September 09, 2009
A
group of 18 faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and
alumni from St. John’s University’s Graduate Psychology Programs
recently traveled to Toronto, Canada to attend the American Psychological Association
(APA) 117th annual convention.
With 148,000 members, APA is the largest association of
psychologists worldwide. Each year, the convention attracts many
psychologists in all areas of the field, from clinical
psychologists to psychopharmacologists to behavioral
neuroscientists to school psychologists. Graduate students,
researchers, academics and practitioners gather to network and
present the latest research in the field.
Kim
Kassay was one of the St. John’s students who attended the APA
convention. “[It was] an excellent learning experience for me. I
was able to learn about current research and receive advice from
practitioners. My coursework and work with faculty members
over the past three years at St. John's have prepared me to be an
active participant in my field.”
Because the convention is prestigious, honoring the critical role
of psychology, psychologists throughout the nation submit their
research for an opportunity to present at APA. To be accepted as a
presenter at this nationally recognized conference is an honor for
any participant, and it is notable that the St. John’s cohort
delivered an impressive 19 presentations on their newest research
in psychology. This level of participation and the quality of the
presentations and research highlights the outstanding work
currently being conducted at the University.
“I
was fortunate to present some of my research as part of a symposium
organized by Dr. Mark Terjesen along with two graduates and another
student in our program,” Ms. Kassay says. “This provided us
with the opportunity to practice presenting our research to a
professional audience and communicate with other professionals who
shared our research interests. It felt good to know that I
could contribute to the field and potentially teach something to
respected psychologists.”
Professor of Psychology
Beverly Greene, Ph.D., represented St. John’s in an impressive
four symposiums. They included: Cultural Competence in Clinical
Practice: “Working with LGBT Clients of Color in Private Practice”;
“Report of the APA Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses
to Sexual Orientation”; “From Margins to Center – Feminist
Psychology Discourse and Social Justice in the Sherif Tradition”;
and “Trojan Horses, Trojan Women, and the Pursuit of Social
Justice: Moving From Symbolism to Structural Change.” She also
received the prestigious 2009 Award for Distinguished Contributions
to Psychology in the Public Interest (Senior Career).
“We
are proud that so many of our students and faculty have research
accepted for presentation at this conference,” said
Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., Chair of St. John’s Psychology
Department, who presented an invited plenary session on “Anger
Disorders: From Science to Practice. “This type of activity
initiates our students to becoming contributors to the advancement
of the field,”
For more information about the graduate programs in psychology,
please contact Dr. DiGiuseppe at digiuser@stjohns.edu or
(718) 990-6368.