Sue Motulsky
Professional Title: Associate Professor, Counseling and Psychology
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:
• Feminist relational development and psychology;
• Developmental Psychology and Cultural Psychology;
• Adult Development and Life/Career Transitions;
• Vocational Psychology and Career Counseling, including relational career decision-making and midlife transition;
• Women’s, racial-cultural, and sexual orientation identity development;
• Issues of gender, LGBT, multiculturalism and social justice and their integration into counselor education and practice;
• Qualitative research—including narrative, constructivist, feminist and relational methods and analysis;
• Counselor education and student development
Area of Work and Concentration at Lesley: Counseling Psychology Education, Developmental Psychology, Career Counseling and Vocational Development, Qualitative Research
Representative List of Recent Courses Taught:
• Vocational Development and Career Counseling
• Developmental Psychology across the Lifespan
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
• Orientation to Professional Psychology
• Professional Integrative Seminar
• Psychology of Girls and Women
• Adult Development,
• Career Exploration and Decision Making
Education: B.A., Indiana University, English; M.A., Boston University, English Literature; Ed.D., Harvard University, Human Development and Psychology; C.A.S., Harvard University, Culture, Gender, and Relational Development
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:
Motulsky, S.L. (2010). Relational processes in career transition: Extending theory, research and practice. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(8), 1078-1114.
Reinkraut, R., Motulsky, S.L., & Ritchie, J. (2009). Developing a competent practitioner: Use of self in Counseling Psychology training. Asian Journal of Counseling, 16(1), 7-30.
Fun Facts: Leisure interests include perennial and landscape gardening; British social history, garden history, literature and travel; swing and two-step dancing. Former careers include certified sign language interpreter, Deaf-Blind interpreter and trainer, and disability rights advocate.
Sue’s teaching, writing, and research interests are in developmental and relational psychology, including adult development, cultural psychology, gender issues and women’s psychology, identity and relational development, and career counseling and vocational development. She is interested in qualitative and narrative research and its use in exploring the ways individuals make meaning of their experiences and their sense of self. She maintains a private practice in career counseling and has an extensive background in career development and transition in university, community, and human services settings. She is interested in student development and offers optional transition to graduate school support groups for students. Sue’s approach to teaching and counseling is based on the relational definition of a healthy psychological self as being in connection with the self, with others, and with the world.
Research interests include feminist, relational psychology, multicultural, disability and gay/lesbian studies, identity development, adult and career development and life/career transitions, and qualitative, constructivist and narrative research.