Psychology

Clarissa Richardson received a Bachelor of Science in biology, with minors in psychology and chemistry, from Illinois College in 2009, and her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Florida in 2015. She completed her clinical doctoral internship at the Washington State University Counseling and Testing Center during the 2014-15 academic year prior to joining the faculty at University of Idaho in 2015.

Richardson’s research investigates how perfectionism impacts coping with stress, particularly daily stress. In addition to using surveys to measure stress, she also uses physiological markers (cortisol) of the stress response. Cultural and gender differences in perfectionism and other ways in which perfectionism positively or negatively impact one’s psychological well-being are part of her research focus as well. She is also interested in exploring interventions for improving the negative effects of perfectionism such as mindfulness, disclosure, emotion regulation, stress management, alcohol abuse prevention and social connectedness.

Richardson enjoys working with students to develop their research ideas into a feasible and exciting undergraduate project which helps them prepare for graduate school. She also enjoys deep discussions in her classes about challenging issues related to mental health, stigma, stress, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.