Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Health and Human Services News

  • McQueary College of Health and Human Services

Best friends work together on writing project

March 31, 2023 by Strategic Communication

What if you had the opportunity to write a textbook alongside your best friend? 

Drs. Danae Hudson and Brooke Whisenhunt, professors in the department of psychology, did just that. 

Hudson (left) and Whisenhunt (right) pose with their first textbook, “Psychology.”

Not their first rodeo 

Hudson and Whisenhunt’s first joint-textbook was “Psychology,” written specifically to be used for introductory psychology classes. 

Over the course of redesigning PSY 121 (Introductory Psychology), Hudson and Whisenhunt built a relationship with Pearson. This led to them being asked to write their first textbook. 

While initially hesitant, the duo saw the benefits of taking on this major project. 

Sole authors, Hudson and Whisenhunt spent many hours and long nights putting together this extensive textbook and swore they’d never do it again. 

Little did they know they’d be collaborating again, just a few years later. 

Inside “Psychological Disorders” 

They wrote “Psychological Disorders” for the “Abnormal Psychology” course.

Whisenhunt (left) and Hudson (right) pose with their second textbook, “Psychological Disorders.”

Hudson and Whisenhunt were already using this textbook for their classes when Pearson asked them to write the fifth edition.  

While textbooks usually go through a revision process every two-to-three years, “Psychological Disorders” hadn’t been updated in almost 10 years by the time it was handed off to Hudson and Whisenhunt. 

The biggest change they made was the title, which was originally “Abnormal Psychology.” 

“It was incredibly important to us that the textbook reflected the best tone and voice for today’s students and educators,” Whisenhunt said. 

“Even changing the title was a huge overhaul because the entire first chapter was devoted to identifying what’s abnormal and what’s not.” 

Standing out 

Both “Psychology” and “Psychological Disorders” are integrated digital textbooks. This means they have interactive elements to create a richer learning experience for students. 

“It was important for us to consider how a student would best learn and understand the material,” Whisenhunt said. “Students don’t tend to read their textbooks or come to office hours, so we tried to find a way around that.” 

To the duo’s knowledge, their textbooks are the only ones in the country that have “adaptive pathways,” which are based around known, difficult concepts. 

If a student is confused on a topic, they’re then directed to a video created and authored by Hudson and Whisenhunt to better explain the topic. This is done through using novel examples to simulate a discussion between a student and their professor.   

Roughly 90% of students who’ve been in class with Hudson and Whisenhunt have expressed that they had a positive learning experience with the integrated digital textbooks. As such, they would like to see more in their future classes. 

Best friends for over 24 years 

Hudson and Whisenhunt have twin careers and have always had a special bond. 

“Doing life and professional work together has been unreal. I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else,” Whisenhunt said. “We have cherished the opportunity to write these two books together.” 

“This is intense work. I don’t think I could’ve done it without my person,” Hudson said. 

They were lucky enough to be side-by-side throughout graduate school, being employed by Missouri State at the same time and even having offices that are next door to each other. 

Bringing back an old tradition 

A long-standing tradition for them in graduate school was getting fried chicken from Raising Cane’s and watching must-see television every Thursday night.  

They’ve decided to celebrate their second textbook’s publication by going to the Cane’s in Springfield and revitalizing their tradition, nearly 20 years later. 

“None of our families or children are invited,” Whisenhunt said. “We’re just going to hang out, eat chicken and watch television together.” 

Learn more about the psychology department

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Dr. Brooke Whisenhunt, Dr. Danae Hudson, MCHHS Spotlights, McQueary College of Health and Human Services, Psychology

COVID-19 is a marathon. College students are tired.

March 3, 2021 by Strategic Communication

Three students stand outside Meyer Library

It’s not a surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many existing mental health problems. The world is still experiencing a collective trauma, and many people aren’t getting help.

“We are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come,” reads the 2020 “Stress in America” Survey, published yearly by the American Psychological Association.

For college students, the stress of the pandemic has added additional weight to an already heavy problem.

The college student mental health crisis

Prior to 2020, college students were already high on the mental health priority list.

In 2018, 62% of college students reported feeling overwhelming anxiety in the last 12 months. In the same survey, 41% reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function.

By fall 2020, 89% of college students reported actively experiencing stress or anxiety because of COVID-19. One in four students said their existing depression significantly increased.

Dr. Danae Hudson, a clinical psychologist and clinical psychology graduate program coordinator at Missouri State University, cites a lack of access to treatment as one of the factors in the severity of the crisis.

“Access has been a problem for a long time,” she said. “It’s complicated by COVID because there is an increase in the prevalence of people who are struggling, and it is difficult to see someone in an office setting with social distancing measures.”

The combination of decreased access to treatment, isolation, the loss of traditional campus life and regular academic stress makes the college student situation more complex than it has been in the past.

“Usually, the top stressors for college students are related to finances, academics, relationships, job outlook and identity, in that order,” Hudson said.

In the era of COVID, stress about health and safety has taken the top spot, pushing out a focus on identity.

“This makes sense from a psychological standpoint,” she said. “People need to make sure they’re safe and that they are going to live before they start thinking about what they want their futures to look like.”

Pandemic burnout

This heightened sense of survival has taken its toll on everyone, including college students. Nearing the anniversary of the March 2020 shutdowns, many have reported burnout and exhaustion.

MSU Counseling Resources

Hudson believes these feelings of fatigue stem from a heightened, prolonged stress response. With the onset of stress, your body goes into alarm mode, then builds up resistance, which is eventually followed by a period of exhaustion. This is known in psychology as general adaptation syndrome.

“I think we’ve entered that exhaustion phase,” she said. “When we mobilized in spring 2020, we had no idea how long this was going to last. We started sprinting for a 5k, when it’s really a marathon.”

Supporting students through the crisis

Hudson believes the best way for people in the college sphere to support students during the heightened COVID-19 stress is to be flexible.

“We have to have grace for each other,” she said. “People are struggling in different ways, but we are all struggling to some extent.”

As a professor, Hudson’s priority is that her students are okay. Her expectations for late work, exams and class attendance have had to change in the wake of students’ significant COVID-19 and mental health struggles.

“We’re not living in the ‘real world’ right now,” she said. “Our expectations have to be different. I want my students to feel supported more than anything else.”

She also recommends that students extend the same grace to themselves that they would to a friend. It’s an idea she calls radical acceptance.

“You have to learn to tell yourself, ‘Maybe I’m not going to be at my best, and that’s okay. I just need to get through this,’” she said.

Missouri State resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, contact the Missouri State Counseling Center.

Online resources:

  • Guide to living with worry and anxiety amidst global uncertainty
  • Coping with anxiety
  • Crisis text line
  • Additional resources from MSU Counseling Center

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: COVID-19, Dr. Danae Hudson, mental health, Psychology, students

Categories

  • Anesthesia
  • Athletic training
  • audiology
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Counseling
  • Dietetics
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • exercise and movement science
  • Faculty Spotlight
  • Health Administration
  • Health Queries Podcast
  • Kinesiology
  • MCHHS Alumni
  • MCHHS Clinics
  • MCHHS Events
  • MCHHS News
  • MSU Care
  • Nursing
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physician Assistant
  • Psychology
  • Public health and sports medicine
  • Scholarships
  • School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • School of Nursing
  • Social Work
  • speech-language pathology
  • Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
  • Spotlights
  • Staff spotlights
  • Student organization spotlights
  • Student spotlights
  • Student Success and Advisement
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: February 18, 2022
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • Equal Opportunity Employer and Institution
  • © 2025 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information
  • Healthcare MRFs
 

Loading Comments...