CPS Associate Professor to Speak on Family and Schools’ Support of Youth

Mercedes B. ter Maat, Ph.D., LPC, ATR-BC, associate professor in NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies, will present “Connections: Families and Schools Supporting Our Youth,” on Oct. 8 from 12 – 1 p.m., in the Carl DeSantis building, room 3028. The talk is part of Hot Topics in Psychology, a new series co-sponsored by the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Psychological Studies (CPS). Throughout the academic year, faculty from the college and CPS will discuss their current research projects in relation to their specific fields.

The professor’s research project, which received an NSU Community-Based Applied Research Grant for two consecutive years, is part of a collaborative effort between CPS, the Children’s Services Council, and the School Board of Broward County (including three low-income, elementary schools). Along with a co-principal investigator from CPS, Diana Formoso, Ph.D., ter Maat is aiming to enhance the quality of life of low-income, ethnic minority children living in Broward County by developing and evaluating a pilot program to increase the family and school support available to them. More than 30 students have participated in this funded project.

Hot Topics is a brown-bag series - those attending the lectures are encouraged to bring their lunches to the event, providing their own “food for thought.” The series enables students to gain a first-hand perspective of research in specific areas of psychology and also serves to open up potential scholarship collaboration among students and NSU faculty members.

For more information on the Hot Topics in Psychology series, contact Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., at (954) 262-8192; or Sarah Valley-Gray, Psy.D., at (954) 262-5783.

To learn more about NSU’s Community-Based Applied Research Grants, visit http://qol.nova.edu/.