When: Monday, April 22 | 18:00 – 20:00
Where: PC Amphitheater

About the Event

This workshop will explore the important role that clinical health psychology plays in improving overall health and well-being. Clinical health psychologists work as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team to develop interventions aimed at promoting behavior change, improving stress management strategies, and enhancing adherence to medical treatments. By promoting patient education and disease prevention efforts, clinical health psychologists can help patients understand their health conditions and treatment options. This holistic approach considers the mental, emotional, and social aspects of physical health, with the aim of improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The workshop will also cover evidence-based strategies aimed at recognizing developmental considerations, as well as the influence of cultural factors on health beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

About the speaker

Teresa L. Collins-Jones, PhD
Associate Dean, College of Professional Psychology, The Chicago School

Dr. Collins-Jones is the Associate Dean of the College of Professional Psychology at The Chicago School. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Guidance, with a concentration in Marital and Family Therapy, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She then completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Oklahoma (APA Accredited), with an emphasis in Pediatric Psychology and Clinical Child Psychology. She also participated in an advanced academic training program in child abuse and neglect (Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect (ITP) in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In addition, Dr. Collins-Jones completed her Predoctoral Internship and Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Division of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics (APA Accredited). After completing her post-doctoral fellowship, she served as a National Health Service Corps (loan repayment program) member in frontier Wyoming. Dr. Collins-Jones will earn her Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Health Promotion from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in December 2024.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Collins-Jones has worked extensively with children and families diagnosed with complex medical conditions and developmental disabilities. She has also served in a diverse array of professional roles, both academic and clinical, including working as a psychologist in a frontier area, as a school psychologist in Utah and Texas, as a clinical supervisor in APA-accredited predoctoral internship sites, and as a faculty member, Department Chair, and Associate Dean for a university. Before joining The Chicago School, Dr. Collins-Jones worked at a local children’s hospital in their Department of Psychology as a pediatric psychologist and Director of Training, where she provided consultation and liaison services through the outpatient clinics and inpatient unit on cases with a wide range of behavioral, medical, and psychological problems. She conducted psychological assessments with children and young adults, provided individual and family outpatient psychotherapy, and offered pain management services to patients who reported significant changes to their level of functioning and quality of life. Dr. Collins-Jones also collaborated with several orthopedic surgeons on research projects that addressed the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional issues of patients with spinal deformities and back pain. She has a strong track record of scholarly activity, having presented at numerous states, national, and international conferences and having her work published in peer-reviewed journals.

Before becoming the Associate Dean of the College of Professional Psychology at The Chicago School, Dr. Collins-Jones was the inaugural Department Chair in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) at The Chicago School-Dallas Campus.

In addition to developing and managing the program, she taught courses in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Assessment, Supervision and Consultation, Advanced Behavioral Therapy, Health Psychology, and Pediatric Psychology. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Collins-Jones is active in several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association, and the Collin County Psychological Association. She recently graduated from the American Psychological Association’s Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (LIWP) program, where she developed a Task Force to improve access to mental health services in North Texas. Dr. Collins-Jones is currently the President of the Collin County Psychological Association (CCPA) and is the Co-Chair of the Texas Psychological Association’s Academic and Higher Education Committee (AHEC). 

In addition to her academic work, Dr. Collins-Jones has a private practice specializing in the psychological treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with co-occurring medical diagnoses. She enjoys traveling, yoga, Pilates, and reading in her free time.