December 18, 2009
St.
John’s University’s Psychology Department delivered an impressive
12 presentations at the recent annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and
Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) in St. John’s hometown, New York
City. This impressive level of participation and the quality of the
psychology presentations and research highlight some of the
outstanding work that is currently being conducted at the
University.
“St. John’s University regularly has student, alumni and faculty
participation in many national and international conferences,”
notes Mark Terjesen, Ph.D., Associate Professor. “As ABCT is the
largest cognitive-behavioral science-based organization, the fact
that St. John’s had such strong representation is reflective of the
high quality instruction and degree of respect and ability of our
faculty and students.”
The convention typically covers all topics relevant to behavioral
and cognitive therapies, including types of therapies, work with
specific populations, the dissemination of evidence-based
treatments and much more. To be accepted as a presenter at this
nationally recognized conference is an honor for any participant.
More than 2,000 psychologists, researchers, clinicians, and
academics across the U.S. submitted their research for an
opportunity to present at ABCT because the convention, which honors
the critical role of psychology, is so prestigious.
This year, 36 graduate students, faculty and alumni from St. John’s
graduate psychology programs gathered with 4,000-plus
psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and students to
network and present the latest research in the field. They were
treated to presentations by such well-known scholars in the field
as Dr. Aaron T. Beck, the “father” of cognitive therapy, Dr. David
H. Barlow and Dr. Christopher G. Fairburn.
Psychology Department Plays
Prominent Role
Of particular note were the multiple presentations made by
Psychology Department Chair Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., a past
president of ABCT and renowned expert in anger disorders. Even
before the convention opened, he presented a full-day, workshop for
clinical practitioners entitled, “A Comprehensive Treatment Program
for Clients with Anger Disorders.”
During the convention, he moderated a symposium on Cognitive
Restructuring vs. Cognitive Defusion and was the invited speaker
for the Child and School-Related Special Interest Group that
presented on “What We Know about Child and Adolescent Anger, and
Its Implications for Assessment and Treatment.”
The Psychology Department Chair also presented on the topic,
“Prefrontal Cortex Functioning and Rumination Moderate the
Relationship between Anger and Aggression,” with graduate student
Vasco Lopes, who says that he is always “impressed and enlightened”
when he attends ABCT's convention because “the research presented
is cutting-edge.
“It was an honor to present my research. One of the most rewarding
aspects,” he elaborates, “is that we were able to meet other
professionals with similar interests, enabling us to share our
research interests and bounce intellectual ideas off one another.
Being mentored by Dr. Ray DiGiuseppe, one of the foremost experts
on anger, and having presented on factors that predict aggression,
I had the privilege to meet several experts in that field and
further develop research ideas that could increase our knowledge of
how to successfully treat aggressive youths.”
Dr. DiGiuseppe presented a second poster, “A Confirmatory Factor
Analysis of the Anger Disorder Scale with Normative and Clinical
Samples” with Raymond Chip Tafrate, Ph.D., and Professor William
Chaplin, Ph.D.
The Psychology Department at St. John’s offers graduate degrees in
Experimental, School and Clinical Psychology. Those interested in
learning more about the graduate programs should contact Dr.
DiGiuseppe, at digiuser@stjohns.edu or
(718) 990-6368.