Biography
Professor Allen received his BS in speech/organizational communication and his MS in counseling psychology at the University of Utah. He then received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia (a top-ranked program) and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at Duke University. His research areas involve spiritual, cultural, and indigenous ways of healing in psychotherapy including culturally appropriate psychotherapies and interventions for underserved populations. Specifically, Professor Allen has focused much of his research on the intersections of religiosity/spirituality, coping/collectivistic coping, depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being/adjustment among Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Professor Allen leads the Poly Psi Team research efforts involving not only Polynesian Psychology Research, but research across all BIPOC and minoritized groups. He is currently an assistant professor in the counseling psychology doctorate program at Brigham Young University.
Research Interests
Cultural and indigenous perspectives in psychology, culture-appropriate interventions and counseling/psychotherapy process and outcome, religiosity/spirituality, psychological well-being/adjustment, with BIPOC and minoritized populations, specifically among Pasifika/Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Intersections of perfectionism, scrupulosity, psychology, and religiosity among a variety of religious individuals.http://education.byu.edu/polypsi
Teaching Interests
Foundations of counseling psychology, counseling/psychotherapy methods and skills, career counseling, research methods, ethics in psychotherapy practice, group process, inferential statistics, culture-appropriate and cross-cultural perspectives in counseling.Education
- Doctorate, Counseling Psychology , University of Missouri (2011)
- Pre-doctoral Clinical Internship, Counseling Psychology Intern , Duke University (2011)
- Master in Science , Educational/Counseling Psychology , University of Utah (2005)
- BA, Speech Communication/Org Communication , Spanish Minor, University of Utah (1999)
Honors and Awards
- Appointed Member-at-Large (MAL) – Pacific Islander Slate for APA Division 45 Executive Committee, APA: Division 45 - The Psychological Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture (2023 - 2026)
- APA Leadership Nominated and Elected Early Career Professional, APA Division 36: Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (2022 - 2025)
- Faculty Outstanding Research Award, BYU Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department (2021 - 2021)
- APA Leadership Nomination and Elected , APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (2019 - 2019)
- APA Leadership Position Nomination and Elected , APA Division 17: Society of Counseling Psychology, Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (2019 - 2019)
- Invited Seminars Honorarium Award, Department of Psychology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa (2019 - 2019)
- Research Financial Honorarium Award, University of Hawai'i (2019 - 2019)
- Faculty Mentor Award, MSE (2018 - 2018)
- Faculty Mentor Award, MSE (2016 - 2016)
- Paper selected at the 2012 APA Convention to receive news attention, APA (2012 - 2013)
- Professor of the Year (nominated), Southern Utah University (2012 - 2012)
- Research Recognition Award, Georgia Psychology Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA. (2011 - 2011)
- Research Recognition Award, The 28th Annual Teacher College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education, 2011, Columbia University, NY, NY. (2011 - 2011)
- Course Instructor: High Flyer Teaching Award, University of Missouri (2008 - 2008)
- Outstanding Student Research Award, 2004 APA Annual Convention (2004 - 2004)
Memberships
- International Association of Psychology and Counseling (2021 - Present)
- Utah County Pacific Islander Health Coalition Board (2013 - Present)
- American Psychological Association (1999 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Committee/Council Member, Utah County Pacific Islander Health Coalition (2023 - Present)
- Other, APA Division 45 Research Conference (2023 - Present)
- Board Member, APA Div 45 (2023 - Present)
- Other, APA Div 45 (2023 - Present)
- Committee/Council Chair, APA Div 45 (2022 - Present)
- Committee/Council Chair, APA Div. 45 (2022 - Present)
- Board Member, Asian American Journal of Psychology (2022 - Present)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Genealogy (2022 - Present)
- Board Member, National Multicultural Conference and Summit (2022 - Present)
- Other, International Association of Psychology and Counseling (2021 - Present)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (2020 - Present)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Asian American Journal of Psychology (2019 - Present)
- Editorial Review Board Member, The Counseling Psychologist (2018 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Counseling Psychology (2017 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Open Theology (2016 - Present)
- Committee/Council Member, Utah County Pacific Islander Health Coalition (2015 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2015 - Present)
- Committee/Council Chair, Kaha Nui Summit Board (2015 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (2015 - Present)
- Board Member, APA Division 36 (2023 - 2025)
- Board Member, APA Division 45 (2020 - 2022)
- Committee/Council Chair, Division 17 APA (2019 - 2022)
- Committee/Council Member, BYU-Hawaii (2020 - 2020)
- Committee/Council Member, Society of Counseling Psychology Scientific Affairs Advisory Board (2015 - 2018)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Asian American Journal of Psychology (2014 - 2014)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Book Reviewer: Invited to review Ivey/Ivey/Zalaquett, Essentials for Intentional Interviewing, 2nd Ed. (2013 - 2013)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science (2013 - 2013)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Mental Health, Religion & Culture (2013 - 2013)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology (2012 - 2012)