Francien Chenoweth Richardson, Psy.D.

faculty headshot
faculty headshot

Title: Professor of Psychology

Office: 11E Nazareth Hall

Phone: (610) 647-4400 Ext: 3433

Education:
Psy.D., M.A., Immaculata University
M.A., B.S., B.A., East Stroudsburg University

BIOGRAPHY:

Dr. Francien Chenoweth Richardson (formerly Dorliae) has a wealth of work experience in the field of psychology and academia. She has worked in most areas in the field of psychology, ranging from serving as a group home coordinator to currently owning a small private practice. While in college, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson worked as a group home coordinator where her responsibilities included linking psychosocial resources and monitoring the activities of daily living (meal planning assistance, medication management, social skills) for three intellectually challenged females.

As she pursued her master’s in counseling psychology and doctorate in clinical psychology, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson worked as an intensive case manager for persons diagnosed primarily with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at a community center in Philadelphia. Given the high frequency of hospitalization for persons diagnosed with severe mental illness, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson’s management of a caseload of at least 15-20 clients involved weekly meetings with her clients to assess their needs and brainstorm ways to address them. A primary goal of her role as a case manager was to prevent clients from psychological decompensation and eventually inpatient mental health hospitalization.

After serving as a case manager for a few years, she transitioned to the position of director of the partial day hospital. As the director, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson conducted morning community meetings on several topics (depression, anxiety, etc.) group therapy sessions, supervised at least six group therapists, and was responsible for the daily operation of the partial hospital.

To fulfill the diagnostic and practicum requirements of both her master’s and doctoral programs, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson worked at Girard Medical Center, another community mental health agency that addressed the psychological needs of culturally diverse clients in Philadelphia. She provided therapy, case management services and diagnostic testing to children and adults.

Dr. Chenoweth Richardson completed her internship at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia. She was assigned to the outpatient, involuntary/extended stay, and geriatric units and the crisis response center. She honed her diagnostic and therapeutic skills, especially as it related to the geriatric population and crisis management.

Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson was hired to work in the crisis response center. Her primary responsibilities included conducting diagnostic interviews to determine diagnosis and level of care, justifying and requesting authorization from insurance companies in order for clients to receive appropriate therapeutic services and linking clients to other services when necessary. Dr. Chenoweth Richardson also worked at John F. Kennedy Medical Center’s emergency room and crisis response center, primarily with the substance abuse/addiction population.

Before coming to Immaculata University, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson, worked at an agency in South Jersey as a staff psychologist. She provided therapy and conducted psychological evaluations for children and adolescents who were in the foster care system. She was also responsible for providing parenting training to foster parents as well as providing updates to the court system regarding the psychological functioning of her clients.

In addition to teaching at Immaculata, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson owns a small group private practice where she provides various psychological services to children and adults. Services provided include conducting workshops at senior citizen homes and community centers in Philadelphia, supervision of doctoral students at Girard Medical Center, and immigration evaluations.

Dr. Chenoweth Richardson has accumulated a diverse range of work experiences in the field of psychology and education over the last 15 years. She brings a unique perspective on clinical, teaching, research, and administrative experiences to her position at Immaculata. Her major areas of interest are: cross-cultural psychology, diversity/multicultural counseling, social psychology, trauma, aggression and humanistic psychology.

Currently Dr. Chenoweth Richardson is completing a research project entitled “Correlates of Aggression, Traumatic Experiences and Life Satisfaction in College Students in Post-Conflict Liberia.”

Dr. Chenoweth Richardson recently founded the Diaspora Women for Change, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, established for ending violence against women and children in Liberia and in immigrant communities in the Diaspora. The group’s goals include creating public awareness regarding violence against women as well as providing psychosocial and legal support and advocacy for victims in Liberia and immigrant communities. The organization has led two workshops, one in Philadelphia in 2017 and another in Atlanta, Georgia in 2019. The workshops brought a diverse body of women together to discuss the effects of sexual and gender-based violence on women, men, children and society at large. Discussions of the origin and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence were also included.

In 2020, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson was invited to travel to Liberia by the Cummings Africa Foundation to conduct a two-week training on sexual and gender-based violence. Rape is the second most common crime in Liberia. Participants of the training were from various sectors of the population. Dr. Chenoweth Richardson’s work to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and care for victims was featured in an Immaculata Magazine article.

Dr. Richardson is the only female panelist on SpoonTV, a premier social media platform that broadcasts on Liberian radio and television daily. SpoonTV’s nightly political discussions strongly influence the socioeconomic trajectory of Liberia. As the only female panelist, Dr. Richardson encounters many of the successes and challenges of a female in the political space; she gets to champion the causes of women, including advocating against sexual and gender-based violence, while also fighting to assert her voice in a male-dominated environment. Due to the popularity of the social media show and the impact it has made on political discourse, the Liberian government invited Dr. Chenoweth Richardson along with other SpoonTV panelists to celebrate the bicentennial of the arrival of the first free Black Americans in 1822 as part of a mission by the American Colonization Society, whose goal was to reduce the number of free Black people in the U.S. by settling them in Africa. While in Liberia, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson and her colleagues met with several dignitaries, including President George Weah, and former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

At the Philadelphia-Liberia Bicentennial Celebration in March 2022, the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs along with African Cultural Alliances of North America honored 11 dynamic Liberian women, including Dr. Chenoweth Richardson, for their contributions to the African Diaspora community and their homeland.

In June 2022, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson played a leading role in organizing a civil and voters education program for Liberians. She and three women of Liberian decent visited Liberia for at least three weeks where they engaged communities, mostly women, to inform them about the value of voting for leaders who will promote democracy as opposed to corruption.

In addition to teaching and serving on several committees at Immaculata, Dr. Chenoweth Richardson founded the Psychology and Counseling Department Student Diversity Forum and serves as the coordinator.

Courses Taught: 

Dr. Chenoweth Dorliae has taught the following courses in both Immaculata’s master’s and doctoral programs. She currently teaches predominantly in the doctoral program in clinical psychology:

  • Human Diversity
  • Diversity Counseling
  • Group Process
  • Counseling Theories and Techniques I and II
  • Family Counseling
  • Client Centered Theories and Relationship Therapy
  • Social Psychology
  • Clinical Supervision, Consultation, and Management
  • Practicum Seminar

Presentations: 

Irani, F., McGrath, M. C., Dorliae, F., Calkins, M. E., & Gur, R. C. (2013, August). Group discrimination based on executive functioning performance in African Americans with schizophrenia. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI.

Dorliae, F. C., McGrath, M. C., Titze, K., & James, G. (2012, June)  Understanding immigrants’ psychological needs: Multiculturally competent assessment and service delivery. Workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Dorliae, F. C., Lafferty, W., Lee, R., Cherubin, K., Emmanuel, A., Diaz, E., . Ahmed, F. (2011, June).
The experience of culturally diverse faculty teaching diversity courses in graduate psychology program at predominantly white universities. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

McGrath, M. C.; Dorliae, F. C.; Jenny, E.; & Guay, J. (2011, August). Experiences of ethnically diverse early career psychologists in U.S. postsecondary academic settings. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues), Washington, D.C.

McGrath, M. C.; Jenny, E.; Dorliae, F. C.; & Guay, J. (2010, August). ECPs in academic settings: Characteristics, roles, and challenges. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (Division 1: Society for General Psychology), San Diego, CA.

Memon, F.; McGrath, M. C.; Dorliae, F. C.; & Guay, J. (2010, June). Perceived racial discrimination: Impact on executive functioning.
Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Rabadi, C.; McGrath, M. C.; Jenny, E.; & Dorliae, F. C. (2010, June). Suicide prevention in schools: Culturally competent practice.
Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Dorliae, F. C. (2009, June). Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, substance dependence, and culturally diverse clients. Workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Dorliae, F. C.; Guay, J.; Jenny, E.; & McGrath, M. C. (2009, June). Early career psychologists in academia: Balancing roles, creating professional identities. Panel discussion presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Smith, T. K.; & Dorliae, F. C. (2008, June). Racial identity and resiliency in Jamaicans. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, Harrisburg, PA.

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