Dr. Adam M Volungis

Creating a Comprehensive Website for CBT Resources: What’s Working, What Isn’t… and Looking for Feedback

Website under construction: www.cognitivebehavioralresources.com

*We forgot to have someone take a picture during our presentation, so we later had someone take our photo in front of poster board – we’re still excited!

Presentation @ the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies            {October, 2016}

{left to right: Mark Joyce, Colleen Popores, & Dr. V}

College Smartphone Dependency, Mental Health, and Personality

This study examined the relationship between smartphone dependency, social-emotional well-being (e.g., sleep quality, loneliness, psychological distress), and personality traits in college students.  Recent research appears to indicate that the frequency and dependency on smartphones show cognitive and behavioral patterns similar to other addictive disorders.  Logistic analyses supported the predictive nature of smartphone dependency on multiple social-emotional well-being variables.  Moderator analyses also showed that personality traits (e.g., neuroticism, conscientiousness) either enhanced or diminished these relationships.  Overall, these findings have the potential to inform interventions targeted at reducing/modifying smartphone use and improving college student mental health.

Volungis, A. M., Kalpidou, M., Popores-LaFleur, C., Raziuddin, A., Joyce, M., & Avolese, P. (2016,August). Childhood adversity and college mental health moderated by coping style. Poster presented at the 124^th annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

*Click on reference above for poster*

Presentation @ the American Psychological Association {August, 2016}               {left to right: Colleen Popores-LaFleur, Almaas Raziuddin, Mark Joyce, & Dr. V}

*Click on hyperlink below for pdf version*

Volungis, A. M. (2016). School size & youth violence: The mediating role of school connectedness. North American Journal of Psychology, 18, 123-146.

Volungis, A. M., Popores, C., Raziuddin, A., & Avolese, P. (2015, October). Enhancing cognitive behavioral therapy with technology. Poster presented at the 55^th annual conference of the New England Psychological Association, Fitchburg, MA.

Integrating technology into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) appears to be a “good fit” due to its tracking and empirical nature (e.g., Berry & Lai, 2014; Kelly et al., 2013; Singer et al., 2015). This poster will highlight a variety of modes of technology that are commonly used by CBT therapists, including examples of actual therapeutic assessment and interventions by the first author. Specific examples will include: smartphone and tablet applications, video recordings (by client), audio recordings (by client), Internet videos and pictures (observed by client), and virtual reality. Examples of CBT related techniques used with these technologies will include: psychoeducation, self-monitoring and tracking of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; meditation and other relaxation techniques; challenging automatic thoughts; and exposure techniques.

Presentation @ the New England Psychological Association {October, 2015}   {left to right: Paul Avolese, Dr. V, Colleen Popores, Almaas Raziuddin}

*Click on hyperlink above for poster

Hovering or Grounded?: Exploring Helicopter Parenting as a Valid Construct

Volungis, A. M., Liu, S., Whittle, D., Henriquez, S., & Schmidt, K. (2014, March). Hovering or Grounded?: Exploring Helicopter Parenting as a Valid Construct.  Paper presented at the 85^th annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

As sensationalistic as many of the media accounts of helicopter parenting may be, the literature exploring this construct and its effects is sparse.  This presentation will have three major themes.  First, we explore the validity of the construct. Second, we question the utility of studying helicopter parenting, including the influence of the media.  Finally, we conclude with some comments on cultural considerations when conceptualizing this construct.

Paper Presentation @ the Eastern Psychological Association {March, 2014}
{left to right: Dena Semonia, Katherine Schmidt, & Suyi Liu}

*Click on hyperlink above for paper presentation

Not All Treatments Are Equal: Re-Conceptualizing Treatments That Cause Harm

Volungis, A. M., McGrath, M. A., Truong, D. T., Liu, S., Schmidt, K., & Garry A. (2013, October). Not all treatments are equal: Re-conceptualizing treatments that cause harm.  Paper presented at the 19^th annual conference of the New England Psychological Association, Bridgeport, CT.

Not all treatments are created equal.  This potentially provocative statement is an implied premise to the idea of evidence-based treatments (EBTs).  While the premise of developing a list of EBTs is noble, there has been some opposition to the practice, including concerns that the criteria used to determine what counts as evidence-based is problematic.  We posit that identifying, and creating a list of, potentially harmful treatments (PHTs) is just as important as current lists of EBTs (see Lilienfeld, 2007).  We also explore the reason why practitioners still use PHTs despite clear evidence of their ineffective or harmful effects.

*Click on hyperlink above for paper.

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Suicide and the Media: A Literature Review and Considerations for the Media Promoting Mental Health

McGrath, M. A., Liu, S., Whittle, D. S., & Volungis, A. M. (2013, October). Suicide and the media: A literature review and considerations for the media promoting mental health. Paper presented at the 19^th annual conference of the New England Psychological Association, Bridgeport, CT.

Does the media have an influence on suicide rates?  The focus of this paper is to investigate the current state of the literature, and identify promising directions. In particular, the idea that the media might be able to play an active role in promoting mental health via the Papageno effect will be explored. This paper will also take a tentative look at the variables that might be at play in media effects, and consider how research on this topic might be generalized to proposed connections between the media and other behaviors.

School Administration’s Role in Preventing School Violence: Strategies for Promoting School Connectedness

Volungis, A. M., Truong, D. T., & Whittle, D. S., & Liu, S. (2013, July). School administration’s role in preventing school violence:  Strategies for promoting school connectedness. Poster presented at the 121^st annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI.

*Click on hyperlink above for poster.

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Media’s Role in Promoting School Violence: A Proposed Social-Cultural Learning Model

Volungis, A. M., Truong, D. T., Angelone, J., Liu, S., & Whittle, D. S. (2013, July). Media’s role in promoting school violence: A proposed social-cultural learning model. Poster presented at the 121^st annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI.

Few would argue that school violence is not a sociocultural concern in the United States.  Although always considered a topic of concern, public awareness significantly increased after the high profile shootings in the 1990s due to extensive media coverage.  The thought of such acts of violence occurring in “our own schools” brought to the forefront a frightening reality.  Due to widespread media coverage and possible obsession with school violence, the public’s perception of schools being an unsafe environment has dramatically increased.  Ironically, violent crimes in schools have been on a decline since 1994 (Robers et al., 2012).  On the other hand, there is reason to argue that frequent and dramatic media coverage may be a contributing factor to perpetuating the notion that violent school acts are a feasible option to resolve student mental health distress.

Poster Presentation @ the American Psychological Association {July, 2013}
{Dr. V’s Research Team (left to right): Debbie Truong & Suyi Liu}

Making Research Even More Exciting!: Effective Use of Technology for Research Teams

Research can often be a gratifying experience, especially when working with fellow colleagues and student research assistants.  What is even more exciting is when there is an opportunity to use new technology that can make the research process more enjoyable and engaging.  Using three applications –  (1) Dropbox, (2) Evernote, and (3) Scribblar – our symposium will provide a description of each application, discuss practical uses in research, and engage the audience with a live demonstration.

Truong, D. T., & Angelone, J. (2013, March). Dropbox and research: The ease of sharing files. In A. M. Volungis & P. Finn (Chair/Discussant), Making research even more exciting!: Effective use of technology for research teams. Symposium conducted at the 84^th annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

McGrath, M. A., & Son, Y. (2013, March). Evernote and research: Consolidating important information efficiently. In A. M. Volungis & P. Finn (Chair/Discussant), Making research even more exciting!: Effective use of technology for research teams. Symposium conducted at the 84^th annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

Liu, S., & Whittle, D. S.. (2013, March). Scribblar and research: A virtual whiteboard to share thoughts. In A. M. Volungis & P. Finn (Chair/Discussant), Making research even more exciting!: Effective use of technology for research teams. Symposium conducted at the 84^th annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

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School Violence in the Media: A Proposed Social-Cultural Learning Model

Volungis, A. M., Truong, D. T., Angelone, J., Liu, S., & Whittle, D. S. (2013, March). School violence in the media: A proposed social-cultural learning model.  Poster presented at the 84^th annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

Public awareness of school violence has continued to significantly increase following the high profile shootings in the late 1990s due to extensive and sensationalistic media coverage.  We will propose a theoretical social-cultural learning model that links the media’s sensationalistic response to violent school violence through distorting public perceptions (i.e., thoughts) and reactions (i.e., behaviors).  We will also discuss alternative options on how to respond to this current phenomenon on both the individual and systemic-social level.

Symposium Presentation {Research & Technology} @ the Eastern Psychological Association {March, 2013}
{Dr. V’s Research Team (left to right): Suyi Liu, Dena Whittle, Michael McGrath, Dr. V, Yeonjoo Son, Debbie Truong, & Jenn Angelone}

Volungis, A. M., Doerfler, L. A., Toscano, P. F., & Connor, D. F. (2012, November). The absence of gender differences in co-occurring internalizing and externalizing disorders in youth. Poster to be presented at the 46^th annual conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, National Harbor, MD.

Volungis, A. M. (2012, November). Youth violence prevention: Teachers fostering school connectedness through basic cognitive-behavioral techniques. Poster to be presented at the 46^th annual conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, National Harbor, MD.