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Jacob Sawyer

Dr. Jacob Sawyer

Specialization

Counseling Psychology

Courses Taught

PSY 300 - Research Methods in Psychology

PSY 303 - Psychopathology

Research Interests

My research focuses on grief, loss, and resilience. I am particularly interested in promoting grief literacy in individuals, organizations, and communities (i.e., knowledge and skills that foster compassionate, informed responses to loss). Recent projects include examining associations between peer support, bereavement status, and university belongingness, as well as developing and initially validating a scale to assess perceived ability to engage with bereaved individuals.

Publications

Sawyer, J. S. (2024). Grief and bereavement beliefs and their associations with death anxiety and complicated grief in a sample of U. S. college students. Death Studies. Advance online publication. 

 

Sawyer, J. S. & Moore, A. N. (2022). Coping methods and college adjustment in a sample of U.S. undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of American College Health. 72(8), 2348-2351. 

 

Sawyer, J. S., Wilner, L. L., & Ertl, M. M. (2022). Grief and bereavement beliefs among U. S. mental health professionals and the general public. Death Studies, 46(10), 2346-2353. 

 

Sawyer, J. S. (accepted, pre-publication). Counseling nonreligious clients experiencing grief. In D. M. Abbott (Ed.), Culturally Responsive Mental Health Practices with Secular Clients. Rowman & Littlefield.

Page last modified July 21, 2026