I love the ability to log in once and get everything I need! I have set my homepage to the SharkLink site, and I think everyone should give it a chance.

To get to your NSU Email:

a. Find the “My E-mail Inbox” module on your SharkLink homepage.
b. Click on any of the messages listed or on the Email link at the bottom of the module.
c. This will open a new window to take you to your NSU Email.

To get to WebCT:

a. Find the “Student” tab at the top of the screen.
b. Go to the “My Courses” module.
c. Click on the Click here to: link at the top of the module.
d. This should take you to your WebCT account.

Message forwarding:

I still hate having to go to WebCT to see if I have class-related email. So I forward all of my WebCT email to my NSU email. You can forward it to any email you want.

a. Log into WebCT via SharkLink or the direct WebCT login.
b. Click on your course. (Note: I have not figured out a way to forward all of the course emails at one time, so I think you need to forward each separately. If anyone has more information, let me know!)
c. Under the “Course Menu,” you should see a link to Email. Click on this link.
d. Click on the box at the top of the screen.
e. You will see an option to “Forward my mail to: . Type your email in the box. It will automatically check the box.
f. Click on the box to save your settings.

If you really don’t want to use the SharkLink platform for your email, you can still forward your NSU email to a different address. See NSU Student Technology for more information. You can click on Forward Your NSU Email to forward your email to another address.

Doctoral Student Presents to FBI National Academy

2008-10-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

Doctoral student Brandi Booth, M.S., presented to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia on Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for their National Academy. The FBI National Academy is a 10 week program for invited and selected law enforcement leaders and managers ranging from local and sheriff departments to military and federal law enforcement agencies. Participants have the opportunity to gain leadership and specialized training by taking coursework in Law, Behavioral Science, Forensic Science, Leadership Development, Communication, and Health/Fitness.

CPS Welcomes Barry, Nierenberg, Ph.D., ABPP

2008-10-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Barry Nierenberg, Ph.D., ABPP joined the CPS family on May 1, 2008. Associate Professor Nierenberg was previously from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Department of Medicine and Community Health. He also served as professor at Wright State University’s School of Medicine, Newington Children’s Hospital, and Dayton Medical Center. Nierenberg holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and a diplomate from the Board of Professional Psychology, Rehabilitation Psychology.

Nierenberg was Director of Behavioral Science and Behavioral Medicine at Jackson Memorial Medical Center where he taught family medicine interns and residents in behavioral medicine and directed the Behavioral Sciences Clinic. He was part of a research team that resulted in reducing health care disparities to minority patients. He was past president of the American Psychological Association’s Rehabilitation Psychology Division. He also served as consulting editor for the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. He has numerous publications including in the Journal of Family Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Burn Care Rehabilitation, to name a few. He is coauthor of Integrative Health Care in Rehabilitation (in press).

Ph.D. program ranked 9th in research study.

2008-10-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Click here to read.