It is important to me that my courses provide an open, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for all students. I invite students to speak with me if they have concerns or questions regarding issues of diversity, equity, or inclusion in the classroom. I am committed to having discussions that are respectful of all facets of diversity, including but not limited to race, gender identity, sexuality, immigration status, ethnicity, ability, language, religion, age, and socioeconomic status. This does not mean that my courses avoid certain topics, but rather means that I encourage students to share their thoughts while being mindful of classmates' experiences, and avoiding assumptions wherever possible. Students are encouraged to have the kinds of conversations that they think they should be having in each class; such conversations differ in an Abnormal Psychology discussion from those held in upper-level seminars. If I am not helping the classroom to feel like an inclusive environment, I invite students to contact me.

I advise senior projects at Bard as part of my work at Bard. Below are examples of senior projects I have supervised for at least one semester. Empirical projects with data collection are noted with a typographical dagger †. The current syllabus for my senior project students is also online, here.

• 2024–2025
  • † I. C. G.: Mediating role reversals: Child language brokering in the healthcare field
  • O. J. (joint with Spanish Studies): Access and effectiveness of PTSD treatment for Central American Immigrants: A proposed qualitative analysis
  • P. L.: Healing through expression: The impact of expressive writing on mental and physical wellbeing in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • † J. B. N.: Increasing autonomy in the classroom: Examining academic motivators in ADHD
  • † M. T. (advised Spring): A review examining the consistency of temporal orientation among rumination and worry questionnaires and subscales
  • Y. V. (S25): A somatic experiencing approach in unpacking racial trauma
• 2023–2024
  • † D. D. M.: Using the trolley dilemma and the implications of anxiety to look at how interpersonal relationships impact moral decision-making
  • M. W. (advised Spring; joint with Asian Studies): Silent struggles: Exploring disordered eating among Asian American women from a sociocultural perspective
  • L. K.-F. (advised Fall): Mental health stigmas in formerly-incarcerated communities and the impact of solitary confinement on seeking treatment
  • † Z. K.: Spirituality as a coping mechanism for academic stress
  • † L. M.: The relationship between semantic search and semantic priming
  • † M. G. (advised first semester): Impact of future-self continuity on the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of active commuting
• 2022–2023
  • D. G.-B.: Teacher diversity training: Revealing biases and changing practices
  • † N. H.: Diversity in diagnosis: A comparative relationship between the social behavioral effects and timing of ADHD diagnosis in African American adults
  • † G. T.: The impact of psychiatric labels and sexual orientation on attitudes toward people with pedophilic attractions
  • † A. S. (advised Fall): Gender and theory of mind: The complex relationships between the depiction of emotion in preschool age children and moderating variables
  • † J. H.-P. (advised Fall): Can I have it all?: Does attachment style dictate relationship security?
• 2021–2022
  • E. G. (advised Fall): Who is anointed?: The psychological and social justice implications of Gifted and Talented programs in the United States
  • G. S. C. (advised Fall): The effects of code-switching on the social development of bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder
  • † K. F. (advised Fall): Eww vs. taboo: The effect of physical contamination and moral transgressions on feelings of mental contamination
(View prior senior projects)
2020–2021
• A. W.: The incorporation of Indigenous tradition in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: A pathway to cultural inclusivity within mental health
• P. K. S. (joint with Human Rights): Solitary confinement: An examination of the use of torture in United States correctional facilities
• N. D.: Online education and the socioeconomic achievement gap: A solution or a problem?
• D. C.-A.: Merging the waves: An eclectic approach to practicing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
2019–2020
• † W. L.: Friend or foe? Outstanding peer's unexpected impact on test-taking ability
• B. T.: Adolescent Borderline Personality Disorder: A diagnosis more hopeful than harmful
• E. C.: Where words fail, music speaks: Investigating the role of psychopathy in predicting the level of emotion and frisson in music listening
2018–2019
• S. S.: Helping adolescents with autism: Can music therapy counteract the effects of hyperacusis?
• † L. S.: Body dissatisfaction: Searching for a link between depressive symptoms, body image, and eating patterns

If you would like to request a letter of recommendation, please contact me with details as soon as possible. In your email, please be explicit about what the letter is for, and when it is due. I will need materials from you with ample time to write your letter (a minimum of two weeks).

If I agree to write a reference letter for you, provide those of the below documents that are relevant to your application. The more information you provide me, the better I can do at writing you a good letter. Send me all of the materials in one email, as PDFs wherever possible. If paper versions of any materials are required, please provide me with all forms and envelopes completed as best as possible. This includes entering my name and Bard College mailing address on any forms.

• Your CV or resumé, including both academic and non-academic highlights
• A transcript (if I am not your advisor, or if you have graduated from Bard; a screenshot is fine)
• A list of schools, programs, or fellowships to which you are applying, with modes of submission and due dates clearly marked. This list should be sorted in order of date due. A Google Sheet or Excel spreadsheet are excellent ways to share this information if there are multiple programs involved
• A summary statement explaining why you are applying
• A draft of any essays required for the opportunity
• A note about important factors you would like me to highlight, whether they be things I may know about you (your work in my course or lab, e.g.) or things I may not (summer work, awards won, etc.)
• A reminder of highlights from your coursework or research with me. What part of the experience made you the most proud?

Please feel free to follow up by email several days before the deadline, if you have not heard from me, to confirm that your recommendation has been submitted.

Lastly, I hope that you will let me know the outcome of any such applications, and what decision you make.