From the College of Psychology…
October 2023 Research Highlights reported by the College of Psychology.
In August 2023, Lenore Walker EdD, ABPP, received the APF Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology (Lenore E. Walker (2023). American Psychologist, 78(5), 662–663. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001203) for her groundbreaking work with a particularly vulnerable population, those with a syndrome she named Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS). Dr. Walker’s work has had a transformational impact in psychology, in the courts, in public policy, and in the lives of countless women over a period of more than 40 years. BWS is accepted as a criminal defense.
Below is the APF statement:
The APF Gold Medal for Impact in Psychology recognizes Lenore E. Walker for her groundbreaking work with a particularly vulnerable population, those with a syndrome she named Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS). Lenore E. Walker’s work has had a transformational impact in psychology, in the courts, in public policy, and in the lives of countless women over a period of more than 40 years. BWS is accepted as a criminal defense.
In federal court and all state courts and may be raised as ‘state of mind’ for damages in personal injury cases and in family courts. The central tenet of Dr. Walker’s contributions is that the victims of trauma from familial and intimate partner violence, abuse, and degradation all share experiencing common trauma symptoms that may need effective trauma-specific assessment and treatment. Her work has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of abused women and their families and continues to be used and expanded upon today. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
Arie T. Greenleaf, Ph.D. is a Full Professor in the NSU Department of Counseling. Dr. Greenleaf has broad counseling experience in both clinical and educational settings, including K-12 schools, 2-and 4-year university counseling centers, mental health agencies, and private practice. Dr. Greenleaf recently had a research article accepted for publication in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health that employed a qualitative phenomenological design to understand adult clients’ lived experiences of ‘walk and talk therapy’ in outdoor settings. This was the first study of its kind to explore active mental health clients’ personal reactions to having their sessions outdoors. The study lays the groundwork for the development of best practices in walk and talk therapy. The themes that emerged from the study showed that walking outside during therapy positively impact the therapeutic process. However, important consideration should be given to the setting to avoid potential interference with clients’ readiness to be fully present and transparent.
Greenleaf, A. T., Williams, J. M., Roessger, K., Leibsohn, J., Jiwoo, P., & Walther, B. (In Press). “Put on your walking shoes”: A phenomenological study of clients’ experience of walk and talk therapy. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.
William R. Kochen, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and was a co-author on a recently published paper in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy investigating the effects of dental inflammation on a rat model of Alzheimer’s Disease titled, “IL-34 exacerbates pathogenic features of Alzheimer’s disease and calvaria osteolysis in triple transgenic (3x-Tg) female mice”. Results of this animal research led Dr. Kochen to be Co-I on a Florida Department of Health funded grant investigating the effect improved dental health in local Floridians with Alzheimer’s Disease. The study is currently in the recruitment process.
Jessica M. Valenzuela, Ph.D., ABPP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and School Psychology at NSU’s College of Psychology. Dr. Valenzuela and colleagues recently published an article examining the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in racially and ethnically diverse youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Over 100 caregivers of youth with T1D participated in the study at two pediatric diabetes centers in the southeastern and northeastern United States. The study found disparities in glycemic health for youth with diabetes during the pandemic, as well as differences in exposure to COVID-19 related stressors by race/ethnicity. Hispanic caregivers of youth with T1D reported exposure to a greater number of stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregiver qualitative responses described a complicated picture regarding the impact of the pandemic on children with diabetes and their families. Ratings of COVID-19 related stress were not associated with later glycemic health after controlling for social determinants of health and other relevant factors.
Valenzuela, J. M., Dimentstein, K., Yee, S., Pan, B., Snyder, M. C., & Wolf, R. M. (2023). Psychosocial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Racially/Ethnically Diverse Youth With Diabetes. Journal of pediatric psychology, 48(1), 17-28. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsac070