Niagara University College of Education faculty Dr. Kathleen McGrath and Dr. Caitlin Riegel co-published an article with NU alumna Rosina Mete, ’13, Ph.D.’18, a registered psychotherapist and director of faculty at Yorkville University, in the annual journal published by the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education.
Their article, entitled “Teacher perceptions of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” uses a multi-disciplinary lens, including both education and mental health, to investigate teachers’ understanding of OCD, their perceived abilities to teach and support students with OCD, and factors that impact their potential abilities. They found that teachers generally perceive their ability to instruct students with OCD as low, that their current perceived knowledge of OCD is focused on the broad medical aspects such as the definition and characteristics, and that teachers rely heavily on their personal and professional experiences to teach students with OCD. The authors found implications for both in-service and pre-service development related to mental illness and potential collaboration between general and special education teachers, school counselors, and school psychologists.
The AILACTE Journal is a peer-reviewed national publication that disseminates scholarly work that enhances the field of teacher education in independent liberal arts institutions. The AILACTE is an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education that provides communication, resources, information sharing, and leadership across organizations.
