APSU Department of Psychological Science and Counseling

Save the dates for our first two brown bag presentations of 2026! 📅🗨️🧠
On Friday, February 20, Dr. Rong Huang from the APSU Department of Psychological Science and Counseling will present 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮: 𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝-𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚.
On Friday, March 20, Dr. Misty Ring-Ramirez from the APSU Department of Sociology will present 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡-𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣-𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨.
Both presentations will be held from noon to 1:00 p.m. in room 104 of the Health Professions Building.
All APSU faculty and staff are encouraged to bring their lunch and join us for these engaging discussions.

To truly support children facing adversity, we have to look beyond labels.
New research from our own Dr. Rong Huang, explores how early childhood outcomes are shaped not by one experience alone, but by the environments and conditions families navigate every day.
The work encourages a deeper, more thoughtful conversation about how we support children and families... and where intervention matters most.
Read the full story: https://www.apsu.edu/news/apsu-research-rethinks-childhood-adversity.php?fbclid=IwY2xjawPoWdVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFTd21oYTJ5REZJdTQ2RVgyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHquSq7oXZL99k9gLWcV2C5kzUrDIiYSV4cSNBK8FHaDktfLLwqBtz-oQ71-H_aem_zN4IkmKTcE92qxJck1fOzw

APSU research looks “beyond labels” to rethink childhood adversity New research from Austin Peay State University challenges assumptions about childhood adversity, finding that children's developmental outcomes are shaped more by broader environmental factors and sustained family support than by single experiences like parental incarceration.

‼️ Do you still need to be advised? We will be having a last call advising event on Wednesday, December 3rd! ‼️

Our very own Dr. Rong Huang!

The APSU Department of Psychological Science and Counseling is excited to announce its 2025 GOVing Tuesday project: the Child Development Lab Initiative, led by Dr. Rong Huang.

This dedicated space in McCord will give our students hands-on experience working with children and provide local families with meaningful developmental resources.

Save the date: GOVing Tuesday, December 2.

You can help us build a space that strengthens student training and supports families across our community.

Donate now—or mark your calendar to give on

Details at https://givetoapsu.com/DevelopmentLabGT

For those of you that have Instagram, there is an Instagram page devoted to undergraduate students who might be interested in exploring a career as a therapist. You can follow them with this handle: .paths. This page will discuss the different pathways a therapist can take, graduate school tips, and resources for both current and future therapists!

We know we have a lot of first generations students! This day Is for you!

‼️Reminder! This is this weekend.‼️

See below for an interesting and unique opportunity to see how the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) works to solve crimes. For anyone interested in forensic psychology or criminal justice, this will be an excellent opportunity for you to not only gain further information but to network as well!

Check it out 👇🏼👇🏼

Faculty Friday - Dr. Hock

I graduated from Kent State University, earning my PhD in Experimental Psychology, with a specialty in neuroscience, focusing on learning and memory. I also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Genetics studying the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease using mouse models. I joined the faculty at APSU starting in the fall of 2005. I teach Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Applied Psychopharmacology, Introduction to Nonprofit Grant Writing, Physiological Psychology, Sensory Processes and Learning and Motivation.

When I am not “working” I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, being outdoors either hiking, camping, scuba diving, fishing, hunting or volunteering at Walden’s Puddle, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Joelton, TN. I also enjoy watching football, rooting for the Cleveland Browns and Michigan Wolverines.

Faculty Friday--Dr. Harris!

I completed my doctorate at Florida State University where I fell in love with the study of expert performance and deliberate practice. More specifically, I am interested in understanding the factors underlying superior professional, athletic, academic, artistic, and any other type of performance. Much of this work has focused on performance under stressful, dynamic, and potentially life-threatening situations in domains such as healthcare, law-enforcement, and the military. More recently, Dr. Pica and I coauthored a book on improving one’s own performance with the goal of helping readers make themselves more competitive within their chosen domains, including their career paths. There currently are openings for undergraduate research assistants on several research projects that are in various stages.

Faculty Friday!

Dr. Pica has been with the department since 2017. She is originally from Pennsylvania, and if you listen closely, you can tell by her accent and the way she says different words. Students and faculty can usually tell where she’s at by her unique laugh. She teaches Career Development in Psychology, Research Methods, Forensic Psychology, Wrongful Convictions, and Capstone in Psychology.

Broadly, her research interests include ways to improve eyewitness identification, factors that impact juror decision making, the perceptions of the wrongfully convicted, and post-incarceration experiences for the wrongfully convicted. She also partners with the Montgomery County Juvenile Court for the 20/10 Vision Mentorship program where undergraduate students are paired with at-risk youth in a mentorship capacity.

When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with family, cuddling up with her dog Queenie, listening to Taylor Swift (she’s a die-hard Swiftie along with Dr. Shaw) and spending time outdoors.

There currently are openings for undergraduate research assistants on several research projects that are in various stages. If you’re interested, please reach out to Dr. Pica ([email protected]). Additionally, please reach out if you are interested in the 20/10 Vision Mentorship program.

Want to add to your resume AND serve the APSU community. Join the Psychology club. ALL Positions will be open for the 2026-2027 school year.

Psychology Club Officer Requirements
• Freshman or Higher
• Psi Chi Inductee (President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian ONLY)
• Availability for officer meetings

Eligibility for Psi Chi includes:
• Completion of 3 semester or 5 quarter of the college course
• Completion of 9 semester hours of psychology courses
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in both psychology classes and in cumulative grades

Have questions? Contact:

Cydney Hall, President
chall52 .apsu.edu

Dr. Brian Hock, Advisor
[email protected]