Careers of Psychology Alumni

Our graduates have entered a wide variety of careers with their bachelor's degree in psychology, including positions related to mental health, child development, psychological and medical research, human resources, education, and business. Others pursued graduate study to become professional psychologists in areas such as clinical, school, developmental, industrial/organizational, and sport psychology; and some of our graduates obtained professional degrees in related areas, such as public health, education, social work, and physical therapy.

Bachelor's Degree Careers

Below are examples of careers that our graduates with bachelor's degrees have pursued:

Megan Pfeiffer: Clinical Research Coordinator III, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Megan works in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology on research to help understand and improve symptoms of chronic pain in juveniles. Her duties include managing multiple study locations across the country, recruitment of participants with complex pain conditions, and overseeing the safety reporting of the clinical trials. She is also responsible for working with physicians, psychologists, physical therapists, biostatisticians, and data programmers to ensure the study is carried out effectively and efficiently. Megan credits her success to the Mount’s research courses, practicum experiences, and interdisciplinary curriculum. These experiences provided her with the research and professional skills that Children’s, like many companies, seek in a candidate.
Shanyce Matthews: Mental Health Specialist, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Shanyce provides counseling services to individuals who have a mental health diagnosis or behavioral issues. She provides crisis stabilization for the child and support techniques to parent(s). Shanyce works in treatment teams that include doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists who implement treatment plans and enhance patients’ coping skills. She says the courses that provided the most valuable training for her career were Abnormal Psychology, Lifespan development, and Counseling Theories.These classes have allowed her to recognize the signs of different mental illnesses and the best ways to handle and treat underlying issues of the child.
Chris Gullette: Professional Recruiter, Aerotek Chris helps both job candidates and customers by finding the right people for the right job. He identifies qualified candidates through various recruiting and sourcing tools, screens and interview qualified candidates, and facilitates a relationship between the client and candidates. Chris says, “it’s a very rewarding job to be able to help people find jobs that they may not have known were available to them.” He believes the research courses he took at the Mount were very beneficial for developing job sourcing strategies, and Social Psychology and communications courses were valuable for understanding how people communicate and interact with each other.
Elise Jesse: Sports Anchor/Reporter, NBC 5 (WLWT), Cincinnati, OH Elise completed a minor in Communication Studies in addition to her psychology major. She reports on local professional and college sports teams, such as the Bengals, Reds, Xavier Musketeers, and UC Bearcats. She also co-anchors an evening sports program. Elise explains that for this job you need to be able to write well, you must be conversant in sports, you must have strong researching and fact checking skills, because your sources and credibility are vital in this business.
Alison Prather: Human Resources Manager, LADD, Inc. LADD is a nonprofit organization that provides services for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities. Alison’s role involves talent management and development, strategic planning, improving organizational culture, risk management, and leadership development. Upon graduating from the Mount, Alison took the Society of Human Resources Certification exam, and is now a certified HR practitioner. Alison believes that her undergrad studies provided a strong foundation for working in a field that deals heavily in human interaction. She is also working toward completing the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program at the Mount.
Maria Bruce: Mental Health Specialist, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Maria works with children who have behavioral problems and/or mental disorders. Her work involves employing therapeutic crisis intervention, deescalation strategies, restraints, and implementing developmentally appropriate recreational and emotional support. Utilizing her double major in psychology and music, Maria conducts music therapy at Melodic Connections one day a week. While at the Mount, Maria completed a clinical practicum at Children’s that provided valuable training for this position. She says her courses in Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Cognition and Memory, and Behavioral Interventions provided excellent preparation for this career.
Corrie Guilfoyle-McGlothlin: Vice President, Better Business Bureau Center for Ethics Corrie oversees the vision, strategy, programs, budget, services, and fundraising efforts for the Center for Ethics. The Center runs several programs committed to fostering a new generation of workers that understands what it means to be ethical in every aspect of their work. For example, the Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics celebrates ethics-focused nonprofits and businesses. The “In Pursuit of Ethics” program encourages in-depth discussions of ethical issues among employees or students. Corrie says her courses in Research I & II, Social Psychology, and Child Development at the Mount were most valuable for her current position.
Crissi Lanier: Assistant Coordinator, Mount St. Joseph University’s Children’s Center  Crissi is responsible for providing support and assistance in the overall administration, coordination, and oversight of the Children's Center. She supervises student work study staff, calculates monthly billing, and assists in maintenance of records for the center. Crissi is also a full-time teacher of toddlers in the center. She completes lesson plans and coordinates curriculum planning to provide a fun, educational environment for children 18 months to 3 years old. Crissi believes that her psychology education has helped her understand (a) the best ways to guide and teach young children, (b) how to work with parents to address concerns, and (c) the best educational resources to provide parents on a variety of developmental and social topics.

Graduate School and Graduate Degree Careers

Below are examples of the graduate degrees and subsequent careers that our alumni have pursued:

Erin Johns Grinstead: Clinical Psychologist, Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic Dr. Grinstead obtained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She completed her internship at Brooke Army Medical Center and was a military psychologist for 4 years. During her time on active duty, Dr. Grinstead served one tour in Iraq as a Combat Stress Control Psychologist and was officer-in-charge of her clinic. In her current role as a Clinical Psychologist, she provides individual and group evidence-based psychotherapy to veterans, and she specializes in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. Erin credits the excellent training she received in statistics and research methods at the Mount for helping her succeed in her statistics courses in graduate school.
Debra Reisinger: Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Dr. Reisinger obtained her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina, and she completed an internship at the prestigious Kennedy Krieger Institute for children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Dr. Reisinger is currently completing her postdoctoral fellowship in the divisions of Developmental Disabilities and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at CCHMC. She researches neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, Angelman syndrome), completes psychological evaluations for clinical trials, and assists with writing grant proposals and research publications. Dr. Reisinger believes the Mount's psychology program continuously challenged, inspired, and guided her toward her current career path in psychology. She was able to develop excellent research, clinical, and practical skills in her classes, co-op, and practicum at the Mount.
Natalie Rudolf:  Physical Therapist, Howell Rehab Center Natalie earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the Mount, after completing her psychology degree. She works in an outpatient facility where she assists patients in their rehab after they have had a total joint replacement or experienced a stroke. Natalie helps to return patients’ quality of life through exercises or other manual therapy interventions. She says her psychology major has been extremely helpful, especially the courses related to neuroscience and research.
Sami James: Research Coordinator, School of Medicine, University of Tennessee Sami obtained a master’s degree in Inclusive Early Childhood Education at the Mount after completing her degree in psychology (with a second major in criminology). She currently works in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in the Graduate School of Medicine at UT. Sami is the facilitator of the Knoxville branch of a multi-site NIH-funded study of web-based programs designed to educate pregnant women and assist their decision making about which contraceptive methods best meet their needs, preferences, and future reproductive goals. Sami recruits and interviews participants, and she assists in the data analysis. She says that the psychology research courses, her co-op at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and her Senior Thesis course prepared her well for her current position.
Liz Huesman: School Psychologist, Clermont County Educational Service Center Dr. Huesman obtained her Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She currently works for schools across Clermont County that serve students with social communication and behavioral needs. She works closely with teachers and administrators to support the implementation of academic and behavioral supports for students. Liz also helps supervise school psychology graduate students’ field experiences within the schools. She feels that her research and child development courses at the Mount provided a strong foundation for success in graduate school.
Mike Whalen: Risk Management Professional, Humana Mike obtained his master’s degree in school counseling from Northern Kentucky University, and is now applying his skills to improve the quality of health care. His duties include reviewing documentation of care managers, analyzing data, presenting data to stakeholders, and improving care manager policy and procedure adherence. Mike believes the opportunity to present at multiple national conferences while at the Mount, collaborating with professors outside of the classroom, and the diverse course offerings within the Department of Psychology were vital to preparing for this career. Mike is currently working toward completing his Master of Science in Organizational Leadership at the Mount.
Tracy Bishop Barney: Program Manager, Maternal and Child Health, Butler County General Health District Tracy earned her Master of Science in Public Health Education and Promotion at the University of Cincinnati, and she is also a Certified Education Specialist. Tracy does strategic planning to reduce infant mortality in Butler County. She does outreach, connects pregnant women to services, and works closely with Butler County community partners and hospitals. Tracy says that her psychology degree prepared her well for graduate school and beyond. She believes that the research classes at the Mount have proven essential in her current role as Program Manager. Classes such as Human Sexuality, Psychological Testing, Social Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology laid a solid foundation of knowledge and insight on which Tracy has built her career.
Rachel Jackson Gordon: Graduate Student in Educational Studies, University of Cincinnati Rachel is working toward a doctoral degree in Educational Studies with a concentration in Foundations of Education and Social Change at U.C. She is involved with research projects on sexual violence prevention and refugee well-being, and she has a teaching assistantship for Educational Psychology. Rachel also maintains involvement with The Schizophrenia Oral History Project at the Mount. In her free time, she volunteers with an international organization called Kilazo Kizuri, completing projects oriented around child well-being in the U.S. and Kenya. Rachel attributes many of her accomplishments to the psychology faculty at the Mount, who have played invaluable roles on her current career path.
Sherrie Kleinholz: Executive Director, Modern Psychiatry and Wellness Sherrie obtained her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Xavier University. She ensures excellent client care at Modern Psychiatry and Wellness (which provides substance abuse and mental health treatment) by overseeing Partial Hospitalization and Recovery Housing staff. She also oversees residential, clinical, and training programs. She says her bachelor’s degree in psychology created the solid foundation that she needed in order to understand the complexity of human nature, mental health and illness, the importance of evidenced-based practice, and statistical analysis. Sherrie believes the classes that helped her prepare for this career the most were Research I & II, Abnormal Psychology, Pseudoscience, and Social Psychology. She attributes her success to the devoted support she received from her professors and faculty advisor. Sherrie is currently working on a doctoral degree in Data Analysis and Program Evaluation for Human Services.
David Rudemiller: Director of Total Rewards and Human Resources Operations, Paycor David wanted to work in a corporate environment, so he obtained a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. Today, David leads a team of experts using employee rewards, benefits, well-being programs, technology, and analytics to drive employee engagement and work performance. David mentions that the corporate working environment is currently taking a pro-employee approach that makes this career path very rewarding. Some of his work entails advanced statistics and data analysis, so his advice to current students is, “Pay attention in your research design and Senior Thesis classes, because out in the real world, you really do use what you learn.”
Jodi Logman Ichikawa: Graduate Student in Public Health, Indiana University Jodi was a trained practitioner of Applied Behavior Therapy for individuals on the autism spectrum for several years. She is now earning a master’s of public health with concentrations in epidemiology (research identifying risk factors and disease patterns in specific populations) and medical statistics at Indiana University. Jodi has always loved research and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in epidemiology in order to study connective tissue disorders
Christopher Litton: Clinical Psychologist, PsychiatrySOUTH Dr. Litton obtained his doctoral degree (Psy.D.) from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Missouri. He has worked with the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, Indiana, where he gained extensive experience working with children and adolescents in a mental health in-patient and alternative school setting. He is currently working as a clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Litton specializes in working with people dealing with conversion disorder. He also works closely with area neurologists in helping those suffering from neurological diseases. He enjoys helping people with general mood issues, adjustment problems, and other assorted mental health concerns.