Contact Information
124 Garfield Ave
Eau Claire WI 54701
Biography
I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University in 2005 after completing a 1-year pre-doctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. I am a licensed clinical psychologist and joined the faculty at UWEC in the fall of 2009.
The aspect of my faculty position that I enjoy the most is working with and mentoring students! I work with students in a wide variety of experiences including my research, program development and evaluation, service learning opportunities, and independent studies. The majority of my research is conducted in collaboration with undergraduate students who have been able to present our work at local, regional, national and international conferences. Students with an interest in the topics of suicide and self-injury or closely related content areas are encouraged to contact me about possible experiences.
Teaching and Research Interests
Introduction to Psychology (incl. Honors Intro Psych)
Abnormal Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Understanding Suicide
Counseling I (graduate course)
My research broadly focuses on understanding suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in youth and young adults. Specifically, I examine psychological and sociocultural factors that may increase, or reduce, an individual’s vulnerability for engaging in NSSI and/or suicidal behavior. I also examine the complex and inter-related connections between NSSI, suicide, and body image disturbances. Recently my research has evolved to focus on suicide prevention program develop and evaluation, as well as examining adjunctive treatment interventions to prevent and reduce NSSI. I utilize micro- and standard longitudinal designs as well as cross-sectional, survey-based methodologies in my research, but incorporate behavioral-based assessment and experimental designs into my work as well.