Please note that the application date has changed to DECEMBER 1, 2023
Students will enter the program with a masters degree. It is anticipated that time to completion is a minimum of four years.
Please see the program requirements in the university catalog here: Course Catalog
62 semester hours
4 years from MA
Research Topics | Faculty Leader(s) |
APPEAR Applied Psychology Program for Eating and Appearance Research | Rodgers, Edwards George |
Dating Violence and Relationship Risk Prevention Team | Rizzo |
Feminist Therapy and Theory; Feminist Ecological Model | Sanchez |
Intersectionality Lab in Applied Psychology | Robinson-Wood |
Mindfulness for Health Behavior Change | |
Use of Technology & Games for Health Behavior Change |
Babatunde Aideyan
received a BA in Psychology from Emory University and an MA in Counseling from Northwestern University. Tunde began the Counseling Psychology program in 2018 and is a PhD candidate at Northeastern University. He has several years of work experience in corporate work environments where he developed data analysis and survey research skills. At Northeastern, Tunde has researched with his advisor, Dr. Jessica Edwards George, the neurocognitive effects of gluten exposure in individuals with celiac disease. While obtaining his master’s degree, Tunde interned at a community mental health agency that supported group home and foster care residents, as well as in a private practice setting. At the doctoral level, Tunde spent a year at Butler Hospital administering neuropsychological assessments for individuals presenting with memory problems; he is currently co-facilitating resilience training groups at the MGH Resilience and Prevention Program. Clinically, Tunde is interested in breathwork practices, health psychology, and strength-oriented counseling. His research interests involve using artificial intelligence methods for improving mental health diagnosis and prognosis.
Payton Bruland
Payton has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2019. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Gonzaga University. At Northeastern, Payton works on the SNAP/Social Research team with Dr. Christie Rizzo and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers (MFWSB) team with Dr. Laurie Kramer. Her research interests align with each of these labs, examining both protective and risk factors among children and adolescence in the areas of emotion regulation and interpersonal relationships. Payton also has an interest in the ways childhood trauma affects outcomes in adolescence and later life. Clinically, she has worked with children, adolescents, and their families in a variety of settings, including outpatient and inpatient services.
Elizabeth Collier
Elizabeth (Libby) Collier enrolled in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at Northeastern in the fall of 2021. Prior to her move to Boston, Libby received an M.A. and Ed.M. in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Libby’s clinical fieldwork placement was at Mount Sinai Hospital where she conducted group therapy and individual therapy sessions involving dual diagnosis patients. During her master’s program, she also spent time in two research labs affiliated with New York University and Columbia University that focused on youth mental health. These studies focused on interventions for adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis and systems-level interventions concerning youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Libby is in the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Christie Rizzo. She hopes to continue to work alongside youth at-risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and is interested in mentorship as a facilitator of positive youth development.
Jaylan Abd Elrahman
Jaylan Abd Elrahman,(She, Her) received her B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and her M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, with a concentration in Child Advocacy. She is currently a member of the Intersectionality Research Lab and her primary research interests rest at the nexus of adolescent identity development, trauma, culture and social change. She previously served in various research roles at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Brookings Institution and Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. She has been actively involved in facilitating healing justice, youth development and community-based work across the nation for the last nine years, primarily with and for refugee, migrant, and young women of color. She welcomes all connections and can be reached at [email protected].
Laura Fischer
received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and an M.S. in Psychology from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She has held positions across a variety of clinical, research, and community mental health settings, including the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Her primary clinical and research interests include empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, mindfulness-based interventions, and the implications of intersecting identities for mental and physical health.
Ruthann Hewett
Ruthann Hewett has been a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program since the Fall of 2021. She holds a dual BA from Brandeis University in Psychology and Health: Science, Society & Policy (2016), as well as an MS from Northeastern University’s Counseling Psychology master’s program (2020). She is a member of the Intersectionality Research Team under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Robinson-Wood. She has worked on research projects with the Intersectionality team including a study of the racial socialization experiences of biracial adults. Prior to beginning her MS, she worked as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit. She has also worked as an intern clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Home for Little Wanderers, and as a clinician at the Therapeutic After School Program at the Italian Home for Children. Her interests include examining oppressive power systems operating within mental health treatment facilities, particularly state funded institutions, and interrogating how these systems can be modified to better serve clients with intersecting marginalized identities.
Katherine Laveway
Katherine Laveway is a Ph.D. student in Counseling Psychology and a member of the Applied Psychology Program for Eating and Appearance Research (APPEAR) team since the Fall of 2020. She received her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University and her B.A. in English and Music from Wellesley College. During her master’s training, Katherine gained clinical experience working in inpatient and outpatient settings at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Katherine’s research interests include body image and eating concerns among queer and trans individuals. She is particularly interested in sociocultural constructions of gender, experiences of weight stigma, and the role of social media on the psychological health of young people.
Madeline Manning
Madeline has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2017. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Communications from Stonehill College (2015) and her M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine (2017). She will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in the Neuropsychology Track with the goal of pursuing a career in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Prior to beginning her doctoral training, Madeline worked as a mental health counselor in the adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Tufts Medical Center. She also worked as a clinical research assistant at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC) at Bradley Hospital and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital where she helped conduct research on the dissemination of treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/other anxiety related disorders in children and exploring factors which impact adolescent suicidality post-inpatient level of care. During her graduate training, she completed clinical practicum experiences at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital Pediatric Neuropsychology Program, Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment at Butler Hospital Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Hasbro Children’s Sleep Disorder Clinic, Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program, Boston Children’s at Martha Eliot Health Center (Mental Health Clinic and Early Intervention Program), and Franciscan Children’s Hospital Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT) Unit. She is part of the Adolescent Relationships and Risk Behavior Research Lab and the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers Research Lab, and also completed the Early Intervention Certification Program at Northeastern. Madeline’s primary research interests include exploring the protective factors that promote resilience in children and adolescents, as well as integrating community and individual resilience to violence and trauma. Madeline also has interests in the areas of adolescent dating violence prevention, pediatric psychology, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders.
Chantal Muse
received an M.A. from Chatham University and a B.A. from Duquesne University. Previously, she worked on a study examining how employment status effects the health and well-being of Sub-Saharan African women. Also, she held a clinical position at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Acute Adult Trauma Unit and the Comprehensive Services and Recovery Unit. Her primary research and clinical interests are working with cancer patients, examining the patient-provider relationship, specifically the relationship between African-American women with breast cancer and white doctors, and health communication.
Briana Paulo
Briana previously studied at the University of Rhode Island for a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Thanatology. She later earned a M.A. in Psychology Research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2017. Briana came to Northeastern University in the Fall of 2020 with clinical experiences in a variety of settings with children and adolescents who experience a range of social, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. She also held a clinical research position at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital, where she led outreach and collaboration efforts with schools, pediatric office, and other community partners, conducted semi-structured diagnostic assessments, and facilitated in-home/in-community exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions with children and adolescents.
Briana currently works with the Dating Violence and Relationship Risk Prevention Team, led by Dr. Christie Rizzo. Her work in this lab involves studies that assess health-related behaviors and interpersonal communication patterns of juvenile-justice involved teens to understand risk and protective factors of dating violence. Briana’s research and clinical interests lie in socioemotional and behavioral issues in children/adolescents of traditionally marginalized populations and increasing awareness of and access to mental health resources.
Lisa Rines-Toth
received her Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies at Northeastern, Lisa worked at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City as a clinician in the psychiatric emergency department. Lisa’s primary research and clinical interests are in the general areas of integrated behavioral care, crisis intervention, addiction and mindfulness & yoga. Lisa currently works as a counselor in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center.
Kaitlyn Schneider
received an M.S. from Villanova University and a B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her primary research interests are in the areas of domestic violence, attachment, and trauma. Her previous work has explored the development of a rater-based method to measure secondary attachment strategies enacted within the maternal-fetal attachment relationship. She has also previously worked clinically with clients experiencing domestic violence.
Isabella Sereno
Isabella “Isa” Sereno has been a PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Northeastern University since the Fall of 2020. Isa received a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and an MA in Counselor Education, Clinical Mental Health Track, from Virginia Tech. Isa worked as a treatment coordinator at the Latinas y Niño’s Center in Casa Esperanza Inc., a substance abuse residential program for Latinx women in recovery and their children, where she worked closely with monolingual Spanish-speaking women and their families. Isa also worked as a clinical research coordinator II at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Outcome Research and Education program (CORE), helping conduct research in palliative care for patients diagnosed with advanced cancer and their caregivers. She is a part of the APPEAR lab and is working under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Edwards-George and Dr. Rachel Rodgers. Isa will be completing her advanced fieldwork practicum at Martha Eliot Health Center/Boston Children’s Hospital. She is fluent in Spanish and is interested in understanding racial and ethnic disparities that affect the caregiver experience within health settings, particularly parents of children with complex care needs.
Goal #1: To prepare graduates for the role of professional psychologists, to include advanced skill development in behavioral observations, interviewing, psychological assessment, counseling and treatment planning and practice, consultation, effective use of supervision and an understanding of and commitment to the profession’s ethical codes.
Objective 1A: Students will be exposed to various professional roles including student teaching, participation in research projects where they are mentored by faculty and mentor peers and/or junior colleagues.
Competency 1A1: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as clinicians.
Competency 1A2: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as educators.
Competency 1A3: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as community change agents ethically serving diverse populations and advocating for social justice.
Competency 1A4: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles as researchers.
Goal #2: To foster understanding and application of the scientific basis of clinical practice in psychotherapy and clinical assessment
Objective 2A: Students will acquire an understanding of the biological, cognitive and affective, and social aspects of behavior.
Objective 2B: Students will acquire knowledge of the history and systems of psychology
Objective 2C: Students will acquire knowledge of empirical research regarding effective clinical practice, assessment, and interventions.
Objective 2D: Students will acquire knowledge of contemporary theories that explicate human behavior across the lifespan.
Objective 2E: Students will study current evidenced based practices in psychotherapy, psychological testing, and biological bases of clinical practice.
Objective 2F: Students will acquire knowledge and skills to implement evidence-based clinical interventions with diverse populations.
Competency 2A: Students will understand the regulation of biological and emotional functions of the nervous system.
Competency 2B: Students will understand the contribution of environmental factors to brain development, to the development of the mind, and to their functions.
Competency 2C: Students will understand theories and research with respect to clinical efficacy.
Competency 2D: Students will understand contemporary theories of human behavior from a lifespan developmental perspective.
Competency 2E1: Students will demonstrate a thorough understanding of current evidence based practices in psychotherapy, psychological testing, and the neuroscientific bases of clinical practice.
Competency 2E2: Students will develop the ability to select and apply evidence-based interventions and to assess progress and outcomes.
Competency 2F1: Students will demonstrate that they are familiar with outcome research for various intervention strategies.
Competency 2F2: Students will develop the ability to implement a wide range of developmental, preventive, remedial, and psychoeducational interventions, including psychotherapy, crisis management, consultation and dealing with emergency psychological/psychiatric situations with people across sources of difference.
Goal # 3: To produce graduates who possess advanced and applied research skills within an ecological perspective
Objective 3A: Students will be involved in course work on advanced and applied research skills. Objective 3B: Students will become proficient in reporting research findings.
Objective 3C: Students will be able to critically evaluate research from an ecological perspective.
Competency 3A1: Students will demonstrate competency in research design and data analysis related to health and illness using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods models.
Competency 3A2: Students will be able to develop meaningful research questions, based upon theories and models in the scholarly research literature.
Competency 3A3: Students will be able to implement appropriate research design, methods, and statistical analyses, consistent with the research questions.
Competency 3A4: Students will understand advantages and disadvantages of various research designs, modes of inquiry, data collection methods, statistical procedures, and measurement concepts.
Competency 3B: Students will demonstrate the ability to report their research investigations appropriately, including knowledge of the socio-cultural contexts in the interpretation of the data.
Competency 3C1: Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate and critically assess the methodology of empirical research and the validity of research conclusions within a multicultural/ecological perspective.
Competency 3C2: Students will be able to integrate themselves in research projects on research teams that stress a multicultural/ecological perspective.
Competency 3C3: Students will successfully complete their dissertation proposals grounded within a multicultural/ecological perspective.
Goal # 4: To produce graduates who are committed to and demonstrate ethical practice as counseling psychologists.
Objective 4A: Students will learn through courses, mentoring, and supervision in the ethical codes of the profession.
Objective 4B: Student will learn through courses and supervised clinical experiences, local, state, and national laws affecting professional psychological practice.
Competency 4A: Students will become competent in understanding the codes of ethics and professional conduct of APA and develop a competent ethical decision-making process.
Competency 4B: Students will demonstrate understanding of the legal issues affecting practice and resolution of ethical/legal conflicts that may occur.
Goal #5: To produce graduates who are multiculturally competent across sources of difference, including race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion/spirituality, disability, and sexual orientation, in both clinical and research settings.
Objective 5A: Students will study, be mentored in, and be exposed to multicultural perspectives that stress the understanding of different worldviews and confronting forms of oppression.
Competency 5A1: Students will be able to integrate multiple worldviews and important historical and political positions in their clinical and research activities.
Competency 5A2: Students will be able to understand their own positions of privilege, related to race, gender, social class, ability, and/or sexual orientation and its effect on their work as professional psychologists.
Competency 5A3: Students will be able to integrate and actively advocate for the elimination of racism, sexism, class oppression, homophobia, ageism, and other forms of oppression.
Competency 5A4: Students will be able to conceptualize and advocate for social and economic justice as professional psychologists.
Goal # 6: To advance the field of counseling psychology using program strengths: (a) an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach to clinical services provision and enhancement of the science of health promotion and health psychology; (b) stress on urban, community-based interventions using an ecological approach.
Objective 6A: Students will be exposed to interprofessional models of health promotion research within the Bouvé College of Health Sciences.
Objective 6B: Students will study the strengths and challenges facing urban populations and work within health promotion and prevention.
Competency 6A1: Students will develop an understanding of how health promotion research is conceptualized and undertaken by an interprofessional team.
Competency 6B1: Students will understand the unique challenges facing urban populations and work within settings that provide health promotion and prevention efforts with multicultural populations.