Psychology Psychology Adjunct Faculty

Anahita Holden

Adjunct Professor of Psychology | Office Location: WH 217 | Email: aholden@westmont.edu

Office Hours | Spring 2019 | T/TH 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. or by appointment

Anahita obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UC Santa Barbara, where her training included conducting research and obtaining certification in providing behavioral treatments such as Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) to children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and developmental disabilities through UCSB's Koegel Autism Center.  Since this time, she has also deeply enjoyed working with underserved childen and famiies experiencing various forms of trauma in community mental health settings such as Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM) in Santa Barbara and Morrison Child & Family Services based in Portland, Oregon during her predoctoral internship.  Anahita is a licensed clinical psychologist and has a private practice in downtown Santa Barbara, where she sees children, families, and adults for psychotherapy.  She has enjoyed contributing to our community of psychologists-in-training as an adjunct faculty at UCSB, Antioch University, and Westmont College, and is currently serving on the board for the Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA).

Smaranda Lawrie

Adjunct Professor of Psychology | Office Location: WH 217 | Email: slawrie@westmont.edu

Office Hours | Spring 2019 | T/TH 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 .am. or by appointment

Smaranda is currently a Ph.D. student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  She is also completing her Master of Education with an emphasis in Research Methods at the Gevirtz School of Education. Smaranda has a M.L.A. in International Development from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in both Psychology and Economics from Yale University.  Her research focuses on the impact of both national cultures and socioeconomic cultures on a broad range of health, well-being, academic, and motivational outcomes. She is passionate about teaching and mentoring undergraduates and her teaching experience includes courses in General Psychology, Research Methods, Statistics, and Positive Psychology for college students, as well as Leadership and Management courses for mid-career professionals. She enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking, and most of all, time with her family.

Werner Schmidt

Adjunct Professor of Psychology | Office Location: WH 217 | Email: wschmidt@westmont.edu

Office Hours | Spring 2019 | M/W/F 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. or by appointment

Werner earned his BA in Political Science at Long Island University-Post and MA in Educational Technology with a minor in International Relations at San Francisco State University where he also served as a Lecturer in the Graduate College of Education for more than 20 years. He is currently completing his PhD in General Psychology with an emphasis in Workplace Performance Psychology at Grand Canyon University. Werner served as the Director of The Solarwork Institute for the State of California as a special project under Governor Jerry Brown’s first administration. This entailed job training and development activities for low and unskilled personnel in the burgeoning solar energy field. He frequently travels to Cambodia where he consults on STEM education. Werner also is the past president of the Golden Gate Chapter of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and the past president of the Bay Area Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). Werner’s interests are in organization behavior, performance psychology, and educational psychology.