Program/Faculty Research

The counseling psychology faculty at the University of Oregon share a common interest in research on prevention and community-based interventions. Our program highlights research on under-served populations and that integrate scientific evaluations of interventions in real-life settings. Faculty and students alike conduct research on community samples and attempt to integrate attention to human diversity in all research activities. The program does not allow “Psych 100” data pools. Given our collaborative relationships with colleagues from the local research institutes in Eugene and in  the College of Education, students and faculty do have access to enormous sets of data on high risk and under-served populations that we work with along with our own data sets and ongoing projects. We utilize new and existing data for student dissertations and theses as well. All faculty engage in publishing and presenting with students, and our students regularly present at national and regional conferences on their research work and with faculty members on common research projects and programs. 

A Question of Research Match…

Faculty members in the Counseling Psychology Program regularly receive e-mail questions from prospective students, such as:

  “ Are you taking new advisees this coming year ,” - or -

  “ Are you taking new students into your research lab this coming year .”

These questions actually do not complement our selection process very well, and here is why:

We select doctoral students into our program after thoroughly reviewing applicant qualifications, which are based on multiple criteria (such as those indicated in the " Should I apply to the UofO Counseling Psychology Program " section of this web page and other sections of this web page). As with more traditional programs, we do select students based on research interest match between the applicant and current faculty members' research agendas. Where we may differ from more traditional programs, however, is that we select candidates first who will be a strong overall fit within our community of scholars – students who share our program goals, philosophy, and vision – and second, based on the applicant's common research interest with the scholarship of one or more of the faculty. Each faculty member does not select doctoral advisees directly to work in her or his “research lab.” Student selection is always made by consensus of the entire Counseling Psychology faculty based on the applicant's overall program match and readiness for doctoral study.

Nevertheless, we suggest that you have as clear an idea as possible of faculty research and scholarship areas and investigate our work really well before you apply to the program. Students begin the first year of studies without a primary research advisor. Within the first year though, students and faculty get to know each other and then doctoral advising is formally arranged, based on the preferences of both students and faculty members. Shared research interests is a primary reason students and faculty are matched to work together, but there are other reasons as well, such as similarity of working style, personality factors, and other reasons.

While this varies from year-to-year, each core program faculty

member (Krista Chronister, Benedict McWhirter, Ellen Hawley McWhirter, Beth Stormshak) typically advises between 1 and 2 new students each year.

Although the following list is not exhaustive, specific faculty research foci include the following.  For more specific details, please visit our faculty profiles.

Dr. Krista Chronister conducts research focused on a broad range of issues related to domestic and interpersonal violence including: battered women’s economic and career development; treatment interventions with perpetrators of domestic abuse; and community mental health interventions with ethnic minority and immigrant families experiencing domestic violence. This area of research has led Krista to the development and experimental examination of a career counseling intervention (prevention) program for battered women. Krista’s second area of research emphasis is on immigrant mental health issues.

Dr. Benedict McWhirter's primary research focuses on studying the effectiveness of group skill-building interventions for conflict mediation, enhancing mutual respect, and improving connectedness among high-risk adolescents. Benedict also studies issues related to college student development and social connectedness among young adults.

Dr. Ellen Hawley McWhirter’s empirical scholarship focuses on the career development of ethnic minority and female high school students, with a particular focus on perceived barriers and environmental supports and their influences on self efficacy and outcome expectations, as well as educational and career aspirations and plans. Ellen’s second area of scholarly inquiry has been the development of an empowerment model of counseling. See her page for more specific information.

Dr. Beth Stormshak's research interests include studying child and family prevention and intervention with high-risk families as well as examining early interventions to promote resilience and prevent the development of problem behavior among at-risk children. Please see faculty web pages and vitae for more detailed information on faculty research interests, publishing history, and current projects.