Roanoke College Psychology Department

Author: Heather Farnsworth

The Marcus Alert Program: Providing Roanoke Valley Officers with More Resources in Handling Mental Health Crises

Mental health crises have always been a difficult issue for law enforcement to address. However, with the recent introduction of the Marcus Alert Program in the Roanoke Valley, police officers now have additional tools to help them better assess and respond to calls related to mental health crises.

The Marcus Alert Program is a statewide system designed to improve responses to mental and behavioral health crises using therapists to assist police. It was named after Marcus-David Peters, a young Black man who was shot and killed by police amid a mental health crisis in 2018. The implementation of the program began in 2020, and the Roanoke region launched the program on July 1 of this year.

The Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare CSB oversees the counties of Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig, the cities of Roanoke and Salem, and the town of Vinton, and their Marcus Alert team has already responded to 160 scenes since the program’s launch. The team consists of five clinicians, or co-response therapists, who are trained to respond to mental health crises if requested by a police officer. Clinicians can provide an in-person response, a telephone consult, or resources for follow-up within 72 hours of the initial call.

While the program has been met with an “overwhelmingly positive” response from Roanoke Valley residents, it is only the beginning. The New River Valley CSB is also planning to launch the Marcus Alert Program by July 1, 2024, and the General Assembly has plans to implement the program across the entire state by 2028.

Mental health crises are a difficult issue to address, and the implementation of the Marcus Alert Program is a big step in the right direction towards providing better resources and assistance to those in need. For more information, read the article posted here.

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September 25, 2023
Attention Juniors & Seniors in Psychology: Check Out These Resources!

Stay informed and be on the look out for resources and opportunities! The following newsletters have information regarding research, internships, conferences, and graduate school. Joining newsletters and remaining informed is one of the best tools that you can arm yourself with as an undergraduate students. Make the most of your time and attention!

Psychology Student Network (PSN) newsletter – Free online newsletter with articles and announcements for psychology students. Recent articles have focused on undergraduate research, internships, and applying to graduate school.

Psychology Student Network (PSN) listserv – A listserv for sharing more time-sensitive announcements about opportunities for internships, undergraduate research opportunities, and undergraduate conferences. Interested students may join through this link.

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

September 13, 2023
Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, Associate Professor in Psychology Department, Has Been Published!

Dr. FVN has now been published for her collaborative work entitled “Is Bullying Always about Status? Status Goals, Forms of Bullying, Popularity and Peer Rejection during Adolescence”. Congratulations Dr. FVN, we are so proud to say you are a Roanoke College professor! Please read the abstract of her work below, or visit the article here.

Abstract: Bullying has been associated with status goals among peers, but this research has not distinguished among forms of bullying, nor included actual status or popularity among peers in an integrated analysis. To this aim, in concurrent correlational data, we examined adolescent status goals as predictors of peer-reported physical, verbal, exclusionary and electronic bullying, and these further as predictors of popularity and peer rejection (N = 256; 67.2% girls; M age = 12.2 years). We also explored potential indirect associations of status goals with popularity and peer rejection via forms of bullying. The findings indicated that verbal bullying was the most common form of bullying. Status goals were positively related to all but physical bullying, yet only verbal bullying partially mediated this association with popularity. Electronic bullying was unrelated to popularity and peer rejection, when controlling for other bullying forms (but was positively related to rejection at the bi-variate level). The findings underscore the importance of assessing bullying as a heterogeneous construct, as related goals and adjustment among peers may depend on its specific form.

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

September 12, 2023
PRINCETON REVIEW NAMES ROANOKE COLLEGE A “GREAT SCHOOL FOR PSYCH MAJORS”!
Continuing a streak, Roanoke College has been featured as a Great School For Psych Majors by the Princeton Review! The psychology department has been recognized by the best colleges guide every year since the book’s 2015 edition.

The full story can be found here: https://www.roanoke.edu/news/princeton_review_2023

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- Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
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- Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
- Instagram: @rcpsychology #PsychRC
September 5, 2023
Virtual APA Psychology Graduate School Fair
The APA Education Directorate is pleased to announce that the first Virtual APA Psychology Graduate School Fair is happening on Thursday, November 2^nd from noon-6pm (Eastern)! Registration for all prospective psychology graduate students is FREE, and psychology graduate programs that wish to recruit at this event can register for a modest fee.

The goal of the APA Psychology Graduate School Fair is to virtually connect graduate psychology programs with a diverse group of students, including current undergraduates, graduate students seeking to further their education beyond their current degree, and individuals returning for their graduate education. The APA Psychology Graduate School Fair is open to all graduate psychology degree (MA/MS/PsyD/PhD/EdD/Other) granting institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and all areas of psychology are encouraged to participate, including health service psychology, scientific and applied psychology, and general psychology programs.

Students who register will have the opportunity to meet virtually with recruiters from any of the participating programs. Individuals can come for a short time and meet with a select few recruiters or stay for the whole event and meet with everyone, depending on their schedule and interest. To learn more and to register for the event, visit https://www.careereco.com/events/APA.

GET CONNECTED!
- Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
- Twitter: @RC_Psychology
- Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
- Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
- Instagram: @rcpsychology #PsychRC
September 5, 2023