Jordan Serving as Director of USM School of Psychology

Tue, 09/15/2020 - 03:57pm | By: David Tisdale

Dr. Sara Jordan, a member of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) faculty since 2003, says she’s humbled by the opportunity to be the new leader of the institution’s School of Psychology.

A native of Big Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Jordan completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center/VA Consortium in Jackson, Mississippi, prior to graduating with her Ph.D. and joining USM. She served as interim director of the USM School of Psychology for the 2019-2020 academic year.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to lead such a remarkably talented and accomplished faculty who are dedicated to the education and training of our undergraduate and graduate students through a diverse range of degree programs,” Dr. Jordan said. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to carry out our mission by preparing future scholars, educators, and practitioners to advance knowledge and deliver evidence-based services that improve the mental health and quality of life of people in the communities in which we live and serve.”

Dr. Jordan’s extensive record of service to the USM School of Psychology includes as Coordinator of Child Clinical Psychology Training (2003-2011); Associate Director of Clinical Training, Clinical Psychology Ph.D. emphasis program (2004-2006); Coordinator, Clinical Psychology Externship Training (2005-2015); Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program (2015-2019); and Director of the Child Routines and Behavior Lab (current).

Dr. Jordan has also served two terms as Region 3 Representative to the Mississippi Psychological Association (2008-2010, 2014-2016) and in 2019 completed a three-year term (2017-2019) as President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President of the organization. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Mississippi.

As director of the Child Routines and Behavior Lab, Dr. Jordan engages in research on child routines as they relate to behavioral outcomes, particularly among young children. A primary focus of her lab's work has been on development and psychometric evaluation of assessment instruments related to children’s routines. Bedtime routines, and routines and behavior of children with chronic illness have also been examined, with a secondary focus on the broader interplay of child and parent characteristics such as maternal depression, parental stress, marital conflict, parenting practices and child behavior problems, with a particular emphasis on relations with child routines.

The USM School of Psychology is housed in the College of Education and Human Sciences. Learn more about Dr. Jordan and the School of Psychology at https://www.usm.edu/psychology/index.php.