Faculty: G.E. Kawika Allen
Title
Associate Professor
Department
CPSE
Contact Information
Office: 273 MCKB
Phone: 801-422-2620
Email: nope@gekawika_allen@byu.edumsn.com
Website: education.byu.edu/polypsi
Professor Allen received his BS in speech/organizational communication and his MS in counseling psychology at the University of Utah. He then received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia (a top-ranked program) and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at Duke University. His research areas involve spiritual, cultural, and indigenous ways of healing in psychotherapy including culturally appropriate psychotherapies and interventions for underserved populations. Professor Allen also conducts research related to religiosity, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and psychological wellbeing among various diverse populations. In addition, Professor Allen has focused much of his research on culture-specific counseling interventions and the intersections of religiosity/spirituality, coping/collectivistic coping, depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being/adjustment among Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Professor Allen is founder of and leads the Polynesian Psychology Research Team (The Poly Psi Team) research efforts involving not only Polynesian/Pasifika Psychology Research, but research across all BIPOC and minoritized groups. Professor Allen has traveled with his colleagues and students across the South Pacific including New Zealand, American Samoa, Hawaii, and Fiji conducting spiritual, cultural, and indigenous interventions in psychotherapy for psychological healing among Pacific Islanders/Pasifika. He has numerous publications in top-tier scientific journals, over 4 million dollars in research grants, and multiple professional presentations at national and international conferences. Early in his career, Professor Allen was nominated and elected Early Career Professional of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, a newly created position. Dr. Allen was also appointed Member-at-Large (MAL), Pacific Islander Slate for APA Division 45, which was also a new slate position created for the Pacific Islander population. He has held editorial board and leadership positions in Divisions 17, 36, and 45 of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Allen is an associate professor in the PhD program of counseling psychology at Brigham Young University. He and his wife, Carolina, have 7 children and they live in Provo, Utah.
Foundations of counseling psychology, counseling/psychotherapy methods and skills, career counseling, research methods, ethics in psychotherapy practice, group process, inferential statistics, culture-appropriate and cross-cultural perspectives in counseling.
Cultural and indigenous perspectives in psychology, culture-appropriate interventions and counseling/psychotherapy process and outcome, religiosity/spirituality, psychological well-being/adjustment, with BIPOC and minoritized populations, specifically among Pasifika/Polynesians/Polynesian Americans. Intersections of perfectionism, scrupulosity, psychology, and religiosity among a variety of religious individuals.
http://education.byu.edu/polypsi
Appointed Member-at-Large (MAL) Pacific Islander Slate for APA Division 45 Executive Committee
APA: Division 45 - The Psychological Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
2023 - 2026
APA Leadership Nominated and Elected Early Career Professional
APA Division 36: Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
2022 - 2025
Faculty Outstanding Research Award
BYU Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department
2021
APA Leadership Nomination and Elected
APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race
2019
APA Leadership Position Nomination and Elected
APA Division 17: Society of Counseling Psychology, Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity
2019
Invited Seminars Honorarium Award
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
2019
Research Financial Honorarium Award
University of Hawai'i
2019
Faculty Mentor Award
MSE
2018
Faculty Mentor Award
MSE
2016
Paper selected at the 2012 APA Convention to receive news attention
APA
2012 - 2013
Professor of the Year (nominated)
Southern Utah University
2012
Research Recognition Award
Georgia Psychology Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
2011
Research Recognition Award
The 28th Annual Teacher College Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education, 2011, Columbia University, NY, NY.
2011
Course Instructor: High Flyer Teaching Award
University of Missouri
2008
Outstanding Student Research Award
2004 APA Annual Convention
2004
Ethnoracial comparisons in anxiety and depression outcomes among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander college students
- Authors: Clline, Jared; Larsen, Ross Allen Andrew; Griner, Derek; Beecher, Mark E; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Lee, CT; LeFrandt, Jason; Worthen, Vaughn Eugene
- Publication Journal: Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development
Culture-centered psychotherapy preferences for Polynesian Americans: An interpretative phenomenological approach
- Authors: Cutrer, Elizabeth Ann; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Conklin, Hokulea D; Hee, Cameron W H; Miller, Erica Kerstin; Rachel, Chapman; Bango, Gancinia; Meilani, Roan; Norton, Abby
- Publication Date: 2022
- Publication Journal: International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling
Culture-Centered Psychotherapy Preferences for Polynesian Americans: An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach.
- Authors: Cutrer, Elizabeth Ann; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Conklin, Hokulea D; Hee, Cameron W H; Miller, Erica Kerstin; Chapman, Rachel; Gancinia, Bango; Roan, Meilani; Norton, Abigail
- Publication Journal: International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling
- Volume: 44
- Issue: 4
Examining psychological correlates and indirect effects of forgiveness on racial discrimination among Polynesian American emerging adults
- Authors: Tanner, Emily; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Young, Ellie L; Feinauer, Erika; Ure, Caitlin
- Publication Date: 2022
- Publication Journal: Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies
Forgiveness and Gratitude as Mediators between Religious Commitment and Well-Being among Latter-day Saint Polynesian Americans
- Authors: Kane, Davis; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Smith, Timothy B; Griner, Derek; Jackson, Aaron Paul; Richards, Phillip S
- Publication Journal: Mental Health, Religion & Culture
- Volume: 24
- Issue: 2
The role of self-concealment and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination in general psychological distress among racial and ethnic minority college students
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika; Masuda, Aki; Liu, Charles; Tully, Erin
- Publication Journal: International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling
I worry that I am almost perfect! Examining relationships of perfectionism, scrupulosity, intrinsic spirituality, and psychological wellbeing among Latter-day Saints.
- Authors: Allen, Kawika; Norton, Abigail; Pulsipher, Sarah; Johnson, David; Bunker, Benson
- Publication Date: 2021
- Publication Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice
Psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, and outcomes among Pacific Islander and Asian American Students
- Authors: Hafoka, Ofa k; Smith, Timothy B; Griner, Derek; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Beecher, Mark E; Young, Ellie L
- Publication Type: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1699502
- Publication Journal: Counselling Psychology Quarterly
- Publisher: Routledge
Psychotherapy Utilization and Presenting Concerns among International Asian and Asian American Students in a University Counseling Center
- Authors: Stokes, Hannah; Griner, Derek; Smith, Tim; Beecher, Mark; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Cox, Jon; Hobbs, Klinton; Kirtley, Natalie
- Publication Journal: Journal of College Student Psychotherapy
- Publisher: Routledge
- Abstract: click to view
Spiritually oriented psychotherapy for trauma and meaning-making among ethnically diverse individuals in the United States
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika; Richards, Phillip S; Lea, Troy
- Publication Date: 2016
- Publication Journal: Reconstructing meaning after trauma: Theory, research, and practice
- Publisher: Elsevier
- City: Philadelphia
- Country: PA
- Issue: 1st
- Editors: E. M. Altmaier
Counseling attitudes and stigma among Polynesian Americans
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika; Smith, Timothy B
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Journal: The Counseling Psychologist
- Publisher: Sage
- Country: U.S.
- Volume: 44
- Issue: 1
- Editors: Lydia Buki
- Abstract: click to view
Bringing spiritually oriented psychotherapies into the health care mainstream: A call for worldwide collaboration
- Authors: Richards, P. Scott; Sanders, Peter W; Lea, Troy; McBride, Jason A; Allen, Gerald Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice
- Publisher: American Psychological Association
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: United States
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 3
- Editors: Lisa Miller and Len Sperry
Spiritual pathways to healing and recovery: An intensive single-N study of an eating disorder patient
- Authors: Lea, Troy; Richards, P. Scott; Sanders, Peter W.; McBride, Jason A; Allen, Gerald Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice
- Publisher: American Psychological Association
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: United States
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 3
- Editors: Lisa Miller and Len Sperry
Spiritual Pathways to Healing and Recovery: An Intensive Single-N Study of an Eating Disorder Patient
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Type: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000085
- Publication Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice
- Publisher: American Psychological Association
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: U.S.
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 3
- Editors: Lisa Miller
- Abstract: click to view
Collectivistic Coping Strategies for Distress Among Polynesian Americans
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Type: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000039
- Publication Journal: Psychological Services
- Publisher: American Psychological Association
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: U.S.
- Volume: 12
- Issue: 3
- Abstract: click to view
Bringing Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapies Into the Health Care Mainstream: A Call for Worldwide Collaboration
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Type: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000082
- Publication Journal: Spirituality in Clinical Practice
- Publisher: American Psychological Association
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: U.S.
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 3
- Abstract: click to view
Intrinsic religiousness and spirituality as predictors of mental health and positive psychological functioning in Latter-day Saint Adolescents and young adults
- Authors: Sanders, Peter W; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Fischer, Lane; Richards, Phillip S; Morgan, David T; Potts, Richard W
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Journal: Journal of Religion and Health
- Publisher: Springer Science+Business Media
- City: New York
- Country: USA
Examining legalism, scrupulosity, family perfectionism, and psychological adjustment among LDS individuals
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika
- Publication Date: 2015
- Publication Journal: Mental Health, Religion & Culture
- Publisher: Routledge
- City: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
- Country: UK
- Abstract: click to view
Exploring Perceived Attitudes of Counseling between LDS Religious Leaders and Mental Health Therapists
- Authors: Allen, G. E. Kawika
- Publication Date: 2014
- Publication Journal: Issues in religion and psychotherapy
- Volume: 36
- Abstract: click to view
Examining aspects of religiosity, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and well-being among LDS individuals
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika
- Publication Date: 2013
- Publication Journal: Journal of Religion and Spirituality
- Publisher: Division 36 (APA) Society of Religion and Spirituality
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: USA
- Volume: Pending
- Issue: Pending
Religiosity, coping, and psychological well-being among Latter-Day Saint Polynesians in the U.S
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika
- Publication Date: 2011
- Publication Journal: Asian American Journal of Psychology
- Publisher: Asian American Journal of Psychology
- City: Washington, DC
- Country: USA
- Volume: 2, 1
Investigating religious commitment, perceived religious oppression, self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction among Latter-day Saint women
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika; Ming, Mason; Hyde, Steven; Bozzelli, Andrew; Rodgers, Greg; Sagebin, Fabio M; Thompson, Michael
- Publication Date: 2023
- Publication Journal: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health
- Publisher: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health
Intersecting identities: A look at how ethnic identity interacts with science identity in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.
- Authors: Greenall, Rebeka F; de Alba, J. G. ; Nichols, S; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Bailey, Elizabeth Gibbons
- Publication Date: 2023
- Publication Journal: Life Sciences Education
- Publisher: CBE-Life Sciences Education
- Volume: 22
- Issue: 4
Perceptions and barriers about mental health services among Pacific Islanders: An interpretative phonological analysis
- Authors: Cutrer, Elizabeth Ann; Miller, Erica Ellsworth; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Garrett, Melia Fonoimoana; Conklin, Hokulea D; Franklin, Cynthia; Norton, Abigail; Hee, Cameron W H; Coffey, Benjamin K.
- Publication Date: 2023
- Publication Journal: Journal of Counseling Psychology
Intersecting Identities: A look at how ethnic identity impacts science identity in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students
- Authors: Greenall, Rebeka F; Allen, Gerald Kawika; Nichols, Samara; Gaspar de Alba, Jose; Bailey, Elizabeth Gibbons
- Publication Date: 2023
- Publication Journal: CBE-Life Sciences Education
- Volume: 22
- Issue: 4
Investigating religious commitment, perceived religious oppression, self-esteem, depression, and life satisfaction among Latter-day Saint women
- Authors: Allen, Gerald Kawika; Ming, Mason; Hyde, Steven; Bozzelli, Andrew ; Rodgers, Greg; Sagebin, Fabio
- Publication Date: 2022
- Publication Journal: Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health