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Kali Psychi Online Edition

Vol. 5, No. 1 | 2023

Kali Psychi (The Good Mind or Soul) is published online once a term for all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of Liberty University’s School of Behavioral Sciences.

Missed the last issue? 

View Fall 2022 E-Magazine

Kenyon Knapp
Dr. Kenyon Knapp, Ph.D., LPC, NCC

Dear students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff,

Peace of Mind?
A recent large-scale crime…a silly comment by some celebrity…the national debt rising again…an ungodly politician getting elected…all things that can sometimes get us bent out of shape. This reminds me of what the founding Dean of the School of Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Ron Hawkins used to say- “think about what you’re thinking about.” Meaning- consciously decide what to focus your mental energy on. This reminds me of Philippians 4:8 (NIV)- “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” It’s not that we ignore what is going on in our culture or proverbially stick our heads in the sand like an Ostrich, but victorious Christians do not let themselves get distracted by the noise of this world. They focus on what they are called of God to do- reaching others with the love of Jesus, using the gifts and talents God gave them, and thinking on noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things. As we do this we will have peace of mind (Isaiah 26:3) and enjoy the journey much more.

Selah,

Kenyon


Program Updates

Social Work Accreditation Update 

Christi Perry, Ph.D. LCSW BSSW Director

After two successful site visits (preceded by many hours of preparation and writing), the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation (COA) voted in February 2023 and found both of our programs to be in full compliance!

They granted a Reaffirmation of Accreditation to the BSSW, confirming the high quality of our bachelor’s level program, which prepares students for many fields of generalist social work practice and/or graduate work. The COA also granted the Second Year of Candidacy to our new MSW program, preparing the way for our Initial Accreditation. It is exciting to anticipate all that our graduates will do as master’s-level social work practitioners, clinicians, and leaders in the field. We are so thankful for God’s provisions and for paving the way for us.

Christine Fulmer, Ph.D., MSW MSW Program Director

The department wants to extend our thanks to every person on our team – staff, adjuncts, full-time faculty, and the university administrators that support us. Thank you for all that you do!

Accreditation covers everything from curriculum to student mentoring/advising… from gate processes to how well we live out our mission… from field enrollment & education to assessment on how well our students develop each competency… from faculty engagement with students to how well we create a welcome environment for a diverse population… from agency partners & field instructors to administrative structures & supports. We couldn’t do it without every one of you.

We are also especially proud of our students who helped to represent us during the site visits. They were true examples of competence, professionalism, and Christ-like character.

Together this team helps to equip students who are going to serve countless individuals, families and communities throughout the world. It is thrilling to think of how God will use our graduates to touch so many people.

Our hope is that they will experience His goodness & healing through our students who are excellent, compassionate social workers committed to justice and bringing hope to a hurting world.

PsyD. Update

Dr. Gary Sibcy, Ph.D., PsyD Clinical Psychology

The PsyD is going into its 4th year (spring of 24). This coming fall we will have are largest cohort yet, with 25 new students. We have forged relationships with a wide number of practicum sites, including Piedmont Psychiatric Center, Mundy-3, Krise-6, Pathways, Horizon, and the Free Clinic.

We are currently working on our APA self-study and plan to submit it in the last quarter of this year.

Gary A. Sibcy II, PhD
gsibcy@liberty.edu


Graduate Spotlight

Dionna Doneghy (’23)

Dionna Doneghy (’23), an elementary school counselor, has helped children experiencing various forms of trauma, including thoughts of suicide.

Doneghy completed her dissertation, “Finding the Missing Pieces: A Phenomenological Study of Elementary Teachers’ Experiences with Student Suicidality,” for the Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling — Traumatology. Her studies helped her gain more insight into how teachers and school counselors can help intervene.

“I’d been noticing an uptick in suicidal ideation in the students at my elementary school,” she said. After performing preliminary research she found that there was limited data on young children and the perspectives of teachers was not often included.

She stated, “If we can go ahead and pinpoint some of the problems and target those areas, maybe we can inhibit some of those behaviors and prevent them…we can give elementary students the coping skills and the self-regulation strategies that they need before they get to middle school and high school.”

She said she chose to study the perspective of teachers because of the amount of time they spend with their students. “I thought about how eye-opening it could be to explore the unique lived experiences of elementary teachers with student suicide, especially since it is an untapped area of research,” she said. “(Teachers) have the students with them longer during the day than with anyone else, other than maybe their families. I wanted to get their perceptions of this phenomenon and then determine whether their experiences were aligned with current literature. I also was interested in hearing what additional insights they might have that could contribute to the present literature.” Donaghy’s research found that many of the teachers she studied felt ill prepared to identify students at risk of suicide and/or assist them and expressed a desire for training in prevention/intervention. They also felt that they lacked the time needed to focus on student mental health due to demands such as grading, lesson planning, frequent meetings, and disruptive, and externalizing behaviors in the classroom. Doneghy plans to publish her research and create presentations and professional development opportunities for school personnel to better recognize the signs of suicide and mental health concerns in children.

Doneghy said she chose Liberty due to its reputation of high academic quality and outspoken respect for the United States military, of which her husband is a veteran. “It’s been great for me,” Doneghy said of her experience in the program. “I have to say I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge in the field of counseling, especially regarding trauma. I think it’s going to allow me to better serve my students in the field that I work in currently, as well as empower educators with the knowledge to hopefully recognize and prevent suicidal behavior in their students.”

“God has guided me the whole way, and I know that I’ve felt His hand on me throughout this entire journey,” she said. “It’s been a blessing, it really has.”


Guest Article: 2023 Center for Teaching Excellence Presentation

 Dr. Frances Sanford, Department of Community Care and Counseling.

Heroes and Attrition

This article provides insight on the proposed study, Conscious Competence: Dissertation Completion. The term, attrition, is applicable to doctoral candidates [would be Counseling heroes] (Salter 2019) who completed the pre-requisite coursework but withdrew (All But Dissertation [ABD]). Attrition has been problematic since the first graduate program was instituted in the U.S. What is now the Yale Graduate School opened in 1847 with an enrollment of 11 doctoral candidates — only 3 were awarded the Ph. D. at the first graduation in 1861 (Yale University, 2022). Research has failed to provide a student perspective as to why attrition rates in U. S. colleges rose to 40 – 50% from 2001 – 2008 and have worsened (Wang & DeLaquil, 2020). According to Berman & Ames (2015), the attrition rate was an alarming 70% across all doctoral disciplines during their study. Retention is lower in Online programs than in traditional settings (Hachey et al., 2012).
As opposed to the traditional K-12 approach, adult learners are expected to assume responsibility for learning. While autonomy is essential to progress, based upon research on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the development of competence takes precedence and relies upon the quality of the student-teacher relationship (Ryan & Deci, 2003). The Counsel of Graduate Schools (2022, 2010; 2009; 2008) found that the majority of new students are clearly capable of completing doctoral programs, but 30% require mentoring as the primary impetus to complete the dissertation. Research found that the creation of effective student/supervisor relationships in doctoral programs is critically needed (Janssen et al. 2020). In fact, Maslow (1943) noted, self-actualization relies on the need for love and belonging.

Higher-level thinking skills are the foundation of dissertation writing. Based upon the average age of doctoral candidates, they graduated from secondary schools before 2001 when critical thinking skills were reinstituted by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2001). The stages of the Conscious Competence model describe the process of attrition as it occurs in the student-teacher context as follows:

Stage 1. (Unconscious Incompetence, unaware of inability) Student lacks critical thinking skills but may feel confident, oversimplifies goals/objectives, and, consequently fails to succeed.

Stage 2. (Conscious Incompetence, realizing ability) Teacher is agent of change, initiating knowledge that informs the student. This is the stage where most people give up

Stage 3. (Conscious Competence, realizing ability) Student acknowledges and applies new information. Teaching activities build self-awareness, commitment to goals and objectives, affirmation of the research gap 

Stage 4. (Unconscious Competence, not realizing ability) Student feels incompetent again; needs to repeat the learning stages (De Phillips et al., 1964 as cited in Harianto, 2021). 

In Stage 2, a candidate may lack lower level skills such as remembering, comprehending, and applying knowledge (Counsel of Graduate Schools (2010; 2009; 2008) and develop frustration in response to reoccurring feedback from the Chair. This could be especially disheartening to those who received inflated grades in previous coursework. This study is warranted because student perceptions are critical to professional development.

References 

Ali, A., & Kohun, F. (2007). Dealing with social isolation to minimize doctoral attrition: A four stage framework. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 2, 33-49. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ijds.org/Volume2/IJDSv2p033-049Ali28.pdf

Berman, R., & Ames, C. (2015). Private online workspaces for doctoral learners – Enhanced Communication and reduced isolation. Proceedings of Informing Science & IT Education Conference (InSITE) 2015,101-112.Retrieved from http://Proceedings.InformingScience.org/InSITE2015/InSITE15p101-112Berman1773.pdf 

De Phillips, F. A., Berliner, W. M., & Cribbin, J. J. (1964). Management of Training Programs.  Richard D. Irwin.

Hachey, A., Wladis, C, & Conway, K. (2012). Is the second time the charm? Investigating trends in online re-enrollment, retention and success. The Journal of Educators Online, 9(1). https://www.thejeo.com/archive/2012_9_1/hachey_wladis_conway

Salter, D. W. (2019). An archetypal analysis of doctoral education as a heroic journey. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 14, 525-542.  https://doi.org/10.28945/4408.

U. S. Department of Education. (2001). Public Law PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml 

Yale University. (2022).  History of Yale Graduate School.   https://gsas.yale.edu/deans-office/history-yale-graduate-school 


Alumni Showcase

Sarah Ritchie, a 2018 graduate of Liberty University’s M.Ed. in School Counseling Program was named Elementary School Counselor of the Year (2023) by the Virginia School Counselor Association (VSCA) and Division Educator of the Year (2023) by her school division, King George County in Virginia.

In addition to managing a comprehensive school counseling program that includes the Kindness Crew, a successful self-created after-school positive growth group that serves the school and community, she also serves as the Communications and Public Relations Chair for VSCA and an active member for the Board of Directors for Rappahannock Community Services Board. A Champion for Christ, Sarah is making a difference and surely demonstrates—if it’s Christian it ought to be better!

Awards & Recognitions

MSW 1st Graduating Class, May 2023

Sitting: Hannah Batista and Shelby Bradford
Standing: Nichole Damcott, Seth Jordan, Stefanie Dross, Madison Bell, and Deshawn Sinclair
Not Pictured: Yolanda Tinsley, Sharday Watson, Allison Layne, Alejandra Hartbeck, Sophie Miller, Jess Barbato, and Amanda Valdez

Anessa Reid (graduate student leader), and TrishaJean Holt, Alexa Windsor, Peyton Bolt, Nicole Both, Jacob Grissom, and Edward Cook (undergraduate team members/presenters)

Virginia Association for Psychological Sciences (VAPS) 1st Place, Frederick B. Rowe Award for Best Undergraduate Paper

Five groups of undergraduate students from Liberty University’s Department of Psychology presented their work at the Virginia Association for Psychological Science (VAPS) annual conference, held April 13-15 last week in Alexandria, Va., with one team tying for first place for the conference’s Frederick B. Rowe Award for the Best Undergraduate Paper.

The winning team, led by faculty instructor Blake Fraser, focused on the topic of loneliness in college students, which has become a growing issue across the country. They competed among other universities in the Commonwealth, including James Madison, Radford, and George Mason, and tied for the award with University of Mary Washington.

The paper was based on research data they have collected since last spring and involved a sample that consisted of male and female undergraduate Liberty students who were asked to complete questionnaires and participate in individual interviews regarding their personal definitions of loneliness and thoughts on what causes it. Their findings showed that the participants defined loneliness as “a subjective feeling experienced when lacking friends, social support, or meaningful connections with others.” The top three factors were anxiety, fear of rejection/insecurity, and grief/loss. Fraser said the team plans to make minor edits to their paper before submitting to academic journals for potential publishing.

The other four groups from Liberty presented research on college students who are on the Autism spectrum, the struggle with statistics anxiety and math anxiety, perceptions of substance abuse, forgiveness in different personalities, and mindfulness. Liberty’s psychology students have attended the VAPS conference every year since 2011 (except 2020, when the event was canceled due to the COVID pandemic).

Lisa S. Sosin Spirit Award

The Association for Creativity and Counseling board developed a new annual award named after Dr. Sosin and awarded it to her for 2023.

This award, established at the 2022 ACC Conference, recognizes a specific member of ACC who has consistently demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the values of ACC to promote counseling approaches that support mutually supportive, positive, growth-fostering relationships and to commit to researching and defining relational competencies that facilitate good-will, empathic personal and professional connections, and the appropriate use of power.  The recipient of this award will have demonstrated a contagious energy and spirit reflect of the ACC.


LU Send Trips

Social Work Dominican Republic Missions Trip

During Spring break 2023, Dr. Christine Fulmer and Dr. Candace Hansford took students from the BSW, MSW, and interdisciplinary study programs to the Dominican Republic to work with Mercy Workshop and New Hope Girls organizations. These Christian organizations focus on ministering to victims and survivors of human trafficking, predominantly sex trafficking. Mercy Workshop provides self-sustainable employment skills to adult women who then can support for themselves and their children.

For New Hope Girls, they house, provide love, and introduce a new way of life for children and youth under 21 who have been rescued from sex trafficking. One of the main purposes of this trip was to participate in T3 (Trauma Tips and Tools) training alongside the directors and staff from both of these non-governmental organizations. Former Professor Jennifer Street, therapist and founder of Life Renewal Counseling and trainer for Arise Alliance, provided this necessary and beneficial training. The students were also able to interact with the children and youth at New Hope Girls, taught how to make jewelry by the women of Mercy Workshop, and were able to provide English tutoring to students at a local school.

The team experienced cultural immersion opportunities while practicing the Spanish language. The students exemplified servant’s hearts to each other, the faculty, and to the women and children of these organizations. If students are interested in participating in the D.R. trip in the future, please reach out to Dr. Fulmer at ckfulmer@liberty.edu for additional information.

Rwanda Missions Trip

Co-lead (Dr. Jerry Vuncannon, Dr. Whitni Buckles, and Dr. Jama Davis) LU Send trip with 21 students to Rwanda in March 2023. Students were from the CMHC, MFT, and EdD in Community Care and Counseling, Traumatology programs.


Awards/Outstanding Students of the Year

Ronald E. Hawkins Distinguished Counseling Student Legacy Award

  • Andrea Fowler, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Tasha Kroskey, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Miranda McLaren, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Patrick Venetz, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Stephanie Chee, Community Care and Counseling

Servant Heart Award

  • Briana Roberts, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Jessica Dean, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Chekia Carr, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Rosalyn Gollapalli, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Dr. Denise Moitinho, Community Care and Counseling

Military God and Country Award

  • Enola Hastlin, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Brandy Templet, Counselor Education and Family Studies
  • Yvonne Winstanley, Psychology

Ph.D. Professional Excellence Award

  • Dr. Jody Vernam, Counselor Education and Family Studies

Psychology Outstanding Investigator

  • Dominique Wales
  • Hannah Bruckner

Ph.D. Student of the Year

  • Dr. Quinn Denny, Psychology

Residential Psychology Student of the Year

  • Alexa Windsor

Online Psychology Student of the Year

  • Hannah McOmber

Social Work Student of the Year

  • Stefanie Dross, MSW
  • Hannah Czapp, BSSW

Social Work Outstanding Field Student

  • Yolanda Tinsley, MSW, LUO
  • Nicole Zbinden-Brassard, BSSW, LUO
  • Katelyn-Ashley Rice, BSSW, Residential

Faculty News & Notes

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Banks-Johnson, A., Jones, D.E., McIntosh, K. O., & Marrah, A. (February 02, 2023).  Christians can do what? How Christian counseling programs train ethically competent counselors.Law and Ethics in Counseling Conference 2023 (8th Annual), January 31 –February  3, 2023, University of Holy Cross, New Orleans, Louisiana

Camden, E. J., Waggoner, B., & Ostrander, C. (2022). Can You Hear Me? Building and Maintaining Rapport Using Telehealth. American Mental Health Counselor Association’s 2022 Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Davis, J., Brown, D. & Evans, C. (January 2023). Professional counseling from a Christian worldview: Ethical considerations in practice. 2023 Law and Ethics in Counseling Conference. New Orleans, LA. [Virtual].

DeBolt, E. C. (2023, March 30-April 1). Maternal mental health: Beyond the baby blues [Conference presentation]. CAPS 2023 Emerge Conference, Louisville, KY, United States.

Hannor-Walker, T., Kitchens, S., & Ricks, L. (2023). Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children in schools: A proposed model for schools. National Youth At-Risk Conference: Savannah, GA.

Hannor-Walker, T., Pincus, R., Wright, L., Rock, W. Money-Brady, J., Bohecker, L. (2022). School counselor and administrators agree: Time and testing are barriers. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership.18(2) 36-53. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2022v18n2a1243

Jones, D. E. (2023). Case conceptualization: A biblical wellness approach. Kendall Hunt.

Jones, D. E., Evans, C. T., Miller, K. D., Tyre, Y., & Hull, K. B. (Spring 2022). Attending to the ASERVIC “communication” competencies via the B-Well model: A Christian-wellness approach. Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, 31(2), 1-28.  https://aservic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ASERVIC_Interaction_Newsletter_Spring-2022.pdf

Jones, D. E., Ord, A., *Duskey, K., Jones, K., Duchac, N., *Dern, M., & *Montiel, L. (2021). An examination of Big Five personality factors in an undergraduate faith-based University. Journal of School Counseling, 19(11), 1-24http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v19n11.pdf

Joseph, R. A., Kim, J. J., Akers, S. W., Turner, T. M., Whorley, W. G., Lumpkin, K., Rosa, J. H., & McElroy, C. (2023).  COVID-19 related stress, quality of life, and intrinsic religiosity among college students during the global pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Cogent Psychology, 10(1). 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2023.219509

Kim, J. J., Connelly, C. A., Cox, A. M., Harris, A. Y., Owens, A. E., & Painter, K. J., Hodge, A. J., Wang Xu, J. & Volk, F (accepted). Religious humility, empathy, and forgiveness of a religious hurt. Journal of Psychology and Christianity.  

Kim, J. J. (February, 2023). The psychology and theology of divine forgiveness. Paper presented at The First International Conference on Forgiving and Being Forgiven within an Inter/Intra Cultural Perspective (Bar-Ilan University, Israel)

Kim, J. J. (2023). Forgiveness and religion/spirituality: What science has discovered about the relationship between the two. In R. D. Enright & G. Pettigrove (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Forgiveness in Philosophy and Psychology (pp.533-545)Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003360278

King, J.A., Lakin, A., Camden, E. J., Ebersole, D., & Kitchens, S., (2022). From Isolation to Inclusion: Building Community Among Online Counseling Faculty. Christian Association for Psychological Studies’ Virtual Conference.

Kuehne, J. (2023, February). Creative Pedagogy Approaches: Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling. Presented at the 8th Annual Law and Ethics in Counseling Conference, New Orleans, LA Lorbeer, C. (2022, December 29). Transforming Underserved Populations: Synchronizing and Mobilizing Indigenous Collaborations. Presented at the 40th Annual Conference on Mental Health and the Black Community, Jacksonville, FL.

Martin, L. E., Ebersole, D. B., & Mitchell, D. N. C. (2022). Using the TEACHING WELL Model for Evaluation of Online Counselor Educators. Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision, 2(2).  https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0022

Mitchell, D. N. C. (2022). Value exploration of the counselor: A narrative approach for supervision. Counseling and Values, 67 (1), 23-43. doi: https://brill.com/view/journals/cvj/67/1/article-p23_002.xml 

Mitchell, D. N. C., & McGinnis, C. (2022, Fall). Level up your school counseling game. Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling, Fall Newsletter, 13-16.

North, R. (2023, March 1-2). Motivational Interviewing: The power to motivate [Conference session]. Washington School Counselor Association Conference, Seattle, WA, United States.

Pincus, R., & North, R. (2022, November 3-4). Teaching school counselors to use Motivational Interviewing [Conference session]. Southeast Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors Conference, Baltimore, MD, United States
Reid, N. (2023, April 17th). Black couples: Their crisis and their hope. Liberty University Department of Social Work, Lynchburg, VA.

Ricks, L., Kitchens, S., & Hannor-Walker, T. (2022). Using imagination to blast into a new future: Supporting adolescents with acquired disabilities. Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC): Melbourne, Florida.

Shaler, L., Brooks, S.C., Kuba, S., & Kitchens, S (2023). Helping grieving mothers guide their children through the grief process. The Family Journal, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807231166082.

Shaler, L., Brooks, S.C., Kuba, S., & Kitchens, S (November 2022). A Mother’s Journey: Parenting Grieving Children Alongside Her Own Grief. Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Baltimore, MD

Smylie, K. (2023, March 30-April 1). Integration of Counseling and Inner Healing Prayer: A Demonstration [Conference session]. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) conference, Louisville, KY, United States. https://caps.net/2023-conference/

Vernam, J., Ansell, L., Barend, A., Conley, V., Whitcraft, W., Mitchell, D. N. C., & King, J. (2022). Promoting connection and leadership: Insights from an online counselor education community. Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Exemplar, 37(3), 18-20. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.csi-net.org/resource/resmgr/publications_exemplar/fall_2022_exemplar.pdf

Villarreal-Davis, C. (in press). Systemic and social barriers to grief in interracial couples,  interracial families, and biracial individuals. In R. Turner & S. Stauffer (Eds.), Beyond bereavement. Guilford Press.

Villarreal-Davis, C., Dantzler, J., & Simmons, R. (2022, October 20). The play therapist is  human: Reconciling who I am and who I should be as a play therapist [Conference session]. Association for Play Therapy 2022 Annual APT International Conference.

Vuncannon, J., Brown, D., & Davis, J. (March 2023). The significance of adult attachment style and relational stress in a COVID-19 world.  2023 Christian Association for Psychological Studies Conference. Louisville, KY.

Weber, M.R. & Goodrich, R.S. (2022, November). Lived experiences of counselor education faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic [Poster Presentation]. Southern Association of Counselor Education & Supervision Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Welch-Sigmon, L. (April, 2023). Best Practices in Substance Abuse Assessment in Individuals with Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions. Georgia Psychological Association Annual Meeting. Athens, GA.

Welch-Sigmon, L. (April, 2023). Women’s Career Progression in Academia: Tackling the Impostor Phenomenon. Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) 2023 Annual Convention. New Orleans, LA.

White, D. & Davis, J. (January 2023). Intimate partner violence and COVID-19: Ethical, environmental and treatment considerations. Law & Ethics in Counseling Conference:  New Orleans, LA. [Virtual].

Faculty and Student Academic Collaborations (*denotes student)

*Bruckner, H. & Kim, J. J. (faculty advisor) (2023, April). Humility, empathy, religious commitment, and the forgiveness of hurt in close relationships. Poster presented at 2023 Research Week, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.

Davis, J., Brown, D., Vuncannon, J., Chamberlin, B. & *Frazier, C. (2023).
Facilitating multicultural and social justice development through immersion and study abroad experiences. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 00(0), 1-13.  https://doi.org/10.1177/00916471231166005 (online pre-release)

*Leland, A., *Vollmer, H., *Geisler, K., *MacPherson, S., *Keefe, A., & Kim, J. J. (faculty advisor) (2023, April). HEXACO personality predictors of self, victim, and divine forgiveness among Christian college students. Poster presented at 2023 Research Week, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.

*Mullen, L. M., *Bistany, B. R., Kim, J. J., Joseph, R. A., Akers, S. W., Harvey, J. R., & Houghton, A. (2023). Facilitation of forgiveness: Impact on health and well-being. Holistic Nursing Practice, 37(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000559

*Vollmer, H., *Geisler, K., *Keefe, A., *Leland, A., *MacPherson, S. & Kim, J. J. (faculty advisor) (2023, April). HEXACO personality predictors of self, victim, and divine forgiveness among Christian college students. Paper presented at 2023 VAPS, Alexandria, VA.

Sosin, L., *Barend, A., *Bonta, J., *Kimonyi, D., &* Parrish-Martin, R. (2023). A Multicultural, Social Justice, and Peace Intervention for Interpersonal Violence. Journal of Psychology and Theology0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00916471231163108

Sosin, L. & *Barend, A. (2022, October 6). Creative and Expressive Arts-Based Recovery from Bullying and Relational Cruelty: A Multicultural, Peace-Promoting Approach. Webinar presented at The Professional Training Institute, Family Service Society, Corning, NY.

Sosin, L., *Barend, A., *Kimonyi, D.,* Bonta, J., & *Parrish-Martin, R. (2022, August 5). Fanning the flame of unity: A multicultural, social justice, and peace intervention for interpersonal  cruelty [Symposium Presentation]. Central Virginia Counselor Development Symposium: LU Workshop Series | Counselor Education & Family Studies | Liberty University

Sosin, L., *Barend, A. *Kimonyi, D., & *Emmanuel, D. (2022, May).  Facilitating recovery from interpersonal violence and bullying. Michigan Counseling Association Webinar series.

Sosin, L. & *Barend, A. (2022, October 6). Creative and Expressive Arts-Based Recovery Bullying and Relational Cruelty: A Multicultural, Peace-Promoting Approach. Webinar presented at The Professional Training Institute, Family Service Society, Corning, NY.

New Faculty/Appointments:

Dr. Deena Melika, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology

Blake Fraser, M.S. Instructor, Department of Psychology

Dr. Christi Perry – BSSW Program Director, Assistant Professor

Christin Kiesling – BSSW LUO, Assistant Professor, Dept of Social Work

Dr. Candace Hansford – MSW LUO, Professor, Dept of Social Work

Jennifer Bartley – MSW LUO, Assistant Professor., Dept of Social Work

Hannah Heath – BSSW LUO, Assistant Professor, Dept of Social Work

Dr. Paul Bernard– BSSW Residential, Associate Professor, Dept of Social Work


Faculty New Book Releases

Kenyon C. Knapp
Wipf and Stock, 2023

Rosanne Nunnery & Lisa McKenna by Cognella, 2022

Daria White, PhD. White, D. Manda. (2022) (A literary book with stories on posttraumatic growth of Bulgarian elderly women. The book is in Bulgarian). Simolini

Cindy Casalis & John Knox by Wipf and Stock

Michael Eckstein & John Knox by Wipf and Stock


The Department of Counseling
Trains individuals to be thoroughly competent professionals in the practice of agency and pastoral counseling, supported by a Christian worldview

(434) 592-4049 | Counseling@liberty.edu

The Department of Psychology
Provides students with the knowledge and skills required for the development of a biblically-integrated, evidence-based understanding of human psychology through practical application and research.

(434) 592-4038 | Psychology@liberty.edu

The Department of Social Work
Develops Christ-centered social workers who are equipped with the skills, values, and knowledge to humbly lead in advancing the well-being of individuals and communities all around the world.

(434) 582-7570 | LUOSocialWork@liberty.edu


Kali Psychi (The Good Mind or Soul) is published for all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of Liberty University’s School of Behavioral Sciences, and it is delivered through email and published online.

We want to hear from you! Please let us know about the good work that you are doing in behavioral sciences and in the world as Liberty University community members, graduates, and professionals! Interested in contributing to the next issue of Kali Psychi? We welcome any relevant news, press releases, publications, or potential feature articles from faculty, students, or alumni.

Dr. Guidry-Davis (reubanks1@liberty.edu) is the editor for Kali Psychi, She looks forward to working alongside SBS faculty, staff, and students to highlight the impact of SBS at Liberty and across the world. For more information and to make contributions to upcoming editions, please contact the Content Editor at reubanks1@liberty.edu and note “For Kali Psychi” in email communications.

Last Updated June, 2023

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