Faculty | Gayle Morse

Dr. Morse is an Assistant Professor at Russell Sage College and the Sage Graduate School of The Sage Colleges in the Psychology Department and is a Licensed Psychologist who has a private practice. She teaches research methods, counseling psychology, community psychology and abnormal child psychology classes. Previously she worked with the State Of New York, Office of Mental Health (NYS-OMH) and the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). In her role as a clinician with NYS OMH and OCFS she has worked primarily with minority children who were in the custody of the state and involved with the criminal justice system.

For over a decade Dr. Morse has conducted research examining the effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other toxic chemicals on Mental Health. Dr. Morse has served as Co-Principal Investigator of a research project entitled Biopsychosocial Well-Being among Akwesasne Residents, which examines the effects of toxic chemicals on mental health. She has published in juried journals about the negative health effects of environmental toxins and has participated in both national and international professional conferences about Environmental health. Currently she is looking at the neurological effects of toxic chemicals as well as risk factors of dementia, substance abuse and ptsd.

Dr. Morse is a member of the American Psychological Association, and has served as the interim Vice-President and Secretary of the Native American Concerns Committee for the Association of Multicultural Concerns Division of the American Counseling Association. She was nominated and installed into the 2005 publication of Who’s Who of American Women. She has also served on the editorial board for the Journal Counseling and Development. Finally, she is an enrolled member of the Mohawk Tribe, and draws from the tribe the principles of respect, trust, and empowerment that have guided her both professionally and personally.

Selected Publications and Presentations:

Santiago-Rivera, A., Morse, G.S., Haase, R. (2007). Exposure to Environmental Contamination,

Quality of Life, and Psychological Distress (specifically depression). Journal of Environmental Psychology.

DeCaprio, A.P., Johnson, G.W., Tarbell, A.M., Carpenter, D.O., Morse, G.S., Santiago-Rivera,

A.L., Schymura, M.J., Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. (2006). PCB Exposure

Assessment by Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Serum Congener Profiles in an Adult

Native American Population. Environmental Research.

Morse, G. (2000) Dissertation: The Relationships Among Depression, Quality of Life, and Cultural

Identity. Submitted to The University at Albany, State Universitiy of New York.

Santiago-Rivera, A., Morse, G. S., Hunt, A., & Lickers, H. (1997). A new paradigm in community

research: Lessons from a Native American Community. Journal of Community Psychology.

Haase, R.J., McCaffrey, R.J., Morse, G.S., & Santiago-Rivera, A. (2007) Evidence for a

Threshold Effect of PCBs on Neuropsychological Executive Functioning. Paper presentation at American Psychological Association International Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Morse, G., Stern, M., Haase, R., Carpenter, D.& Santiago-Rivera, A, The relationships among

Depression, Quality of life and Cultural Identity in a Native American Community. Paper presentation at American Psychological Association International Conference, Washington, DC, 2005).

Santiago-Rivera, A., Morse, G., Haase, R., The relationships between environmental toxins and

psychological distress. Poster presentation at American Psychological Association International Conference Washington, DC, 2005.

Indian Health Services & Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. Community Conference.

Understanding the Environment and Health. 2004.

Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. Strengthening our relationship to the Earth: A

Conference to Share Environmental Research. Factors Associated with Well-Being in the Community at Akwesasne. 2003