Rate My Professor Senel Poyrazli

Senel Poyrazli is the Distinguished Professor of Counseling Psychology in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg - The Capital College. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Houston, an M.Sc. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, and a B.A. in Psychological Counseling and Guidance from Hacettepe University in Turkey. Her clinical experience encompasses working with adolescents, college students, adults, married and unmarried couples, and war veterans, addressing issues related to relationships, psychosocial adjustment, decision making, depression, and trauma. Actively engaged with the immigrant community in the Harrisburg area, she has served as vice-president of the Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women's Network (PAIRWN) and organized annual immigrant women's health conferences sponsored by PAIRWN, the American Cancer Society, Highmark, and Harrisburg Area Community College. She also chairs the Division of Social Sciences and Psychology.

Poyrazli's research specializations include psychosocial and academic adjustment processes of college students and immigrants, cross-cultural competency, acculturative stress, microaggressions experienced by Syrian refugee college students, reasons international students fail academically, and psychological and environmental factors affecting immigrant student achievement. She teaches courses such as counseling skills, interviewing and counseling, group counseling, theories of counseling, family therapy, internship, research methods, and multicultural competency. Notable awards include the Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for 2022-2023 at Bilkent University in Turkey, Fellowship for Visiting Scholars from the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (2022), Excellence in Research and Scholarly Activity Award (2021), Outstanding International Psychologist Award and Excellent Contribution Award from APA (2021), fellowships in APA Divisions 1, 17, and 52, and recognition as Distinguished Professor (2024). Key publications encompass edited volumes such as International Case Studies in Mental Health (2013, Sage Publications), Current Educational Research Related to Cultural Groups (2022, Ani Publishing), and highly cited articles including "An exploratory study of perceived discrimination and homesickness: A comparison of international students and American students" (2007) and "Marital status, ethnicity, academic achievement, and adjustment strains: The case of graduate international students" (2006). With over 6,600 citations, her work has profoundly influenced the internationalization of psychology, particularly mental health counseling for diverse populations.