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Donna L. Roberts, PhD

Long ago the media theorist Marshall McLuhan pointed out in his iconic book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964), that media are not just passive channels of information. They supply content, but they also shape the way we think. Fast-forward and there is now an ongoing scientific and popular debate surrounding our deepening dependence on networking technology.  While most agree that the plethora of emerging technology has resulted in a change in the way we process information, researchers disagree on both the extent of this effect and the consequences of its impact.

The Neuropsychological Impact of Technology: Changes in Brain Structure and Function

The term learning style began to appear throughout the educational literature in the 1970s and, like with many comprehensive constructs, its precise definition, and the measurement thereof, remain a matter of somewhat convoluted disagreement.  Far from being an outdated concept, the differences among learning styles remains an important consideration as the amount of information and the skills necessary to process and apply that information expand at rates never before imagined. The impact of these differences upon learning, and thus pedagogy, has become more prominent as learning in higher education contexts has become more diverse and inclusive, especially with respect to the varying modes delivery facilitated by technology. 

The Learning Styles Controversy - A Neuromyth or the Future of Individualized Education?

A new generation of students is arriving in the halls – both brick-and-mortar and virtual – of higher education.  On the heels of their predecessors, the Millennials, who altered the landscape of traditional teaching methods and assessment measures, come the Centennials, who promise to shake things up in their own unique way. 
This generational mix of contemporary students pose both challenges and opportunities for the modern educator to instill within them the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the future they face.  To do so, educators must ground these new generations in the solid foundations that are still relevant, while not being stuck in dated traditions that no longer serve the modern world.  

The Generational Mix of Higher Education: Millennials, Centennials and the Pedagogical Landscape

The use of brief intervention and brief therapy techniques has become an increasingly important part of the continuum of care in the treatment of substance abuse problems. Appropriate for a variety of substance abuse problems, from at-risk use to dependence, brief interventions and brief therapies can help clients reduce or stop abuse, act as a first step in the treatment process to determine if clients can stop or reduce on their own, and/or act as a method to change specific behaviors before or during treatment. 
Regardless of the specific theoretical approach, brief therapy intends to focus treatment time on real world issues in order to allow the patient to become more functional as soon as possible. Their incorporation into comprehensive treatment programs has proven particularly effective. In general, brief therapies serve as practical, accessible and efficient means of using resources to address the multitude of issues that affect and are affected by substance abuse. 


Brief Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Substance Abuse and Addiction

The concept of an addictive personality offers an attractive and intuitive construct for defining the parameters of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse and addictive disorders. 
However, despite the intellectual and practical appeal, it remains controversial, with researcher and practitioners heavily debating its fundamental validity. 


The Addictive Personality: Myth or Cornerstone of Prevention and Treatment?

Addiction is a serious and ever-increasing problem, with escalating costs both at the macro (society) level and the micro (personal) level. Statistics on the opioid crisis are shocking. Opioid abuse was declared a nationwide public health emergency in October 2017 after the number of deaths in the U.S. from opioid abuse rose to over 40,000 per year. But statistics only tell us the big picture - the macro view. They depict the magnitude of this drug crisis and its consequences for society. The true agony of this crisis can only be fully understood at the human level - the micro level - where lives are destroyed, and families devastated. 2019 marked 20 years since Purdue Pharma launched its flagship signature drug, Oxycontin, and unleashed this epidemic that has touched everyone from celebrities to common citizens, in metropolitan, suburban and rural areas alike. Since then the abuse of Opioids has spread across every demographic in the U.S. 

The Neuropsychological Impact of Technology: Changes in Brain Structure and Function

The Learning Styles Controversy - A Neuromyth or the Future of Individualized Education?

The Generational Mix of Higher Education: Millennials, Centennials and the Pedagogical Landscape

Brief Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Substance Abuse and Addiction

The Addictive Personality: Myth or Cornerstone of Prevention and Treatment?

The Macro and the Micro of the Opioid Crisis - Statistics and Stories