University of Phoenix
Southern Colorado Campus
College of Social Sciences Scholarship & Research Symposium
We are pleased to announce the First Annual College of Social Sciences Scholarship and
Research Symposium. The symposium will be held Friday, May 11, 2012, from 8:30 AM to 4
PM at the Southern Colorado Main Campus.
Symposium will include professional presentations, student poster presentations, and a
roundtable discussion. Attendance and participation are free, and lunch will be provided.
We welcome faculty and students from the College of Social Sciences undergraduate and
graduate programs (Psychology and MFCT Counseling) to attend this special event to celebrate
scholarship and research within the College of Social Sciences.
Please RSVP to Miriam Blum at miriamblum@att.net.
May 11, 2012
SCHEDULE (see back also)
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:50 Essentials of a Healthy Intimate Relationship; Concept of the Precious Child
10:00-10:50 Existential Issues in Postpartum Depression Postpartum Depression; Log-in to Your Life: Relationships On-demand
11:00-11:50 Evaluation of PTSD in Returning Veterans; Growing Pains of Adolescence
12:00-1:00 LUNCH and Student Poster sessions
1:00-1:50 Trauma and Criminal Conduct; Genograms- Old Hat or New Tricks?
2:00-2:50 Research Methodology for Private Practice; Employee Engagement and Burnout in Medical and Mental Health Fields
3:00-3:50 Panel presentation: Q&A regarding Serving those with Severe Mental Illness and Addiction
1 hour CEU certificates will be offered after each session (except lunch)
9-9:50
Essentials of a Healthy Intimate
Relationship (Terry Jones, MD,
Licensed Psychiatrist)
Synopsis: Healthy intimate relationships are a
rarity in our culture. They require an intense
mutual commitment on the part of a couple to
create a zone of safety in which conflict can be
creatively resolved, an atmosphere fostering
personal and relationship learning and growth
and a strong willingness to be vulnerable and to
change. The keys to success in this process are
a clear understanding that healthy intimacy
requires a keen awareness of how one's past
influences their present perceptions and
behaviors, knowing and practicing what
intimate behaviors are and creative conflict
resolution skills.
Audience: All welcome
Concept of the Precious Child (Valerie
Montgomery, LPC)
Synopsis: Learning to value yourself and regifting the adult-you with the inner child are
critical lessons for healthy adulthood. Without
the knowledge of “past-to-present” impact, we
can become stuck in relationship issues,
intensity issues, addiction issues, spirituality
issues, and more.
Audience: Counselors, students, parents,
teachers, caregivers, anyone
10-10:50
Existential Issues in Postpartum
Depression: A Qualitative Study
(Erica Palmer, PsyD)
Synopsis: This presentation will provide an
overview of postpartum depression (PPD),
including its causes and risk factors.
Additionally, research will be presented
demonstrating underlying issues in the real-life
stories of women who have suffered from PPD.
This was a qualitative study which sought to
understand the relationship between
depression in new mothers and existential
questions regarding issues such as identity,
freedom, loss, and purpose. Audience:
Counselors and professionals helping clients
with PPD, as well as women suffering from it.
Login to your Life- Relationships in an
on-demand society (Jenni CopelandWelp, LMFT)
Synopsis:
This presentation will give an overview of how
"on demand" issues (such as social networking,
gaming, fast food, Netflix) impact relationships
and the quality of communication in our lives.
This presentation will include case study
examples, as well as suggested solutions to
diminish the impact of these issues.
Audience: All welcome
Audience: General and practitioner
(although more focused on practitioners)
11-11:50
Genograms- old hat or new tricks?
(Madge Holmes,
PsyD, LMFT)
Evaluation of PTSD in Returning
Veterans (Miriam Blum, PhD,
Licensed Psychologist)
Synopsis: The Veterans’ Administration has
adopted the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosing Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder in soldiers who have
been in a combat zone. This session discusses
how information about stressors and symptoms
is elicited in a manner that contributes to
resolution of the syndrome rather than
exacerbation of disturbing memories and
behaviors.
Audience: Clinicians and researchers
Growing pains of the Adolescent: A
Psychological Perspective (Chandra
Nagireddy, PhD, LMFT)
Synopsis: This presentation will discuss critical
developmental tasks of the adolescent stage to
be accomplished for successful transition into
adulthood, the normal developmental crises
faced by the adolescent during this critical
transition, and some parenting ideas to
facilitate that transition.
Audience: All welcome
12-1 LUNCH and Student Poster
sessions
University of
Phoenix undergraduate and graduate
students in psychology and counseling
present recent research projects from
class assignments, demonstrating the
integration of active research into
classroom curricula.
1-1:50
Trauma and Criminal Conduct:
Understanding the Connection (David
Stephens, PsyD)
Synopsis: A history of trauma is present in a
high percentage of people who become
involved in the criminal justice system, and is
often a precursor to substance abuse and
criminal behavior. In addition, a history of
trauma can make it more difficult for a person
who has been incarcerated to successfully reenter society and avoid recidivism. This
presentation will discuss the relationship
between these factors and provide strategies
for prevention for adolescents as well as
strategies for intervention for those who are
already involved in the criminal justice, are
incarcerated, or are re-entering society
following a period of incarceration.
Synopsis: This study of genograms will visually
demonstrate an individual's present time snapshot
of family of origin and nuclear family,
intergenerational patterns of cohesion, patterns of
enmeshment and conflict, family rules and roles,
systemic hierarchy, and birth order issues. It offers a
template for marital complement and marital
conflict, intergenerational mental health, legal,
financial, trauma, abuse, socioeconomic levels,
cultural influences and personality issues. Life and
family in a nutshell!
Audience: Therapists, students, all interested
2-2:50
Research Methodology for Private
Practice (Dennis Duffin, EdD.)
Synopsis: This is a “how-to,” hands-on
presentation, providing detailed instruction
in developing and conducting a research
project in clinical practice, with emphasis on
quasi-experimental methodology. In
addition, other relevant issues will be briefly
covered: ethics of human research, core
competencies of marriage and family
therapists related to research practice, and
critique of research methodology.
Audience: Agency and private practice
psychotherapists, faculty and students (of
particular interest to students interested in
building their core competence skills in
research).
Employee Engagement and
Burnout in Medical and Mental
Health Fields (Jennifer Falkoski,
PsyD)
Synopsis: This
session addresses relationships between
burnout and employee engagement among
employees actively working in the medical
and mental health fields. Preferred
workplace motivators and a model of
organizational resiliency are also discussed
based on the findings of the data analysis.
This model shows how organizations need to
align their organizational systems to protect
employees against burnout, identify adaptive
coping mechanisms and increase employee
engagement. Audience: Employers,
managers and counselors (especially
beneficial for EAP counselors)
3-3:50
Panel presentation: Q&A regarding
Serving those with Severe Mental
Illness and Addiction