Dennis E. McChargue, PhD (He/Him/His)

Dr. McChargue earned his BA in Psychology and Philosophy from The State University of New York at Oswego in 1993, followed by his MA (1993) and PhD (1998) at Oklahoma State University, as well as his clinical internship at the Boston Consortium/Boston VAMC (home of one of the National Centers for PTSD). He joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005. Currently he holds appointments of Associate Professor with the Department and Associate Member of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. His previous appointments were as the Associate Director of Clinical Training at UNL's Clinical Psychology Training Program, Co-Director of Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology, the Consulting Clinical Director of Houses of Hope Residential Substance Use Treatment Facility, a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as Health Research Scientist at the Hines VA Medical Center.

Mentorship Philosophy

Dr. Dennis McChargue's mentorship philosophy is that each person entering graduate training has within himself or herself the ability to succeed as a graduate student in clinical psychology. As a mentor, he helps students adapt to the challenges of graduate training. His belief is that students require structure during the initial stages of their training, but should gradually become more and more autonomous as they progress through the program. He also believes in exposing students to a multitude of opportunities throughout their training. However, the timing of such exposure is essential.

The development of a student is individually based. Each comes in with his or her strengths and weaknesses. Each has differing levels of expertise and experiences. His job is to understand where the student is in their development and to provide the environment conducive to growth and learning. If he has done his job adequately, at the end of a student's tenure in graduate school, they will view their experience as challenging, yet satisfying. They will also feel confident in their abilities and understand their limitations.