Biographical Sketch

Education

• B.A., University College - Dublin, Ireland
• M.A., University College - Dublin, Ireland
• Psy.D., The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Classes Taught

• PY415 - Professional Development Group
• PY464 - Basic Intervention: Cognitive-Behavioral
• PY475 - Therapy Practicum Sequence
• PY609 - Proposal Development Seminar
• PY602 - Dissertation Studies
• PY610 - Dissertation Maintenance
• PY612 - Dissertatin Maintenance II
• PY416 - Professional Development Group
• PY437 - Psychology of the Life Span I
• PY492 - Advanced Intervention: Cognitive
• PY493 - Advanced Intervention: Behavioral

Areas of Interest/Expertise

• adolescent psychology
• child psychology
• parenting

Select Presentations

• May 2004. Born Learning Early Caregiver Conference. Workshop on the social and emotional development of 0-3 year olds provided for professional caregivers and teen moms from Chicago Public School's Grade to Classrom Program. Hosted by the Office of the Mayor, City of Chicago, Illinois.
• July 2004. Samantha Gaspar, Michele Nealon-Woods, Amy Tilley. Treating Adolescents with Dual Diagnosis. ChildServ, Illinois.
• January 2005. Julie Atkins, Michele Nealon-Woods, Ryan Tobiasz. Borderline Personality Disorder. ChildServ, Illlinois.
• March 2005. Julie Atkins, Amanda Harrell, Michele Nealon-Woods. Borderline Personality Disorder, Self-Mutilation, and Therapist Self-Care. ChildServ, Illinois.
• June 2005. Nathalie Going, Kristina Kelly, Michele Nealon-Woods. Oppositional Defiant Disorder: The Barkley System. ChildServ, Illinois.

Select Publications

• Nealon-Woods, M.A., Ferrari, J.R., and Jason, L.A. (1995). Twelve Step Program Use Among Oxford House Residents: Spirituality or Social Support in Sobriety? Journal of Substabnce Abuse, 7, 311-318.

Q&A

• Q: Please describe your teaching philosophy.
• A: The purpose of this essay is to illustrate two important points as I speak to the evolution, and ongoing development, of my teaching philosophy. First, I outline my personal beliefs about the importance of providing quality education in the field of clinical psychology. Second, I speak to you about my growing awareness of what are the essential components needed to maximize the classroom experience. Every time I enter a classroom, I am reminded of the magnitude of our work as clinical psychologists and of the potential for the development of excellence in the field of psychology as a whole. The effects of teaching may be immediately profound or quietly subtle, going unnoticed for many years. As such, I am aware that in our moments with students, we impact them as individuals, but we also help shape larger customs and norms and ultimately impact their future professional endeavors. We also impact the lives of our students’ future clients. Because of this responsibility, I regularly reflect upon the climate of the classes I teach, students’ individual needs, the institutions I work in and support, and the larger systems students will enter as their career advances. My teaching is shaped by the influence of not one, but several of the teaching models available to educators. I first and foremost believe in active and cooperative learning. In all courses, I select activities and actively draw on the case examples I know will convey powerful messages about the content and/or skill being addressed. In watching students apply this material to their studies, I know they have value beyond the actual academic requirements of the course syllabi. Additionally, I strive to facilitate active problem solving, to help students learn how to generate scholarly questions and answers to clinical problems, and foster the ability in students to formulate questions of their own. To achieve this goal, I encourage in-class discussions; provide explanations as needed, preferring to challenge students to generate their own explanations. I welcome debates, creative brainstorming, and even educated and constructive disagreements. Having students work in dyads and teams helps promote a sense of positive independence, individual accountability, and fosters the beginnings of the skills required to work as members of multidisciplinary teams in practice. To complement active and cooperative learning I draw on both behavioral and constructivist teaching and learning models. I believe students are more than capable of successfully navigating the learning environment so I approach intervention courses with a focus on mastery. Students will find me combining direct and explicit instruction approaches with the expectation that they engage with me and that we can work together collaboratively and cooperatively. I aim to guide students towards independent practice and supply the defined tasks to accomplish this goal. I routinely monitor students’ progress in reaching learning goals and provide them with regular feedback about their achievements. I draw on constructivist teaching approaches to the extent that they guide me in understanding that learning is guided by the context in which an idea is taught as well as by student’s beliefs and attitudes. Students, I have found, welcome a challenge and want to learn in an environment that is engaging and non-threatening. I emphasize the student’s need to learn how to analyze information, create concepts, engage in causal reasoning, actively problem-solve, and become comfortable with asking questions. I believe that students are also responsible for their learning environment and I subsequently encourage them to construct knowledge through their interactions with books, fellow students, and the broader academic and clinical environments in which they study and work. It is of paramount importance to me to get to know students as individuals and to learn, over time, how each student personally learns. We know that each student has a particular way of seeing the world and that this worldview is shaped by the totality of their experiences. I am deeply interested in learning about such worldviews and enjoy watching how the sharing of these views enhances our collective understanding of classroom material. It is my belief that clinical psychologists need to think about the importance of what they are doing and to understand the potential impact of their work. As such, a student needs more than just technical tools; they need to be guided in understanding how their own belief systems and their level of psychological self-awareness influence their current and future competencies. Students require guidance as they grow professionally, but also as they grow personally. To reach maximum professional and personal growth, they need to be mentored in developing a critical awareness of their clinical responsibilities, responsibilities that go beyond technical adherence to the professional roles they may play. I believe the way in which I approach and prepare for class reveals much about my general teaching philosophy and style. I work tirelessly to ensure I have prepared quality lectures and carefully select assigned and supplemental readings to augment these lectures. In addition, I frequently consult with colleagues on course content and invite students to make suggestions that will lead to a positive learning experience. I use feedback evaluations to distinctly shape, and keep a pulse on, the climate in the classroom and to streamline certain aspects of the course as needed. While presenting technical skills, I consistently draw upon clinical experiences and real-world examples. The manner in which I combine implicit instruction and challenging in-class discussions provides for a dynamic interactive classroom experience for students. Teaching technical skills is essential but can also be limiting. As such, I invite students to work with me to also learn the “what” of psychology. Students need to think critically about the dynamic and complex issues they will encounter in clinical psychology. To mentor students in the development of this skill, I routinely invite them to become part of my own professional activities. Students are invited to actively participate in my teaching, clinical, and consulting endeavors. I work to provide students with opportunities to develop technical skills and to learn how to deliver their products in a professionally skilled manner. My energy for teaching has been solidly shaped by my personal academic journey through European and American learning environments and by my work experiences. To me, quality learning occurs in an atmosphere that is challenging, mutually rewarding, and when collegial relationships have been built and nurtured. At the core of my teaching philosophy, then, is my firm belief that learning flows when both teachers and students work within an atmosphere of respect and when they join together in their efforts to teach and learn. I communicate respect to my students by being an informed and active teacher, by being accessible inside and outside of class, by being willing to advise and mentor them, and by following them through the totality of their learning experiences. I expect students to embrace the idea of being adult learners, to communicate with others in a respectful manner, and to work hard to become quality clinicians. Each student has something important to contribute to the classroom experience, each student brings news insights, and making these known can only add to the dynamic field of clinical psychology. Teaching is, without exception, the most rewarding aspect of my career as a clinical psychologist. Each semester I work to improve some facet of my teaching and work with students. I aspire to be part of a system that graduates students who can work innovatively, who embrace diversity and actively contribute to the broader community, who willingly give of themselves in improving the lives of others, and who subsequently become leaders in the field of psychology.
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Community Involvement

• Consultant for Chicago-based not-for-profit child well-being organization

Professional Memberships

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Illinois Psychological Association (IPA)
• Midwestern Psychological Association