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Research and Presentations

At MSP, research is encouraged for both students and faculty. The research involved may be independent or as part of a team and may result in publication or presentation. The following activities are currently underway at MSP:

Dr. Lee Bach (Program Director) will be a program reviewer for The California Institute of Integral Studies’ (CIIS) East-West Program in March.

Roxanne Christensen (PsyD 4) presented “Adopting Oedipus: Considerations for Promoting Adoption Success” at the Humanizing Psychoanalysis II Conference held at MSP on November 22, 2014.

Roxanne Christensen (PsyD 4) acting as Student Ambassador for the APA Society for Humanistic Psychology, Division 32, will present a collaborative poster showcasing the research of recent MSP doctoral graduates. The poster includes research from Troy Piwowarski, Colleen Damino, Phyllis Florian, Hannah Allen-Miller, Freda Lerman, Andrew Champine, and Nicole Law. Roxanne will present the poster at the Division 32 Conference held in March.

Roxanne Christensen (PsyD 4) is a contributing author to the recently released book of poetry by Louis Hoffman and Nathaniel Granger called Stay Awhile: Poetic Narratives on Multiculturalism & Diversity.

Dr. Odessa Despot (Adjunct Faculty) presented “A Young Woman’s Struggle with Grief and Her Search For Meaning Following the Loss of a Loved One” at the Humanizing Psychoanalysis II Conference held at MSP on November 22, 2014.

Dr. Kevin Keenan (Core Faculty) has co-authored a chapter entitled “The Good Therapist: Evidence Regarding the Therapist’s Contribution to Effective Psychotherapy” in the forthcoming book being published by APA, Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice. Dr. Keenan has also co-edited this book with David Cain and Shawn Rubin.

Dr. Betz King (MA Program Coordinator) gave a talk, prior to conducting a ritual, entitled “The Celtic Goddesses” at the Goddess Bless Celebration in Farmington Hills, Michigan on November 22, 2014.

Dr. Betz King (MA Program Coordinator) exhibited an ofrenda (a collection of objects placed on a ritual altar traditionally during Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations) entitled Ofrenda de mi perra at The Detroit Institute of Arts Ofrenda Exhibit from October 24-Nov 2, 2014.

Kat Lewitzke-Sahakian (PsyD 3), Matthew Kadrich (PsyD 3), and Dr. Dustin Shepler (Core Faculty) will be presenting a poster at American Psychological Association Convention in August.

Lewitzke-Sahakian, K. A., Kadrich, M. R., & Shepler, D. K. (2015, August). The lived experience of yogis: A qualitative comparison between genders. Poster session presented at the meeting of American Psychological Association Convention, Toronto, Canada.

Dr. M. Ellis Jaruzel (Adjunct Faculty) co-authored the following article in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice.

Petersen, E. J., & Jaruzel, M. E. (2014). Argumentum ad Wilberiam: How truthiness and overgeneralization threaten to turn integral theory into a new scholasticism. Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 9(1).

Dr. M. Ellis Jaruzel (Adjunct Faculty) served as an Ad Hoc Reviewer for the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

Dr. M. Ellis Jaruzel (Adjunct Faculty) has been invited to speak at the Biennial Integral Theory Conference to be held in California this July.

Lindsay Najor (PsyD 2) presented “Humanizing Psychoanalysis: The Merging of Humanistic and Psychodynamic Theories” at the Humanizing Psychoanalysis II Conference held at MSP on November 22, 2014.

Dr. Franklin Sollars (Core Faculty) presented the key note for the Humanizing Psychoanalysis II Conference held at MSP on November 22, 2014. His address was entitled “The Intersection of Humanism, Phenomenology and Psychoanalysis.”

Amanda Sternitzky (PsyD 2) and Priscilla Zoma (PsyD 2) presented “Psychoanalysis and Humanistic Psychology: Utilizing the Therapeutic Relationship” at the Humanizing Psychoanalysis II Conference held at MSP on November 22, 2014.