Research Experience:
-Research focuses on (1) the nature and effect of stress on individuals within the law enforcement community and (2) the use of deadly force in law enforcement, examined from recruitment to retirement.
October 2009-present
Research Intern
Fairfax County (VA) Police Department, Fairfax, Virginia
Supervisor: Anthony Pinizzotto, Ph.D., former Senior Scientist, FBI Behavioral
Science Unit & Major Edwin Roessler, Director of the Lay Enforcement Academy
Fairfax County (VA) Police Department, Fairfax, Virginia
-Review of current literature, case review, and curriculum development.
-Grant federally funded.
-Attend biweekly committee meetings with fellow interns and research staff.
January 2009-present
Dissertation Research: Secular and Religious Coping by Women with Disordered Eating
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
Chairperson: Jerome Short, Ph.D.
Proposal accepted June 2009
Defense expected August 2010
January 2008-August 2008
Masters Research: Esteem Enhancing and Esteem Threatening Relationships Among Disordered Eating
Collegiate Population
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
Chairperson: Jerome Short, Ph.D.
August 2004-May 2005
Research Assistant
Miami University, Clinical Psychology Lab, Oxford, Ohio
Advisor: Margaret O'Dougherty Wright, Ph.D.
-Administer testing material to a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and community subjects.
-Gain additional experience with psychological research through coding and analysis using SPSS.
-Attend weekly lab meetings.
-Senior Honors Thesis: The Long-term Effects of Childhood Emotional Abuse: A Literature Review
August 2004-May 2005
Research Assistant
Miami University, Social Psychology Lab, Oxford, Ohio
Advisor: Allen McConnell, Ph.D.
-Oversee experiments (both computer and questionnaire-based) using undergraduate participants, code testing material.
-Attend weekly lab meetings.
Papers and Presentations:
Christensen, L. E. (with Cattaneo, L. B., Cohen, A. B., & Krishnan, S.). (2009, August). Hungry Hearts Ministry Needs Assessment/Resource and Referral Website Development. In Partnership Between Universities and Community Organizations—Trends, Examples, and Challenges. Symposium conducted at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada.
Christensen, L. E. & Short, J. L. (2009, March). Global Self-Esteem as a Mediator of the Relation Between Esteem-Enhancing and Threatening Relationships with Mothers and Eating Disorder Symptoms. Presented at Virginia Social Science Association Annual Conference, Petersburg, Virginia.
Christensen, L E., Gagnon, R. G., Miller, R. E., & Neff, K. E. (2004, April). The Effects of Priming and Gender on Adventurousness. Presented at Annual Steve Hinkle Memorial Poster Session, Oxford, Ohio.
Community Psychology Experience:
-Implement a response to the Josiah H. Beeman Commission’s call for effective consumer employment services.
August 2008-December 2008
Needs Assessment/Mental Health Employment Consultation
Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, Fairfax, Virginia
Supervisor: Jerome Short, Ph.D.
Total Indirect Hours: 60
-Conduct Community Services Board (CSB) employment needs assessment and provide employment data collection consultation.
-Assess the current employment data collection for the Mental Health (MH) division of the CSB through consultation with director of Quality Improvement and Emergency Management, the Access and Entry/Referral Services office, CBS’s MH division Integrated Referral and Transition Team, vocational contract managers, directors of two additional divisions of the CSB (Mental Retardation and Alcohol and Drug Services), as well as three separate vendors that provide employment services to consumers.
-Determine what type of employment data to collect and how to best obtain the data.
-Run middle and high school focus groups as part of a qualitative assessment of youth substance abuse for the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA). Focus groups included 40 ethnically diverse students and covered a wide range of questions regarding student substance use.
May 2008-June 2008
Focus Group Facilitator
Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia
Supervisor: Jerome Short, Ph.D.
Total Direct & Indirect Hours: 3, 9
Advisor: Margaret O'Dougherty Wright, Ph.D.
-Attend SAPCA coalition meetings.
-Complete needs assessment for Hungry Hearts Ministry by speaking with co-founder, key informants, and stakeholders.
September 2007-January 2008
Needs Assessment/Website Development Consultation
Hungry Hearts Ministry, McLean, Virginia
Supervisor: Stephanie Townsend
Total Direct & Indirect Hours: 60
-Develop a resource and referral process to provide materials, resources, and professional recommendations on eating disorders and related issues for individuals affected by disordered eating, their families, and their friends.
-Develop website: www.hungryhearts.us to promote resource and referral information.
-Attend monthly staff meetings.
-Complete four annual reports as part of JLG-RICA Institute’s program evaluation externship. Collect and analyze data using frequency and regression analyses.
June 2007-August 2007
Needs Assessment/Program Evaluation (EXTERNSHIP)
John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children & Adolescents, Rockville, Maryland
Supervisor: Donna Chmielewski, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Director of Research and
Program Evaluation)
Total Indirect Hours: 240
-Attend weekly program evaluation seminars lead by director.
-Evaluations include:
1) JLG-RICA Student Satisfaction Survey (2007), a report that summarized student’s satisfaction with therapists, teachers, mentors/tutors, and psychiatrists.
2) JLG-RICA Overall Parent Satisfaction Rating Report (2007), a qualitative summary of data collected by parents on their overall
satisfaction with services at JLG-RICA. Student and parent satisfaction was compared to longitudinal satisfaction data in order to draw more meaningful conclusions and suggestions for JLG-RICA improvement.
3) The JLG-RICA Student Outcome Report (2007) summarized the mental health outcome status of students graduating the program using Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) difference scores, number of diagnoses at intake and discharge, as well as length of stay.
4) The JLG-RICA Telephone Follow-up Survey (2007) included telephone data collection and analysis of student graduates’ well-being and integration into the community.
