Travis Research Institute
Cultural Psychology and Narrative Inquiry
Office
Psychology Building 123
Fuller Theological Seminary
180 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101-1714
jpak@fuller.edu
Phone
626.584.5561
External Collaborators:
Dr. J. W. Lee and his research team, Social Work Department, Kangnam University, Yongin, Korea
Dr. H. H. Xu and her research team, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
Mission
According to recent scholarship from multiple disciplines (e.g., philosophy, anthropology, cognitive and developmental psychology), a person’s sense of self and life experiences are narrative in structure, formed in social interaction, and shaped by larger cultural frameworks. This lab is unique in its combination of cultural psychology and narrative approach to address a variety of theoretical and applied issues in psychology with the aim of advancing knowledge and professional competence at the individual and community level. Focused on a broad range of theoretically grounded topics, the current line of investigation includes how implicit cultural and religious values impact attachment, identity, spiritual formation, and emotional process in trauma, psychotherapy and care.
Recent Publications (with external links)
Lee, J. W., Pak, J. H., Lee, H. A. (2019). A qualitative study of the aging experience among Korean older adults residing in urban, rural, and the US immigrant context. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society, 39(3), 589-612.
Kim, J., Eltiti, S., Crawford, N., & Pak, J. (2019). Effect of cultural identification and family affection on coping abilities for missionary kids. Journal of Religion and Health.DOI: 10.1007/s10943-019-00848-0
Xu, H., Pak, J., Tu, R., and Schuberg, M. (2018). Exploring attachment and spirituality among Christians in China. Asian Journal of Social Science Studies, 3(3), 1-16. DOI: 10.20849/ajsss.v3i3.410
Pak, J. (2017). Cultural psychology of religion and qualitative inquiry. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 163-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004348936_009
Kim, J., Pak, J., and Eltiti, S. (2017). Cultural differences in family affection and coping abilities for missionary kids. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 45(2), 79-91. DOI: 0091-6471/410-730
Sklar, Q. T., Pak, J. and Eltiti, S. (2016). Parent-child closeness and acculturation in predicting racial preference in mate selection among Asian Americans. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 7(4), 265-273. DOI: 10.1037/aap00000059
Kim, H. J., and Pak, J. (2013). Journeys toward spiritual maturity among Korean immigrant women in midlife. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 32 (1), 3-19.
Recent Presentations
Pak, J. (2019, June). The neurodevelopmental disorders in Korean cultural context and challenges faced by Korean missionary children. Paper presented at the Fifth Global Mission Leaders Forum, Sokcho, Korea.
Pak, J., & Double, K. (2018, April). Campus sexual violence: The impact of disclosure on mental health. Seminar presentation at the Annual Christian Association of Psychological Services, Norfolk, Virginia.
Scott, A., & Pak, J. (2018, April). Considering historical trauma in clinical work with African American women. Seminar presentation at the Annual Christian Association of Psychological Services, Norfolk, Virginia.
Pak, J., Brown, J., Crommett, N., & Sidhom, N. (2016, March). Impact and recovery of traumatic life events amongst diverse populations. Symposium presented at the meeting of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, Pasadena, California.
People
Faculty and Principal investigator
Jenny Pak
Associate Professor of Psychology
BA, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
MA, FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
PHD, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Students
Audrey Lee. Audrey is a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology. She earned her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology prior to entering the doctoral program. Through her abundant cross-cultural experiences in Korean and American clinical settings, she has grown her interest in developing a deeper cultural understanding of psychotherapy. In addition, appreciating the value of integrating research and clinical work, she has been committed to honing her skills and knowledge particularly in the area of psychotherapy process research. Her specific research topics involve examining therapeutic change mechanism and developing processing models of emotional memory which account for culture-specific psychological processes and dynamics.
Angela Dupont. Angela is a sixth-year PhD student. She is currently providing therapy for Spanish-speaking clients at Fuller Psychological and Family Services, as well as doing neuropsychological assessment with movement disorder patients at USC-Keck School of Medicine and with Spanish-speaking patients at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. She is deeply fascinated by the intersection of culture and psychology, and seeks to be attuned to how cultural factors impact her clients. Her current research focuses on the factors (e.g., culture, religion, education, attachment) influencing differences in optimism between French and American nationals.
Ruina Tu. The present study attempts to adopt an emic approach by using concepts endorsed in Chinese culture to delineate the landscape of traditional Chinese parenting from an indigenous standpoint. Specifically, the current research tries to explore the relevant social, cultural and historical factors that have shaped the development and manifestation of Chinese parenting.
Michael Reda.
Michael is a 4th year Psy D student and pre-intern practicum student at Pepperdine University Counseling Center. During his time at Fuller, Michael has had the opportunity to provide evidence-based, culturally sensitive care to various clinically vulnerable populations in the greater Los Angeles area. From counseling in the inner city to providing assessment to our Veterans, Michael strives to aid his clients explore meaning within and behind their symptoms and to develop a greater connection to the person they wish to become. Through his dissertation project, he hopes to offer a critique of traditional understandings of attachment so as to maintain their cultural relevance when applied to East Asian clinical populations.
Nadine Sidhom. Nadine is a 6th year PsyD student currently interning at WestCoast Children’s Clinic in Oakland, where she serves children, adolescents, and families. Her previous clinical experience has ranged from college counseling, to community mental health clinics, to inpatient and outpatient hospital settings. Nadine’s clinical and research interests include the impact of systemic trauma on children and families, cultural expressions and forms of healing regarding grief, and the practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy with minority and vulnerable populations.
Mary Schuberg. Mary is a fifth-year PsyD and is interested in exploring religious identity and formation with a psychological lens. Specifically, her research examines the lived experience of holding religious doubt alongside faith and church commitment. She is invigorated by the pursuit of deeply understanding and embodying what it means to be human. Mary has sought clinical training throughout her program which honors the multifaceted nature of existence with an aim to bring into balance all parts of experience within the self. She holds the view that a healthy relationship with oneself will have a ripple effect to all other relationships: personal, transcendent as well as our natural surroundings.
Karissa Burnett. Karissa is a PhD candidate and pre-doctoral intern at BU’s Danielsen Institute, where she provides depth-oriented, relational, and trauma-informed therapy. She strives to create spaces where authenticity and the truest parts of the self can emerge in a safe and meaningful way. She is deeply interested in the mind-body connection, validating her clients’ intuition, and attending to symbolism in the therapy room. Karissa has received specialized training in trauma, and her dissertation project focuses on understanding how survivors heal from covert manipulation and narcissistic abuse.
Sarah Mahtani. Sarah is a PhD candidate in clinical psychology. Her research interests include complex trauma, moral injury, and liberation psychology. Her current project focuses on emotional abuse of heterosexual males by intimate partners. While the association between intimate partner emotional abuse and forms of attachment is well supported for women, few studies have considered this possible association for men. Her project seeks to contribute to increased understanding of how attachment experiences might impact later likelihood towards emotionally abusive relationships for males.
Rachel Middendorf. Rachel is a 2nd year in the Psy.D. Program. She is originally from Atlanta, Georgia and is currently a Practicum I student at Fuller Psychological and Family Services, where she sees a wide range of clients. She is interested in how early childhood trauma, especially child abuse, affects people into adulthood, as well as what makes one resilient following a trauma and how therapy plays a role in this process.
Eleanor Baylon. Eleanor is a second-year doctoral student in clinical psychology. She is a proud San Bernardino native. She currently provides therapy at Fuller’s Psychological & Family Services clinic in Pasadena, CA. Her research interests include exploring the negative psychological effects of colonialism, especially in Filipino-Americans.
Miriam Kang. Miriam is a PhD candidate. Her interests are in the emic experience of trauma in different cultural contexts and moral injury and cultural humility in cross-cultural workers (e.g., humanitarian aid workers, missionaries).
Hannah Che. Hannah is a student in the PsyD program. She received her BA in Psychology from Purdue University and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Moody Theological Seminary. She is interested in exploring the complexities that bicultural individuals experience both from an individualistic and collectivistic perspective.
Contact Us
t. 626.584.5544
email: tri@fuller.edu
Staff
Jim Cummings, MDiv, MA
Research Administrator
jamescummings2@fuller.edu
Office Hours
Monday–Friday
8 am–5 pm
Address
Room 326
180 N. Oakland Ave
Pasadena, CA 91182