Graduate Training
Graduate Research Training
In my role as an instructor and supervisor for graduate students, I attempt to provide practical knowledge and experience to prepare students for future leadership roles in psychology. Research opportunities are a large part of this training. My students have co-authored nine recent publications and co-authored 21 posters or papers presented at national conferences with me. Additionally, one of my students recently submitted a National Research Service Award (NRSA) Pre-Doctoral grant proposal to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Current student research projects include 1) the creation of a measure of schizotypal qualities among youth, 2) the comparison of community referred youth who endorse psychotic screening items to those who do not on various clinical correlates, 3) the qualitative accounts of parents’ experiences raising a youth with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, 4) an assessment of certain psychometric properties of self-report prodromal screening questionnaires, 5) the relation between dermatoglyphic abnormalities and prodromal symptoms in a large, non-clinical young adult sample, 6) the assessment of community provider’s clinical conceptualization of the prodrome, and 7) an examination of the psychometric properties of a psychotic subscale of a general measure of psychopathology administered to a large sample of youth in Hawaii.
Graduate Clinical Training
Preparing graduate students to become exceptional clinical-scientists is a priority. I am currently the Principal Investigator on an ongoing Department of Health clinical training and research contract, fully funding and providing clinical training for several graduate students, one post-doc, and one post-baccalaureate unclassified graduate student. This contract helps support the child branch of the Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Center for CBT). As one of two primary supervisors, I co-facilitate weekly group and individual clinical supervision of community referred treatment and assessment cases at the clinic. Clinical treatment cases expose students to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, oppositional behavior, child abuse, suicide, substance abuse, sexual issues, and other challenging circumstances faced by our clients. In addition, and consistent with our program of research, the clinic emphasizes the assessment and treatment of thought disorders such as schizophrenia. We provide graduate students specialized neurocognitive assessment and intervention training relevant to schizophrenia. Overall, the integration of research with extensive clinical training provides excellent opportunities for students in these domains.