On March 2, 2018 The Eastern Psychological Association’s Annual Meeting was held at the downtown Marriott located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Among the various keynote speakers and poster presentations, you could find the Albertus Magnus College Community represented!
The Eastern Psychological Association was founded in 1896 and holds its stake as the oldest regional psychological association in the United States. They seek to bring together professionals and students from across all fields of study and practice in an annual meeting for the purpose of disseminating the newest advances in psychology. (please see web link below to review reference)
Attending this meeting was an exciting experience for me. I have been volunteering as a research assistant for a just about a year so to be asked to present alongside my professors who I have a great respect and appreciation for, a second time, humbled me. Not to mention we were able to travel to Philadelphia, a city I had never been, but had always wanted to visit.
Having previously co-presented at The New England Psychological Association with Dr. Hilda Speicher, I was fortunate to have a good sense of what to expect. However, this meeting was larger, and drew in, what seemed to me, copious amounts of presentations from a variety of different areas and disciplines. So much to hear and learn about! One person I spoke with shared her research on whether parents were more likely to seek testing for their children regarding development. The EPA Presidential Address that I was able to attend was a talk brought forth by Susan Krauss Whitborne, Ph.D. (who is the current President of the EPA) “50 Years of Studying Personality Development: Joys and Challenges of Longitudinal Research”. Absolutely fascinating talk, and not to mention 50 years of research? To listen to that kind of dedication and perseverance in her work was inspiring, especially for someone who has only just begun their journey in this arena.
Opportunities like these, in my opinion, are priceless. Research yields empirical knowledge that is necessary across all fields of work and study. Aside from having a chance to be a part of showcasing the hard work and dedication put forth by our own Albertus Community, I was also gifted with the opportunity to speak with others about their ideas and work. A true meeting of the minds. #KeepCalmDoResearch
Before I bid adieu, I wanted to mention those who I was in attendance with as well as the presentations put forth! Dr. Stephen Joy, and Dr. Hilda Speicher, joined by Albertus Magnus College Student Aly Sklenarik (currently enrolled in the M.A. In Art Therapy and Counseling). Those not in attendance, but very much involved in the work and preparation are Dr. Siobhan Evarts and Albertus Magnus College student Rachel Cataudella (currently enrolled in the M.A. In Art Therapy and Counseling).
I would ask that anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer research assistant, or who is looking to finding a great practicum/internship experience, go on to your MyAlbertus Page click the academic services tab – CTLE – Research support services. Check it out, you will not be disappointed!
The original research brought forth by the aforementioned individuals involved performance-based personality assessments and were depicted in three different poster presentations (authors and presenters listed below each title):
“Assessing Personality Traits in Psychotherapy Patients Using Sentence Completions”
Stephen P. Joy, Ph.D., Aly Sklenarik, B.A., Wilson McDermut, Ph.D., and Rachael Cataudella, B.A.
“Primary Process Content in Thematic Apperception Test Stories”
Stephen P. Joy, Ph.D., Siobhan Evarts, Ph.D. & Michelle Swiantek, B.A.
“Development of the Draw Your Relationship Art Assessment Measure: A Review of Five Validity Studies”
Hilda Speicher, Ph.D. & Michelle Swiantek, B.A.
(All background information regarding the EPA found Here)
Michelle Swiantek is a recent graduate of the Albertus Magnus evening undergraduate accelerated program (December 2017, B.A. Psychology w/ Focus on Mental Health and Counseling) and a current applicant of the Albertus Magnus M.S. in Clinical Counseling.