Dr. Beverly Thorn, chair of the psychology department, is seeking volunteers for a key study into how "mindfulness meditation" can help manage chronic pain from headaches.

Complementary and alternative medicine approaches are becoming increasingly popular among the American public for the treatment of an array of physical, emotional and mental problems, Thorn said.  One such approach is "mindfulness meditation."  The approach appeals to a wide range of people and is gaining steady research support for its use in treating health-care problems.

Mindfulness meditation is a specific form of meditation originally developed in the East.  The idea has been integrated into Western psychology and health care.  Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of mindfulness-based approaches within the Western medical community, describes mindfulness as "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience, moment by moment."

"Although people might think of monasteries and monks when they hear the word 'meditation,' patients across the country are discovering that these approaches are much more applicable to everyday life than once thought," said Thorn, who has performed extensive research on the psychology of headaches and pain management.  "Meditation as applied to health care is being demystified and made practical at a number of locations."

Investigators in UA's psychology department are performing cutting-edge research on the effectiveness of this treatment approach for chronic headache pain management.  The eight-week program, developed by Thorn and her senior graduate student, Melissa Day, is an integrated treatment with mindfulness meditation at its core.  Treatment also includes mindful yoga, led by Dr. Nancy Rubin, a certified yoga instructor, and stress manegement skills.  Treatment groups are under way with headache patients meeting weekly for two-hour session, for a total of eight weeks.

As part of the program, patients are provided with a series of CDs intended as a guide for daily, at-home meditation practice.  This research already is receiving international recognition and is being funded through grants from the Anthony Marchionne Foundation and the National Headache Foundation.

For more information, contact Dr. Thorn at mbct4pain@gmail.com or 205-348-5024.

 

The UA Psychology department would like to welcome four new additions to the faculty for 2011-2012. 

Dr. Natalie Dautovich comes to us from the University of Florida.  Within the area of geropsychology, her research focuses on Chronopsychology, the study of how our daily activity rhythms, routines, habits, and biological rhythms influence our well-being and health.  Specific research topics include the relationship between regularity in social rhythm and sleep and mood outcomes in older adults.  Dr. Dautovich is interested in the use of daily process research designs and multi-level modeling analyses to capture these relationships.

Dr. Michelle Deramus is the new Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology and Clinical Director of the UA Autism Spectrum Disorders Clinic.  Dr. Deramus is a graduate of the University of Alabama.

Dr. Sarah Ryan, also a graduate of the University of Alabama, is the Clinical Assistant Professor Psychology and Coordinator of the UA Autism college Transition Support program.

Dr. Kelly Stanek Sellbom specializes in clinical health neuropsychology.  Her research broadly focuses on the neuropsychological impact of major medical disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and obesity, and the mechanisms underlying associations between impaired health and cognitive dysfunction.  Her most recent work examines specific cognitive correlates of chronic obesity as well as interactions between aging and adiposity on cognitive functioning.  Her clinical expertise is in the neuropsychological assessment of adults and older adults.

Abigayl Perelman's Research is the Topic of Article in gradPsych Magazine

Abigayl Perelman, a current clinical and law doctoral student in the department of Psychology, was recently cited in an article in the November 2011 issue of gradPSYCH magazine, the magazine of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students.  The article intitled "One student's 30-minute module is changing lawyers' minds" features information conducted by Ms. Perelman.  To view the entire article, click on the link below.

Abigayl Perelman article in gradPSYCH

The Bama Grad Expo brought up to 50 top prospective graduate students from across the country to the University of Alabama campus on January 12-14, 2012.  This annual event, hosted by the UA College of Arts and Sciences and the UA Graduate School, gives prospective graduate students the chance to tour the campus, learn about degrees offered, and visit with current graduate students and faculty in their department of interest.

Admission to the Bama Grad Expo is competitive and open to all undergraduate juniors and seniors seeking a rewarding graduate experience with strong faculty mentoring in research, scholarship, and creative activities.  Students from under-represented populations, McNair Scholars, and first generation college students are especially encouraged to apply.  For more information on the 2012 Bama Grad Expo and application instructions, click on the link below:

bamagradexpo.ua.edu

Dr. Ed Merrill Receives UA Academic Advisor Excellence Award

Dr. Ed Merrill, professor and undergraduate advisor for the Department of Psychology, has been awarded the University-wide Academic Advisor Excellence Award.  The award is given to an outstanding faculty advisor or professional advisor who has made significant contributions to the field of academic advising.  Thank you Dr. Merrill for all the work you do with our students!

Two Psychology majors, John Harris and Matt Jones, placed recently in the poster session at the Undergraduate Research Creative Activity Conference at The University of Alabama.

John Harris is a Junior and member of the Psychology honor's program under Dr. Rosanna Guadagno.  His poster tied for first place at the conference.  It's title was:  "Social Influence Online:  The Impact of Social Proof and Likeability on Compliance".

Matt Jones is a Senior and a member of the New College honor's program.  His poster entitled "Good vs. Evil:  A Study of Gender in Avatar Selection and Alignment" won third place.

Both Harris and Jones are honor's students of Dr. Guadagno and she was their faculty sponsor on the posters.  Congratulations to these students and their sponsor for a job well done!

Two graduate students from the Psychology Department at UA have each won a Univerisity-level award.

Abigayl Perelman is the recipient of the Graduate School's Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student Award Competition.  With this award, Abbie will be the recipient of the Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student Award for the University of Alabama, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences.

Brittany Travers is the recipient of the Graduate School's Outstanding Research Award by a Doctoral Student Award competition.  With this award, Brittany will be the recipient of the Outstanding Research Award by a Doctoral Student for the Univerisity of Alabama, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Beverly Thorn, chair of UA's psychology department and an expert on cognitive therapy for chronic pain, received the 2010 Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award at a ceremony held at the President's Mansion on Friday, November 19, 2010.

University of Alabama News » UA Psychology Professor to Receive Blackmon-Moody Award

The National Science Foundation awarded one of two grants to College of Arts and Sciences doctoral student Tess Neal to strengthen her research dissertation.

Ms. Neal, a student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama, was awarded a doctoral dissertation improvement grant.

Neal, whose research advisor is Dr. Stanley Brodsky, professor of psychology, was awarded a $15,000 grant to further her research examining how biases among forensic psychologists may influence the outcome of death-penalty cases.

In April 2007, the government of Estonia decided to move a statue honoring Russian soldiers who dies in World War II out of the capital of Tallinn.  Angry ethnic Russians throughout the world launched a cyberattack on the small Baltic nation, crippling its cyber infrastructure for four days. 

Why did such an attack happen?  And can it happen again?  Dr. Rosanna Guadagno, assistant professor of psychology at The University of Alabama, and two colleagues have written a paper analyzing the attack and suggesting reasons word of the movement spread so quickly and evoked such passion among Russian INternet denizens.

For the complete article, click on the link below:

University of Alabama News » UA Psychologist Studies Reasons Behind Cyberattack on Estonia

Psychology Professors Receive National Recognition

Two professors in the Department of Psychology have been selected for recognition in their fields.

Dr. John Lochman, professor and Doddridge Saxon Chair of Clinical Psychology, has won the 2011 Distinguished Career Award from the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology division of the American Psychological Association.  Winners are asked to give a 50-minute address at the annual APA conference in August 2011.

Lochman is the developer of the Coping Power Program for children and is the director of the Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems at UA.

Dr. Beverly Thorn, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, has received the 2011 Career Service Award from the American Psychological Association's Division of Health Psychology.

The award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the division or the advancement of health psychology as a field.

Sara Stromeyer Presents Winning Poster at the APA Convention in San Diego, CA

Sara Stromeyer, a University of Alabama 3rd year clinical graduate student in the Department of Psychology, presented and won the Division 37 Research Excellence Award for her poster entitled "Inflation of Competencies and Academic Outcomes in Aggressive Children". The presentation and award were made at the American Psychological Association Convention held in San Diego, CA, August 14, 2010.  Rachel Baden, a 5th year graduate student in clinical Psychology, was listed as the second author on the poster as well.  Congratulations goes out to both of these students for a job well done!

The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (National Register) Board of Directors announced the presentation of the Alfred M. Wellner Distinguished Career Psychologist Award to Beverly E. Thorn, Ph.D., of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  The award is named for the National Register's first Executive Officer, Alfred M. Wellner, Ph.D.  The Wellner Award is the National Register's highest honor bestowed on a psychologist to commemorate numerous and significant contributions to psychology during a distinguished career.  In her nomination letter, Registrant Elizabeth Klonoff, Ph.D., of San Diego State University, aptly summarized Dr. Thorn's numerous accomplishments. She wrote:

"Many people know Bev best for her work mentoring other professionals, both within health psychology and within clinical psychology more generally.  Bev Thorn has literally been the role model, confidant, and adviser for a whole generation of women who serve as Directors of Clinical Training (DCTs).  When Bev first began as a DCT, women in those roles were the overwhelming minority.  While it is still primarily a man's position in most clinical programs, those women who have started to do the job have relied on Bev as the exemplar for doing so.  Bev's success as a DCT opened the door for other women to think about applying for, and even taking on the role of DCT.  IN fact, Bev has often served as a mentor to me despite the fact that I am a senior colleague.  Many of us were so moved by the impact Bev has had on DCTs around the country that we suggested that the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) initiate an annual award in her honor.  As a result CUDCP now gives the Beverly Thorn Award for Outstanding Service as a DCT; of course, Bev was the first recipient."

Dr. Thorn has a long record of contributions to the National Register, including her involvement with the National Register Legacy of Excellence DVD series and long-term support of the National Register mission.  Dr. Thorn has been credentialed by the National Register since 2001.

The Psychology Department Welcomes Three New Faculty Members For 2010-2011

Welcome to our three new Faculty in the Psychology Department:

Will Hart - Ph.D., University of Florida, 2009, and he comes to us by way of his previous position at the National Opinion Research Center in Chicago.  Will is joining the social psychology area of the experimental psychology program - he studies attitude change and attitude formation, motivation, and goals.

Phillip Gable - Ph.D., Texas A&M University, 2010, social area.  Phillip studies emotional and social neuroscience - the way emotions affect brain activity and social behavior.

Matt Jarrett - Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 2010, child clinical area - his research explores evidence-based assessment and treatment practices for children with ADHD and co-occurring anxiety.

 

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Dr. Randall Salekin Publishes Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychopathy

Dr. Randall Salekin and Dr. Donald Lynam recently completed their book entitled the Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychopathy which will be published with Guilford Press.  The handbook has been described as "synthesizing the tremendous growth of recent research on child and adolescent psychopathy."  The handbook has received strong endorsements from leaders in the fields of developmental psychopathology, clinical, and clinical child psychology.

   

 

Dr. Randy Salekin Opens the Disruptive Behavior Clinic for Children and Adolescents (2008)

The Disruptive Behavior Clinic was opened by Dr. Randy Salekin in November 2008 in the University of Alabama Psychological Clinic.  The clinic is designed to provide assessment and treatment for conduct problem youth and compliments other clinical work being conducted in the broader Psychology Clinic.  For more information, contact the Disruptive Behavior Clinic, 251-A Gordon Palmer Hall, 205-348-5000.

Jeffrey A. Levitetz of Boca Raton, Florida, has contributed $20,000 to The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama to honor Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Rosenberg and to promote the education of students in the college of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama.  Mr. Levitetz desires that this gift be accepted and maintained by The University of Alabama as a permanent fund to be named the Jerry Rosenberg Endowed Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences.  Priority of consideration for recipients will be given to students enrolled in New College.

Dr. Jerome Rosenberg, a highly respected and admired faculty member in the Department of Psychology and New College, received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Florida State University.  As an expert on the Holocaust, he has worked with Holocaust survivors and is a liaison to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum, a charter member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a past chair of the Alabama Holocaust Advisory Council, and a current member of the Alabama Holocaust Commission. 

Also a scholar of human survival and ethics, Dr. Rosenberg has served on the ethical review board for Hospice of West Alabama and is an instructor and planning member of the Thanatology Certificate Program in the College of Continuing Studies, a program which teaches professionals how to assist the dying and the bereaved.  Dr. Rosenberg has taken a keen interest in undergraduate education at the University and is presently the Psi Chi sponsor and the former Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology.

The donor, Jeffrey A. Levitetz, founder and CEO of Purity Wholesale Grocers, is a distinguished alumnus of New College, who graduated in 1980 with a bachelor of arts.  Mr. Levitetz has fond memories of his entrepreneurial beginnings at the University and recognizes the impact Dr. Rosenberg had on his education as well as that of so many others.  Through this endowment, Mr. Levitetz wishes to honor Dr. Rosenberg and to support academic excellence within the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama in perpetuity.

The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama has accepted this generous contribution of Mr. Levitetz and has established the Jerry Rosenberg Endowed Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Patti Thomas Receives McKinley Employee Award (2008)

Capstone Awards recently awarded the Vergil Parks McKinley, Sr. Employee Award to our own Patti Thomas.  This award provides an opportunity to honor individual employees, departments, or teams for their exemplary performance, winning spirit, exceptional customer service, and enterprising ways.  As Administrative Specialist in the Psychology Department, and a University of Alabama employee for 20 years, Patti has gone above and beyond to insure these traits are a vital part of her character, and is an outstanding asset to this department.  She is very deserving of this prestigious award, and our thanks for her service and congratulations go out to her.

The Vergil Parks McKinley, Sr. Employee Award, established by John K. McKinley and the late Helen H. McKinley, recognizes enterprising employees, who by action or idea, contribute to The University of Alabama's mission of teaching, research and service.  The award honors Dr. Vergil Parks McKinley, a long-time professor at the UA who began his career in 1918 and retired in 1945 as head of the Trade and Industrial Development Department in the College of Education.

 

At the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention held recently in Boston, MA, Dr. Forrest Scogin was awarded the "M. Powell Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award for Applied Gerontology" given by the American Psychology Association Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and the Retirement Research Foundation.  Dr. Scogin is a clinical psychologist at the University of Alabama with research interests in geropsychology, depression, and psychotherapy research.