The Psychology faculty members are active in their professions and present papers, attend conferences, conduct research, and serve in the professional organizations in their field.
Maurissa Abecassis
Associate Professor, Social Sciences and Education
(603) 526-3781 | mabecassis@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2000. B.A. from University of Winnipeg; M.S.C., from University of Alberta; and Ph.D. from University of Minnesota. Professor Abecassis is a developmental psychologist with teaching and research experience in children's social and emotional development. A related area of interest is the interface between social policy decisions and their impact on children and families. | faculty profile
Joseph C. Carroll
Professor, Social Sciences and Education
M. Roy London Endowed Chair
(603) 526-3654 | jcarroll@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 1977. B.A. from Holy Cross College; M.A., Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire. Areas of teaching include sociology of race and ethnic relations, social problems, domestic violence and the sociology of the family. Professor Carroll's research interests include studies of family dynamics, ethnic conflict and genocide. He has recently completed a sabbatical research project that focused on the ethnic turnover of neighborhoods in Lawrence, Mass. over the course of the 20th century. In the fall of 2002, he was awarded the M. Roy London Endowed Chair for Community and Environmental Studies. He is a former Fulbright scholar to Eastern Europe and has taught in Israel. | faculty profile
R. Todd Coy
Associate Professor, Social Sciences and Education
(603) 526-3636 | rcoy@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined the Colby-Sawyer faculty in 2005. He received his B.A. from the University of Houston; his M.A. from the University of Houston - Clear Lake, and his Ph.D. from Tufts University. His teaching areas include Biological Psychology, Drugs and Behavior, Research Methods and Statistics. His general research interests include the biological basis of behavior and psychopharmacology including drugs of abuse. | faculty profile
Lynn J. Garrioch
Associate Professor, Social Sciences and Education
(603) 526-3638 | lgarrioch@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2001. Honors B.A. in psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University; M.A. and Ph.D. in applied social psychology from the University of Victoria. Professor Garrioch has a special interest in social psychology, personality psychology, and the psychology of women. Her teaching philosophy centers on student involvement and is extremely proactive in incorporating the young men and women during class time. Teaching interests include social psychology, introduction to psychology, adolescence, cross-cultural psychology and psychology and the law. Research interests include eye-witness testimony and jury deliberations. | faculty profile
Sachi Horback
Assistant Professor, Social Sciences & Education
(603) 526-3991 | sachi.horback@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2011. PsyD in Clinical psychology from Chestnut Hill College; MA-Counseling Psychology with School Psychology Focus, Immaculata University, 2001 ; BA-Psychology, Millersville University, 1999 . Professor Horback teaches courses in Cross-Cultural Psychology, Lifespan, Introduction to Psychology, & courses related to psychological assessment. Dr. Horback , her husband Evan, and two young daughters enjoy traveling & exploring the outdoors. When she is able to get time alone, she loves doing yoga, reading, & watching independent films.
Russell E. Medbery
Professor and Chair, Exercise and Sport Sciences
(603) 526-3870 | rmedbery@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined the faculty in 2001. Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Exercise and Sport Science; M.S. Purdue University, Kinesiology, Sport Psychology Specialization; B.S. Trinity College, Psychology. Certifications: Association of Applied Sport Psychology Certified Sport Psychology Consultant, Instructor Level-ASEP Coaching Principles, U.S.A. Soccer 'D' Level Coaching. Professional interests include Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Performance Enhancement, Coaching Education, and Emotional Development in Sport. | faculty profile
Darcy Mitchell
Assistant Professor, Social Sciences & Education
(603) 526-3743 | darcy.b.mitchell@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2010. B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education and Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from Boston College. Professor Mitchell has special interest in parenting, families of children with disabilities, social support, and diverse families. | faculty profile
Basia Pietlicki
Assistant Professor - Social Science & Education
(603) 526-3976 | bpietlicki@colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2003. B.A. from University of New Hampshire; M.A. from University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Psy.D. from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. Clinical Internship was completed at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii. Professor Pietlicki is a clinical psychologist with extensive training in the treatment of trauma survivors. She has completed additional training in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and has worked with families of divorce. Early in her career, she worked as a certified substance abuse counselor in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her clinical work includes individual, group, and family therapy, consultations with schools, presentations and workshops for teachers, parents, and service providers. Professor Pietlicki has been employed in a variety of mental health settings including hospitals, community mental health, and most recently as a partner in a multi-disciplinary private practice group in New Hampshire. She has contributed her time and expertise to a number of child abuse prevention organizations and has served on the board of directors of Prevent Child Abuse, New Hampshire. Her current interests are in the areas of positive psychology and service learning. | faculty profile
Courtney Stein
Assistant Professor, Social Sciences and Education
(603) 526-3652 | cstein @colby-sawyer.edu
Joined faculty in 2008. Ph.D. in Psychological Science from Dartmouth College in 2006. B.S. in Research Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University in 2000. Areas of expertise include Child Development, Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Decision Making, Development of Abstract Concepts. | faculty profile
Adjunct Assistant Professors
Karen Badau
(603) 526-3653 | karen.badau@colby-sawyer.edu
Eric Braun
(603) 526-3402 | eric.braun@colby-sawyer.edu
Marc Clement
(603) 526-3653 | marc.clement@colby-sawyer.edu
Joseph Dionne
(603) 526-3402 | joseph.dionne@colby-sawyer.edu
Meaghan Pilling
(603) 526-3883 | meaghan.pilling@colby-sawyer.edu
