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Background

I was born and raised in a small town in Michigan. I am the oldest of three children but am one of 30 first cousins. We were a large and close-knit family. When I graduated from High School, I moved down to Miami, Florida and worked down there for a little over a year.... experiencing a bit of a culture shock. I moved up to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. I met and married my now husband of 36 years. Upon the graduation from the Ph.D. program, my husband and I sold the house, put everything in storage and loaded up our car for a three-month cross-country, national parks tour. We camped, hiked and took a little breath. We settled in Seattle in 1998, and our daughter was born shortly after. We lived in Duvall, WA for 22 years and moved to Kirkland during the pandemic. I started adjuncting with NU in January 2010 but am currently an Associate Professor in the undergraduate program.  I love NU and the environment. I get to talk psychology and Jesus...what could be better?​

Interests

I love to hike, kayak, and garden in the summertime. Snowshoeing and sitting by the fire are my favorite winter activities.

Research Interests

On-going research is focused on faith formation and how family processes and involvement impact life-long sustained faith. Current grant funding by the Lilly Endowment and collaboration with the College of Ministry has made this research viable.

Professional Associations

• American Psychological Association

Courses

• General Psychology
• Personality & Counseling Theory
• Cultural Psychology
• Psychology Preparation & Specialization
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Human Sexuality
• Emotional Intelligence
• Psychology in Films

Recommended Reading

• How People Grow by Cloud & Townsend
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozier
• Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis
• Quiet by Susan Cain
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith