Jacqueline Alfonso Barry
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., M.S., University of Central Florida; B.A., Florida International University
Office hours: Tues: 10:50-11:50am, Fri: 3:10-5:10pm or by appt.
Office: Administration Building, Room 421-B
Phone: (617) 735-9758
E-mail: alfonja@emmanuel.edu
Dr. Alfonso Barry completed her undergraduate education at Florida International University where she graduated summa cum laude from The Honors College with a B.A. in Psychology. She went on to pursue doctoral training in clinical psychology at The University of Central Florida, where she concentrated her research in the substance abuse area of health psychology. She has experience working in diverse clinical settings (i.e., inpatient, outpatient, corrections), with a variety of populations (i.e., children, adolescents, adults, families, couples, substance abuse, Spanish-speaking, and serious and persistent mental illness), and in various capacities (i.e., clinical provider, program coordinator, training supervisor, assessment specialist). After completing her predoctoral internship at the Greater Hartford Internship Consortium, Dr. Alfonso Barry joined the Emmanuel College faculty in the Fall of 2008.
Academic Interests
Dr. Alfonso Barry's teaching philosophy is based on the belief that individuals can excel to their maximum potential when they are invested co-creators of their learning experience. Through educational ownership, applied learning, and the development of critical-thinking skills, she feels that students can apply knowledge across disciplines and outside of the classroom.
Her experience with both large and small classroom environments has taught her that students can be auditory, visual, or experiential learners, and often a combination thereof, leading her to incorporate an array of teaching methods in her classes that range from lectures, group discussions, songs, films, and papers, to articles, debates, projects and student-developed presentations. Activities both inside and outside of the classroom serve to provide a wide-range of experiences where students have the opportunity to apply information across domains and participate actively in the learning process.
Current Research
Dr. Alfonso Barry's primary research interests center on studying the biopsychosocial factors related to substance abuse in adolescence and young adulthood, where she focuses on the empirical development and improvement of current prevention and intervention strategies within these populations. More specifically, Dr. Alfonso Barry is interested in strategies that incorporate harm reduction and motivational enhancement principles to modify existing (intervention), as well as future (prevention) high-risk behaviors. Additional research projects outside of the health psychology field focus on the improvement of pedagogical practices to increase student learning, engagement, and retention.
In order to blend her enthusiasm for teaching, research, and the mentorship of students, she created the Alfonso Research Lab (ARL) where she collaborates with talented Emmanuel College students on ongoing projects, as well as those of interest to her research assistants.
Dr. Alfonso Barry with Research Assistants Allyssa, Brittany, Melanie, & Amanda.
Dr. Alfonso Barry's Research Assistants
Dr. Alfonso Barry with 2011 Alumna Allyssa Pontes, presenting a co-authored project at NEPA 2010.
Courses Taught
- IDS 1401: Drugs, the Mind, and the Media
- PSYCH 1501: General Psychology
- PSYCH 3211: Theories of Personality
- PSYCH 3212: Abnormal Psychology
- PSYCH 3601: Counseling Theories and Techniques
- PSYCH 4494, 4495, 4496: Internship in Psychology I & II
Professional Highlights
- American Journal on Addictions, Reviewer
- American Psychological Association (APA), Member; Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Ad-hoc Reviewer
- Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), Member; Addictive Behaviors Special Interest Group, Member
- Association for Psychological Science (APS), Member
- Journal of Substance Use, Reviewer
- New England Psychological Association (NEPA), Steering Committee Member
- Psi Chi, Emmanuel College Chapter, Faculty Advisor
- Psychology Learning Community, Emmanuel College, Co-Director
Selected Awards/Honors Received
- Interdisciplinary Course Development Grant, Emmanuel College
- Small Faculty Development Grant, Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association
- Early Career Scholarship, National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology
- Outstanding Research Poster, Addictive Behaviors Special Interest Group, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
- College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award, University of Central Florida
Selected Publications & Presentations
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*indicates mentored student co-author
- *Mulcahy, M. & Alfonso, J. (October, 2011). The relation of college student preference for mode of communication to social anxiety and loneliness. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Fairfield, CT.
- Brown, P.C., Alfonso, J., & Dunn, M. E. (2011). Gamma Hydroxybutyrate use: Exploring the influence of outcome expectancies through memory modeling. American Journal on Addictions, 20, 127 - 136.
- *Pontes, A. & Alfonso, J. (October, 2010). Perceived stress and coping styles: Differences between men and women. Poster accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Burlington, VT.
- *Burns, M. A. & Alfonso, J. (May, 2010). Brief physical activity improves auditory memory in late adolescents/young adults. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, MA.
- *Burns, M. A. & Alfonso, J. (April, 2009). Using drinking motives to predict alcohol-related harm in a mandated college student sample. Presented by mentored research assistant at the Boston Undergraduate Research Symposium, Cambridge, MA.
- Alfonso, J. & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2008). Feedback-based alcohol interventions for mandated students: A randomized clinical trial comparing individual, group, and electronic formats. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.
- Alfonso, J. & Dunn, M. E. (2007). Differences in the marijuana expectancies of adolescents in relation to marijuana use. Substance Use and Misuse, 42(6), 1009-1025.
- Mueller, S. & Alfonso, J. (February, 2007). Using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to provide ongoing screening and score-specific brief advice. Presented at the NASPA Strategies Conference: Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Intervention, Atlanta, GA.
- Alfonso, J., Alderson, R. M., *Shelton, T. M. , *Roth, A. J. , & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2006). Using feedback to reduce alcohol use: A meta-analytic review. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Chicago, IL.
- Alfonso, J. & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2006). Differences in marijuana expectancies of adolescents in relation to frequency of use. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Chicago, IL.
- Cruz, I. Y., Alfonso, J., & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2006). Decreasing alcohol use among high school students by challenging alcohol expectancies. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Chicago, IL.
- Brown, P. C., Alfonso, J., & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2006). Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) outcome expectancies: Do users and never-users differ? Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Chicago, IL.
- Alfonso, J., Cruz, I. Y., *Wolfe, R. , *Azhar, A. , *Dorso, E., & Dunn, M. E. (November, 2004). Age and marijuana consumption differences in children assessed as first associates. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Alfonso, J., Cruz, I. Y., *Randall, R. J., Brown, P. C., & Dunn, M. E. (June, 2003). Are greeks unique? Comparing the alcohol expectancies of fraternity and sorority members to those of non-members. Presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
- Alfonso, J., Patton, E. C., Borjesson, W. I., & Dunn, M. E. (June, 2001). Alcohol expectancies prevalent among members of fraternities and sororities. Presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, Montreal, Canada.
Selected Clinical Trainings and Colloquia:
- Provided training, "Motivational Interviewing" to the clinical staff of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC).
- Provided 8-hour training, "How to Use Motivational Interviewing & the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) " to the Counseling Services and Student Development staff of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
- Provided training, "Alcohol, Tobacco & Marijuana" to the Housing and New Stuent Orientation staff of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
- Provided colloquium, "Alcohol Interventions for Mandated College Students: A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Individual, Group, and Electronic Formats" to the faculty, staff, and students at Emmanuel College.
- Provided two-day workshop, "How to Use Motivational Interviewing and the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS)" to staff of the University of Central Florida Counseling Center.
- Provided four-day workshop," Working Effectively with Substance-Using College Students: Using Motivational Interviewing, Personalized Substance Feedback, and Alcohol Skills Training Individually and in Groups" for the staff of the University of Central Florida Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programming Office.
- Presented invited colloquium, "Empirically Supported Substance Abuse Interventions: Finding What Works in High-Risk Populations" to faculty, staff, and students at Barry University (Miami Shores, FL), the University of North Florida (Jacksonville, FL), and Trinity College (Hartford, CT).
- Presented invited colloquium, "Dissemination of Research Findings for Clinical Application: Providing Feedback to Reduce Alcohol Use" to staff of the Center for Drug-Free Living.
