University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Education

B.S., Psychology, Colby-Sawyer College

M.A., Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Research Interests

As is the case for many persons attracted to psychological science and related disciplines, I am interested in the mind-body connection. This has led me to a unique research emphasis on massage therapy, the manual manipulation of soft tissues intended to promote health and wellness. I am particularly interested in how massage therapy simultaneously deals with (1) how changes in the body lead to changes in affect, (2) how the social interaction of the therapist and recipient influences affective and health outcomes, and (3) how the recipient's and the therapist's beliefs, thoughts, and expectations about treatment affect pursuit of treatment, treatment compliance, and outcomes. 

Recently, I have extended my interest in the mind-body connection to also examine meditation, in which an individual self-induces a desired state of consciousness. Our research team discovered that the amount of meditation training required to significantly change frontal electroencephalographic asymmetry in the direction associated with positive emotional states is much less than previously considered.

Courses Taught

Courses taught:

PSYC 110 General Psychology

PSYC 120 Psychology of Adjustment

PSYC 320/520 Psychology: Its History and Systems

PSYC 361/561 Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 371/571 Introduction to Health Psychology

PSYC 401 & CNS 401/601 Psychology, Neuroscience, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine

MFT 765 Research in Psychotherapy