The Psi Chi chapter at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× is pleased to announce the chapter award winners for this year! The purpose of the Psi Chi Professional Development Award is to promote Psi Chi members’ academic and professional excellence in psychology.  This year, Psi Chi awarded eight grants:

Siba Alzohaili (PsyD 3)

Costs towards registration, travel, and poster printing costs for the APA Division 32 Society of Humanistic Psychology Conference in Atlanta, GA, where she co-presented the poster, Decolonial Therapy Practice: A Social Intervention with Manda Harp (PsyD 3), Ray Kaidbay (PsyD 3), and Leila Bazzi (PsyD 3).

Marwa Attia (PsyD 1)

Costs towards registration and poster printing costs for the APA Division 32 Society of Humanistic Psychology Conference in Atlanta, GA, where she presented the poster, Holistic Healing: Integrating CBT & Medication for a Person-Centered Approach to Chronic Pain & Mental Health. 

Dalia Boussi (MA)

Costs towards professional association memberships for the American Psychological Association, APA Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology, and the Michigan Psychological Association. 

Courtney Cabell (MA ’21, PsyD 4)

Cost towards lodging for the APA Division 32 Society of Humanistic Psychology Conference in Atlanta, GA, where she co-presented five conference presentations, including her dissertation, Black Women and Indirect Exposure to Police Terror Against Black People.

Ray Kaidbay (PsyD 3)

Cost towards registration for the 2025 Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters conference, held virtually, where she presented the poster, Empirically-Derived, Personal Theory of Therapeutic Change.

Devon Kardel (PsyD 4)

Costs towards registration and travel for the 2025 Midwestern Psychological Association Meeting, where she co-presented the professional development session, Facilitating Healing through Embodiment of Bodywork Therapies with Qandeel Minal (MA ’21, PsyD 4).

Renelle Staebler Lamey (MA ’24, PsyD 1)

Cost towards registration for the Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 2 online continuing education course from The Gottman Institute.

Quentessa Tuff (MA)

Costs towards professional association memberships, including the Association of Black Psychologists.

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The post Student Perspectives: Psi Chi Professional Development Award appeared first on The º£½ÇÂÒÂ× (º£½ÇÂÒÂ×).

The Psi Chi chapter at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× is pleased to announce the chapter award winners for this year! The purpose of the Psi Chi Professional Development Award is to promote Psi Chi members’ academic and professional excellence in psychology.  This year, Psi Chi awarded nine grants:

Kalani Banks (MA)

Cost towards registration and travel for the Midwest Psychological Association Conference in Chicago, IL.

Dennis Brown (MA with ABA ’23, PsyD 1)

Costs toward attending and presenting at the upcoming 2024 American Psychological Association Convention in Seattle, WA.

Courtney Cabell (MA with ABA ’21, PsyD 3)

Lodging costs for attending and presenting at the APA Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology Conference in Ann Arbor, MI.

Rebecca Jarvis (MA ’20, PsyD 4)

Costs toward attending and presenting at the upcoming 2024 American Psychological Association Convention in Seattle, WA.

Devon Kardel (PsyD 3)

 Costs toward attending the National Academy of Neuropsychology Online Course in Clinical Neuroanatomy.

Klarissa Matanos (MA’ 22, PsyD 2)

Costs associated with attending the APA Annual Meeting in Washington DC. 

Jennifer Medrano Delacruz (MA ’23, PsyD 1)

Professional membership costs including in two APA Divisions, Division 32: Society for Humanistic Psychology and Division 56: Trauma Psychology and costs toward attendance at the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation in Anaheim, CA. 

Tara Pope (MA with ABA ’21, PsyD 3) 

Costs toward attending and presenting at the 2023 National Academy of Neuropsychology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

Erin Stockwell (MA ’23, PsyD 1)

Costs toward attending and presenting at the Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters Annual Conference in Southfield, MI and the Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology Conference in Ann Arbor, MI.

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The Psi Chi chapter at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× is pleased to announce the chapter award winners for this year!

The 2022-2023 Outstanding Member was Erin Stockwell (MA). Erin received this award for her hard work and dedication to the chapter as the chair of the end-of-year event committee. 

The chapter also awards a number of professional development grants each year. The purpose of the Psi Chi Professional Development Award is to promote Psi Chi members’ academic and professional excellence in psychology.  This year, Psi Chi awarded 13 grants:

Chris Bernardo (MA ’20, PsyD 3)

Registration to attend and present at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Poster Presentation: The traditional male gender role: It harms all of us and impedes therapy 

Courtney Cabell (MA ’21, PsyD 2)

Registration to attend and present at the 54th Annual International Convention for the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). 

Poster presentation: The development of the Vicarious Trauma of Black Americans Scale (VTBAS)

Devon Kardel (PsyD 2)

Purchase of a subscription to Geek Therapeutics in order to take advantage of online continuing education offerings. 

Erica Medina (PsyD 2)

Costs associated with attending the APA Annual Meeting in Washington DC. 

Erin Stockwell (MA)

Registration to attend and present at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Poster presentation: A pilot group psychotherapy intervention for adolescents with high ACEs

Jamal Ghazi (MA ’21, PsyD 2) 

Purchase towards airfare to attend the APA Annual Meeting in Washington DC. 

Jared Boot-Haury (MA ’19, PsyD 4)

Registration to attend and present at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Panel presentation: Intersectional asexual and transgender/gender diverse identity experiences: A thematic analysis

Jeff Binder (MA ’19, PsyD 2) 

Registration to attend and present at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Panel presentation: How does cultural responsibility impact the lived experience and well-being of mental healthcare providers? 

Natalya Zerka (MA ’21, PsyD 2)

Costs associated with attending the APA Annual Meeting in Washington DC. 

Reba Meagher (MA)

Registration to attend and present at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Poster presentation: The dual relationship between trauma and chronic pain.

Sarah Weber (PsyD 2) 

Registration to attend online ADOS-2 Clinical Workshop sponsored by Western Psychological Services. 

Sierra Gillis (MA ’19, PsyD 4)

Purchase of SPSS statistical software. 

Vinnie Mangiapane (MA ’21, PsyD 2)

Purchase towards lodging while at the 2023 Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology conference. 

Panel presentation: How does cultural responsibility impact the lived experience and well-being of mental healthcare providers? 

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Prior to becoming a doctoral student at º£½ÇÂÒÂ×, I did not understand the importance of research, nor did I believe that conducting research was for me. Little did I know, my outlook would completely change within my first month of the program.

I have become immersed in scholarly research and professional development. During my first two semesters as a PsyD student, I have joined four research teams, have helped developed two psychological scales, and attended and presented at multiple conferences. I am also a member of multiple professional organizations. These have been very costly endeavors.

Recently, I was awarded the Psi Chi Professional Development Award. Receiving this award has been a tremendous relief, as it has eased some of the financial burden that comes along with advancing my research experience and professional development. I would encourage all Psi Chi members to take advantage of this opportunity and apply for this award if they incur costs related to attending conferences, joining professional organizations such as MPA or APA, or purchasing software such as SPSS. Personally, this award has assisted in funding my SPSS software, conference registration fees, and APA membership fees.

Thus far, º£½ÇÂÒÂ× and Psi Chi have made my new found passion for research as seamless as possible, and I am beyond grateful to have been selected to receive the Psi Chi Professional Development Award.

Courtney Cabell is in her first year of the doctoral program. She earned her MA degree at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× in July 2021 and her MS degree in August 2020 at SNHU. She currently serves as a student ambassador for APA’s Division 32 and sees clients part-time at a private practice. She has a passion for serving underprivileged, marginalized, and diverse populations, with a specific interest in the effects of trauma and vicarious trauma. She has a small web-based shop of her handmade, all natural bath bombs, body butters, candles, wax melts, hair oils, and beard oils. She is also the founder and CEO of Open Heart Communities, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving foster children and youth who’ve aged out of foster care.

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At the end of March, the Psi Chi chapter at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× created the Psi Chi COVID-19 Response Relief Fund to provide some relief during this emergency and support students as they continue in their studies. To date, Psi Chi has given nearly $5,000 to º£½ÇÂÒÂ× students. Below, Psi Chi President Michelle Justice (PsyD 3) talks about how the fund began.

It seems as though there is no escape from COVID-19. We hear about it on the news, through emails, our clients, our co-workers, our fellow students, our leadership, our family, and endless others. It is overwhelming.

During this time of pervasive anxiety, many people have also lost their jobs, providing a generous undercurrent of resource strain in addition to our already strained… everything. As many students return to their safe haven, the classroom, to be met with online faces and virtual lessons, we understand that attention is often elsewhere.

In times of stress, we go back to our roots. With a bow to Humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, we look to the Hierarchy of Needs that reminds us of the importance of fulfilling safety and physiological needs before we can focus on pursuits of belongingness and esteem.

The mission of Psi Chi is to promote excellence in academics in the field of psychology. How are we to help accomplish our purpose if we know our fellow members are struggling to fulfill their most essential needs?

The development of the Psi Chi COVID-19 Relief Fund came through quick action and collaboration from the Executive Committee, of which I could not be more proud. Through selfless minds and genuine empathy, Psi Chi started with $1000 and was honored to offer each student applicant with up to $200 in assistance to help relieve the burden that COVID-19 has left with us all.

Within hours of the release of the fund, multiple students applied, making it clear how much our community was in need. During that same time, we were deeply touched by many individuals that asked how they could personally contribute to the Relief Fund. Through support and donations, Psi Chi has approved assistance to 25 students and has provided $4980 in aid.

The fund is still open. We are still accepting applications. We are still providing students with much needed assistance and will continue for as long as possible. As well, we continue to accept donations of any amount, all of which goes directly to students. If you would like to donate, please click HERE and designate your donation to the “COVID-19 Relief Fund.�

Love for humanity is what drives many of us to become Psychologists; a light that is inherent in every individual. With each award, application, and donation, we send our love, our thanks, and as much healing as possible. 

Michelle Justice (PsyD 3)  is President of the Psi Chi Chapter at º£½ÇÂÒÂ×.

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Holly Spencer (PsyD 1), this year’s Research Symposium Chair, shares her experience working on the Symposium below.

Describe the process of planning and organizing the Symposium.

Planning the Symposium has been a great experience. It takes a great deal of time and effort, from finding a keynote speaker to gathering participants to be a part of something incredible and important to Psi Chi and º£½ÇÂÒÂ×.

The planning is not a one-person job – I have the support of Psi Chi President Michelle Justice (PsyD 2), Psi Chi Vice President Brittany Rutland (PsyD 2), and º£½ÇÂÒÂ× Director of Admissions and Student Services Amanda Ming who is always there guiding me and ensuring each step is well organized and successful.

What is the goal of the Symposium?

The goal of the Symposium is get students involved with research to help find their passion, while teaching others about topics that are important to them and the world of psychology.

How do you balance student life with the extra responsibility of being Chair?

Extra responsibility of being the chair of the Symposium is like any other class assignment.  I add each of my tasks to my calendar and follow through on the scheduled time and dates, ensuring each step of the symposium are completed in a timely manner.

How does student research enhance learning in and out of the classroom?

As students, we are unable to learn everything we need to know in the classroom. Therefore, it is the student’s job to discover what excites them, even outside of assigned curriculum.

Research gives us the perfect opportunity to complement and enhance what we learn in class. We can follow our interests to become self-learners; the knowledge we gain through research offers us the opportunity to share what we learn with others.

Holly Spencer is currently in her first year of the doctoral program.

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The purpose of the Psi Chi Academic Conference Award is to promote Psi Chi member scholarship and learning at professional conference.  This year, Psi Chi awarded three travel grants:

Brian Burgoyne (MA), National Conference Award

Burgoyne, B., Spencer, H., Dagostino, J., & Bach, L. (2018, March). Personal Growth Through Therapeutic Writing, Poster presented at the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Boulder, CO.

Alicia Width (PsyD 3), Regional Conference Award

Shepler, D., Callan, P., Justice, M., Oliver, C., Width, A., & Rawat, A., Pollok, K. (2018, April). Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Clinical and Research Implications from Clinical Data. Poster presented at the 90^th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Shepler, D., Callan, P., Pollok, K., Rawat, A., Width, A., Oliver, C., & Justice, M. (2018, April). Interrater Reliability on the ASEBA: Implications for Diagnostic Assessment. Poster presented at the 90^th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Jared Smendik (PsyD 2), Regional Conference Award

Shepler, D., Smendik, J., Cusick, K., & Tucker, D. (2018, April). LGB Adults in Relationships: Ego- and Partner-Focused Sexual Satisfaction. Poster presented at the 90^th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

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After Psi Chi President Alicia Width (PsyD 3) made her opening remarks, she welcomed keynote speaker Sarah McClelland, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and Psychology at the University of Michigan, who presented “Working Hard at Being Normal: Gender, Sexuality, and Intimacy in Palliative Care” based on her own research with female cancer patients.

Poster Session One followed the keynote address, which included posters by the following students: Rebecca Kapetansky (PsyD 1) Social Stigma, Belonging, Social Influence: Autism Experience, Cassidy Slade (PsyD 1) The Impact of Persuasion During Therapy for Adolescents Affected by Trauma, Evan MacAdams (PsyD 1)  Social Support in the Treatment of Pain, Dima Swaidan (PsyD 1) Social Influence on Adolescent Substance Use and Effective Treatment Options, Kelly Frazee (PsyD 1) Stress and Coping Techniques Among Children in Military Families, Juanita Houston (PsyD 3) Redefining Palliative Normalcy: Cultural Barriers, Anna Roberts (MA) Use of Ketamine as a Clinical Treatment for Mental Disorders, Angel McKissic (MA) Ecology and Ritual as Healing, Alesha Hall (MA) The Effects of Music Therapy on Alzheimer’s and Dementia Clients, Christopher Corbin (MA) Post Traumatic Growth: Identity and Treatment, Ariel Magdison (PsyD 2) Unlocking Unlimited Potential: Exploring Universal Latent Imagination, Rose Cook (MA) Therapeutic Considerations when Working with African Americans Impacted by Racial Trauma, and Leanne Lemaire (MA) Effectiveness of Herbal Remedies on Mood Disorders and Anxiety: A Literature Review.

After a short break, Fran Brown, PsyD, Program Director and Doug Callan, PhD, Core Faculty along with Deb Hamilton, PsyD, Adjunct Faculty offered co-ocurring Panel Presentations.  Dr. Brown presented “The Parentified Psychotherapist’s Experience of the Psychotherapeutic Process” and Dr. Callan with Dr. Hamilton spoke on “WAIS-IV Interpretation Through a Neuropsychological Perspective.”

Poster Session Two followed the Panel Presentations after a second break.  Session Two included several faculty and student research collaborations, including: Dustin Shepler, PhD (Core Faculty), Doug Callan, PhD, Kenneth Pollock (MA), Andrea Rawat (PsyD 3), Alicia Width, Charles Oliver (PsyD 1), and Michelle Justice (PsyD 1) presented Interrater Reliability on the ASEBA: Implications for Diagnostic Assessment and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Clinical and Research Implications from Clinical Data.  Other group presentations included Jessica Dluzynski, PsyD (Adjunct Faculty) and Dr. Shepler who presented A Quantitative Assessment of Test Anxiety and Human-Animal Interaction in College Students, Dr. Shepler, Andrea Obah (MA), Alyssa Sacka (MA), Brian Burgoyne (MA), Kristen Suing (PsyD 4), and Brittany Linton (PsyD 4) with the poster Predicting Anti-Transgender Attitudes in Straight, White Adults, and Carmen Cochran (PsyD 2), Andrea Taylor (PsyD 2), and Ashley Craft (MA) who presented two posters Campus Climate and Campus Connectedness as Experienced by Students of Color and Considering Diversity: Examining Ethnic Identity within Groups.  º£½ÇÂÒÂ× also welcomed two posters from students from the University of Michigan: Julia Harris, Meghan Martz, and Laura Cope presented Slow Wave Sleep Disruption in Adolescence: Impulsivity-Reward Responsivity Brain Functioning and Romero Perez who presented Let Me Be Perfectly Queer: We Need Better Media Representation.

After Session Two, the poster judges made their final decisions.  President Width was pleased to announce the two winners, Kelly Frazee won the Psi Chi at º£½ÇÂÒÂ×’s Conceptual Piece Award and Julia Harris was the winner of the Psi Chi at º£½ÇÂÒÂ×’s Original Research Award, in her concluding remarks.

Michelle Justice, Chair of this year’s Symposium, along with all of the members of Psi Chi at º£½ÇÂÒÂ×, offer thanks to all of the student and staff volunteers who helped to make the Symposium a success, once again.

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Describe the process of planning and organizing the Symposium.

Planning begins with the selection of a keynote speaker. This year, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Sara McClelland and her speech, Working Hard at Being Normal: Gender, Sexuality, and Intimacy in Palliative Care. Following that, we send out a call for proposals and wait for submissions.

This year is unique in that we will be having two panel presentations as well as two poster sessions, featuring students from the º£½ÇÂÒÂ×, as well as other institutions.

The planning process has been exponentially easier with the help of all of those that have been involved. Previous chairs have left generous notes concerning timelines and vendors that have been utilized in the past.

The Symposium continues to evolve as we learn more about the desires of our current students. As the Symposium is organized by Psi Chi, we try to keep students are involved as possible in the planning, construction, judging, and deconstruction of the event.

What is the goal of the Symposium?

The goal of the symposium is to foster a feeling of community and scholarship among students concerning their academic research. This is a perfect opportunity for students to showcase the work on which they have spent many hours.

As º£½ÇÂÒÂ× is a graduate institution, we look for any opportunity to provide our fellow students with support in their academic endeavors, including adding to their CV’s.

How do you balance student life with the extra responsibility of being Chair?

Balance is a considerable challenge, especially as semesters begin and end. However, I have been quite lucky in that I continue to be greatly supported by the º£½ÇÂÒÂ× community. I have an agenda that I follow closely outlining the various tasks that need to be completed as well as their respective timelines. I often create lists for myself, organized by deadline, that includes both the symposium and classroom assignments.  Above all, I prioritize time that I am not doing either, taking time for myself and my own balance. It is a challenge, but one that I welcome.

How does student research enhance learning in and out of the classroom?

Research is often the first opportunity for individuals to explore a topic of personal interest. Traditionally, students are taught with a designated syllabus within a designated area of psychology. Research provides students the opportunity go beyond the typical curriculum, putting a personal touch to an individual’s educational experience.

In my experience, research was the catalyst that sparked my desire for further exploration in psychology. Outside of the classroom, students gain insight and knowledge into a topic of interest. Participating in research provides students with the opportunity to be an active participant in their field as opposed to a passive learner.  Within the classroom, research experience brings greater understanding to the many studies that have helped build the field of psychology.

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