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Psychology

Matthew W. Kirkhart, Ph.D.

Professor
Matt Kirkhart in the Fernandez Center

Education

  • B.A. (Psychology, magna cum laude) - West Virginia University
  • M.A. (Clinical Psychology) - West Virginia University
  • Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) - University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Pre-doctoral Internship - Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Shands Hospital at University of Florida College of Health Professions
  • Licensed Psychologist in Maryland

Courses Taught

  • PY 221 - Psychology of Learning
  • PY 250 - Introduction to Counseling
  • PY 620 - Theory of Counseling and Psychotherapy
  • PY 621 - Principles and Practices of Psychotherapy
  • PY 622/845 - Advanced Techniques: Interpersonal Psychotherapy
  • PY 820 - Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior
  • PY 918 - Professional Development and Case Conceptualization

Publications

  • Lay, C. S., Lyons, H. Z., Cuppari, V., Kennedy-Dunn, C., Wadia, L., Johnson, A. J., &
    Kirkhart, M. (2024). Perceptions and experiences of psychotherapy among
    forced migrants with limited English proficiency. The Counseling Psychologist, 52(5), 802-834. doi: 10.1177/00110000241240165.
  • Lewis, T. N., Kirkhart, M. W., & Stickles, E. (2024). Pattern iconicity for second language
    acquisition: Differential effects of gesture type on lexical category. In Brown, A., &
    Eskildsen, S. W. (Eds.) Multimodality Across Epistemologies in Second Language Research. Routledge.
  • Lewis, T. N., & Kirkhart, M. (2022). Researching the effect of gestures on the learning
    and retention of vocabulary in a naturalistic setting. In Stam, G., & Urbanski, K. (Eds.)
    Gesture and Multimodality in Second Language Teaching and Learning: A Research
    Guide. Routledge.
  • Dabrowski, C. L., Lating, J. M., Sherman, M. F., Kirkhart, M. W., & Breen, D. (2020). Probable
    PTSD, symptoms of depression, and an exploratory factor analysis of item responses
    in Canadian steel workers after workplace traumas. Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal, 2(2), 57-71.
  • Despeaux, K., Lating, J. M., Everly, G. S., Jr., Sherman, M. F., & Kirkhart, M. W. (2019). A
    randomized control trial assessing the efficacy of Psychological First Aid. Journal of
    Nervous & Mental Disease, 207(8), 626-632. doi:
    10.1097/NMD.00000000000001029.
  • Mehta, M. H., Grover, R. L DiDonato, T., & Kirkhart, M. W. (2019). Examining the positive cognitive triad: A link between resilience and well-being. Psychological Reports, 122(3), 776-788. doi: 10.1177/0033294118773722.
  • Lewis, T. N., & Kirkhart, M. (2018). Effect of iconic gestures on second language vocabulary
    retention in a naturalistic setting. International Review of Applied Linguistics in
    Language Teaching, 58(3), 263-287. doi: 10.1515/iral-2016-0125.
  • Noullet, C. J., Lating, J. M., Kirkhart, M. W., Dewey, R., & Everly, G. S., Jr. (2018). Effect of pastoral crisis intervention training on resilience and compassion fatigue in clergy: A pilot study. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5(1), 1-7. doi: 10.1037/scp0000158.
  • Lating, J. M., Moore, R. A., Sherman, M. F., Kirkhart, M. W., Everly, G. S., Jr., & Chen, J. K. (2017).  Political affiliation, probable PTSD and symptoms of depression in Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans: Potential effect of shattered worldviews. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 10, 809-811. doi:
    10.1097/NMD.0000000000000715.
  • Grover, R. L., Kirkhart, M. W., & Prenoveau, J. M. (2016). Psychoeducation. In D. W. Nagle, D. J. Hansen, R. L. Grover, J. N. Kingery, & C. Suveg (Eds.) Treating Internalizing Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Core Techniques and Strategies. Guilford Press. Open Science Collaboration. (2015). Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science. Science, 349(6251), 943-951.
  • Kirkhart, M. W. (2014). Contributions of knowledge and intention to deceive in defining a lie. Psychology and Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 51(2), 1-23.
  • Blake, R. A., Lating, J. M., Sherman, M. F., & Kirkhart, M. W. (2014). Probable PTSD and impairment in witnesses of work-related fatalities. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 19(2), 198-195. [doi]
  • Dornfeld, M. D., Green-Hennessy, S., Lating, J., & Kirkhart, M. (2012). Student ratings of selection factors for PsyD programs. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(3), 279-291. [doi]
  • Seebach, C. L., Kirkhart, M. W., Lating, J. M., Wegener, S. T., Song, Y., Riley, L. H., III, & Archer, K. R. (2012). Examining the role of positive and negative affect in recovery from spine surgery. Pain, 153(3), 518-525. [doi]
  • Kaminsky, K. J., & Kirkhart, M. W. (2011). Visitation rebound behavior: Guardian ad litems need to recognize when a child's behavior from parental visits is reaction to grief. The Iowa Lawyer, 71(8), 12-13.
  • Landis, S. K., Sherman, M. F., Piedmont, R. L., Kirkhart, M. W., Rapp, E. M., & Bike, D. H. (2009). The relation between elevation and self-reported prosocial behavior: Incremental validity over the Five-Factor Model of Personality. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 71-84. [doi]
  • Konig, A., Lating, J., & Kirkhart, M. W. (2007). Content of disclosure and health: Autonomic response to talking about a stressful event. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 7(3), 176-183. [doi]

Areas of Specialization

I have two primary research interests and several secondary interests. My first primary research interest is in medical/health psychology, primarily focusing on those who have a serious or chronic medical condition. This includes such things as factors that affect general adaptation and adjustment to the medical conditions (e.g., adjustment to chronic pain conditions, adaptation to lifestyle changes necessary to manage diabetes, etc.), and in the prediction of adjustment and adaptation to future medical procedures (e.g., predicting adjustment post organ transplantation). 

My second primary research interest is in basic research examining learning and memory. Primarily, my interest in this area lies in conscious and unconscious learning and memory, rule-governed behavior, and a functional analysis of language in efforts to understand how verbal behavior affects other behavior.

I have several secondary research interests, some of which include mentoring and teaching in psychology, adult psychopathology, and interpersonal psychotherapy models and methods.

Awards

  • Loyola University Maryland Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching (2024)
  • Mentor of the Year Award (2007) - Awarded by the Maryland Psychological Association for Graduate Students (MPAGS)