JMU Graduate Psychology

10/13/2026

Faculty and students of the Counseling & Supervision Ph.D. program presented at the 2026 WACES National Conference held in Reno, NV October 8-10th.

Lacey Sawyers, Akyla Joseph, Natica Blake and Madison Moore presented a roundtable entitled, "Training for Transformation: Professional Development of Doctoral Interns as Partners in the CACREP".

Debbie Sturm and Stephanie Crockett presented an educational session with a colleague entitled, "Disaster-Informed Supervision: Humanistic Responses to Climate Disruption & Counselor Vulnerability".

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

Riley Herr, a doctoral candidate in Assessment & Measurement at JMU, teamed up with Dr. Dena Pastor and Dr. Sara Finney at the JMU Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS) to conduct and publish the following study in Research & Practice in Assessment: “Peers, Perceptions, and Putting Forth Effort: The Role of Normative Beliefs in Low-Stakes Testing.”

As they showcase in their work, students may believe that they should put forth effort on low-stakes assessments while simultaneously assuming that their peers do not try or expect others to try. This study examined seniors’ normative beliefs about test-taking effort and whether these beliefs varied across academic majors. Riley, Dr. Pastor and Dr Finney found little variation in normative beliefs across majors and identified a pattern consistent with previous research examining first-year and mid-career students. Specifically, their findings suggest that students hold inaccurate perceptions of their peers’ effort and expectations on low-stakes assessments. Addressing these misperceptions provides important opportunity for institutions seeking to promote meaningful effort on low-stakes assessments, with interventions beginning early in college and extending across academic disciplines.

Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4hFUorx

https://www.linkedin.com/company/jmu-center-for-assessment-and-research-studies-cars/posts/

10/07/2026

Taylor Nolan and Akyla Joseph presented an educational session entitled, "Modeling Intergenerational Trauma Case Conceptualization in the AI Era".

Akyla Joseph presented a poster entitled, "Nurturing Empathy Beyond Licensure: Introducing the Empathic Peer Group Consultation (EPGC) Model"

The NARACES conference was held in Manchester, NH September 24-27. https://naraces.org/conferences/

10/02/2026

The Counseling and Supervision PhD program cohorts came together on campus at JMU in Harrisonburg for the first of four residencies. September classes include Applied Research Methods with Stephanie Crockett, Counselor Education with Renee Staton, then Issues and Techniques in Research and Evaluation and Doctoral Dissertation with Viki Kelchner. After a long but invigorating day in the classroom, everyone got to unwind at Pale Fire Brewing.

10/01/2026

We are incredibly proud to celebrate TWO outstanding honors from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)!

Congratulations to Debbie Sturm, PhD recipient of the Counseling and Innovation Award! This national recognition celebrates Debbie’s creativity, leadership, and commitment to advancing counselor education.

Congratulations to the JMU Counseling & Supervision Program, recipient of the Robert Frank Outstanding Counseling Education Program Award! This prestigious honor recognizes the excellence and impact of our program and the dedication of its faculty, students, and community.

These awards are a wonderful reflection of the innovation, excellence, and commitment to the counseling profession that are at the heart of our JMU Graduate Psychology community.

We couldn’t be prouder!
Congratulations, Debbie and JMU Counseling & Supervision and all of the 2026 ACES Awards Recipients.

09/30/2026

Curious about what our Clinical and School Psychology PsyD program has to offer? Join Program Director David Szwedo to explore the admissions process, curriculum, program philosophy, and the many opportunities available to our students. Get your questions answered and discover what sets our program apart.
https://jmu-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/OmYSB10fQ6GR9jFD13wTdQ