Research Interests
Although I am a clinical psychologist, my primary interest and responsibilities have focused for the past several years on teaching and program/curriculum development. In the Department, I have taught a wide range of courses. Recently, I have greatly enjoyed introducing students to the field of psychology in my Introductory Psychology courses, and to the field of Clinical Psychology in my Abnormal Psychology classes. I am also privileged to supervise upper class psychology majors in extended field work experiences.
Since the Fall of 2006 I have also served as VCU Program Director for the International Programme in Addiction Studies, a fully-online 36-credit Master of Science degree program offered through VCU's Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, Australia, and King's College, London. My current research and pedagogical interests include program and curriculum development with a focus on distance and online learning, and the relationship of early attachment experiences to the development of later psychopathology, and particularly dissociative experiences and substance abuse.
Recent Courses Taught at VCU
- Introductory Psychology, undergraduate level
- Abnormal Psychology, undergraduate level
- Field Work in Human Services/Urban Environment, undergraduate level
- Addiction Policy, graduate level (co-taught with Mr. Charles O’Keeffe)
- Public Health Issues and Approaches to Addiction (Taught with Dr. Besty Turf)
- Research Methods in Addictions (Taught with Dr. Besty Turf)
- Lifespan Developmental Psychology, undergraduate level
- Psychological Tests and Measurement, undergraduate level
- Adolescence, undergraduate level
- Introduction to the Helping Relationship, undergraduate level