School name: The Chicago School
Type of school: Midsize (6,100 students including undergraduate and graduate) Public University with multiple campuses (metropolitan and online) in the U.S.
School locale: Anaheim CA, Chicago IL, Dallas TX, Los Angeles CA, San Diego CA, Washington, D.C., and Online
Is your role mostly in-person, hybrid, online? Online, Masters of Arts in Applied Psychology program
For how many years have you taught psychology? I have been teaching psychology for nearly 18 years.
Classes you teach: Professional Ethics in Psychology, Diversity & Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Trauma & Crisis Intervention, Emotional Intelligence & Leadership, Global Issues in Suicide, Social Media & Cyberbullying
Specialization: Trauma
What size classes do you teach? Approximately 10-20 students per class
What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received? Assume the best about students.
What do you know now about teaching that you wish you knew when you were starting? APA Style format is hard for nearly all writers, no matter what their educational level!
Briefly tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach. I really enjoy teaching about trauma. I am a licensed therapist (IL, CO, FL) in addition to being a professor, and I have several trauma specializations such as EMDR, CPT, and TF-CBT. I love getting to teach students about the impact of trauma on the brain, trauma responses, and trauma interventions.
Briefly describe a favorite assignment or in-class activity. When I teach professional ethics, I have the students create Venn Diagrams of two ethical decision-making models of their choosing. This activity promotes creativity, as well as results in a visually appealing way to become familiar with multiple models of professional ethical decision making.
What are three words that best describe your teaching style? Warm, interactive, and productive
What’s your workspace like? It’s full of animals! Since I work remotely, I have a home office. I have two dogs, one a trained therapy dog (Daphne), and the other a hurricane rescue dog from FL (Pavlov). I also have an axolotl in my office, and he is very active and engaged with the sound of my voice. I have my diplomas, pictures of my husband and children, and a small succulent. I also keep chapstick on hand (CO is DRY!), lotion, warm socks, and a heated blanket.
Tell us about a teaching “win” you’ve had and the context in which it happened. While I primarily teach graduate students, I was able to lead a group of undergraduate students at a recent APA Convention workshop for CE credit. None of the students had any experience at professional conventions and limited public speaking opportunities. The crowd that showed up for this presentation was standing room only in a large conference room, and everyone was so kind to the students and myself. The students did great, and it has become a core memory for us all!
What is something you are currently focused on improving or changing in your teaching? I am working to create more ways for students to evaluate themselves as a component of various assignments. Self-evaluation is such a critical part of professional development, and it increases the connection that they have to the learning material in a unique way.
What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you? I love American Football. I am a huge fan of the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions.
What are you currently reading for pleasure? I just finished The House of My Mother by Shari Franke, and I am currently reading Sociopath by Patric Gagne. If you can’t tell, I love memoirs!
What tech tool could you not live without? My Apple Watch. I am very interested in and engaged with daily movement, fitness, and exercise as a way to prioritize my physical and mental health. This orientation supports me to have the energy and focus needed to best educate and care for others.
