MA Information
Advisors
Academic Advisors
Marina Mazur
Assistant Program Coordinator
Academic Advisor
Office Hours: Mondays 11:00am-1:00pm and Wednesdays 3:00pm-5:00pm.
Office Location: Horace Mann 330A
Office Number: 212-678-4185
mem2224@tc.columbia.edu
Valery Hazanov
Academic Advisor
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:30am-12:30pm, Wednesdays 9:00am-11:00am
and by appointment.
Office Location: Horace Mann 330A
Office Number: 212-678-4185
vh2197@tc.columbia.edu
Sarah Zoogman
Academic Advisor
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm and Thursdays 8:30am-10:30am.
Office Location: Horace Mann 330A
Office Number: 212-678-4185
sz78@tc.columbia.edu
Matt Blanchard
Academic Advisor
Office Hours: coming in Fall 2013
Office Location: Horace Mann 330A
Office Number: 212-678-4185
mpb2160@tc.columbia.edu
The educational mission of Academic Advisement is to assist students through their academic journey in all possible ways. Thus, it is an on-going educational partnership between an advisor and his/her assigned student. Our Academic Program Advisors truly care about student’s success. Some have even completed the MA Program themselves. By the end of the first semester students should know the name and contact information of their advisor and have met with them at least once during their office hours.
Important things to keep in mind regarding Academic Advisement:
- Inform yourself of program expectations, graduation requirements, and TC policies.
- Make sure to discuss your concerns, don’t keep it to yourself.
- Ask right away for clarification if you don’t understand something in the handbook.
- Make contact regularly each semester (especially before registration!).
- Be an active learner: use campus resources.
- Keep a record of your progress, outline goals (e.g., classes to take, when to start Special Project, whether to apply to doctoral programs etc.)
- Use advisement to learn how to develop a relationship with faculty members.
Background & Philosophy
Marina Mazur is a third year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program and as an MA program advisor. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and religion from Hofstra University Honors College. After working in the field, she went back to school and earned a Master of Arts degree in Psychology in Education at Teachers College. Marina is currently working with young homeless mothers, adapting spiritually oriented interpersonal psychotherapy for this population. Previously Marina has worked in psychiatric pharmaceutical research and provided therapy at a chemical dependency program. The Role of the MA Academic Advisor as I See It:
The role of the academic adviser in this program is to help each student explore his/her own interests and strengths. The students in our program come from very different backgrounds in psychology and beyond. I try to guide these students in the right direction appreciating each student's needs and professional goals. It is important to cater one's approach to the individual, taking into account their past experiences and the connection between what they enjoyed in the work they have done and what they can get out of the program today.
Valery Hazanov is a current doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University and member of Professor Farber's research lab as well as Professor Higgins' research lab in the psychology department at Columbia. Valery graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, earning a B.A. in psychology and interdisciplinary honors program in the humanities. He is currently a fellow at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research and a psychology extern at the St. Luke's Trauma Treatment Program. Previously he had worked at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, at a psychiatric inpatient unit at the Weil-Cornell medical college in White Plains, NY, and in a national psychosocial rehabilitation program of juvenile delinquents in Israel. His research interests include psychotherapy process, relational aspects of emotional experience and regulation, and contemporary psychoanalytic thought. He is the 2012 recipient of the White Institute Psychotherapy Case Presentation Award for his paper "The fear of doing nothing." The Role of the MA Academic Advisor as I See It:
Students in our program are in different stages of their careers. However, they all are in an extremely important juncture, for many a step before doctoral studies in psychology, for others a decision to leave the field or not to pursue further education. Our role is to guide them using our own subjective experience but also the collective experience of our colleagues in the field, other students in the program, and alumni of the program. I hope that we help students understand better what they want professionally and how their time in our program might assist them in getting it.
Sarah Zoogman is a fourth year student in the PhD program. Sarah graduated Magna Cum Laude from Barnard College, Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She has a Masters of Arts degree from NYU Tisch in Performance Studies and is a certified yoga instructor. Sarah is currently a psychology extern at St. Luke’s Roosevelt at the Child and Family Institute, working with children and adolescents. She was previously an extern at Marymount Manhattan College, working with college students. Her research focuses on mindfulness interventions with youth.
Students in our program come from varied backgrounds and are at different points in their professional journeys. Some students may be clear that they would like to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology, while others might be figuring out whether pursuing further training in psychology feels like the right fit for them. I try to guide students given their interests, past experiences, and career goals. I help students utilize the resources at Teachers College in order to pursue their interests.
The Role of the MA Academic Advisor as I See It: