Steven Migalski, Psy.D. Chicago Campus

Steven Migalski, Psy.D.
Core Faculty, Department of Clinical Psychology

I chose to teach at the Adler School because educating clinical practitioners and social scientists who care about social justice is exciting, and it will make our world a better place. I work diligently to train psychologists, who will work in multiple roles and various contexts as “local clinical scientists” in all that they do professionally. I hope to train individuals who function as both scholars and practitioners. I believe that as psychologists we have a responsibility to attend to issues of social justice and to be politically active with the aim of affecting widespread change that transcends what happens in the psychotherapy office. 

My teaching philosophy reflects a sincere personal belief that meaningful graduate education in clinical psychology must challenge traditional assumptions about what a psychologist is and does. I believe that graduate education in psychology requires far more than committing information to memory for the purpose of demonstrating mastery of content knowledge on assignments and exams. 

I emphasize the interpersonal context in which teaching and learning occur—and then model for students a spirit of curiosity and systematic inquiry toward the aim of shared learning, analytical thinking and healthy skepticism. I try to create opportunities for students to learn from and teach one another. I aim to provoke personal discovery through critical reflection and promote community-based praxis as a necessary outcome of heightened consciousness. Ultimately, my goal is for students’ education at The Adler School to be a truly transformative experience.

My research and clinical work focuses on: (1) gay identity development, especially gay men's experiences with dating, friendship, intimacy and self esteem; (2) homophobia-mediated bullying, especially within the schools; (3) models of supervision for psychological assessment; (4) the differential diagnosis of ADHD; (5) mood disorders across the lifespan, and (6) Rorschach and MMPI-2 assessment of personality. Lately, I am most interested in research methods that induce community change including phenomenological inquiry, discourse analysis, grounded theory and narrative research. I am also interested in mixed methods research, which integrates both traditional quantitative methods with qualitative design.

Please e-mail or call me (312-662-4352) if you have questions or would like more information.

Education

• Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Illinois School of Professional Psychology
• Clinical Psychology Residency, Northwestern University
• M.A., Clinical Psychology, Illinois School of Professional Psychology
• B.S., Psychology, Loyola University Chicago

Licensure

• Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Professional Memberships

• American Psychological Association

Select Presentations

• Migalski, S. A. (2010). Multicultural case conference: Differential Diagnosis of ADHD in a 10-year-old Latina child. University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Memphis, Tennessee
• Migalski, S. A. (2010). The use of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test to assess learning disabilities with forensic patients. Will County Prison Program.
• Migalski, S. A. (2009). Differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders with adjudicated youth. Will County Prison Program.
•  Flack, J. and Migalski, S. A. (2008). Screening for obsessive-compulsive disorder in a non-clinical sample of adults: Implications for the management of anxiety disorders in primary care psychology. Poster Presentation, American Psychological Association, Boston, Massachusetts.
• Migalski, S. A. (2007). Personality assessment: Cross cultural considerations. Kyoto Notre Dame University - Japan.
• Migalski, S. A. (April, 2006). Child and adolescent psychopathology: Applying the basics in residential settings. Lawrence Hall Youth Services. Chicago, Illinois.
• Migalski, S. A. (March, 2006). Sexual identity development and harassment of GLBT students. Sulzer Regional Library, Chicago, Illinois.
• Migalski, S. A. (February, 2004). Psychological testing and assessment: What every clinician should know. Josselyn Center for Mental Health, Northfield, Illinois.
• Migalski, S. A. (March, 2004). Preventing suicide and other life-threatening behaviors: Implications for community mental health delivery. Josselyn Center for Mental Health, Northfield, Illinois.
• Migalski, S. A. (April, 2004). Using the MCAS and CAFAS rating scales: How clinical outcomes can help us to practice more effectively. Josselyn Center for Mental Health, Northfield, Illinois.
• Migalski, S. A. and Cohen, J. (June, 2004). Clinical work with gay, lesbian and bisexual youth: Myths and milestones. Josselyn Center for Mental Health, Northfield, Illinois.