Psychology Department Wraps Up Busy Fall Semester

The faculty and doctoral students of the Radford University Department of Psychology had a banner semester, winning awards and gaining acceptance in research journals and reference materials around the country.

Tom Pierce, professor of psychology, was honored in November with the 2013 James and Betty Birren Award for Excellence in Practice at the Biennial Conference of the International Institute for Reminiscence and Life Review in New Orleans. The award recognizes practitioners and researchers who work on the front lines of understanding in human development and aging.

At the conference, Pierce also launched a new online scholarly journal, The International Journal of Reminiscence and Life Review, of which he is the editor. The journal will contain articles by the most highly respected and accomplished leaders in the study of reminiscence and life review.

In addition to his work outside of the university, Pierce is also the recipient of the 2013 Donald N. Dedmon Distinguished Teaching Professor Award.

With the assistance of the psychology faculty, the students in the department's Doctor of Psychology in Counseling Psychology program (Psy.D) also met with success in their research endeavors.

Jennifer Stroup and Jennifer Glass recently had their article "The adjustment to U.S. rural college campuses for bisexual students in comparison to gay and lesbian students: An exploratory study," accepted for publication in The Journal of Bisexuality. The article, which will appear in print in 2014, was co-written with Associate Professor of Psychology Tracy Cohn.

Michael Love and Cohn penned an encyclopedia entry on the topic of sexual repression that will appear in The Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality in 2014.

Several Psy.D students also have articles undergoing the review process in national journals.

Dominique Boone has submitted an article for review to Prevention in Counseling Psychology entitled "Self-compassion and the male survivor: Promoting psychological well-being following childhood maltreatment." The piece is based on her dissertation and is co-written by Cohn, Associate Professor of Psychology Sarah Hastings and Associate Professor of Psychology Jenessa Steele.

Second-year Psy.D students Love, Adam Smith, Sarah Lyall and Jaclyn Mullins have submitted their research, entitled "Exploring the relationship between gay affirmative practice and empathy among mental health professionals," to The Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling. Once again, they are joined by Cohn as a co-writer.

The Department of Psychology at RU represents the many faces of psychology and is home to about 400 undergraduate majors and 90 graduate students with a variety of different interests, aspirations and career goals. Psychology faculty members work closely with students, often partnering with them in pursuit of new research.

Dec 17, 2013