• A. B., Univ. of Chicago, 1981;
• M. Div., Harvard Univ., 1987;
• Ph.D., New School Univ., 1996.

I am especially interested in understanding the ways that sociocultural forces shape personality and influence psychosocial functioning. An example relates to how stressful/traumatic events affect individuals from different sociocultural backgrounds. Another (related) example is a sociocultural approach to understanding human remembering. I am a clinical psychologist, and completed a predoctoral internship at Bellevue Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorders in Honolulu. But my interests extend beyond clinical psychology, stretching into other subdisciplines of psychology, as well as other academic disciplines, such as philosophy, anthropology, and sociology. I have degrees in two other disciplines: political science and religion. But after fifteen years of studying psychology, my curiosity about human nature is far from quenched—in fact, it is more intense than ever! My current research examines how students from different ethnocultural backgrounds are affected by college-related stresses. Stress and trauma can have a negative impact on health, as well as psychosocial functioning. My research involves discovering and refining ways to mitigate those negative consequences, including interventions such as expressive writing and emotional disclosure.

• History of Psychology (PSY 348)
• Theories of Personality (PSY 255)