Kristina Phillips
Assistant Professors
Degree: Ph.D., 2005, Bowling Green State University, Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
My Area of Interest
I would describe my primary research interests as the application of public health and behavioral medicine to the treatment of substance abuse. I believe that it is important to assist clients reduce the unhealthy medical, psychological, and social outcomes of drug use. I strongly identify with a harm or risk reduction approach that focuses on preventing and treating the consequences or effects of addictive behavior, rather than only the drug use itself.
Most recently, my specific research program has focused on disease prevention among injection drug users (IDUs). I am currently the principal investigator of an NIH grant (through NIDA). The long-term objective of this program of research is to reduce high-risk injection practices among active IDUs that lead to bacterial (e.g., skin abscesses, endocarditis) and viral (e.g., HIV, Hepatitis C) infections by developing and establishing the efficacy of an intervention that combines psychoeducation, skill-building, and motivational interviewing. In the first phase of the study, we will conduct focus group interviews with 24 IDUs in order to determine key areas of emphasis for an intervention with this population. We will then develop an infection-control intervention for active IDUs, pilot the intervention with 5 new participants in an open trial, and elicit their feedback regarding the intervention. Following refinement of the intervention, we will conduct a small randomized controlled trial (n=60; 30 per group) to examine the efficacy of the intervention compared to an assessment-only condition.
I also have strong research interests in harm reduction self-efficacy, motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral interventions. My research program will continue to focus more broadly on the prevention of drug-related harm. I am currently developing a new project to study methamphetamine (meth) use in Greeley. The primary goal of this project will be to assess high-risk drug and sexual practices for viral and bacterial infections among meth users. I also plan to assess psychosocial and behavioral correlates of meth use, such as depressed mood, anxiety and interpersonal conflict.
My Teaching Philosophy
My approach to teaching psychology is one that has a foundation in the development of critical thinking skills, application of learned principles to daily life, and active student participation. My understanding of how students learn is based on learning theory, personal experience and observation. It is my belief that students attend to and process information based on their interest in the subject, their prior knowledge and understanding, their values and attitudes, and their motivation. Most importantly, I feel that an instructor’s teaching style can have a tremendous impact in sparking a student’s interest and motivation. I primarily teach courses that have clinical application, such as Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Counseling Theories. I recently developed a special topics course on the Psychology of Addiction. I frequently utilize case study examples, student projects and non-lecture based experiences to show students how psychological knowledge can be applied to everyday life. Because I believe that students learn in different formats, I like to integrate alternative media into my courses. For example, I like to use Powerpoint when lecturing to give students a visual cue and have found that showing videos are an excellent way to demonstrate psychological concepts and frameworks. I also believe that students should explore other sources of information for assignments, such as the internet, journals or experts in the field.
Students interested in gaining research experience in the area of addictions or disease prevention should contact me by email.
Current Grant Support
Title: Reduction of Medical Complications Associated With Injection Drug Use
1 R21 DA026773-01 (6/15/09 – 6/31/11)
Investigators: Kristina Phillips (PI), Michael Stein (Co-I), and Karen Corsi (Co-I)
R21, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / NIH
$377,000
My Latest Professional Activity
- Phillips, K.T., & Stein, M.D. (under review). Risk practices associated with bacterial infections among injection drug users in Denver, CO. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
- Phillips, K.T., Anderson, B.J., & Stein, M.D. (2008). Predictors of bacterial infections among HCV-negative injection drug users in Rhode Island. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 34, 203-210.
- Rosenberg, H., Baylen, C., Murray, S., Phillips, K.T., Pristas, E., Versland, A, & Tisak, M. (2008). Attributions for abstinence from illicit drugs by university students. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 15, 365-377.
- Phillips, K.T., & Rosenberg, H. (2008). The Development and Evaluation of the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 22, 36-46.
- Phillips, K.T., Rosenberg, H., & Sanikop, A. (2007). English and American drug clients’ views of the acceptability, advantages and disadvantages of treatment and harm-reduction interventions for substance abuse. Journal of Drug Issues, 37, 377-402.
- Rosenberg, H., & Phillips, K.T. (2003). Acceptance and availability of innovative harm- reduction therapies for drug abuse in American substance abuse treatment agencies. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17, 203-210.