Assistant Professor of Counseling and Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Mary Plisco, and master’s student, Katie Rider, will each represent Richmont Graduate University at the Southeastern Psychological Association’s (SEPA) annual conference in March 2013. Both Plisco and Rider submitted presentation proposals last fall and were selected to present their research at the 2013 conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
This year, Plisco will present research in the clinical counseling portion of the conference regarding anxiety disorders in children and the development of the therapeutic relationship.
Similarly, Rider will present her senior thesis, “The Anorexia-Religion Connection: Views of God’s Grace and Religious Coping Style and Predictors of the Severity of Anorectic Symptomology,” which offers empirical data regarding anorexic patients and their views of God’s grace and their religious coping styles.
In preparation for the SEPA conference Rider said, “I’m excited to present this research because it empirically demonstrates the importance and value of incorporating religion, and Christian religious themes in particular, into the anorexia treatment process. It’s a privilege to represent Richmont as well as to have the opportunity to highlight spiritually informed research.”
According to SEPA’s web site, they represent the “…largest psychological organization in the southeast and one of largest in the United States.” Seeking to “…advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare…” SEPA’s mission is “…to stimulate the exchange of scientific and professional ideas across the diverse areas of psychological inquiry and application.”