Counseling Psychology Faculty

James Hannum (Counseling Chair)

My research interests include the ways in which close relationships (marriage, family, and friendships) are helpful or harmful when people cope with significant life stressors. Aspects of close relationships that I have studied include intimacy, attachment, cohesion, and conflict. Some of the stressful conditions investigated have been illnesses such as cancer and eating disorders, and life challenges such as the transition to college and major tests. In addition, I am interested in how relationship variables in helping relationships (e.g., counseling, massage) affect the outcome of treatment. Click here to see my complete, updated research profile.

Helen Neville

Historically, my research interests have focused on three interrelated areas: general and cultural factors influencing stress and coping processes, evaluation of the effectiveness of diversity-related programs, and multicultural education. My research in the first area has centered on examining general and cultural factors influencing rape survivors, post-assault recovery process and African American students' psychosocial and educational adjustment to predominantly white universities. I am particularly interested in understanding common experiences that transcend race, ethnicity, and class background in adjusting to stressful events, as well as teasing out the more culture-specific factors related to this adjustment.

Interfacing with each of my three research areas is a consideration of racial identity, racism, and, more recently, color-blind racial ideology. Over the past 3 years, I have refocused my research to the area color-blind racial attitudes or the denial, distortion, and minimization of the existence of racism. As part of this effort, my research team and I have constructed and validated a scale to assess color-blindness. Findings in this new line of research are providing support for emerging theoretical articulations, such that greater denial of the existence of racism on a structural level have been related to: (a) greater levels of racial and gender intolerance among students and community members and (b) lower levels of self-reported and observed multicultural therapy competencies among counselors. For White college students, adopting a color-blind racial perspective also has been related to greater racial prejudice against Blacks and increased fear and distrust of racial and ethnic minorities. For Blacks, ignoring the influence of racism in the lives of people of color have been related to increased levels of internalized oppression and victim-blaming ideology. Relatedly, I am interested in uncovering critical incidents in the development of racial ideologies of high school and college students. I'm interested in exploring how some students are oblivious to racism and others have developed a critical awareness of racial oppression. Moreover, I want to explore if students' and systems' ideologies influence inter- and intraracial interactions. Click here to see my complete, updated research profile.

James Rounds

Vocational interests and how they change over the life span. Research examines the structure of interests, how that structure develops and changes over the life course, and the reciprocal influences among personality, interests, and abilities with a focus on constructing models. Also, career development in adulthood, assessment of personality traits and work values, and occasionally, a venture into health psychology. Click here to see my complete, updated research profile.

Lisa Spanierman

My primary research area involves the critical study of whiteness (i.e., White racial attitudes, White privilege, and the costs of racism to White individuals). My colleagues and I developed the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale, which measures empathic reactions toward racism, White guilt, and White fear of others. We recently used cluster analysis to provide a more integrative portrayal of costs and are now investigating the association among such costs and the multicultural counseling competencies of White clinicians. Our investigations employ both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Click here to see my complete, updated research profile.