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Donna H. DiCello

Dr. DiCello joined the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology as adjunct faculty in 1999 and has been Core faculty since 2000. Prior to coming to Hartford she was adjunct faculty at Albertus Magnus College and at Antioch University New England in the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. She now serves as Associate Director and Assistant Professor at the GIPP where she coordinates the Prepracticum and Practicum systems and serves as Coordinator of Student Affairs. Dr. DiCello earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Vermont, her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, and her Psy.D. from Antioch University New England. While her training has been primarily in psychodynamic theory, she also utilizes interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral approaches in her clinical work. Her primary clinical and research interests include adolescent treatment; the role of countertransference in the therapeutic relationship; Buddhism and psychotherapy; grief psychology; women and mentoring; ethnicity and professional development; and the supervision and training of doctoral students. She has presented on a number of these issues at international, national and regional conferences.

Dr. DiCello also co-founded the GIPP’s Women’s Research and Mentoring Project, and in 2005 developed a supervision training program for the doctoral students. Her community work includes staff self-care trainings for the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services in New Haven, CT. In addition to her academic duties, she maintains an independent psychotherapy practice in New Haven, CT, where she specializes in adolescent and adult treatment for both individuals and couples. Her areas of focus include depression and anxiety, life transitions, bereavement, eating disorders, and sexual orientation issues.

 

 

Presentations:
    DiCello, D.H. & Mangione, L. (October 2010).  “Italians tend to keep their dead with them”:
     Navigating grief and loss in Italian American culture.  Italian American Mental Health and
     Wellness Conference, Calandra Institute, City University of New York, NY, NY.
                                                                                                                                                    
    DiCello, D.H. & Gionta, D. (November 2009). Surviving these turbulent times: Self-care
     for the compassionate practitioner. Presentation at the 23rd  Connecticut
    Psychological Association (CPA) Convention, Windsor, CT.
 
    Coletta, C.N., Nicoll, K. & DiCello, D.H. (August, 2008). Measuring the impact of an
     animal-assisted therapy group treatment model for at-risk youth. Poster
     session presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Boston,
     MA.
 
    DiCello, D.H. (April 2008). “Contra genio”:  The experience of the Italian-American
     female  psychologist. Presentation at the Italians in the Americas International
     Conference, Calandra Institute, City University of New York, NY, NY.
 
    DiCello, D.H., Thayer, E. & Ponce, A., Loftis, P. & Farber, C. (November, 2007).
     Licensure issues in Connecticut: Obstacles, challenges and opportunities.  
     Presentation at the 21st Annual Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA)
     Convention, Windsor, CT.
 
    DiCello, D.H. & Coletta, C.N.  (August 2007). ”Contra genio”:  The experience of the
     Italian-American female psychologist. Presentation at the American Psychological
     Association (APA) Convention, San Francisco, CA.
                                     
    DiCello, D.H., Kustron, D.A., McCloskey, K. & Pearlman, S. (November 2003). New
     challenges for professional psychology schools: Issues table. Round-table presented at
     the 17th Annual Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) Convention,
     Westbrook, CT.
 
    DiCello, D.H. (March 1999). Women’s ways of freedom: Women, psychotherapy and
     Buddhism. Presentation at the Association for Women in Psychology Conference,
     Providence, RI.
 
    DiCello, D.H. (August 1998). Relatedness and its place in therapy: Countertransference
     disclosure, intimacy and gender. Presentation at the American Psychological
     Association (APA) Convention, San Francisco, CA.
 
Publications:
 
    DiCello, D.H. & Coletta, C.N. (2009). “Contra genio”:  The experience of the Italian
     American female psychologist. Voices in Italian Americana, 20, 12-41.
 
    DiCello, D.H. (2010). The Zen of grief: Living graciously with dying.  (Book
     in preparation).
 
    DiCello, D.H. & Zatina, D. (2010).  Self care among psychology doctoral students: Healing the
    healer in training. (Manuscript under review).                                    
                                        
    DiCello, D.H. (2010).“Il Passagio”: Italian American women transitioning through
    history and culture. (Invited book chapter submitted for publication).
 
    Mangione, L. & DiCello, D.H.  (2010). Koans and cooking: Daughters, Dads, and the path of
    grieving. (Book in preparation).


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