Dr. Lauren Mizock Appointed 2024-25 Ruthellen Josselson Chair in Qualitative Inquiry

Lauren Mizock, Ph.D., core Clinical Psychology faculty, was recently named as the Ruthellen Josselson Chair in Qualitative Inquiry for 2024-25.

Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., has a storied career and is a longtime Clinical Psychology faculty member and psychotherapist. Established in 2020, the Ruthellen Josselson Chair in Qualitative Inquiry fund supports Fielding faculty research, while honoring the legacy of Dr. Josselson and affirming the importance of qualitative research in psychology as acknowledged by the American Psychological Association Division 5, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods.

The Josselson Chair is appointed for one academic year, September-August, with Dr. Mizock beginning her tenure in September 2024. 

“Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., a trailblazer in qualitative research in psychology, spoke to her vision for Fielding Graduate University to become a potential leader in this field,” said Dr. Mizock. “Her vision and mentorship have been impactful to me in my ten years at Fielding. It is quite meaningful for me to be granted the honor to serve as the next Ruthellen Josselson Chair.”

In this role, Dr. Mizock hopes to contribute to multicultural qualitative research, which is a core focus of Fielding students’ dissertations and faculty scholarship, including her own. She aims to: 1) promote our university as a frontrunner in qualitative research, 2) develop student and alumni leaders in multicultural qualitative research, and 3) enhance the Fielding qualitative researcher supply line by supporting multicultural faculty and students in their scholarship.

“Key outcomes will feature a public-facing, Fielding Qualitative Research Certificate Webinar, as well as an interdisciplinary, Fielding Research Innovations in Qualitative Dissertations event at a Global Session,” she said. “Other products include engaging with the field via publishing qualitative dissertations in article and book form and presenting at qualitative conferences. These activities will be supported by a new qualitative publishing group I will facilitate for students, faculty, and alumni. I will also include a qualitative project from my research practicum: The Inside Circle Study of Group Therapy for Incarcerated Men. This role will provide me with the time and resources to create and fund the above events and activities, and to create systems to streamline processes in my own qualitative scholarship. These processes include developing publication skillsets in students and alumni. This mutually beneficial effort can enhance efficiency in my research, add to Fielding’s scholarship, and lift up new voices in qualitative inquiry.”

In 2024, Dr. Mizock was also a recipient of the Clinical Psychology Program DEI Award, alongside Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student Nathan Smith.

In 2023, Amy Taylor, Ph.D., was appointed the inaugural Ruthellen Josselson Chair for 2023-24, with her tenure ending in August 2024.

“It’s been an honor and my pleasure to serve as the first Ruthellen Josselson Chair in Qualitative Inquiry,” said Dr. Taylor. “Many people — students and faculty from across Fielding’s programs as well as members of the qualitative research community beyond Fielding — have been involved in different ways this year. The most exciting event for me was our conference in June in which several students and faculty members spoke about what inspired them to engage in qualitative inquiry and shared their own excellent work. We had a large and engaged audience throughout and built a lot of energy around continuing to grow as an institution in which qualitative research flourishes. I am excited for this to continue!”

Learn more about Dr. Taylor’s work here. Watch the Qualitative Inquiry at Fielding: Past, Present, and Futures Inaugural Qualitative Conference here.

About Lauren Mizock, Ph.D.

Lauren Mizock, Ph.D.

Lauren Mizock, Ph.D., is core faculty in the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program at Fielding Graduate University and in private practice in San Francisco. Lauren is on the Executive Committee of the Society for the Psychology of Women of the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Mizock is the author of Women with Serious Mental Illness (2022), Acceptance of Mental Illness: Promoting Recovery Among Culturally Diverse Groups (2016), and Researcher Race: Social Constructions in the Research Process (2012). Areas of expertise include multicultural competence in research, clinical work, and pedagogy; women’s mental health, feminist parenthood, transgender and nonbinary communities; and individuals with serious mental illness.