Laurie Dickstein-Fischer

Laurie Dickstein-Fischer serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Salem State University, teaching core courses including School Counseling Practicums (EDG 900A/B, EDU 968A/B), Introduction to Abnormal Psychology (PSY 215), and advanced Counseling Theory (PSY 731/732). Her clinical background spans Massachusetts Mental Health Center (Harvard Medical School), Veterans Hospitals, and university counseling centers across diverse age groups and clinical presentations.

She earned her Master's in School Counseling from Johns Hopkins University and PhD in the APA-accredited combined Counseling Psychology/School Psychology program at Northeastern University. Her research focuses on technology-enhanced psychological interventions, particularly socially assistive robotics for autism therapy, with additional expertise in gender stereotype intervention through bibliotherapy and school-based anxiety management.

Analysis of her 2010-2021 publications reveals a consistent interdisciplinary trajectory merging psychology and engineering. Key themes include robotic autism interventions (notably the PABI project), evidence-based school counseling practices for social-emotional learning, and innovative applications of neuroscience principles in therapeutic settings. Her work demonstrates increasing emphasis on practical classroom applications and technology integration.

As clinical lead for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) collaboration, she directs the PABI (Penguin for Autism Behavioral Interventions) initiative where engineering students apply psychological principles to robotic therapy design. She supervises psychology practicum students in school counseling placements and provides consultation to WPI's engineering teams on therapeutic applications.