Department of Psychology
| The Psychology Beat Winter, 2007 Phone: 912-681-5539 New Profile of Graduate Programs for 2007 In August 2007, the psychology department will offer two graduate programs: one is a Doctor of Psychology program (Psy.D.) in clinical psychology, and the other is a Master of Science (M.S.) in general psychology. Applications are due January 15 for the Psy.D. program, and the priority deadline for the M.S. program is March 1. Department Chair, John Murray, traveled around much of the state recruiting students for the program. In addition to talking to undergraduates at Georgia Southern , Dr. Murray visited ten schools in the University System of Georgia. He found substantial interest in both programs. Dr. Murray visited the following institutions: Savannah State, Armstrong Atlantic, University of Georgia, University of West Georgia, Georgia Southwestern State, Valdosta State, North Georgia College and State University, Augusta State, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. For more information on the graduate programs offered in the department, see the department's webpage: http://class.psychology.georgiasouthern.edu/psychology Janie Wilson 2006-07 Governor's Teaching Fellow Dr. Janie Wilson was selected to be one of two faculty members from Georgia Southern to serve as a Teaching Fellow with the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program for this year. This program was started by Zell Miller "to provide Georgia's higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills." Dr. Wilson will be traveling back and forth to Athens, where she will participate in symposia related to university teaching, Dr. Wilson was a recipient of a 2005-06 Georgia Southern Award of Excellence for Contributions to Instruction. Aside from her excellent record of teaching in the classroom, Dr. Wilson engages in scholarship related to teaching, serves on the editorial board of the journal Teaching of Psychology, and has been the Program Chair for Division 2 (Teaching of Psychology) of the American Psychological Association Undergraduate Students Visit Leadership Center In November, Dr. Kathy Wiegand (Psychology) and Dr. Douglas Johnson (COBA) escorted undergraduate psychology students Synovia Edwards and Mia Tran to the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), near Asheville NC. The CCL is a non-profit organization that does research and trains leaders in various areas of leadership (education, business, non-profit settings). Their mission "is to advance the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide." The students took a tour of the retreat-center-like facility. They also heard presentations about current activities at the center and went to lunch with several staff members. Dr. Wiegand is an Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologist and teaches the I/O course in the psychology department. Psychology Clinic has Successful Start Under the direction of Taunia Locker, the Psychology Clinic opened its doors to adults living in the Statesboro and surrounding communities on August 1. Along with three clinical psychology masters students, Ms. Locker supervised intake interviews on 19 individuals, engaged in over 60 hours of individual therapy and over 20 hours of group therapy, and conducted two psychological assessments. In addition to supervising clinical services Ms. Locker is also teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to two practicum students. DBT is a treatment model evidenced to work in treating Borderine Personality Disorder. The clinic re-opens January 8, 2007. Selected Faculty Publications
Who are our Current Graduate Students? Clinical Students: Second Year: Andrew Anderson, Starla Armstrong, Brandon Browne, Tenille Gaines, John Paul Garrison, Janna Gilmer, Brandon Hatfield, Laurie Heller, Shonda Miller, Alisha Polite, Sarah Taylor Experimental Students: Second year: Bryan Dawson, Ingrid Hellstrom, Amanda Schwartz We Welcome our Newest Faculty Rebecca Ryan received her BA degree ifrom Concord University and her Ph.D. in Life-Span Developmental Psychology from West Virginia University. Her dissertation dealt with interrogative suggestibility in an adolescent and young adult sample. Her future research will investigate interrogative suggestibility with various ages, as well as methods for reducing suggestibility and improving forensic interview techniques in various ages. Ryan's teaching interests are in the area of developmental psychology, particularly in the areas of memory and psychology and law. She also has interests in the history of psychology and successful aging. Taunia Locker received her BA and MS degrees from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She is currently directing the Psychology Clinic and teaching Abnormal and Personality Psychology. Taunia has worked with individuals with mental illness and substance abuse problems in a variety of settings. She has supervised and trained students in Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Please Give to Psychology @ Georgia Southern Please consider supporting the Department of Psychology financially. You can specify how you would like your funds to be used, or allow to use the funds where we need them most. Aside from the many needs, there are opportunities for naming (e.g., The Psychology Clinic) or funding endowed scholarships or faculty positions. Please contact the Georgia Southern University Foundation for more information. They can be reached at: Georgia Southern University Foundation Post Office Box 8053 Statesboro, GA 30460-8053 Phone: (800) 416-1906 http://welcome.georgiasouthern.edu/foundation/ Again, be sure to designate your gift to the Psychology Department. Any questions, comments can be directed to Department Chair, John Murray, at 912-681-5539, or JMurray@georgiasouthern.edu. Your investment (of any amount) will help fund:
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