DANA E BOCCIO

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

HY WEINBERG CENTER
ROOM 322

p - 516-877-4832

f - 516-877-4805

e - DBOCCIO@ADELPHI.EDU

Diplomas/Degrees

Ph.D., Hofstra University (2006)
M.A., Hofstra University (2001)
B.A., Hofstra University (2000)

Recent Courses

Clinical Interventions In School Settings
Consultation In School Settings
Implementing School-Based Prevention Programs
Proseminar In School Psychology

Personal Statement

It’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to say that I love what I do. Teaching is truly my passion and I look at each lecture as a chance to share my enthusiasm for the field of psychology. As an educator, I pride myself on my ability to keep abreast of the empirical literature and convey this information to my students in a manner that fuels their excitement to learn more. My own enthusiasm for the profession comes from my diverse experiences, including my previous work as a graduate professor, full-time school psychologist, and staff psychotherapist in two college counseling centers. I have always found it extremely rewarding to help students take full advantage of their educational opportunities and assist them in overcoming obstacles to their success. I believe that academic achievement is fostered by the creation of supportive learning environments that promote open discourse and allow for individualized attention. Thus, in my teaching I strive to establish an atmosphere that favors scholarly dialogue and encourages students to ask questions and express their opinions freely and candidly. Maintaining an approachable and accessible demeanor is critical to uninhibited inquiry and I work to establish a spontaneous, collaborative, and creative educational environment in all of my classes. Learning extends beyond the boundaries of the classroom and academic discourse is not restricted to scheduled lectures and discussion. Thus, I encourage my students to conduct psychological research so that they may discover novel ways of applying their knowledge to real-world practice. I enjoy embarking on joint research endeavors with my students and routinely present at national conferences, often with my students as co-presenters. These experiences are extremely enriching for all involved and are vital supplements to in-class learning, especially at the graduate level.

Courses taught:
SPY 614: Proseminar in School Psychology
SPY 612: Clinical Interventions in School Settings

Teaching Specializations/Interests

Psycho-educational consultation, professional ethics, functional behavioral assessment, cognitive-behavior therapy, counseling, clinical case formulation, and educational law

Research Interests

My research interests center around two important areas with practical implications for the field of school psychology: suicide risk assessment and professional ethics. Specifically, I have investigated the child and adolescent suicide risk assessment training practices of school psychology graduate programs and am currently examining the nature of fieldwork experiences in suicide assessment and intervention provided at internship placement sites. I have also recently developed a protocol, entitled the Student Suicide Risk Assessment Protocol (SSRAP), to assist school professionals with the task of determining an adolescent’s level of suicide risk. My research on professional ethics has centered around factors that contribute to ethical decision-making by school psychologists, with an emphasis on the effects of decision-making models. I am presently conducting an investigation of the ethical orientations adopted by various school personnel in an attempt to explain administrative pressure on school psychologists to behave unethically in their role as student advocate.

Refereed Articles

Liebling-Boccio, D. & Jennings, H. (In Press), The Current Status of Graduate Training in Suicide Risk Assessment. Psychology in the Schools.

Schmelkin, L. P., Hoag, J., Liebling, D. E., & Kaufman, A. M. (2004), Effects of expectations about evaluation and peer recommendations on students’ ratings. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98, 643-646.

Invited Presentation/Lecture

Boccio, D.E., & Macari, A.M. (2012, July). Suicide Assessment and Intervention. Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY.

Conference Presentations/Papers

Liebling-Boccio, D., & Cortes, J. (2012). Do Decision-Making Models Improve the Quality of Ethical Decisions? In Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists. Philadelphia, PA.

Liebling-Boccio, D. & Jennings, H. (2011). The Current Status of Graduate Training in Suicide Risk Assessment. In Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists. San Francisco, CA.

Liebling, D. (2010). An Integrated Approach to the Assessment of Adolescent Suicide Risk. In Mini-skills workshop presented at the Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists. Chicago, IL.

Schmelkin, L. P., Hoag, J., Liebling, D. E., & Kaufman, A. M. (2003). Effects of expecting to evaluate on teacher ratings. In Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Toronto, Canada.

Schmelkin, L. P., Kaufman, A., M., & Liebling, D. E. (2001). Faculty assessments of the clarity and prevalence of academic dishonesty. In Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. San Francisco, CA.

Professional Activities

American Psychological Association (APA)
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Licenses & Certifications

New York State Certified School Psychologist