I perceive the opportunity to work with my students as a privilege. The type of mentorship I provide to my students is based on a developmental perspective. That is, while having an overarching goal of helping my students become reflective, empathic, critical thinkers and open-minded social justice advocate, I strive to tailor my mentoring activities to meet where each of my advisee currently is in key areas (e.g., research competencies, multicultural awareness, therapy clinical experiences and skills, passion for social justice issues, etc.) and what each of my students would prefer as an individual. I schedule weekly individual meetings with my doctoral advisees in their first 2 years, shifting into bi-weekly or as-need in the following years, and then resuming the weekly meeting pattern when students begin to work on their dissertation projects.

I try to get to know all of my doctoral advisees at a personal level and strive for a balance between providing emotional support and facilitating their professional growth. Issues related to both professional and personal development of my students are equally important to me. Besides individual meetings, there are a weekly lab meeting for the whole research team to come together discussing the progress of the on-going projects. I also host several social/fun events (both indoor or outdoor) every year for my students to hang out and relax.

My doctoral students will all have the opportunity to serve as a peer mentor to undergraduate lab members through which they establish their own mentoring styles. Those students who are interested in academia will be guided to take on a leading role for some lab research projects during their advanced years in the program and will be invited to participate in writing projects initiated by me to increase their publications. Many of my publications are with my current or formal students. See my CV for detail.

I usually accept 1-2 new doctoral students every year into the Counseling Psychology program at UNT. My students may be admitted to any of the three cirriculum-based clusters, depending on their professional and research interests as well as the available slots in a particular year. I have had previous advisees in all three clusters. Potential applicants with either a BA/BS degree in Psychology or a Master's degree in Counseling or other mental health fields will be considered. Applicants with research interests in adult attachment, multicultural and diversity issues, acculturation, or ethnic identity development in general will be considered. Students who demonstrate strong research interest match with mine and/or have developed research competencies are particularly welcome to apply to join my research team. Please submit your application to UNT Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program before the application deadline (December 1st) and specifying your interest in working with me in the online application form.

There are usually 3-5 undergraduate students in my lab at any given time. Undergradaute RA are expected to complete their honors thesis under my supervision. The interviews to select new undergraduate lab members are usually conducted in spring/summer semester if there are anticipated spots opening due to graduation.

For more information about the research lab and my research areas, feel free to contact me at dcwang@unt.edu or 940-565-2678.