Faculty

The Psychology faculty value interaction with students in their classes. Questions and discussion are encouraged in the classroom as well as after class. Faculty consider being available to talk with students a priority and a benefit of their job. Having small classes in a small college atmosphere allows faculty to know their students personally and to be invested in the success of each student.

Faculty Bios

Theresa J. Brown, Ph.D. 

Professor; Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Bowling Green State University. Research interests include gender and work, relationships at work, and workplace and sexual aggression. Dr. Brown is also a NJ certified school psychologist.

Joseph E. Colford, Ph.D., Director, Graduate program in School Psychology

Associate Professor; Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from Seton Hall University. New Jersey licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Professional interests include psychodiagnostic assessment of children and adolescents, school crisis prevention and intervention, cognitive and psychological factors which influence student achievement, and developmental aspects of children and competition.

Susan E. O. Field, Ph.D., Chairperson, Department of Psychology Web site

Professor; Ph.D. in Social Psychology and minor in organizational behavior, from Harvard University. Research interests include psycholinguistics, especially pragmatics (use of language in context) and the relationship between language, gender -role attitudes, and social perception. A second research area of interest is the relationship between technology, pedagogy, and learning.

Linda James, Ph.D.

Professor & Coordinator of First Year Seminar; Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Indiana University. Areas of interest are learner centered teaching and improving pedagogy. NJ licensed psychologist (retired), expertise in family therapy. Served as Dean of Arts and Sciences for nine years before returning to teaching full time.

Stephen M. Levine, Ph.D., Director, Graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis

Professor; Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University. New Jersey, New York and Maryland certified school psychologist. Maryland licensed psychologist. Research interests include professional school psychology training, legal aspects of school psychology practice, behavioral interventions, and cross-cultural training and practice.

Alfred F. Mancuso, Psy.D., NCSP

Assistant Professor; Psy.D. in School Psychology from Alfred University.  Nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP) and NJ certified school psychologist.  Research interests include predictors of school achievement and retention, school violence prevention, domestic violence prevention, and psychometrics.  Clinical interests include cognitive-behavioral and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) with adolescents and young adults along with diagnostic assessment, evaluation, and intervention.

Meredith A. McCabe, M.A., LPC

Practicum Coordinator; M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the College of Saint Elizabeth.  New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Clinical experience in the treatment of adults with marriage/family issues, substance abuse disorders, anxiety and depressive disorders, and the chronically mentally ill.

Sandra Sessa, Ph.D. 

Professor; Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University. New Jersey licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Areas of specialty include group process, group counseling, and holistic approaches to treatment involving mind, body, and spirit. She has investigated the impact that this approach has on school climate and academic achievement.

Joseph Springer, Ph.D., Director, Graduate Program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Associate Professor, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia, P.A.  New Jersey licensed psychologist.  Clinical expertise in general psychotherapy (adult), treatment of anxiety disorders, rehabilitation and psychotherapy with blind and visually impaired, developmental disabilities, psychopharmacology.  Research interests in rehabilitation psychology with blind and visually-impaired, psychology of religious belief

Elaine Thompson, Ph.D.

Professor; Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University. Most course work, training, and experience in child/adolescent diagnosis, assessment, and psychoeducational therapy. Research interests in cognitive development and changes in functioning, comparative and cross-cultural psychology with special interest in studies of immigrant experience and acculturation, and studies of women in post-Soviet cultures.

Christopher Trigani, Ph.D. 

Professor; Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Fordham University. New Jersey licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Clinical practice and experience limited to child and adolescent psychotherapy and diagnostic assessment and intervention. Research interests include: child/adolescent psychopathology (special interest in ADHD, ODD, autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities), cognition, problem solving ability and creativity.

David M. Wilson, Ph.D., Director of ABA Internships

Assistant Professor; Ph.D. from the University of Florida under Dr. Brian Iwata. Dr. Wilson is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and has served as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.  Dr. Wilson has worked with children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities for over 15 years.  His area of interest is the assessment and treatment of severe behavior disorders.

Adjuncts:

Wendy Charkow Bordeau, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Counseling experience and interests include general family therapy, play therapy, college counseling, and grief counseling. Current research interests in feminist counseling applied to children and adolescents, the effects of technology on child/adolescent development, and best practices for preparing counselors to work in home-based settings.

Lorraine Licata, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University. New Jersey certified school psychologist. Professional interests include psychodiagnostic assessment of children and adolescents, projective assessments, psychology of women, ADHD in adult women, family violence, discrimination of new immigrants, and multicultural issues such as acculturation and prejudice. Dr. Licata was awarded the Distinguished Service to School Psychology Award by the New Jersey Association of School Psychologists in 1996 as recognition for service to the field. She also served as Program Director for the GCU School Psychology Program from the Program’s inception in 1993 until January, 2006.

Neha Pandit, Ph.D., LPC

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. Joined the faculty of the School of Arts and Science in 2008. Prior to this, she served as an associate professor and course leader for a master's program in psychology at London Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom and as a psychologist in clinical practice. Dr. Pandit is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey.  Her research interests includes the study of mental health issues that can arise as the result of various immigration experiences, and the mental health needs of the South Asian community.