In the field of clinical psychology, numerous incremental advancements can lead to fresh approaches and ways of treating diagnoses in order to increase the quality of life for patients and their families. At the 91±¬ΑΟ\u2019s Department of Psychology, doctoral candidate and recipient of a National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Curtis Wojcik, is pursuing advancements of his own. The NSF award is an acknowledgement of Wojcik\u2019s quality and potential as a researcher. Advised by Emily Haigh, associate professor of psychology and director of clinical training, and Rebecca MacAulay, associate professor of psychology and graduate coordinator, Wojcik is leveraging the support of the NSF program to lead two studies in order to better address mental health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Wojcik developed an interest in therapy and clinical psychology after taking an AP psychology course in high school. \u201cThrough my undergraduate career and a couple of internships, I realized I really want to be able to help people and I want to help them in this particular way,\u201d explained Wojcik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wojcik explores a prevalent symptom of depression known as \u201canhedonia.\u201d The symptom is characterized by a loss of pleasure and disinterest in typically rewarding experiences. Wojcik studies how patients with anhedonia make predictions about future rewards. Working with research participants screened for symptoms at 91±¬ΑΟ, the studies seek to understand reward prediction and learning\/memory processes for patients with anhedonia using mobile devices to monitor the behavior of patients in their day-to-day lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m interested in how people predict rewards in their daily lives and how that prediction process can manifest in anhedonia and how it relates to problems in the way that people regulate their emotions and understand their emotions,\u201d said Wojcik. He hopes this research will help people better understand anhedonia and, subsequently, the disorders in which it presents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in a mental healthcare crisis right now where a lot of people aren\u2019t getting the treatment that they need so I think there are a lot of efforts right now to make sure that there are other ways that people can access that care,\u201d explained Wojcik. \u201cLong range, I eventually want to make this work applied research so that I have, for instance, a mobile phone intervention that\u2019s scalable to reach people who ultimately otherwise wouldn\u2019t have access to therapy services.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By studying the underlying processes within anhedonia, Wojcik hopes to make the treatment of mental illnesses more targeted. \u201cDepression is a lot of things and there\u2019s a lot of processes that drive it that are present in other disorders too,\u201d remarked Wojcik. Rather than looking at the symptoms themselves, Wojcik will look at what is causing the symptoms, helping make treatments more efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wojcik eventually wants to launch a larger study with community participants and a clinical sample from those with diagnoses of depression or who show elevated symptoms of the disorder. The goal is to provide a better understanding of anhedonia while making mental healthcare more accessible to those who may not be getting the care they need. This is especially true in Maine, where mental health care is often barred behind long waitlists. Wojcik hopes to improve access to treatments for mental health disorders, and it all begins with studying anhedonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written by: Matthew L and Emma Beauregard<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact: Daniel Timmermann daniel.timmermann@maine.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the field of clinical psychology, numerous incremental advancements can lead to fresh approaches and ways of treating diagnoses in order to increase the quality of life for patients and their families. At the 91±¬ΑΟ\u2019s Department of Psychology, doctoral candidate and recipient of a National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1966,"featured_media":49505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-news"],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image.png",1600,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1536x864.png",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image.png",1600,900,false],"archive_9_5":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-360x200.png",360,200,true],"portrait_3x4":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-105x59.png",105,59,true],"image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-600x338.png",600,338,true],"image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-600x280.png",600,280,true],"image_25_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-600x168.png",600,168,true],"3col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-317x178.png",317,178,true],"3col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-317x148.png",317,148,true],"3col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-317x178.png",317,178,true],"4col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-423x238.png",423,238,true],"4col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-423x197.png",423,197,true],"4col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-423x238.png",423,238,true],"6col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-634x356.png",634,356,true],"6col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-634x296.png",634,296,true],"6col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-634x357.png",634,357,true],"8col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-846x476.png",846,476,true],"8col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-846x395.png",846,395,true],"8col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-846x476.png",846,476,true],"9col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-951x535.png",951,535,true],"9col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-951x444.png",951,444,true],"9col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-951x535.png",951,535,true],"12col-image_16_9":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1268x713.png",1268,713,true],"12col-image_15_7":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1268x592.png",1268,592,true],"12col-image_full":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1268x713.png",1268,713,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-320x180.png",320,180,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image.png",300,169,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image.png",400,225,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image.png",600,338,false],"umaps-featured-image":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-500x375.png",500,375,true],"umaps-icon-size":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-32x32.png",32,32,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":" In the field of clinical psychology, numerous incremental advancements can lead to fresh approaches and ways of treating diagnoses in order to increase the quality of life for patients and their families. At the 91±¬ΑΟ\u2019s Department of Psychology, doctoral candidate and recipient of a National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Curtis Wojcik, is pursuing advancements of his own. The NSF award is an acknowledgement of Wojcik\u2019s quality and potential as a researcher. Advised by Emily Haigh, associate professor of psychology and director of clinical training, and Rebecca MacAulay, associate professor of psychology and graduate coordinator,…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Research News<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"dtimmermann","url":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/author\/dtimmermann\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":65,"label":"Research News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2024\/08\/Wojcik-Image-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"dtimmermann","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/author\/dtimmermann\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":65,"name":"Research News","slug":"research-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":65,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":226,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":65,"category_count":226,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Research News","category_nicename":"research-news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1966"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49502"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50773,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49502\/revisions\/50773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}