Publications & Presentations

Listed is a sampling of research done by faculty and students. Each semester the department hosts a Graduate Brown Bag Lunch Discussion for students. This is an opportunity for students to gather and discuss dissertation topics, research, and current issues around psychology.

Published Dissertations 

“Get Grit at the Warrior Factory: An Innovative Program for Youth” Alayna Davison, Psy.D.

“Teacher Stress in Response to the Covid-19 Outbreak in the Spring of 2020”  Liam Cerveny Psy.D. 2021 Candidate

“My life’s been good. It changed, it’s been good.” The Use of Sandtray Therapy with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Comorbid Mental Illness." Vanessa Komarek, Psy.D.

"The Effectiveness and Comparison of Tier 2 Interventions on Improving Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Elementary School"  Rebecca Draper, Psy.D.

"A Paradigm Shift toward Trauma-Informed Practices in Education: A Program Evaluation" Alysa MacMillen, Psy.D.

“The Implementation of Psychosocial Interventions to Child Survivors of Online Sexual Exploitation in the Philippines” Dr. Rebecca Draper and Dr. Keri Bassett 

Spring 2021 Lunch Discussion Schedule

Feb. 12th —Alex Popa
Practice of dissertation proposal entitled Use of Therapy Dogs Coupled with DBT within Eating Disorder Populations

Feb. 19th—Shane Wiegand, guest speaker
Shane is the co-lead of the PathStone Foundation's Antiracist Curriculum Project and a Grade 4 teacher in Rush Henrietta. He serves on the boards of Connected Communities and City Roots Community Land Trust. He is an adjunct faculty instructor in the URMC Department of Neurology, where he lectures, leads workshops on anti-racism and equity. He and his wife live in the Beechwood neighborhood of Rochester.

Feb. 26th— Alexsis Hernandez
Practice of dissertation proposal entitled, The Lived Experience of School Resource Officers in the Era of BLM

March 19th—Cariann Coward
Practice of dissertation defense entitled, Utilizing Sand Tray to Assess the Effects of Racial Tensions in Black Mental Health Therapists: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Approach

April 9th—Brianna Diaz 
Practice of dissertation defense entitled, Contextualizing the Concept of Refugee Mental Health in Education: A Phenomenological Study of Educators’ Perceptions on Refugee Mental Health Needs

April 23rd—Sofia Falco 
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Lived Experiences of SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Leaders 

April 30th—Steve Fedchak
Practice of dissertation defense focused on the effects of using an exercise intervention to decrease food selectivity at a clinic that specializes in working with kids on the autism spectrum

May 7th—Grace Joseph
Practice of dissertation defense entitled, Examining the Benefits of Implementing Restorative Practices and DBT STEP-A in High School