SHPS

Meet our Lab!

The Spirituality and Health-related Psychological Studies Laboratory is a research group from the Department of Psychology at East Tennessee State University. The primary areas of research are related to addiction, forgiveness, and spirituality or religiosity.  If you are interested in joining the lab to conduct research, please contact Dr. Webb!

Faculty Researchers
Dr. Jon R. Webb

Jon R. Webb, Ph. D. received his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1998 from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles (CSPP) and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at East Tennessee State University (ETSU).  Prior to his appointment at ETSU, Dr. Webb spent 1 1/2 years as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center where he was the Director of Addiction Psychology and Research in the department's Clinical Chemical Dependency Postdoctoral Fellowship program.  Also, Dr. Webb completed two research fellowships at the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School.  From June 2002 to January 2004, he was sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), in the Department of Psychiatry, Substance Abuse Section, Addiction Research Center (UMARC) and from April 2001 to June 2002, he was sponsored by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology (PM&R).  Prior to UM, Dr. Webb completed a clinical fellowship in chemical dependency treatment at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael, California and an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited clinical internship in professional psychology at Brigham Young University in the Counseling and Career Center (BYU-CCC).  Dr. Webb's primary professional interests include:  Spirituality, Addiction, Temperament, Medical Rehabilitation, and Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy.

 
Graduate Student Researchers
David Bumgarner,       M. A.

David earned his B.A. in psychology at Concord University, Athens, WV and his M.A. from the University of West Florida where he completed his thesis examining the connection between mental training (mindfulness and concentration) and driving performance in a driving simulator. He is currently in his 3rd year at ETSU and plans to apply for primary care/integrated internships in the Fall 2012. His research interests include forgiveness, especially self-forgiveness, and its application to health care providers (i.e. medical students, residents) performance and well-being. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, and hiking.

Elizabeth Conway-Williams, M. A.

Elizabeth is in her 3rd year of the clinical psychology doctoral program. Her research has investigated the relationship of several aspects of postive psychology to health. Research interests include: forgiveness, self-compassion, religion/spirituality, mindfulness, anxiety disorders, and suicide. She completed her thesis in Summer 2011, entitled "Forgiveness, Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms, and Locus of Control in a College Sample".

Bridget Jeter

Bridget Reeves Jeter is in her 1st year of the clinical psychology doctoral program. Bridget is a native of Northeastern Tennessee and, as such, has a particular interest in the health needs of rural communities. Her research interests focus on protective factors that might buffer or promote mental and physical health, including positive psychological constructs such as hope and forgiveness. In addition to APS, she has presented her research at numerous local, regional, and national conferences, and is a co-author on a submitted manuscript. Mrs. Jeter also volunteers at a local inpatient psychiatric facility. Bridget is married and has a five year old son, and in her free time she enjoys writing, attending concerts, and traveling.

 
Undergraduate Researchers
Lurelle Maxey

Lurelle is working on  B.S. degree in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology. She is planning to pursue a degree in clinical/counseling psychology.

Other undergraduate researchers (not pictured) include: Larry Childress and Khia Sams.