Dr. Strawhun received her bachelor’s degree from Creighton University. She also earned both her M.A. in Educational Psychology as well as her PhD in Psychological Studies in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is an assistant clinical professor in the MU Department of Psychological Sciences and is engaged in clinical services and supervision of graduate students through the MU Psychological Services Clinic. Specifically, she supervises and conducts diagnostic assessments for youth in Boone County, as well as provides treatment for youth with anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavior concerns. Dr. Strawhun also provides treatment supervision to clinical, counseling, and school psychology doctoral students completing practicum at the Center for Evidence-based Youth Mental Health (CEBYMH). She is actively involved in several department and community service roles, including serving on the Diversity Enhancement Committee (DEC) where she currently serves as DEC’s Communications Liaison, as well as the Clinic Executive Committee (CEC). She consults with the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition and provides training to local school districts on evidence-based service delivery. Although research is not her primary aim, she is currently involved in analyzing, presenting, and publishing data from a school-based trial of a brief, transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral intervention.
She is strongly committed to the active pursuit of diversity and inclusion efforts in education, mental health, medical, and legal arenas. She is pursuing continuing education in cultural competency and cultural humility related to client care, graduate student training, and supervision. She is also aware of barriers (e.g., finances, stigma) that many diverse clients face when initiating psychological services and aims to increase client access to mental health care. Accordingly, Dr. Strawhun strives to obtain feedback from clients and students to improve the integration of meaningful cultural identities into the therapy context. She affirms the rights of all individuals to receive culturally-appropriate training and care, regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, military background, national origin, race/ethnicity, religious beliefs/affiliation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other diverse and intersecting identities.
Dr. Strawhun completed Continuing Education in 2020 on the following topics:
- Addressing White Racism as Part of the Psychotherapy Process
- Doing Intakes Via Telepsychology
- COVID-19 & Racism: How do we recover as a society?
- Giving Psychology Away: How You Can Be Helpful Beyond the Therapy Office
- Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Online
- Telepsychology with Children and Teens in the Age of COVID-19