Martha Peaslee Levine, MD; Stephanie “Stevie” Falk, PhD; & Jim Felty, LPCC, CAADC

College counseling in the world of the Big Ten includes working with graduate and medical learners. While this population shares many characteristics with undergraduates, they have unique challenges. This poster will consider who seeks treatment at the Office for Professional Mental Health/Penn State College of Medicine. We will translate our experiences into the larger picture of what graduate and professional students require to be successful on one of the most stressful journeys of their lives.

Lex Pulice-Farrow, M.A.; Stephanie G. Burrows M.A.; NaYeon Yang M.Ed.; Seoyoung Lim M.A., M.S.Ed.; Yu-Wei Wang, Ph.D.; & Israel Abebe, Ph.D.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of many individuals but has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. The purpose of this study is to explore how race/ethnicity may have affected the relationship between COVID-19 impacts and psychological distress among students who sought services at a university counseling center (N = 2,344). Regression analyses will be performed in order to understand these relationships. Implications for supporting students seeking counseling services will be discussed.

Terry Doan, M.A. & Stacey Raj, Ph.D.

The influence of Western masculinity norms on Asian and Asian American emerging adult men (AAEA) mental health and wellbeing is an important area of study. We examined the relationships between conformity to Western masculinity norms, body dissatisfaction, and depression among a sample of 75 AAEA. As expected, there was a positive relationship between symptoms of depression and body dissatisfaction. The role of western masculinity and other factors (e.g., level of fitness, BMI, etc.) are presented.

Kyle Kittleson, Psy.D., HSPP; Emily Chriswell, Psy.M.; Shelbi Fisher, M.S.; & Jisoo Youn, M.S.

This poster will show the results of a Program Evaluation at Purdue University CAPS. Using data from the SDS, we will explore financial stress among the students who sought services at CAPS. Specifically, we will compare data between international and domestic students. We will further examine the comfort level and knowledge of resources of therapists in addressing these concerns at CAPS. This information will be used to suggest programmatic changes to better serve students experiencing financial stress.

Casey Allen, M.S.

The progress of suicide focused research has been tremendous in recent years. There have been many theories posed that are foundational in understanding suicide. This project will examine the genetic and environmental impact of suicide. Serotonin, family heritability, twin studies, adoption studies, candidate genes, and genetic transmission of psychiatric disorders are key topics in the role genetics plays in suicide. Suicide has impacted many lives across the world. Survivors of suicide face stigma, trauma related symptoms, grief, and a whole host of other experiences. Suicide also poses a threat to the social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being on those who are impacted. Therefore, it is imperative that clinicians are adequately trained in academic and practical skills training that are evidenced based in order to thoroughly understand and respond to the unique obstacles that suicidal clients face.

Srutika Bakshi, M.A. & Alshley Chae, M.A.

Burnout syndrome is a psychological condition that commonly affects individuals in high
demanding professions. It is defined as a state of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and
decreased sense of self-efficacy, yet early diagnosis of this syndrome is challenging due to its
multifaceted nature. In this poster, we aim to discuss burnout rates associated specifically with
predoctoral psychology interns as well as highlight individual and systemic ways in which
interns and organizations can collaboratively prevent and address burnout.

Wilson Trusty, Ph.D.; Brett Scofield, PhD; Rebecca Janis, Ph.D.; Alaina Cummins, M.Ed.; & Tyler D. White, M.A.

Academic dropout from colleges and universities (i.e., students voluntarily withdrawing before their academic program is completed) is a common occurrence, particularly among students with mental health concerns. Counseling may reduce students’ risk of academic dropout, but outcomes in college counseling centers could be affected by strategies to meet high demand for services (i.e., offering a low frequency or number of sessions). Using a national sample of treatment-seeking undergraduate students (N = 15,689), the authors found that those who had a higher number and frequency of counseling sessions reported more symptom reduction, and those who reported more symptom reduction were less likely to drop out of their institution during treatment. Thus, college counseling center leadership and clinicians might enhance clinical and academic outcomes by providing flexibility in the number and frequency of counseling sessions available to students. However, centers may need additional resources from their academic institutions to provide this flexibility.

Martha Peaslee Levine, MD; Stephanie “Stevie” Falk, PhD; & Jim Felty, LPCC, CAADC

College counseling in the world of the Big Ten includes working with graduate and medical learners. While this population shares many characteristics with undergraduates, they have unique challenges. This poster will consider who seeks treatment at the Office for Professional Mental Health/Penn State College of Medicine. We will translate our experiences into the larger picture of what graduate and professional students require to be successful on one of the most stressful journeys of their lives.

Lex Pulice-Farrow, M.A.; Stephanie G. Burrows M.A.; NaYeon Yang M.Ed.; Seoyoung Lim M.A., M.S.Ed.; Yu-Wei Wang, Ph.D.; & Israel Abebe, Ph.D.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of many individuals but has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. The purpose of this study is to explore how race/ethnicity may have affected the relationship between COVID-19 impacts and psychological distress among students who sought services at a university counseling center (N = 2,344). Regression analyses will be performed in order to understand these relationships. Implications for supporting students seeking counseling services will be discussed.

Terry Doan, M.A. & Stacey Raj, Ph.D.

The influence of Western masculinity norms on Asian and Asian American emerging adult men (AAEA) mental health and wellbeing is an important area of study. We examined the relationships between conformity to Western masculinity norms, body dissatisfaction, and depression among a sample of 75 AAEA. As expected, there was a positive relationship between symptoms of depression and body dissatisfaction. The role of western masculinity and other factors (e.g., level of fitness, BMI, etc.) are presented.

Kyle Kittleson, Psy.D., HSPP; Emily Chriswell, Psy.M.; Shelbi Fisher, M.S.; & Jisoo Youn, M.S.

This poster will show the results of a Program Evaluation at Purdue University CAPS. Using data from the SDS, we will explore financial stress among the students who sought services at CAPS. Specifically, we will compare data between international and domestic students. We will further examine the comfort level and knowledge of resources of therapists in addressing these concerns at CAPS. This information will be used to suggest programmatic changes to better serve students experiencing financial stress.

Casey Allen, M.S.

The progress of suicide focused research has been tremendous in recent years. There have been many theories posed that are foundational in understanding suicide. This project will examine the genetic and environmental impact of suicide. Serotonin, family heritability, twin studies, adoption studies, candidate genes, and genetic transmission of psychiatric disorders are key topics in the role genetics plays in suicide. Suicide has impacted many lives across the world. Survivors of suicide face stigma, trauma related symptoms, grief, and a whole host of other experiences. Suicide also poses a threat to the social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being on those who are impacted. Therefore, it is imperative that clinicians are adequately trained in academic and practical skills training that are evidenced based in order to thoroughly understand and respond to the unique obstacles that suicidal clients face.

Srutika Bakshi, M.A. & Alshley Chae, M.A.

Burnout syndrome is a psychological condition that commonly affects individuals in high
demanding professions. It is defined as a state of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and
decreased sense of self-efficacy, yet early diagnosis of this syndrome is challenging due to its
multifaceted nature. In this poster, we aim to discuss burnout rates associated specifically with
predoctoral psychology interns as well as highlight individual and systemic ways in which
interns and organizations can collaboratively prevent and address burnout.

Wilson Trusty, Ph.D.; Brett Scofield, PhD; Rebecca Janis, Ph.D.; Alaina Cummins, M.Ed.; & Tyler D. White, M.A.

Academic dropout from colleges and universities (i.e., students voluntarily withdrawing before their academic program is completed) is a common occurrence, particularly among students with mental health concerns. Counseling may reduce students’ risk of academic dropout, but outcomes in college counseling centers could be affected by strategies to meet high demand for services (i.e., offering a low frequency or number of sessions). Using a national sample of treatment-seeking undergraduate students (N = 15,689), the authors found that those who had a higher number and frequency of counseling sessions reported more symptom reduction, and those who reported more symptom reduction were less likely to drop out of their institution during treatment. Thus, college counseling center leadership and clinicians might enhance clinical and academic outcomes by providing flexibility in the number and frequency of counseling sessions available to students. However, centers may need additional resources from their academic institutions to provide this flexibility.