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Contact UsStudent Clubs and Organizations
The Department of Psychological Sciences has several student clubs: the Clinical & Counseling Club, Psi Chi International Honor Society, and the Research Club, each with very active members. If interested please contact the club advisor..
Clinical and Counseling Club
Our Mission
The mission of the Clinical + Counseling Club is to promote positive development in the field of clinical and counseling psychology and support pro-social mental health causes on our campus and the broader community. We wish to foster a feeling of community and social support in the club and encourage members to implement principles taught in clinical and counseling psychology to everyday life. We offer support and guidance on the process of selecting and applying to graduate programs. We have worked with organizations such as Project Angel Heart, Urban Peak, The Phoenix Center at Auraria, and MSU Denver’s own Counseling Center to create unique volunteer opportunities for our members. Each year, we submit academic research on topics within mental health and counseling to be presented at the annual Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (RMPA) conference. Additionally, we host club events such as film and game nights and social dinners to foster a community among our club members.
Come get involved and grow with us! Contact Dr. Smith for the current semester meeting times.
Dr. Randi Smith
Dr. Smith teaches in the clinical and counseling area, including such classes as Introduction to Clinical & Counseling Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Psychological Assessment, Psychology of Sexuality, and Internship.
Her research interests include student homelessness/housing insecurity, professional ethics, service-learning, and human sexuality.
Psi Chi
Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology
The mission of the MSU Denver chapter of Psi Chi is to recognize outstanding academic excellence in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies students. As a member of the International Honors Society of Psi Chi, you are entitled to Psi Chi publications, and to apply for Psi Chi grants and scholarships.
As a Psi Chi chapter, we aim to create opportunities for Psychology and HDFS students to interact with each other and faculty by hosting events that are educational, service oriented, or social in nature.
There is a formal Induction Ceremony every spring where new Psi Chi members and their families are invited to a dinner and ceremony recognizing their achievement being accepted into this honors society.
Membership Requirements:
- 3.2 G.P.A. for both Psychology/HDFS majors and overall
- 9 credit residency hours recorded at MSU Denver
- Psychology or HFDS Major or Minor
- $60.00 one-time, life-time membership fee that goes to the national Psi Chi dues. Limited scholarships are available to waive dues.
Dr. Lisa Hagan
Dr. Hagan teaches in the developmental area, including such classes as Child Development, Cognitive Development and Learning, Developmental Research Methods, Psychology of Human Development, Introductory Psychology, Infancy. Her research focus is on Pedagogy within Higher Education, Constructivism, Children’s Risk Taking.
Psi Chi Induction
Research Club
The MSU Denver Psychology Research Club provides students the opportunity to get hands-on experience planning, conducting, and presenting research – including:
- Deciding on a research question.
- Literature searches.
- How to design a scientific experiment.
- How to write a study proposal.
- How to submit a proposal to the Internal Review Board for human subjects approval.
- Data collection.
- Data analysis.
- Writing an abstract for presentation at a conference.
- Presenting research via posters and presentations.
- Submitting an article to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
Dr. Aaron Richmond
Dr. Richmond conducts several studies per year which focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) which is aimed at improving evidence-based teaching practices in higher education. His second focus is in developmental educational psychology. Dr. Richmond researches the use of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies in preK- high school to improve student learning and executive functioning and self-regulation.
Dr. Chad Mortensen
Dr. Mortensen’s primary research interests include Social Influence (how people influence the behaviors of others) and Ego Depletion (the depletion of one’s capacity to use willpower).