Psychology+

Katherine believes there is an in-road into almost every subject for every student – the key is to discover it. Her goal is to help students unlock their passion for learning by finding the thing that most interests them.

Katherine's areas of academic focus and expertise include: multi-cultural practice and research, especially for trauma and recovery, attachment models; and interdisciplinary scholarship in sexuality. At Lesley, Katherine teaches the following courses: Family Interventions, Foundations and Systems in the Helping Professions, Theories of Personality, and Behavioral Science Research Method.

Katherine holds a BS from St. Lawrence University and a PhD from SUNY Buffalo State.

Geoffrey's area of academic focus and expertise is expressive therapy and his concentration at Lesley is in music therapy with a specialization in mental health counseling. Geoffrey has recently taught the following courses: music therapy with children, theories in music therapy, and principles and practices of expressive therapies.

Geoffrey holds a BA in English Literature from Amherst College, a MA in Music Therapy from Antioch University, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Research in Music Therapy, Special Education, and Psychology from Lesley University.

Brian obtained his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and M.A. in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in geriatric neuropsychology at the West Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Healthcare Center and the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research in the Department of Neurology at UCLA. Brian is licensed as a clinical neuropsychologist in the state of Massachusetts. At Lesley, he helps to oversee the cognitive neuroscience minor and the advanced research honors program in Psychology & Applied Therapies. His typical courses included: Cognitive Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Neuropsychology.

Brian's research focuses on the interdisciplinary study of philosophy, religion, and psychology. As part of this work, he is associate editor of Routledge's Psychology & the Other book series, co-editor-in-chief of the recently developed Journal for Continental Philosophy of Religion, and secretary of publications for the International Network in Philosophy of Religion. His publications and recent writings focus on topics such as the relationships between the body and unconscious, economics and subjectivity, and psychological healing and religious transformation, drawing upon the works of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Slavoj Zizek, Jean-Luc Marion, Emmanuel Falque, Claude Romano, and John Panteleimon Manoussakis.

Nancy's areas of expertise and academic focus include: expressive arts therapy and dance movement therapy theory, application, and supervision with populations across the lifespan. At Lesley she teaches, expressive arts therapy studio, arts-based research and performance in expressive therapies, art therapy and expressive therapies internship and seminar I & II, principles of expressive arts therapy arts, healing and community in South Africa, and theories and practice of dance movement therapy.

Nancy holds a BA from the College of Brockport, SUNY; a MEd from Lesley University. She is a current PhD candidate at Lesley University. Nancy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist.

Diana works to help students find and understand the connections between the real world and the academic world. This often includes analyzing stories from the news or the worlds of celebrities and pop culture to recognize the threads relevant to what they are learning in their classes. She is fascinated by the messages we all begin receiving from society from our first moments and how those messages shape us and our views of ourselves and each other.

Diana's areas of academic focus and expertise include trauma, domestic violence, therapy and children. At Lesley she teaches Lifespan Development, Introduction to Counseling, Trauma and Crisis, and Psychology Goes to the Movies.

Diana holds a BA from Stephen F. Austin State University and a PhD at University of North Texas. She was a Pre- and Post-Doctoral Medical School Fellow, Harvard University and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Health Service Provider. 

John believes that psychology has a lot of untapped potential for addressing the societal problems of the day, and therefore emphasizes that the evolution of psychology depends on collecting evidence. He finds the study of psychology inherently fascinating, and hopes that students will reciprocate the high energy he brings to his work. John believes that the study of psychology is invaluable to fully appreciating the human being that you are today, and he encourages students to apply psychological principles to their own lives for a more nuanced understanding of human nature in general, and themselves specifically.

John's areas of academic focus and expertise include: social psychology, interpersonal attraction, close relationships, romantic relationships, attachment theory, dyadic analysis of relationships processes, and evolutionary psychology. At Lesley, he teaches introduction to psychology, social psychology, lifespan development, elements of statistics in psychology and psychology capstone.

John holds an PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Neal Klein, Associate Professor of Psychology, began his search into the nature of consciousness and human potential as an undergraduate psychology major in the 1960s and continued this work in both his masters and doctoral programs. For the past 45 years, he has taught at Lesley University, where he focuses in the areas of Counseling, Holistic Health and Cross-Cultural Psychology. Neal also has more than 30 years of experience counseling both individuals and couples.

Neal holds a BA from Dickinson College and an EdM and EdD from Boston University. His first book, A New Operating Manual For Being Human: A Humanistic/Holistic Perspective On Counseling Psychology and Personal Growth, was published in 2005. His second book, Me Myself and Mindfulness: The Arithmetic of Consciousness, which takes these academic concepts and translates them for parents and their children, was published in 2018. Along with Dr. Jan Wall, also a professor at Lesley University, he was asked to write the chapter entitled "Transforming University Education" in the textbook, Holistic Healing; Theories, Practices, and Social Change, which was published in 2019.

Additional endeavors Dr. Neal Klein has undergone alongside Dr. Jan Wall, also his wife, include taking large groups of students on travel abroad trips to Asia, India, Africa, South and Central America, Bali, and Indonesia.

In 2019, Dr. Neal Klein and Dr. Jan Wall created and executed a conference (Holistic Healing; Theories, Practices, and Social Change) with 40 presenters and 350 attendees.

In 2020, Dr. Neal Klein started a website and YouTube channel (Trance-Ending Times) in order to promote academic psychological concepts, translating them for more people and normalizing those concepts. 

Finally, in 2021, Dr. Neal Klein was accepted on the steering committee for the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis (AAP).

Dr. Pate (pronouns: she/her) is a board-certified art therapist and licensed mental health counselor who holds a doctorate in art therapy from Mount Mary University. Dr. Pate has worked in a variety of community mental health and clinical treatment settings working with diverse populations. She is an Associate Professor of Art Therapy but teaches within all the disciplines within the Psychology + department. Her research focuses on undergraduate art therapy curriculum, pedagogy, and student learning outcomes with a focus on accessibility and inclusion of all students.

Selected Publications:

Schwartz, J., St. John, P., Greiff Lagstein, C., Pate, M. & Denning, H. (2023). Instructional content in undergraduate art therapy education, Art Therapy, (40)1, 31-39, DOI:10.1080/07421656.2022.2131356

Rastogi, M., Feldwisch, R., Pate, M., & Scarce, J. (2022). Foundations of art therapy: Theory and applications. Elsevier.

Pate, M., Rastogi, M., & Daiello, V. (2022). Community-based art therapy and community arts.

In Rastogi, M., Feldwisch, R., Pate, M., & Scarce, J. (Eds), Foundations in art therapy: Theory and applications. Elsevier

Enriquez, G. & Pate, M. (2021). Exploring graphic memoir trajectories: Processing the effects of substance use disorder and healing through art in Hey, Kiddo. In Eisenbach,

B. & Frydman, J. (Eds), Fostering mental health literacy through adolescent literature. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

Schwartz, J., Rastogi. M., Pate. M., & Scarce, J. (2018). Undergraduate Art Therapy Programs in the United States Survey Report, Art Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2019.1698226

Jane Ferris Richardson is a board-certified art therapist and a registered play therapist teaching undergraduate students. Her areas of academic focus are art therapy and child psychology. Her practice of art therapy specializes in young children and neurodivergent children and support to their families and schools. Her work has been described as: “skillfully interweaving the intersection of the therapeutic powers of play with the healing components of art.”

Her research interests include how art and art therapy support autistic children and adolescents, the relationship between art and play therapy, and nature-based and global contexts for art therapy practice. She has presented her work at conferences in Europe and Asia, given international trainings, and brought Lesley students to Cape Town, South Africa to join in the work of a community arts organization. As an art therapist, Jane exhibits her own work regularly, and has received grants both to pursue her artwork and organize exhibitions, as well as for international collaboration in art therapy.

During the pandemic she presented virtually at conferences designed to support the development of art therapy teaching and practice in Beijing and Hong Kong. In India and Bangladesh, she has taught professionals working with autistic children and youth. Early in her time at Lesley, Jane visited Reggio Emilia, Italy, to explore connections between the Reggio Emilia approach to early education and art therapy for children with special needs, and this is one focus of her recent book.

Jane has an EdD in Humanistic Education and Human Services from Boston University, where she held a fellowship as Managing Editor of the Journal of Education. She also has master's degrees from Lesley in Art Therapy, and from Bank Street College of Education specializing in Early Childhood Education. Her career as a therapist was preceded by experience as an early childhood teacher and professional training in dance.