Teaching

I am an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in Mercer University’s College of Health Promotions.
Mercer CHP’s Clinical Psychology program is an APA-accredited Psy.D. training program.

Current courses (updated 10/1/2018)

CP 754: Practicum Seminar

CP 880: Research Applications for Psychosis and Serious Mental Illness

C.V.

For more detailed information about research, publications, professional organizations, and other professional information, please see my C.V.: C.V. updated 3/30/2018

Other resources

Other professional profiles:
	ResearchGate Profile
	University of Nebraska-Lincoln profile
	NCBI
Other professional organizations:
	Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT): SOSMD Special Interest Group
	ABCT Self-Help Book Recommendations
	Society for Research in Psychopathology
	Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry
	International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis
	Hearing Voices Network, USA

Ongoing Research Projects

Sleep:	Sleep problems are genetically and behaviorally linked to psychopathology. We are testing simple interventions to address and understand sleep problems among young people. So far, 150 undergraduate students have enrolled in this study, receiving psychology course research participation credit. After informed consent, students are enrolled for 28 days total, during which they complete three online surveys assessing basic sleep, stress, and psychological measures at baseline, 14 days, and 28 days. At baseline and the 14th day of the study, students are randomized to receive one of two simple sleep-related behavior modification instructions (designed as a “behavioral experiment,” as in CBT). Additionally, students complete daily detailed sleep logs. It is anticipated that students will generally benefit from tracking their sleep and related thoughts, emotions, and habits, and the behavior experiment will result in additional improvements. Outcomes include: sleep quality and duration, stress ratings, and mood, anxiety, and psychosis-related symptoms.
Predictors and Mechanisms:	People recover from serious psychological problems sometimes through personal or social change and sometimes through professional support. We hope to better understand what specific things change in treatment and in natural resilience so that we can better and more efficiently target and tailor treatment and social programs. I am currently working at Emory with Dr. Elaine Walker in the Mental Health and Development Program. We work with young people, ages 12-30, to identify people who have genetic, behavioral, or other signs or characteristics that may confer risk for psychosis. These include decline in functioning, first-degree family members with a history of psychosis, and subclinical psychosis symptoms (AKA psychosis-like experiences, attenuated psychotic symptoms, hearing voices, etc.). Importantly, for this study, these symptoms do not fall in a “clinical” range – they are relatively common experiences and characteristics. We want to learn for whom and how these symptoms cause more problems down the road or become integrated into a healthy psychological life. This research is conducted at Emory because it is one of the sites for the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS). This study is open for recruitment. Please contact me or go through Dr. Walker’s website if you are or someone for whom you are guardian is interested in participating.
Stigma:	Institutional, cultural, and internalized stigma are major barriers to personal recovery and professional/social support. We need to better understand and address stigma related to psychological and other aspect of diversity in our communities and professional services. This summer, I am working with a group of talented students with diverse backgrounds and interests to develop understanding and address problems related to mental health stigma on Emory’s campus. Specifically, we will perform a community assessment (Emory undergraduate students and institutional supports) of mental health stigma. This includes self-stigma, perceived institutional and social stigma, and barriers to social and institutional support. This project is still in the design phase, but we will be recruiting campus service and student representatives this summer. Please contact me if you may be interested in participating. Image from: http://www.priorygroup.com/blog/mental-health/mental-health-stigma-on-campus
Social Cognition:	Social cognition is somewhere between basic brain abilities and social functioning. Social cognitive abilities and characteristics are directly addressed by CBT and are closely related to functioning. I have published several studies on different aspects of social cognition, including: validity and reliability of measures for social cognitive treatment in schizophrenia; measurement and construct validity of self-efficacy and externality measurement related to emotion regulation in college students; brain processes related to face and emotion processing in college students with schizotypal characteristics; social cognitive development through adolescence into young adulthood and its relevance to psychosis risk syndromes; etc. Please see C.V. for more.
	I am currently analyzing data from a collaborative study with Yale Child Study Center assessing the test-retest reliability of electrophysiological (EEG) response to social exclusion. I am also analyzing data from a recent trial of Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) for veterans with schizophrenia. I also adapted and piloted SCIT for high school-aged youths, and I hope to write up a case study on preliminary results from that group in the near future.
[this page still under construction, more to come!]


CONTACT:	Click here to contact Charlie