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1305009
G.E. Kawika Allen

G.E. Kawika Allen

Title

Associate Professor

Department

CPSE

Contact Information

Office: 273 MCKB

Phone: 801-422-2620

Email: gekawika_allen@byu.edu

Website: education.byu.edu/polypsi

Professor Allen received his Bachelor’s degree in speech/organizational communication and his Master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Utah. He then received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia (a top-ranked program) and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at Duke University. His research areas involve spiritual, cultural, and indigenous ways of healing in psychotherapy, including culturally appropriate psychotherapies and interventions for underserved populations. Professor Allen also conducts research related to religiosity, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and psychological wellbeing among various diverse populations. In addition, Professor Allen has focused much of his research on culture-specific counseling interventions and the intersections of religiosity/spirituality, coping/collectivistic coping, depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being/adjustment among Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Professor Allen is the founder of and leads the Polynesian Psychology Education Research Team (The Poly Psi Team) research efforts involving not only Polynesian/Pasifika Psychology Research, but research across various underrepresented populations. Dr. Allen has traveled with his colleagues and students across the South Pacific, including New Zealand (Aotearoa), American Samoa, Hawai’i, and Fiji conducting spiritual, cultural, and indigenous interventions in psychotherapy for psychological healing among Pacific Islanders/Pasifika. He was recently awarded a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship teaching, providing training, and presenting and conducting research at a university in Brazil. He has numerous publications in top-tier scientific journals, over 4 million dollars in research grants, and multiple professional presentations at national and international conferences. Early in his career, Professor Allen was nominated and elected Early Career Professional of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, a newly created position. Dr. Allen was also appointed Member-at-Large (MAL), Pacific Islander Slate for APA Division 45, which was also a new slate position created for the Pacific Islander population. He has held editorial board and leadership positions in Divisions 17, 36, and 45 of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Allen is an associate professor in the PhD program of counseling psychology at Brigham Young University. He and his wife, Carolina, have 7 children and they live in Provo, Utah.

Foundations of counseling psychology, counseling/psychotherapy methods and skills, career counseling, research methods, ethics in psychotherapy practice, group process, inferential statistics, culture-appropriate and cross-cultural perspectives in counseling.

Cultural and indigenous perspectives in psychology, culture-appropriate interventions and counseling/psychotherapy process and outcome, religiosity/spirituality, psychological well-being/adjustment with various underrepresented populations, specifically among Pasifika/Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Intersections of perfectionism, scrupulosity, psychology, and religiosity among a variety of religious individuals.

http://education.byu.edu/polypsi

  • Research Financial Honorarium Award — 2019
    • Sponsor: University of Hawai'i
    • Awarded financial honorarium from the Department of Psychology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa as an invited Diversity Colloquium Series Speaker, Honolulu, HI
  • Outstanding Student Research Award — 2004
    • Sponsor: 2004 APA Annual Convention
    • Division 17, Society of Counseling Psychology CCPTP-SAG and Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (SERD)
  • Course Instructor: High Flyer Teaching Award — 2008
    • Sponsor: University of Missouri
  • Research Recognition Award — 2011
    • Sponsor: The 28th Annual Teacher College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education, 2011, Columbia University, NY, NY.
  • Research Recognition Award — 2011
    • Sponsor: Georgia Psychology Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
  • Professor of the Year (nominated) — 2012
    • Sponsor: Southern Utah University
  • Paper selected at the 2012 APA Convention to receive news attention — 2012–2013
    • Sponsor: APA
  • Faculty Mentor Award — 2016
    • Sponsor: MSE
    • McKay School of Education, BYU Annual MSE Student Mentoring Research Conference Financial honorarium for mentoring doctoral student (Davis Kane) research
  • Faculty Mentor Award — 2018
    • Sponsor: MSE
    • McKay School of Education, BYU Annual MSE Student Mentoring Research Conference Financial honorarium for mentoring doctoral student (Jason Lefrandt) research
  • Appointed Member-at-Large (MAL) – Pacific Islander Slate for APA Division 45 Executive Committee — 2023–2026
    • Sponsor: APA: Division 45 - The Psychological Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
  • Invited Seminars Honorarium Award — 2019
    • Sponsor: Department of Psychology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
  • APA Leadership Position Nomination and Elected — 2019
    • Sponsor: APA Division 17: Society of Counseling Psychology, Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity
    • Executive Board Member, Division 17, Society of Counseling Psychology, Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (SERD), Committee Chairperson
  • APA Leadership Nomination and Elected — 2019
    • Sponsor: APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race
    • APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race - Secretary
  • Faculty Outstanding Research Award — 2021
    • Sponsor: BYU Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department
  • Honoree Award as a Pacific Islander Community Leader and Trailblazer, PolyStrong Leadership Foundation Summit, SLC, UT — 2024
    • Sponsor: PolyStrong Leadership Foundation
    • <b>Honoree Award, </b>Honored as a Pacific Islander community leader and trailblazer. PolyStrong Leadership Foundation Summit, SLC, UT
  • Fulbright Specialist Program Awardee (Brazil) — 2024
    • Sponsor: United States Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
    • Fulbright Specialist Program Awardee (Brazil), Interventions of Religiosity/Spirituality for Mental Health Department of Biotechnology at the Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
  • APA Leadership Nominated and Elected Early Career Professional — 2022–2025
    • Sponsor: APA Division 36, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

A Polynesian perspective for navigating the spiritual connections in psychotherapy practice

Journal: American Psychological Association

Date: 2023

Bringing spiritually integrated psychotherapies into the healthcare mainstream

Journal: American Psychological Association

Date: 2023

Handbook of spiritually integrated psychotherapies

Journal: American Psychological Association

Date: 2023

Investigating religious commitment, perceived religious oppression, self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction among Latter-day Saint women

Publisher: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health

Journal: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health

Date: 2023

Intersecting identities: A look at how ethnic identity interacts with science identity in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.

Publisher: CBE-Life Sciences Education

Volume: 22

Issue: 4

Journal: Life Sciences Education

Date: 2023

Perceptions and barriers about mental health services among Pacific Islanders: An interpretative phonological analysis

Journal: Journal of Counseling Psychology

Date: 2023

Examining Expectations Among Polynesian Americans About Seeking Psychotherapy.

Journal: American Journal of Psychotherapy

Date: 2022

Investigating religious commitment, perceived religious oppression, self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction among Latter-day Saint women

Journal: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health

Date: 2022

Examining psychological correlates and indirect effects of forgiveness on racial discrimination among Polynesian American emerging adults

Journal: Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies

Date: 2022

Culture-centered psychotherapy preferences for Polynesian Americans: An interpretative phenomenological approach

Journal: International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling

Date: 2022

Examining expectations among Polynesian Americans about seeking psychotherapy

Journal: American Journal of Psychotherapy

Date: 2022

I worry that I am almost perfect! Examining relationships of perfectionism, scrupulosity, intrinsic spirituality, and psychological wellbeing among Latter-day Saints.

Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Date: 2021

Examining religious commitment, personality, and well-being among Latter-day Saints

Publisher: Routledge

Pages: 17

Journal: Journal of Religion & spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought

Date: 2019

Psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, and outcomes among Pacific Islander and Asian American students

Journal: Counselling Psychology Quarterly

Date: 2019

Perfectionism in religion: Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale

Publisher: Springer

City: New York

Country: US

Journal: Journal of Religion and Health

Date: 2017

ISSN: 0022-4197

Religious discrimination scale: Development and initial psychometric evaluation

Publisher: Springer US

Pages: 1-14

Journal: Journal of Religion and Health

Date: 2017

ISSN: online 1573-6571

Acculturation experiences of Chinese international students who attend American Universities

Journal: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.

Date: 2016

Spiritually oriented psychotherapy for trauma and meaning-making among ethnically diverse individuals in the United States

Publisher: Elsevier

Editors: E. M. Altmaier

City: Philadelphia

Country: PA

Issue: 1st

Pages: 83-100

Journal: Reconstructing meaning after trauma: Theory, research, and practice

Date: 2016

Spiritual Pathways to Healing and Recovery: An Intensive Single-N Study of an Eating Disorder Patient

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000085

Publisher: American Psychological Association

Editors: Lisa Miller

City: Washington, DC

Country: U.S.

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000085

Pages: 191-201

Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Date: 2015

Abstract

Collectivistic Coping Strategies for Distress Among Polynesian Americans

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000039

Publisher: American Psychological Association

City: Washington, DC

Country: U.S.

Volume: 12

Issue: 3

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000039

Pages: 322329

Journal: Psychological Services

Date: 2015

Abstract

Spiritual pathways to healing and recovery: An intensive single-N study of an eating disorder patient

Publisher: American Psychological Association

Editors: Lisa Miller and Len Sperry

City: Washington, DC

Country: United States

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Pages: 871-887

Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Date: 2015

Bringing Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapies Into the Health Care Mainstream: A Call for Worldwide Collaboration

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000082

Publisher: American Psychological Association

City: Washington, DC

Country: U.S.

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000082

Pages: 169-179

Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Date: 2015

Abstract

Bringing spiritually oriented psychotherapies into the health care mainstream: A call for worldwide collaboration

Publisher: American Psychological Association

Editors: Lisa Miller and Len Sperry

City: Washington, DC

Country: United States

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Pages: 169-179

Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Date: 2015

Intrinsic religiousness and spirituality as predictors of mental health and positive psychological functioning in Latter-day Saint Adolescents and young adults

Publisher: Springer Science+Business Media

City: New York

Country: USA

Pages: 17

Journal: Journal of Religion and Health

Date: 2015

Counseling attitudes and stigma among Polynesian Americans

Publisher: Sage

Editors: Lydia Buki

Country: U.S.

Volume: 44

Issue: 1

Pages: 6-27

Journal: The Counseling Psychologist

Date: 2015

Abstract

Examining legalism, scrupulosity, family perfectionism, and psychological adjustment among LDS individuals

Publisher: Routledge

City: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Country: UK

Journal: Mental Health, Religion & Culture

Date: 2015

Abstract

Exploring Perceived Attitudes of Counseling between LDS Religious Leaders and Mental Health Therapists

Volume: 36

Journal: Issues in religion and psychotherapy

Date: 2014

Abstract

Examining aspects of religiosity, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and well-being among LDS individuals

Publisher: Division 36 (APA) Society of Religion and Spirituality

City: Washington, DC

Country: USA

Volume: Pending

Issue: Pending

Journal: Journal of Religion and Spirituality

Date: 2013

Religiosity, coping, and psychological well-being among Latter-Day Saint Polynesians in the U.S

Publisher: Asian American Journal of Psychology

City: Washington, DC

Country: USA

Volume: 2, 1

Pages: 13-24

Journal: Asian American Journal of Psychology

Date: 2011

Examining psychological correlates and indirect effects of forgiveness on racial discrimination among Polynesian American emerging adults

Volume: 9

Issue: 2

Pages: 134-150

Journal: Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies

Abstract

Acculturation experiences of Chinese international students who attend American Universities.

Journal: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

Divorce and religion. In L. Ganong, M. Coleman, & G. J. Geoffrey (Eds.), The Social History of the American Family.

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Journal: The Social History of the American Family

Ethnoracial comparisons in anxiety and depression outcomes among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander college students

Journal: Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development

Journal of Career Development: A 36-year content analysis (1972-2007)

Publisher: Journal of Career Development.

City: Washington, DC

Country: USA

Journal: Journal of Career Development.

Journal of Career Development: A citation analysis.

Publisher: Journal of Career Development.

City: Washington, DC

Country: USA

Journal: Journal of Career Development.

Racial discrimination and psychological health among Polynesians in the U.S.

Journal: Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

Racial identity, phenotype, and self-esteem among biracial Polynesian/White individuals.

Publisher: Family Relations

City: Washington, DC

Country: USA

Volume: 62

Pages: 82-91

Journal: Family Relations

Spiritually oriented psychotherapy for trauma and meaning-making among ethnically diverse individuals in the United States.

Journal: Elsevier Publication, Inc.

Acculturation experiences of Chinese international students who attend American Universities

URL: dx.doi.org/10.1037/pro0000117

Publisher: American Psychological Association

City: Washington DC

Country: United States

Volume: 48

Issue: 1

URL: dx.doi.org/10.1037/pro0000117

Pages: 11-21

Journal: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

Abstract

Forgiveness and Gratitude as Mediators between Religious Commitment and Well-Being among Latter-day Saint Polynesian Americans

Volume: 24

Issue: 2

Pages: 195-210

Journal: Mental Health, Religion & Culture

Psychotherapy utilization and presenting concerns among Polynesian American college students

Publisher: Sage Publications

Volume: 44

Issue: 1

Pages: 28-49

Journal: The Counseling Psychologist

The role of self-concealment and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination in general psychological distress among racial and ethnic minority college students

Journal: International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling

Psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, and outcomes among Pacific Islander and Asian American Students

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1699502

Publisher: Routledge

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1699502

Pages: 18

Journal: Counselling Psychology Quarterly

Psychotherapy Utilization and Presenting Concerns among International Asian and Asian American Students in a University Counseling Center

Publisher: Routledge

Pages: 118-135

Journal: Journal of College Student Psychotherapy

Abstract

Racial discrimination and psychological health among Polynesians in the U.S.

Journal: Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

ISSN: 1099-9809

Acculturation experiences of Chinese international students who attend American Universities

Volume: 48

Issue: 1

Pages: 11-21

Journal: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice