FANTASTIC GRADUATE STUDENTS:
KRISTY BOUGHTON PhD Student
Kristy's Master’s Thesis considered how various perspectives of parenting behavior each relate to depressive symptoms and also to emotional resilience in youth who are experiencing mental health difficulties and seeking treatment. She also completed her Honour’s thesis in the RYRG, which considered discrepancies between parents and children in reporting child mood. She has published her research in the peer-reviewed journal, Depression Research and Treatment and has presented research at several conferences. 
HAYLEY BOWERS PhD Student
Hayley’s current project explores the individual level factors associated with well-being (i.e., happiness and life satisfaction), resilience, engagement in school, and mental illness through a mixed methods approach. She has interviewed 30 students on campus with a mental illness regarding the factors they identify as conducive to positive functioning and generated online surveys based on these interviews to examine whether these factors influence functioning for students more broadly on campus. Her aim is to promote student engagement and well-being on campus for those with and without a mental illness. |
SOPHIA FANOURGIAKIS PhD Candidate
Sophia completed her Master's Thesis at McMaster University, where she examined the language, affect, and behaviour characteristics of children with Selective Mutism compared to children with other anxiety difficulties during a self-presentation task. Since joining RYRG in 2010, Sophia has worked closely with the Wellington Catholic District School Board, and the alternative high school St. John Bosco in particular, to conduct community-engaged research on student engagement and well-being. She has presented her research at several conferences. 
JORDAN FRIEDMANN PhD Student
Jordan's Master's Thesis examined the stability of both positive and negative schemas in adolescence and whether these schemas could prospectively predict depressive symptoms and resilience in youth. Jordan looks forward to continuing her PhD research in the RYRG and hopes to examine the impact of a strengths based positive psychology intervention on schemas, depression, and resilience in youth. |
KATIE CHERRY PHD Student
Katie Cherry is a Doctoral student in the Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology program at the University of Guelph supervised by Dr. Margaret Lumley. She also completed her Masters degree under the supervision of Dr. Lumley. Broadly, Katie’s research is in the field of positive clinical psychology and developmental and clinical psychology. For her Master’s project, Katie examined the longitudinal associations between positive and negative schemas and adolescent depression and well-being. For her Doctoral Dissertation, Katie intends to develop a new measure of psychological flexibility that adequately captures the dynamic nature of this complex construct and its potential associations with optimal functioning for youth. Katie has presented her research at several national and international conferences, and has published articles in positive and clinical psychology journals. She has also been fortunate to have her research funded by SSHRC and OGS. 
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JESSIE HEAMAN PHD Student
Jessie completed her master's thesis in the Child Development Research Unit, in which she examined the influence of individual characteristics, and peer modeling on child risk behaviors while street crossing. As a part of the RYRG, Jessie is interested in understanding resilience in youth, and how a fostering a growth mindset can enhance response to social challenge and improve overall youth wellbeing. Jessie's PhD research will explore how growth mindset, attributions, and psychological flexibility come together to impact wellbeing and depressive symptoms in youth transitioning to university. She also hopes to pilot a brief online mindset intervention to examine the impact on youth wellbeing and depressive symptoms during their first year of university. SARAH-LYNN BOYLE MA Student
Sarah-Lynn Boyle is a MA student in the Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology program at the University of Guelph and is supervised by Dr. Margaret Lumley. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree at the University of Prince Edward Island. Sarah’s research focuses on exploring factors that impact well-being within university students. For her master’s thesis, she is exploring the relations between coping ability and character strengths (e.g., hope, love, gratitude) in university students with an identified mental health challenge. Further, she is interested in exploring the impact of PSYC 1400 (i.e., a course-based intervention aimed at fostering well-being) and is currently involved in projects related to this course. Sarah has presented her research at various national and international conferences. Her research is also funded by SSHRC. | ||||||
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FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS:
LINDSEY KEYFITZ PhD Candidate
Lindsey's research in the RYRG has focused on incorporating positive constructs into traditional deficit-based cognitive models of youth emotional development. Her Master's Thesis involved the construction and validation of the first Positive Schema Questionnaire, and evaluated the role of positive schemas in the development of depression, anxiety, and resilience. Lindsey completed her Doctoral dissertation which evaluated the mechanisms though which positive life events interact with positive schemas to predict daily and long term adaptive and maladaptive emotional development. 
BRAE ANNE MACARTHUR PhD
Brae completed her Doctoral dissertation in the RYRG in the area of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD). She explored the relation between parenting and resiliency for youth with PBD and examined the mediating role of positive schemas. She has also been involved in the RYRG completing research looking at the protective function of positive schemes in young adults who have experienced emotional maltreatment and in youth with a history of mental health difficulties. She has completed her pre-doctoral residency at Alberta Children's Hospital and is currently completing her post-doctoral fellowship at Temple University. |
ELIZABETH CARLSON PhD Student
Elizabeth completed her honours thesis at MacEwan University where she examined how sexual offenders’ own abuse histories and use of denial related to their estimated risk to reoffend. She has published her research in the peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Criminal Psychology, and has presented research at several conferences. She completed her Master's thesis exploring how individual strengths relate to academic engagement for First Nations youth in a collaborative research project with Lakehead University. Elizabeth is currently completing her PhD at the University of Alberta. 
RACHEL TOMLINSON PhD Student
Rachel did her Honour's Thesis in the RYRG and continued as a Graduate Research Assistant in the lab during her Master's degree. She is currently completing her Doctoral Thesis with Dr. Meghan McMurtry examining positive psychological factors as they relate to health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic abdominal pain. Rachel's research with the RYRG examines how positive schemas relate to subjective well-being in children and adolescents. She has presented this research, along with her pain research at a number of conferences across North America. |
FABULOUS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
Keith Hamilton
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Current Honour's Thesis Students:
No current Honour's Thesis Students for this year. Former Honour's Thesis Students: Keith Hamilton: Keith examined the effect of social identity on mental illness stigma among varsity athletes for his honours theirs. Keith is currently continuing his studies in clinical psychology. Sarah Newcomb-Anjo: Sarah examined attachment style as a mediator between emotional maltreatment and positive schemas in young adulthood. Sarah is continuing her studies in clinical psychology. Bikram Singh: Bikram examined how strengths in faith and culture related to youth-reported resilience for boys and girls in high school. Mike Strating, BA: Mike published his Honour's Thesis from last year and was involved in various other lab projects. Mike is continuing his studies in clinical psychology. |
Current Research Assistants:
Jazzmin and Megan
Jazzmin and Megan
