The BAR Lab is made up of many talented undergraduate and graduate psychology students. Tatum Freeman has been an undergraduate lab member for since 2016. Lets meet her!

Tell us about your background in a couple of sentences.
I'm a junior psychology major in the BAR lab.  I'm originally from Clinton, MS, and I graduated from Clinton High School in 2016.  I'm currently working on a project for my Honors Thesis that examines coping styles as a potential mediator for the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol outcomes.
 
Why did you join the BAR Lab?
 I joined the BAR lab because I was interested in how different psychological problems interact
with substance use.
 
What excites you about working in the BAR Lab?
 The BAR lab excites me because I know that our research has a direct impact on fellow college students.  Understanding the mechanisms behind substance use is essential to treatment, and I find it interesting that many different substance use factors (like PBS, DRSE, etc.) each have their own unique effects on specific psychological problems/demographic variables.
 
What interests you about college student substance use/misuse?
Substance use is an interesting phenomenon because it is contextualized to the individual; through our lab I've learned that one might use substances to cope, to conform to masculinity standards, to offset the stress of maladaptive perfectionism, etc.  No individual fits a cookie cutter mold, so new questions can always be asked and tested.
 
What are your future educational/career plans?
 I hope to pursue a PhD in counseling psychology.
 
What are your hobbies/things you like to do outside of the lab?
 Outside of lab, I enjoy playing video games; I own a PS4, Nintendo Switch, and gaming laptop.  I also enjoy reading Mary Oliver and visiting the Longleaf Trace (exercise trail in Hattiesburg, MS).

 We are very excited to accept applications for admissions to the PhD program in counseling psychology at USM. Our goal is to accept at least one new doctoral student for the fall 2019. #counseling #psychology #gradschool

Learn more about the program and the BAR Lab HERE

Hallie Jordan, a third year doctoral student in the BAR Lab is lead author on a paper accepted for publication in the journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. The paper, based on her master's thesis, showed that that the associations between PTSD symptoms and alcohol-related negative consequences were weaker at higher levels of serious harm reduction and limiting/stopping drinking protective behavioral strategies, but only among women. Congratulations Hallie!

Dr. Madson recently started writing a blog that will discuss various topics related to addiction and treatment. The first blog discusses the need to change the language we use when discussing those struggling with substance misuse and addiction. Check out the blog here.

The BAR Lab is excited to have Bobbi Lee and Ryan Nation as new masters students in the lab. Bobbi received her bachelors degree at the University of Southern Mississippi. Ryan received his bachelors degree from St. Bonaventure University. Welcome to the lab!

Kray Scully, a 4th year doctoral student, successfully defended his dissertation today. He is studying the mediating effects of drinking refusal self efficacy on the relationship between alcohol PBS and alcohol use outcomes. Congratulations Kray!

Hallie Jordan, a third year doctoral student, has been selected to be a co-editor on a graduate student teaching blog for the American Psychological Association's Society for Teaching Psychology. Read more about her selection HERE. Congrats Hallie.

Hallie Jordan, a 3rd year doctoral student in the lab, recently received a Competitive Graduate Travel Grant from the University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School. The grant will help support her travel to the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies conference to present her research. Congrats Hallie!

Dr. Madson is a co-investigator on a grant funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (National Institutes of Health). The project which involves motivational interviewing and telehealth nutrition is a part of the larger Mississippi INBRE program at USM funded for 5 years at about $18,000,000.

Hallie Jordan, a third year doctoral student in the BAR Lab, was first author on a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Drug Education: Substance Abuse Research and Prevention. The paper was co-authored with Dr. Margo Villarosa-Hurlocker and Asia Ashley (both lab alumni) and Dr. Madson. We found that increased serious harm reduction protective behavioral strategies was associated with less hazardous drinking and fewer alcohol-related negative consequences and that these relationships were strengthened for students reporting higher psychological distress.  Nice work Hallie.