Adult Psychopathology

Core Faculty

Core Clinical Faculty

Dr. Jeffrey Ciesla - The processes and course of depressive disorders.

Dr. Karin Coifman - Emotion processing and emotion regulatory strategies in the development and persistence of psychopathology in acutely stressed populations.

Dr. Janis Crowther - Body image disturbance and eating disorders, including the topography and function of binge eating.

Dr. Nancy Docherty - Cognitive and emotional disturbances associated with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Dr. David Fresco - Cognitive, emotional, and physiological reactivity, and emotion regulation, in anxiety and depression as they relate to risk and resilience factors and in terms of their implications for treatment.

Core Experimental Faculty

Dr. Douglas Delahanty - Psychophysiological predictors and correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder, and pharmacological interventions for the disorder.

About the Adult Psychopathology Program

The study of psychopathology, or mental disorder, is a central focus for clinical psychologists. Many of the faculty members in the Psychology Department at Kent State are engaged in research, teaching, and/or clinical practice related to adult psychopathology.  The adult psychopathology program at Kent State University is comprised of faculty and students with active programs of research on the etiology, course, and treatment of emotional disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders.  This research utilizes experimental, treatment development, and field research methodologies.  A large proportion of the research undertaken is conducted with patient populations.

Research Training in Adult Psychopathology

Psychopathology research is broadly defined as investigation into the nature and origins of mental disorders, and into the factors that affect the course and outcome of these disorders. The training for the specialization in adult psychopathology involves engagement in research, in collaboration with a faculty mentor, on a topic related to adult psychopathology. During the course of graduate training, a student in this specialty area works toward identifying and developing a particular research interest area of his/her own within the general area of the mentor's expertise. Students typically conduct both their master's thesis and doctoral dissertation in their identified area of interest.

Graduate Coursework in Adult Psychopathology

All students in the clinical program take classes related to adult psychopathology and receive training in adult assessment and treatment as part of the core program. Students may elect to pursue advanced training in adult psychopathology by choosing it as a specialty. The adult psychopathology specialty area is defined primarily as a research focus area, complemented by related coursework and clinical training experiences. Students complete all departmental and clinical core course requirements, as well as the clinical program's requisite number of clinical and experimental elective credits. We recommend that students in the adult psychology program take the course Theories of Personality, and either Physiological Psychology or Cognitive Neuropsychology, as part of the departmental core. Students also are required to choose at least three of their electives from courses directly related to their particular research focus within adult psychopathology (e.g., seminars on schizophrenia, borderline psychopathology, aggression, neuropsychology, metacognition, cognitive behavior therapy, and/or psychopharmacology, depending on the student's specific research focus). A student's choice of core courses and electives is made in consultation with the faculty mentor. Students also may choose to have some of their elective requirements waived so that they can involve themselves in additional research projects.  

Clinical Experiences

Students in this specialty area complete their practicum requirements by taking the general practicum in their second year, and selecting an adult advanced or specialty practicum in their third year. It is recommended that students choose a third-year specialty practicum related to their research focus, if one is available. In addition, students may request that they be assigned cases related to their area of interest when it is possible and feasible for the Clinic to do this. Students also complete at least one year of the required field placement in an adult assessment and/or treatment setting.

Current Graduate Students

• Nicholas Anderson (BA, California State University, Sacramento, 5^th Year, Ciesla Lab)
• Shauna Clen (BA, University of Connecticut, 4^th Year, Fresco Lab)
• Kelsey Dickson (BA, Northwestern University, 2^nd Year, Ciesla Lab)
• Marielle Divilbiss (BA, DePaul University, 4^th Year, Docherty Lab)
• Jessica Flynn (BSc, MSc, Queen’s University, 2^nd Year, Fresco Lab)
• Brittain E. Lamoureux (BA, University of Georgia, MA, New York University, 6^th Year, Fresco Lab, Currently on internship at the Stokes Cleveland VAMC)
• Eftihia-Effie Linardatos (BS, University of Oregon, 6^th Year, Fresco Lab, Currently on Internship at the Minneapolis VAMC)
• Katie Horsey (BA, Portland State University, 6^th Year, Ciesla Lab, Currently on internship at the Western NY VAMC)
• Natasha Kalaida (BA, University of Michigan, 1^st Year, Fresco Lab)
• David Kalmbach (BA, Kent State University, 3^rd Year, Ciesla Lab)
• Amanda McCleery (BSc, University of Toronto, 4^th Year, Docherty Lab)
• Marie LePage (BA, Mary Washington University, 6^th Year, Crowther Lab, Currently on internship at the Charleston Consortium)
• Aubrey Moe (BA, University of California, Irvine, 2^nd Year, Docherty Lab)
• Lavinia Pinto (BA, MA, Boston University, 1^st Year, Coifman Lab)
• Laura Reilly (BA, University of Delaware, 3^rd Year, Ciesla Lab)
• Emily Schumann (BA, Knox College, MA, College of William & Mary, 3^rd Year, Docherty Lab)
• James Seghers (BA, St. John’s College, MS, California State University, 6^th Year, Docherty Lab, Currently on internship at the Stokes Cleveland VAMC)
• Kathryn Smith (BA, Macalester College, 3^rd Year, Crowther Lab)
• Vivek Venugopal (BA, Ohio Wesleyan University, MA Cleveland State University, 4^th Year, Ciesla Lab)
• Nicole Williams (BA, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 5^th Year, Crowther Lab)

Adult psychopathology students have obtained excellent clinical internships.  Most students have gone on to complete postdoctoral fellowships, and all graduates have subsequently obtained academic, research, and/or clinical positions in the field.  Here is a list of some recent graduates:

• Jennifer Aakre (Docherty Lab, Internship & Postdoctoral Fellowship: VA Maryland Health Care System)
• Alex Cohen (Docherty Lab, Internship & Postdoctoral Fellowhip: University of Maryland. Currently: Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University)
• Thomas Dinzeo (Docherty Lab. Internship & Postdoctoral Fellowship: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine. Currently: Assistant Professor, Rowan University)
• Emily Haigh (Fresco Lab, Internship:  St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Ontario. Postdoctoral Fellowship:  University of Pennsylvania)
• Stephen James (Docherty Lab, Internship:  Southwest Consortium. Currently: Clinical Psychologist, Portland OR)
• Michael Moore (Fresco Lab, Internship:  VA Maryland Health Care System, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University)
• Taryn Myers (Crowther Lab, Internship:  Medical College of Georgia/VA Medical Center.  Currently:  Assistant Professor, Virginia Wesleyan College)
• Sheethal Reddy (Crowther Lab, Internship:  Duke University Medical School.  Postdoctoral Fellowship:  Emory University)
• Nina Rytwinski (Fresco Lab, Internship:  Eastern Virginia Medical School, Postdoctoral Fellowship:  Case Western Reserve University)
• Annie St-Hilaire (Docherty Lab, Internship & Postdoctoral Fellowship:  Harvard University Medical School)

Faculty with Related Interests

• Dr. Yossef Ben-Porath studies the assessment of personality and psychopathology.
  
• Dr. John Gunstad studies neurocognitive functioning, particularly as it relates to medical conditions.
  
• Dr. Dan Neal studies alcohol use and abuse in college students.
  
• Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett studies the development of anxiety and anxiety related disorders in African Americans.
• Dr. John Updegraff studies cognitive and emotional processes that underlie health, well-being, and adaptation to stress.