RAISE Lab

The Simulation Project aims to understand how to use realistic clinical simulations to best train future psychologists. This project consists of two types of simulations. 1). In the interdisciplinary simulation series, we work closely with our colleagues in Nursing and Social Work to develop and evaluate experiential learning activities in which students practice working as a treatment team. 2). In the antiracist simulation series, we use deliberate practice to help future psychologists navigate challenges inherent in providing culturally informed care to clients from diverse backgrounds. Our research team uses educational data to test the impact of these training experiences.

Unite for Her (UFH) is a nonprofit organization that provides services to women diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancers. The lab collaborated with UFH to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of participants' experiences over the course of a year to  determine how UFH services promoted positive adaptation to diagnosis.

The Gender Pronoun Project is a survey research study that explores college students’ perceptions of professors sharing their gender pronouns. We are particularly interested in understanding whether this practice demonstrates allyship

Project FRESH STARTS (Fostering Resilience and Encouraging Students through Hierarchical Supports To Assess and Resolve Traumatic Stress) is a joint clinical and research project in which we plan to evaluate the extent to which an tiered system of trauma supports meets the diverse psychological needs of students who are adjudicated to an alternate school placement.  We appreciate the past support of the West Chester University Provost Research Grant and the current support for services from our community partners.

Along with our partners at Nemours Children’s Health System, we are investigating factors contributing to the successful integration of psychologists into primary care settings. We are particularly interested in understanding how warm hand offs (e.g., in person patient introductions to members of the treatment team by other members of the treatment team) can facilitate collaborative care and improve service utilization.

Building Roads to Inclusion and Diversity in Graduate Education (BRIDGE). In 2017, clinical psychology graduate programs, including West Chester University's Psy.D. program, joined together to form a network that is invested in promoting inclusion and diversity in clinical psychology .The RAISE Lab is working with University of Delaware’s Center for Training, Evaluation, and Community Collaboration to lead efforts to optimize the network and to evaluate recruitment initiatives across graduate programs. Locally, with support from West Chester University’s Student Engagement Award, we are coordinating an annual visit day event to aid in under-represented students’ professional development as they prepare for graduate school. 

Families in Psychology Project (Families in Psychology Project) is a collaborative research and advocacy effort in which we are working with a network of professional and students who are advancing research and advocacy on topics such as family leave, workplace childcare, gender-based discrimination, lactation support, and peer support We are interested in understanding how psychology trainees balance competing demands of graduate training and family care.

Along with our community partners in the Delaware Division of Youth Rehabilitation Services, we implemented and evaluatd a group therapy that aimed to increase teen’s motivation toward healthy life change. This project was funded by West Chester University’s Research in Science and Mathematics Award.

Along with our partners at La Academia Antonia Alonsa and The School Mindfulness Project, we are evaluating a school-wide mindfulness curriculum implemented in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. We are interested in understanding how participating in this program improves outcomes for both students and the adults who work with them.  Work with this existing dataset is ongoing.

The CHR project aims to improve long-term outcomes for youth and young adults (age 12-25) who demonstrate a high risk for psychosis. The RAISE lab is evaluating clinical services that occurred from 2019-2022. This project is a four year collaboration between the RAISE lab, Catholic Charities, and the State of Delaware Department of Services of Children Youth and Families with support from a SAMHSA grant.

The Prism Project was developed in collaboration with the LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County (https://lgbteachesco.org/) to understand the needs of the LGBTQ population in Chester County, PA, to refine measurement of identity variables and to inform public policy intended to meet unmet needs in our community. Data collection occurred from 2019-2020 and students continue to work with this existing dataset.