Prospective Students

Yes, I will be reviewing applications for Fall 2026 for one Ph.D. student.

Please note, I am not reviewing applications for our M.S. program at this time. Further, you do not need to apply to the M.S. program if your current highest degree is a Bachelor’s, our Ph.D. program includes a Master’s program as part of the degree (see the graduate manual for details).

When reviewing applications, I am looking for goodness of fit between myself and an applicant with respect to:

(1) their interests, experiences, skillsets, and goals, and (2) the TEA Lab’s mission, our research focus, and my own strengths and weaknesses as a mentor.

Applicants who would likely be a “good fit” would…

• Demonstrate commitment to the TEA Lab Mission: Through our work, we aim to reduce health disparities and improve access to care among those with addiction. The TEA Lab engages in qualitative and quantitative research centered on understanding perceptions and experiences of addiction. Specifically, we focus on understanding behavioral addictions, particularly Gambling Disorder, and harm reduction treatment methods. As a crucial aspect of this work, the TEA lab pays particular attention to aspects of diversity that impact perceptions and experiences of addictions. Commitment to this mission may be demonstrated through your past experiences (both research and applied) and your personal statement.

Given our current projects, you would likely best fit our team and me if you are interested in

1. Gambling disorder
2. Behavioral addictions
3. Improving access to treatment or prevention 1services
4. Understanding these issues for those in underserved and marginalized communities.
5. I would advise all prospective applicants to read some of our recent publications. If you are struggling to access any of the publications, please feel free to reach out.

• Want to pursue a career in research and/or a mix of research and clinical work with a focus on topics such as understanding how perceptions of addiction are impacted or impact the treatment of those with an addiction, understanding how the experience of behavioral addictions (particularly gambling) differs across groups or individuals, and improving treatment outcomes for addiction, particularly through harm reduction and for behavioral addictions. Note: you do not have to be interested in all these things to be a good fit. I am most enthusiastic about applicants that have some overlapping interests with me but who also have ideas for how they can expand upon these interests and take the lab’s research in new, but related, directions.

As a mentor, I feel most prepared to support students who are interested in careers that involve research. This includes a wide variety of career paths, such as academic faculty positions (e.g., in psychology, counseling, education, sociology, social work, or public health departments); combined clinical-research careers (e.g., in academic medical centers); and non-academic careers in applied research, health policy, or using research methods to improve clinical work.

Ohio University’s program is based on a scientist-practitioner model, which I also ascribe to, meaning that our research informs our clinical work AND our clinical work informs our research.

Therefore doing research is an important component of training which teaches you to better engage and respond to the individuals with whom you work.

As such, I may not be the most effective mentor for applicants who are interested solely in clinical practice careers. There will be expectations of strong research productivity throughout graduate school as a member of the TEA Lab, including a thesis, comprehensive exams, and dissertation. Therefore, if your interest is primarily in learning the skills to become an effective clinician, then my mentorship will not be the best for you.

• Have a desire to work with community members and people with lived experience with addiction.

• Have an interest in learning and using mixed method techniques.

• Have independent research experience (e.g., leading a senior thesis or research project, having first-authored posters, talks, or papers).

Of note, having access to mentors who can facilitate and support independent research experience is itself a form of privilege. The graduate school application process is very competitive. However, there may be relevant situational factors well beyond your control (such as a lack of relevant mentorship or support to do research in undergrad) that impact your record of independent research experience. In this way, while a post-bac may support your independent research experience and can be beneficial to assess your enjoyment of research/the topic, it is not required or expected. Given these considerations, I aim to judge applications holistically. If you believe that your research experience does not reflect your potential as a future scientist,

(2) provide this information in your personal statement.

(1) ask one or more of your recommenders to share more about your circumstances to help me holistically assess your achievements, and/or

Ohio University does NOT accept or review GRE scores. It is possible that this will change for future years.

Yes, our graduate college requires this minimum GPA.

However, if you have a lower GPA and feel that it is not reflective of your abilities, but is above a 3.0, we don’t evaluate applicants based solely on this. Many factors can and do influence a person’s GPA, including competing commitments (e.g., working part-time), family obligations (e.g., caring for dependents or aging parents), and health challenges (e.g., having a disability). Although I hold academic achievement as an important criterion for admission, I consider it on an individual basis alongside other important contextual information (when provided with it). Further, academic achievement can be demonstrated in a variety of ways beyond GPA. If you believe your GPA does not reflect your potential as a future scientist, please (1) ask one or more of your letter writers to share more about your circumstances and other indicators of your academic achievement to help me holistically assess your achievements, and/or (2) provide this information in your personal statement.

Ohio University’s application process includes a competency essay focused on students development of the ability to conduct professional activities with sensitivity to human diversity, per APA accreditation training. This essay is focused on 1) how your prior experiences have prepared you to develop this skill, and 2) the ways in which you want to develop this skill. I use this essay to evaluate your openness to learning this skill and awareness of this area. Notably, you do not have to be skilled in this right now, rather we ask that you be open and reflective about learning this skill. We use this essay to evaluate students for the program as well as decide scholarship recipients.

I and one other faculty member will read all applications from those who indicate that I am their preferred mentor.

You are welcome to email me expressing interest, but it is not required and not doing so will not affect my evaluation of your application. If you do email me, I will likely point you to the OU and TEA Lab websites as well as this document, often using a standard email template. I do this for two reasons.

First, I find that this document typically answers most questions that applicants have for me about my mentorship approach, the TEA Lab’s program of research, and the our lab culture and values.

Second, it ensures fairness across the information provided to applicants. If for some reason you find that your questions are not addressed by these websites or this document, please get in touch and I will do my best to address them. However, I typically do not set up video calls with prospective students prior to interviews to be fair to all applicants.

Third, please note that I will not be discussing specific collaborations or research projects at this time. These types of discussions typically occur during invited interviews.

I find it helpful when applicants include the following information in their personal statements:

1. A description of your general research interests (e.g., general themes or specific research questions are both appropriate) and how they relate to the TEA Lab’s mission and research. You do not need to share all my interests and I am particularly interested in how you might extend our current research to new topics or in new directions.

2. A clear statement of why you are interested in the TEA Lab and OU.

3. A statement about your current career goals. If you think about your career post-Ph.D., what do you anticipate that focusing on or looking like? Why am I the right person to train you for what you want to do?

4. A discussion of your independent research experience(s) and what you learned from them. I suggest emphasizing the skills you developed from working on each project (e.g., data collection in Qualtrics; coding/running analyses; interviewing skills; writing certain sections of a paper; submitting/presenting a poster) and articulating how these experiences informed your current interests and career path. It can also be helpful to demonstrate how these experiences have prepared you to be successful in graduate school and our program specifically.

5. If applicable, a discussion about any prior clinical or relevant work experiences, including what you learned, any skills you developed, or how these experiences led you to your current interests.

6. A discussion of any perceived weaknesses with your application and (a) relevant contextual factors that might help me evaluate you holistically and (b) other accomplishments or skills that make up for these perceived weaknesses/demonstrate your achievements and preparedness for graduate school.

7. For a few annotated examples of graduate school personal statements, see this wonderful resource from Dr. Rodriguez-Seijas. I also suggest Dr. Noah Emery’s resource on crafting an effective personal statement.

1. You have limited space in your personal statement. Thus, I suggest avoiding long, detailed stories about how you came to be interested in psychology.

2. Show, don’t tell! Don’t just tell me that I can mentor you, illustrate in detail how you think my research and clinical skills can help you get where you want to be in your career.

3. Get as much feedback as you can before submitting. Having access to mentors who can help you refine your personal statements is very helpful but is also a privilege that might not be equally available to all. There are many other options! Ask your peers, friends, and family. Look into resources at your undergraduate institutions that can help or organizations like Project SHORT. Here is a spreadsheet with various academics who may be willing to help field questions and look over application materials, particularly for students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in psychology. It can sometimes feel challenging to write about yourself but it is important that you do not over- or under-sell your accomplishments and getting feedback from others can ensure you’re striking the right balance when sharing your achievements.

4. Try to avoid repetition with other application materials. This isn’t a place to reiterate what is on your CV, it’s your chance to tie it all together, show critical thinking skills, and demonstrate how you’re a good fit. This does not mean you shouldn’t still highlight key achievements and important experiences in your statement. Rather, it means I do not need you to walk me through every section of your CV in the personal statement. You might choose to check out this candid episode on the Clinically Psyched podcast. Dr. Rodriguez-Seijas talks about the complexities of going through student applications. Although we might not use the same criteria to evaluate fit, I still suggest giving it a listen.

No. I am most interested in applicants seeking rigorous training in both research and clinical practice.

Though, as noted elsewhere, I am best equipped to mentor applicants that want a career involving some degree of research (as opposed to solely clinical careers). Ohio University’s clinical psychology program has a strong scientist-practitioner orientation, meaning our training program has been designed to integrate research and clinical work and train students in applying both skills. Students who are happiest in our program tend to want careers that use both research and clinical skills.

No. I recognize that our life experiences shape our training opportunities as well as career interests, trajectories, and goals in meaningful ways. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging intersections between our ‘human’ and ‘scientific’ selves. However, personal stories and lived experiences should not be the focus of your personal statement and, as stated elsewhere, I suggest avoiding long, detailed stories. Your research interests, experiences, goals, and ‘fit’ to our lab are much more helpful to me when reviewing your application.

Generally, I have a developmental approach to mentoring in which I aim to match my mentoring to the needs of each individual mentee. I strive to support all mentees in achieving their professional goals and maintaining their personal well-being. Please see our lab manual (on the website) for more information.

The information that is most helpful for me when reviewing applicants’ CVs is honors and awards; grants, publications, or presentations (including those that are in prep, submitted, and under review); research experience; clinical experience; teaching experience; and relevant coursework.

Here are some resources on writing a CV:

•“How to Write a Strong CV,” Association of Psychological Science

• Example CV for clinical psychology applicants, University of Nebraska—Lincoln

Where else can I find information and guidance on the application process?

I recommend the following resources:

• Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology, provided by Dr. Mitch Prinstein, UNC Chapel Hill. A staple for those considering applying to graduate school in clinical psychology, from determining your best-fit career path to deciding between offers from Clinical PhD programs!

• Getting Into Psych Grad School, provided by the Council of University Directors in Clinical Psychology. Guides from Directors of Clinical Training at Clinical Psychology PhD programs across the country.

• Open Access Tips/Materials for Clinical Psych PhD Applicants, provided by Mallory Dobias, B.S. A collection of open-access pointers, timelines, and materials—from sample e-mails to prospective advisors to ‘before’ and ‘after’ personal statements—from a PhD student in Dr. Jessica Schleider’s Lab!

• So You Want to Go to Clinical Psych Grad School? …Or Something? Slides from a lecture prepared by Dr. Jessica Schleider on considering careers in clinical psychology and allied disciplines.

Includes info about different career options and degrees; preparing to apply for PhD programs; and how to obtain research and clinical experience.

• Deciding to apply to Clinical Psychology PhD programs. A blog post written with particular focus on tailoring advice to students and applicants of color, low-income students/applicants, and first-generation students/applicants.

• Your Guide to Getting into Clinical Psych Graduate School. Resource from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP).

• Mote Lab Clinical Psychology PhD Tip Sheet

• Various resources and meetings provided by Psychin’ Out.