J. Art Gillaspy

What is your background in Psychology?

I graduated from the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Texas A & M University in 1997. My master’s is in Counseling from the University of Kentucky.

Please Describe Your Current Research Program.

As an undergraduate psychology major, I was frustrated by our inability to operationalize and accurately measure behavioral psychology concepts. I have always been interested in relational and interpersonal phenomena (therapist-client relationships, group cohesion, etc.), and in how people change (motivation for change, stages of change, treatment outcomes), but generally found measures of these constructs lacking. If I could not measure constructs accurately and reliably, how could I possibly conduct meaningful research? Therefore, my research on measurement issues, especially construct validity, has been one of necessity. My primary research focuses on counseling process (working alliance between therapist and client) and outcome variables (symptoms, consequences, and treatment outcomes).

Are You Accepting Any New Students into Your Lab/Workgroups

Yes. Interested students are encouraged to contact me directly.