COUNSELING, DEVELOPMENTAL & EDUCATIONAL ......Describe your academic background and professional experiences. I did my undergrad at NYU and received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor

COUNSELING, DEVELOPMENTAL &

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

PhD Cohort 2010

LYNCH SCHOOL OF

EDUCATION

Erin McDonald

Program: Applied Developmental

& Educational Psychology

Advisor: Dr. Penny Hauser –Cram

Assistantship: Dr. Brinton Lykes

Email: [email protected]

Describe your academic background and professional experiences.

I graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009 and received my master's in Human

Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in

2010. I have worked for two summers as an ESL teacher at an international sum-

mer school in Massachusetts, and was an intern for the Massachusetts Literacy

Foundation in Boston. I have also interned in bilingual and sheltered immersion

classes at two different elementary schools, and was an academic coach for a sum-

mer program at SEAD, which helps promising students from under-resourced high

schools get the extra support they need to make it to college. I also spent time while

an undergraduate and master's student as a research assistant in a bilingual educa-

tion lab, and most recently, for a study on international students pursuing graduate

studies in the United States.

Why did you select Boston College for your doctoral studies?

I ended up having to make my decision during a really difficult time, and I felt like

the professors and students at BC went so far above and beyond what they needed

to do to answer my questions about the program. That really meant so much to me.

I am excited about the fact that I am interested in the research that all of the profes-

sors are doing in the department, and not just one or two. BC is also different than

many other programs I was considering because there is a strong focus on social

policy and human rights. Finally, it was hard to ignore that all of the students were

very kind and outgoing, and they all seemed to be good friends!

Describe your research interests.

My work with young children has deepened my interest in the experience of the

immigrant child (and children of immigrants) in elementary schools. I'm also inter-

ested in family-school-community partnerships, and how relationships can be

strengthened between schools and parents.

What are your interests outside of academia?

I love running road races and would love to hear from other runners about good

routes in the area! (Let me know if you are ever up for an early morning run). Be-

sides running, I love spending time with my family and friends, so I'm thrilled to be

staying in the northeast.

Saliha Kozan

Program: Counseling Psychology

Advisor: Dr. David Blustein

Assistantship: Dr. David Blustein



I got my bachelor’s degree in Psychological Counseling Program at Selcuk University

(Konya, Turkey) in 2005. After college, I worked as a counselor at an urban elementary

school in Istanbul for about a year, where I had an opportunity to help students and parents

from different ethnic/ cultural backgrounds. Having the goal of training counselors in the

future, I accepted a research assistantship position in the Curriculum and Instruction (M.A.)

Program of Selcuk University in the Spring of 2006. I was involved in research projects on

critical thinking and Problem Based Learning. I wrote my dissertation on the reflective

thinking skills of the college students. In 2007, I applied for the government’s scholarship

program and won a full graduate-level study-abroad scholarship from the Turkish Ministry

of National Education. Fortunately, I got in the CACREP accredited Counseling (M.A.)

Program at Michigan State University in the Fall of 2007. Here, I became more interested in

muliticultural psychology, ecological, and social justice perspectives in counseling. I also did

research on the acculturation experiences of international students and worked as a commu-

nity peer in the Residence Life Department for a year. After I got my Master’s in Counseling

(2009), I returned to Turkey and applied for doctoral programs in the US. In Turkey, I

worked as a counselor at a private high school and helped university students and scholars

writing English for their academic work. Now, I am happy to be in the Counseling Psychol-

ogy doctoral program at Boston College.


The reason I selected BC for my doctoral studies is the program’s emphasis on developmen-

tal-contextual perspective and its commitment to multicultural training and social justice. I

also think that the scientist-practitioner model at BC will enforce my understanding of the

theoretical and empirical domains of counseling psychology. Based on my conversations

with the professors at the Counseling Psychology program, I got a sense that I will find a

supportive and a nourishing environment at BC.


My areas of inquiry cover multicultural psychology and social justice perspective in counsel-

ing. Lately, I have been more interested in women’s career development and the psychology

of working in general.


I like travelling and learning about new languages and cultures. In my free times, I like ac-

tivities, which involve me in practicing different languages. I translate academic journals for

the Turkish scholars and students who are English as a second or third language. I am also

trying to increase my knowledge of Arabic and Spanish.

Natasha Torkelson


Advisor: Dr. Janet Helms

Assistantship: Dr. Janet Helms



I received my BA in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University of Southern

California in 2003. During my time at USC, I volunteered providing peer counseling regard-

ing STDs, other sexual health issues and conducting HIV testing at the Health Center. Addi-

tionally, I worked in a nearby school tutoring students in grades 1-5 below the reading level

and teaching Peace Games, a peace and justice curriculum for students. After graduating, I

worked for a year as a 2nd grade teacher in an underserved school in San Jose, California. I

then moved back into the realm of psychology and worked for 2 years as a residential coun-

selor for seriously emotionally disturbed children ages 6-16. I then began my MA program in

Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. During my masters program, I worked as

a case manager for youth in the child welfare system and ran girls’ groups at an academic

afterschool program for low-income minority youth. During my practicum, I provided indi-

vidual and family therapy to teens at a continuation high school as well as children and youth

at a community clinic and co-lead a drug and alcohol recovery group for teens. I graduated in

2008 and registered as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern. After graduating, I worked

for a nonprofit agency as a therapeutic behavioral specialist and in-home crisis clinician

providing clinical support to youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems in their

homes, schools and communities.


I selected Boston College for my doctoral studies for multiple reasons. First, I wanted to

attend a program that shared my commitment to social justice and work with underserved,

multicultural populations. Second, I found the research of the Counseling Psychology fac-

ulty, particularly that of Dr. Helms, very similar to my interests and believe that it is ex-

tremely important and fascinating. Additionally, I wanted to attend school in another part of

the country from my home in California. I believe it will allow me to better appreciate diver-

sity of experiences, views and people.


I am interested in researching biracial identity and the biracial population. More specifically,

I am interested in creating a scale to measure biracial identity. I also want to investigate the

way that biracial individuals respond to feeling forced to choose one race over another, its

affect on well-being and the protective factors that buffer any negative effects. Additionally,

I want to examine preventative interventions and resiliency in at-risk minority youth. Spe-

cifically, what aspects of a youth’s personality and environment help make him/her resilient

and what preventative interventions can be created to help foster that resiliency.


My interests outside of academia are spending time with my husband, family, friends and

dog. I enjoy singing, reading, watching television and movies, sketching, dancing, playing

piano, cooking and traveling. I also am interested in fashion and shopping.

Francesca Longo



Advisor: Dr. Rebekah Levine Coley

Assistantship: Dr. Eric Dearing



I did my undergrad at NYU and received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor in

Social Work. My interests have always been at the intersection of child develop-

ment and public policy with a focus on early childhood education. For the past 4

years, I worked at MDRC in New York City (a non-profit, social policy, research

institution) helping to conduct randomized trial interventions for preschools as well

as doing a lot of secondary data analysis.


I selected BC because I liked the flexibility within the program in terms of being

able to work on multiple projects with multiple professors throughout the duration

of the program.


My research interests lie at the intersection of child development and public policy

with a focus on early childhood education. I am interested in the disconnect be-

tween early childhood education and formal schooling - there have been interven-

tions that help achievement and behavior while children are in preschool but these

effects do not carry over into later grades. I would like to examine if including par-

ents and community during the transition from early education to formal schooling

could help carry over the effects.


I am a self-proclaimed foodie - my perfect night out is getting a group of friends

together at a new or acclaimed restaurant and spending hours eating good food and

drinking good wine. Along these lines, I love to have and go to dinner parties. Also,

I used to be a ballerina, so I enjoy all forms of dancing and love to learn new styles.

mailto:[email protected]

Kelly Minor



Advisor: Dr. Brinton Lykes

Assistantship: Dr. Eric Dearing

& Dr. Jackie Lerner



I graduated from high school in 2007 and went on to major in psychology at Geor-

gia State University in Atlanta. As a junior I began presenting in undergraduate

research conferences at my university, and as a member of the honors program,

traveled to the Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate Research Conference in

Richmond, VA at the end of my senior year. My undergraduate research mostly

related to motivation and academic achievement, with my honors thesis entitled

“Motivation and Self-Esteem of Gifted Youth”. I graduated summa cum laude in

May 2010. During the last year and a half of my studies, I worked in the Social

Ecology and Development lab at Georgia State University. This lab evaluated pre-

vention and intervention programs for adolescents in the metro-Atlanta area.


I chose Boston College for many reasons. The most significant was the program of

study and the ongoing research of the professors of the Applied Developmental and

Educational Psychology program. I am also very excited to learn about Boston and

be in a place where there are lots of graduate students.


My research interests are two-fold, studying the home environment and gifted-

ness. Much of today’s research pertaining to academics looks at teachers and

schools, sometimes forgetting that what happens outside of the classroom is also

important. Therefore, parental involvement in education and the home environ-

ment itself make up one focus of my research. The other focus adds to this by

looking at high achieving students and hopefully identifying if their home environ-

ments are markedly different than other students’ homes. I also look to answer the

question, “Do high achieving and gifted students have different, observable meth-

ods for completing school-related tasks than their non-gifted counterparts?”


Outside of school and research, I like to travel, go to movies, and spend time with

my seven nieces and nephews. I have been to 34 states, six Caribbean islands, and

four other countries.

Michael Capawana


Advisor: Dr. Mary Walsh

Assistantship: Dr. Mary Walsh



I completed my BA at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, after growing up in

New Jersey. It was during undergrad that I was first introduced to the field of Psy-

chology through coursework and clinical experiences. I worked with a range of

populations (geriatric, adolescent, adult, inpatient, outpatient), and knew that I

wanted to continue that work in the future, in some capacity. So, I came to BC to

narrow my interests a little, meet new people, take part in research, and understand

my own passions better. Working with mentally ill individuals in Cambridge, MA,

I saw how powerful the intersections of cultural background and mental health

could be. Then, it was through conducting research on an intervention for Boston

Public Schools kids where I was able to see myself thriving for the next few years

at BC.


After attending BC for my MA in Psychology, I further realized that the program

orientation and faculty research interests were aligned with my own. In addition, I

really liked the area and interacting with the other students here. I believe that by

being in this environment, I can benefit greatly – both personally and profession-

ally; I hope that others will learn something from me as well.


Working with children and adolescents from urban areas, and evaluating efforts for

assisting them.


Playing chess, practicing guitar and drums, going to the beach, watching movies,

video games, etc. – I try to do a lot when I’m not in school, but I often sit around...


Julie Woulfe


Advisor: Dr. Lisa Goodman

Assistantship: Dr. Lisa Goodman

& Dr. Anderson J. Franklin



After graduating with my B.A. in Psychology in 2000, I went on to work in a vari-

ety of community-based mental health centers. These included working as a pro-

gram coordinator and crisis counselor first at a Domestic Violence Agency in Min-

nesota, then at a Rape Crisis Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, and working as

a research assistant at an AODA program in Oakland. These experiences informed

my interest in the intersection of structural and interpersonal violence, as well as

the importance of community-based support to promote well-being. I decided to

pursue my MS in Counseling Psychology, and recently graduated from UW Madi-

son's Counseling Psychology Program.


I was originally interested in BC because so much of my work has been informed

by the research of its faculty members. The program’s commitment to these issues

has already supported and inspired me as a student. I was also drawn to the pro-

gram's strong commitment to incorporating social justice work and the opportunity

to work on research concerning community-based prevention and intervention.


I'm interested in the relationships between individual mental health, the health of

larger social contexts, and social justice, as well as community based prevention

and intervention programming.


I'm interested in creative non-fiction, poetry and other writing.

Saliha Kozan


Advisor: Dr. David Blustein

Assistantship: Dr. Rebekah Levine Coley

& Dr. Elida Laski



In recent years, I have worked extensively with Head Start children and families in

New York City on various projects related to parenting practices. I facilitated a play

intervention for Head Start mothers to help improve their children’s social skills,

and I managed a project using a strengths-based approach to explore the practices

of Head Start parents. Additionally, I worked with the PennCHILD research team

to maintain and analyze KIDS (Kids Integrated Data System), a city-wide data sys-

tem that integrates information from Philadelphia’s public agencies and the school

district. Using KIDS, I assisted in exploring the longitudinal effects of early risks

on children’s educational and behavioral outcomes in third grade. I have also

worked on numerous other projects related to immigrant students’ mental health,

the educational experiences of minority youth, and the quality of preschool class-

rooms using a new curriculum.


I selected Boston College largely for the faculty and the program’s structure. I was

especially excited about the interesting research opportunities that would be avail-

able to me through the multiple mentor model that the Applied Developmental and

Educational Psychology faculty espouse. The opportunity to increase my knowl-

edge of developmental science through participation in a well-rounded curriculum

was an attractive component of the program. Additionally, I had an unquantifiable

feeling that BC was the right place for me to fully achieve my goals.


I am mainly interested in better understanding the impact of social policies (i.e.,

housing, welfare, etc) on the well-being of low-income children, particularly as

these policies relate to parenting practices and the social and cognitive development

of young children. I am also interested in further exploring the impact of early care

and education on the development of children’s school readiness skills as well as

their long-term academic and behavioral trajectories.


Outside of academia, I enjoy seeing independent films, listening to music, and

playing with my dogs. I am also a strict vegetarian so I love to spend my free time

cooking!

Melissa Kull



Advisor: Dr. Marina Vasilyeva

Assistantship: Dr. Rebekah Levine Coley

& Dr. Elida Laski



Nina Sathasivam


Advisor: Dr. Usha Tummala-Narra

Assistantship: Dr. Usha Tummala-Narra

& Dr. Janet Helms



I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – La-

Crosse. While there, I was a research assistant in a lab that focused on semantic prim-

ing. After graduating, I pursued a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Washington Uni-

versity in St. Louis and completed two clinical practica during my time there. My first prac-

ticum experience was at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region where I gained experi-

ence as an Options Counselor. My second practicum experience was at an adult intensive

care psychiatric unit at a hospital in St. Louis. After completing my Master’s Degree in

Social Work, I moved back to Wisconsin where I began working part-time as a social worker

at an adult psychiatric unit at a hospital in Janesville, Wisconsin where I was responsible for

providing crisis intervention counseling to psychiatric and detoxification patients as well as

facilitating inpatient and outpatient group psychotherapy. In addition, I was also a research

assistant in a lab at the University of Wisconsin – Madison that focused on psychopathy in

prisoners where I was responsible for completing semi-structured interviews with offenders

housed at various State of Wisconsin prisons, completing ratings on the Psychopathy Check-

list – Revised (PCL-R), as well as administering a battery of personality tests.


I chose to attend BC for several reasons. One reason BC was extremely appealing to me is

the strong emphasis placed on multiculturalism, social justice and diversity in its training of

counseling psychologists. Additionally, BC has a large emphasis on research and graduate

students are able to immerse themselves in the research process early in their graduate stud-

ies. And, finally, I selected BC because my research interests closely match those Dr. Usha

Tummala-Narra and Dr. Janet Helms.


Through the investigation of the intersection between mental health and diversity, including

race and ethnicity, I hope to complete research that lends itself to the advancement of the

practice of culturally-competent psychology. Specifically, my research interests center on

the development and revision of effective mental health treatments for diverse populations. I

am also interested in issues surrounding trauma and abuse experiences as well as the coping

of individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds.


Outside of academia, I enjoy spending time with my husband, friends and family and spend-

ing time outdoors and participating in outdoors activities, especially those that allow me to

include my dog. When I have to time, I really enjoy getting lost in a good book. And, I am

also an avid Milwaukee Brewers fan and enjoy listening to their games on the radio or

watching them on T.V. when they are on.

Dana Collins


Advisor: Dr. Anderson J. Franklin

Assistantship: Dr. Anderson J. Franklin

& Dr. Janet Helms



I completed my BA in psychology with a minor in Spanish at Spelman College in

Atlanta, GA. I recently received my MS in counseling from Indiana University

Bloomington. While there, I worked with a wide range of clients, including low

income families, children with learning disabilities and behavioral difficulties,

adults struggling with homelessness, and adults and children experiencing life ad-

justment problems. My clinical experience involves facilitating workshops, class-

room groups, individual and family therapy, and psychoeducational groups.


Most of the doctoral programs I researched had one or maybe two faculty whose

research and clinical interests paralleled with mine. Boston College was the excep-

tion. I felt as if I had something in common with most, if not all, of the faculty

members and I felt that all of the faculty would be able to offer me something to

support me and my development. In addition, the program’s mission of exploring

and implementing social justice matched my mission of providing service to disad-

vantaged populations. I saw Boston College as a place where I could further refine

my research and clinical interests that would give me the skills, competencies, and

awareness to do the work that I want to do.


My research interests surround how minorities, especially African Americans, con-

ceptualize their race, particularly considering when society, and sometimes they

themselves, have assigned negative attributes to their race. In turn, I am interested

in how these conceptualizations and identifications relate to constructs such as lo-

cus of control, self esteem, self efficacy self worth, motivation, and achievement. I

am further interested in how community, family variables, individual difference,

and resilience contribute to feelings about one’s race and one’s self. My other in-

terests include developing community and school interventions, especially as they

relate to best practices.


Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. Some of my favorite places I have

been include Tokyo, Morocco, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. I also enjoy

journaling, reading, playing Sims, browsing Craigslist, and watching Judge Judy.

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COUNSELING, DEVELOPMENTAL & EDUCATIONAL ......Describe your academic background and professional experiences. I did my undergrad at NYU and received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor