Education

2002 Emory University, B.A.
2004 University of Georgia, M.Ed. 
2013 University of South Florida, Ph.D. 

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Courses Taught

Inquiry into Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Behavior Modification
Psychological Assessment
Abnormal Psychology
Careers in Psychology

Career Specialties

Elzy is a clinical psychologist with research interests focusing on social and emotional influences that lead to mental health disorders, as well as coping strategies that may protect against the development of these disorders. Her passion is utilizing her clinical and research experiences in combination with high-impact teaching practices to teach and train our upcoming generations of mental health providers.  

Professional and Community Activities

Elzy's current research projects include the development and evaluation of an after-school club for early adolescents targeting healthy social and emotional development through self-identity development and self-awareness; an animal-assisted interaction evaluation study with Honey’s Mini Adventures; an investigation into social media self-presentation, emotional invalidation and emotional distress in college students; and the connection between maladaptive perfectionism and perceptions of emotional invalidation in college athletes.

Elzy enjoys collaborating with undergraduate students in these research endeavors and is frequently supervising students pursuing their own research questions that connect to her line of research. She is also passionate about community-based research with direct application to improving coping skills among populations at risk of mental health problems.

Honors and Awards

2023 Excellence in Scholarship and Research Award, The University of Tampa, College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education
2022 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, The University of Tampa
2022 Outstanding Undergraduate Mentorship Award, The University of Tampa, College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education
2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, University of South Carolina Aiken
2016 Early Career Research Award, Southeastern Psychological Association