The Rovinsky Family Lectureship, hosted by the School of Professional and Applied Psychology, features speakers who are experts within the fields of psychology and mental health, and who also provide training for psychologists, social workers, counselors, psychiatrists and healthcare providers.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 (this event has past)
Speaker: Terri A. Erbacher, PhD
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
According to the CDC (2023), 22% of high school-age youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, 18% made a suicide plan, and 10% had a suicide attempt. Despite these statistics, working with suicidal youth often presents as both a professional challenge and a personal fear. While the ability to conduct an informed youth suicide risk assessment is a vital skill for clinicians, assessment alone is not enough.
The average time between a youth’s first suicidal thought and first attempt is one year, and suicide risk is episodic, fluctuating dramatically over the course of the day—especially for teenagers. Ongoing suicide risk monitoring and safety planning increase the likelihood that changes in risk are identified and addressed. This session focuses on practical strategies for implementing suicide risk monitoring and safety planning. Attendees will leave with several evidence-based strategies that can be implemented immediately with youth and families in clinical and school-based settings.
Terri A. Erbacher, PhD, is a School Psychologist with over 23 years of experience at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and the founder of Erbacher Consulting Associates, PLLC. Her practice focuses on training, coaching, and consultation related to school crisis response, trauma, suicide prevention, threat assessment, social media, and youth mental health.
Dr. Erbacher previously served as a Clinical Associate Professor of School Psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for more than 13 years, where her teaching and research emphasized school-based crisis intervention and suicide risk. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, including her seminal text Suicide in Schools. Dr. Erbacher has held multiple leadership and advisory roles across Pennsylvania, contributed to suicide prevention legislation, and serves as a subject matter expert for the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee. She has also been honored as Pennsylvania’s School Psychologist of the Year.
Czyz, E. K., King, C. A., & Nahum-Shani, I. (2018). Ecological assessment of daily suicidal thoughts and attempts among suicidal teens after psychiatric hospitalization: Lessons about feasibility and acceptability. Psychiatry Research, 267, 566–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.06.031
Erbacher, T. A., & Singer, J. B. (2017). Suicide risk monitoring: The missing piece in suicide risk assessment. Contemporary School Psychology, 22, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0164-8
Nock, M. K., Green, J. G., Hwang, I., McLaughlin, K. A., Sampson, N. A., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Kessler, R. C. (2013). Prevalence, correlates, and treatment of lifetime suicidal behavior among adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement. JAMA Psychiatry, 70(3), 300–310. https://doi.org/10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.55
Stanley, B., Brown, G. K., Brenner, L. A., Galfalvy, H. C., Currier, G. W., Knox, K. L., Chaudhury, S. R., Bush, A. L., & Green, K. L. (2018). Comparison of the safety planning intervention with follow-up vs usual care of suicidal patients treated in the emergency department. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(9), 894–900. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1776
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 (this event has past)
Speaker: Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, PMH-C, Assistant Professor, PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology, School of Professional
& Applied Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
This presentation describes common psychological reactions and symptoms among parents of infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It provides an overview of evidence-based screening tools and psychological interventions that can be offered within the NICU to support parents.
The presentation also addresses burnout and compassion fatigue among NICU providers and discusses how providers can interact with parents from a psychologically informed perspective to improve clinical care and patient-centered outcomes. Clinical and empirical literature are used to inform guidelines for best practice.
Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, PMH-C, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and a licensed psychologist with expertise in reproductive psychology and perinatal mental health. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Drexel University with a concentration in health psychology.
Dr. Bonacquisti completed an APA-accredited clinical internship at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine specializing in women’s mental health and behavioral medicine, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship focused on perinatal mental health in Drexel University’s Department of Psychology and Mother Baby Connections program. She is certified as a specialist in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International (PMH-C).
Her clinical and research interests focus on reproductive-related mood and anxiety disorders and mental health outcomes related to infertility, pregnancy loss, and infant admission to the NICU. She is also interested in developing and evaluating innovative psychological treatments, including the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) during the perinatal period. Dr. Bonacquisti completed clinical training in the NICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and has conducted research in multiple NICUs assessing maternal attachment and psychological symptoms during NICU stays.
Bonacquisti, A., Geller, P. A., & Patterson, C. A. (2020). Maternal depression, anxiety, stress, and maternal-infant attachment in the neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 38(3), 297–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2019.1695041
Geller, P. A., Bonacquisti, A., & Patterson, C. A. (2018). Maternal experience of neonatal intensive care unit hospitalization: Trauma exposure and psychosocial responses. In M. Muzik & K. L. Rosenblum (Eds.), Motherhood in the face of trauma: Pathways of healing and growth (pp. 227–247). Springer International Publishing.
Sabnis, A., Fojo, S., Nayak, S. S., Lopez, E., Tarn, D. M., & Zeltzer, L. (2019). Reducing parental trauma and stress in neonatal intensive care: Systematic review and meta-analysis of hospital interventions. Journal of Perinatology, 39(3), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0310-9
Hynan, M. T., Steinberg, Z., Baker, L., Cicco, R., Geller, P. A., Lassen, S., Milford, C., Mounts, K. O., Patterson, C., Saxton, S., Segre, L., & Stuebe, A. (2015). Recommendations for mental health professionals in the NICU. Journal of Perinatology, 35(Suppl 1), S14–S18. https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.144
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 (this event has past)
Speaker: Leslie M. Fernandez, PsyD, Director of Clinical Training, Assistant Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
This presentation focuses on grief within a cultural context. It examines the meaning of grief across cultures and the challenges clinicians may encounter when treating grieving individuals. Rituals, practices, and sensitivities associated with grief across diverse cultural backgrounds are discussed.
The presenter also reviews several empirically supported interventions that can be utilized when treating patients from diverse backgrounds. Clinical and empirical literature are used to inform guidelines for best practice.
Leslie M. Fernandez, PsyD, is Director of Clinical Training and a core faculty member in the PCOM clinical psychology doctoral program. She has dedicated much of her career to providing culturally sensitive care to underserved populations. A bilingual certified school psychologist, she supported students navigating grief and loss in an urban school district for over 10 years.
Dr. Fernandez gained extensive experience treating diverse patients experiencing grief and loss during her postdoctoral training at Main Line Health. Her expertise led to her selection as a presenter for Main Line Health primary care residents on treating grief and loss within a primary care setting. She continues to work with diverse patients across the lifespan, providing therapy and assessment services in both Spanish and English.
Her clinical experience includes work with children, adolescents, adults, and geriatric populations across school, outpatient, inpatient, and primary care settings.
Rosenblatt, C. P. (2020). Challenges to cultural outsiders from the culture of grief counseling/therapy. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(3), 207–223.
Rosenblatt, C. P. (2017). Researching grief: Cultural, relational, and individual possibilities. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 22(8), 617–630.
Gutierrez, I. T., Menendez, D., Jiang, M. J., Hernandez, I. G., Miller, P., & Rosengran, K. S. (2020). Embracing death: Mexican parent and child perspectives on death. Child Development, 91(2), 491–511.
Kennedy, C. J., Gardner, F., & Farrelly, C. (2020). Death, dying and bereavement: Considering compassion and empowerment. Pastoral Care in Education, 38(2), 138–155.
Wednesday, February 12, 2024 (this event has past)
Speaker: Brandon Tomlinson, PhD, LPCC (OH), NCC, Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, School of Professional & Applied
Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
Mental and physical healthcare providers must incorporate intersectionality into their work, recognizing that individuals possess multiple identities that shape how they experience the world. These identities may be marginalized, privileged, or interact in ways that amplify marginalization or privilege. Understanding these dynamics allows providers to better grasp the factors influencing the lives of those they treat.
This presentation delineates the foundational tenets, research findings, and history of intersectionality. Attendees learn how to mindfully integrate intersectional perspective-taking into care delivery, explore their own internal biases and assumptions through cultural humility, and develop skills to advocate for systemic changes to oppressive structures within healthcare settings.
Brandon Tomlinson, PhD, LPCC (OH), NCC, is a licensed professional clinical counselor and Assistant Professor of Counseling at the PCOM School of Professional and Applied Psychology. His clinical and research work focuses on advocacy, policy, and the role of identity and intersectionality in counseling and healthcare.
Dr. Tomlinson serves on the public policy board for the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), a division of the American Counseling Association. He has authored public statements and provided opposition testimony related to social justice and protections against government-sanctioned marginalization. His work includes extensive clinical practice with marginalized populations across race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status, as well as professional trainings on clinician advocacy, LGBTQ+ issues, neurodiversity, and addictions.
Adams, L. M., & Miller, A. B. (2022). Mechanisms of mental-health disparities among minoritized groups: How well are the top journals in clinical psychology representing this work? Clinical Psychological Science, 10(3), 387–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026211026979
Bowen, E. A., & Irish, A. (2019). A policy mapping analysis of goals, target populations, and punitive notions in the U.S. congressional response to the opioid epidemic. International Journal of Drug Policy, 74, 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.09.014
Chan, C. D., Cor, D. N., & Band, M. P. (2018). Privilege and oppression in counselor education: An intersectionality framework. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 46(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12092
Day, G. L., Havranek, E. P., Campbell, E. G., & Mehta, A. B. (2023). Applying intersectionality to better characterize healthcare disparities for critically ill adults. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 207(12), 1639–1641. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202301-0153LE
Dieser, R. B. (2021). A call to the profession: Cross-cultural competence and learning from a sister profession. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 55(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2021-V55-I4-10955
Else-Quest, N. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2016). Intersectionality in quantitative psychological research: Theoretical and epistemological issues. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40, 155–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684316629797
Mothupi, M., Dasgupta, J., Hosseini Jebeli, S. S., Stevenson, J., Berdichevsky, K., Vong, S., Barasa, E., & George, A. (2023). Using an intersectionality approach to transform health services for overlooked healthcare users and workers after COVID-19. British Medical Journal, 381, Article e072243. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-072243
Zhu, P., Luke, M., & Bellini, J. (2021). A grounded theory analysis of cultural humility in counseling and counselor education. Counselor Education & Supervision, 60(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12197
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 (this event has past)
Speaker: Barry L. McCurdy, PhD, NCSP, BCBA-D, Clinical Professor, School of Professional & Applied Psychology, Philadelphia College
of Osteopathic Medicine
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
Mental health and well-being are critical to the success of children and youth in school. Research indicates that mental and behavioral health difficulties are prevalent, affecting as many as one in five children and youth, many of whom experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse, trauma, or antisocial patterns of behavior.
Despite increased need, mental health service utilization has not kept pace, highlighting the importance of expanding service capacity. This presentation examines transdiagnostic approaches as a contemporary alternative to diagnostic-specific interventions, emphasizing integration of mental health supports within school settings.
Three transdiagnostic approaches to school-based mental health are highlighted: the core dysfunction approach, the common elements approach, and the principle-guided approach. Practical applications of these models are discussed, along with evidence-based strategies for positively impacting student mental health at Tiers 2 and 3 within a multi-tiered system of support framework. Clinical and empirical literature are used to inform best practice.
Barry L. McCurdy, PhD, NCSP, BCBA-D, is a school psychologist, licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, and board certified behavior analyst. He earned his PhD in School Psychology from Lehigh University while working as a staff psychologist at Centennial School of Lehigh University, a laboratory school dedicated to training special education professionals.
In 1999, Dr. McCurdy founded the Devereux Center for Effective Schools and served as its director until 2021. His research and professional work focus on multi-tiered systems of support, school-based mental health integration, parent training, teacher training, and positive behavior support. He has led numerous grant-funded prevention and early intervention initiatives and remains active in professional organizations related to school psychology, special education, behavior analysis, and school-based behavioral health.
Clifford, M. E., Nguyen, A. J., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2020). Both/and: Tier 2 interventions with transdiagnostic utility in addressing emotional and behavioral disorders in youth. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 36, 173–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2020.1714859
Dalgleish, T., Black, M., Johnston, D., & Bevan, A. (2020). Transdiagnostic approaches to mental health problems: Current status and future directions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88, 179–195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000482
Schaeuffele, C., Schulz, A., Knaevelsrud, C., Renneberg, B., & Boettcher, J. (2021). CBT at the crossroads: The rise of transdiagnostic treatments. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 14, 86–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-020-00095-2
Monday, April 8, 2024 (this event has past)
Speaker: Donald P. Masey, PsyD, Clinical Associate Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Speaker: Sabria Kegler, MA, Associate Director, Disability Services, University of Pennsylvania, Weingarten
Center
Number of Credits: 1 (APA & NBCC Accreditation)
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Based on the presentation, the participants will be able to:
This presentation focuses on the purpose, process, and individualized features of accommodations in college classroom settings and on various “high stakes” examinations. The intent is to clarify these considerations for psychologists and neuropsychologists conducting evaluations and preparing effective documentation of findings.
An equally important goal is to highlight the needs of Disability Services staff as they work with students and facilitate accommodation processes. The presentation reviews documentation requirements for school entrance examinations such as the ACT, SAT, LSAT, MCAT, and GRE, as well as professional licensing exams including the UBE (law), EPPP (psychology), and USMLE (medicine).
Consistent with ADA guidance, the presentation emphasizes that diagnoses alone do not necessarily constitute a disability and that evaluations should describe functional limitations using multiple assessment methods from different sources. Equity and inclusion issues related to accessing appropriate educational accommodations are also addressed.
Donald P. Masey, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist with expertise in clinical neuropsychology and serves as a Clinical Associate Professor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. For more than two decades, he has taught, trained, and supervised doctoral students in neuropsychological assessment and has extensive experience conducting evaluations related to educational and professional testing accommodations.
Sabria Kegler, MA, is the Associate Director of Disability Services at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weingarten Center. She works closely with students seeking accommodations in academic settings as well as on professional and licensing examinations.
Gotlib, D., Saragoza, P., Segal, S., Goodman, L., & Schwartz, V. (2019). Evaluation and management of mental health disability in post-secondary students. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(6), 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1024-1
Keenan, W. R., Madus, J. W., Lombardi, A. R., & Dukes, L. L. (2019). Impact of Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act on documentation for students with disabilities in transition to college. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 42(1), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143418809691
Lovett, B. J. (2021). Educational accommodations for students with disabilities: Two equity-related concerns. Frontiers in Education, 6, Article 795266. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.795266
Mascarenhas, M. A., Cocunato, J. L., Armstrong, I. T., Harrison, A. G., & Zakzanis, K. (2023). Base rates of non-credible performance in a post-secondary student sample seeking accessibility accommodations. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2023.2167737
Meeks, L., Jain, N. R., & Lewis, C. (2020). Requesting accommodations on certification, licensing, and board exams. In L. Meeks, N. R. Jain, & E. P. Laird (Eds.), Equal access for students with disabilities: The guide for health science and professional education (2nd ed., pp. 153–186). Springer Publishing.
Petersen, K. H., & Meeks, L. M. (2021). The student who fails the medical board exam. In L. Neal-Boylan & L. M. Meeks (Eds.), Disability as diversity (pp. 141–151). Springer Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55886-4_15
Weis, R., & Bittner, S. A. (2022). College students’ access to academic accommodations over time. Psychological Injury and Law, 15(3), 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-021-09429-7
Weis, R., Hombosky, M. L., Schafer, K. K., Shulman, D., & Tull, J. K. (2021). Accommodation decision-making for postsecondary students with ADHD. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 43(4), 370–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2021.1918645
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