Two Persons Walking on a Grassy Field.
Image by Kat Smith from Pexels.
FEELINGS MATTER.
ACTIVE STUDIES (AVAILABLE NOW!)
Well-being across the lifespan
>> CLICK HERE <<
End date: December 31, 2026
REB #17559
ABOUT THE LAB
The EHRL brings together a number of researchers interested in studying the development of emotional and social abilities (ESAs), as well as the relationship between ESAs and mental and physical health. The EHRL has several broad goals. The first is to promote research activities that may extend current knowledge about ESAs and health and wellness. We are particularly interested in work on the assessment of key constructs in this area (i.e., “alexithymia”, “emotional intelligence”, and “personal intelligence”). A second goal is to help train new researchers, educators and health care professionals. The third goal is to promote knowledge about ESAs among educators, health care professionals, and the general public. Relevant activities for this goal include publications in journals, presentations at academic meetings, articles in non-academic sources, and informal presentations to community or professional groups.
OUR WORK
OUR GRADUATE RESEARCHERS
A. Geoffrey Crane, MSc, PMP
PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate
GEOFF left a career in investment banking technology to pursue interests in psychology. Joining the lab in 2014 during his undergraduate degree, he stayed to complete a Master's in Applied Modelling and Quantitative Methods for which he won the President's Medal. Geoff has most recently joined Trent's Interdisciplinary Social Research (IDSR) program where has begun to focus on the personal intelligence construct and its implications for training and development.
Holly Kristensen, MSc
PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate
HOLLY completed her Master’s in the AMOD program at Trent University under the supervision of Dr. James Parker. She has recently rejoined the lab as a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology, where her research explores the relationship between emotional intelligence and ADHD symptoms in adolescents and young adults. Her work focuses on how emotional skills foster resilience, well-being, and adaptive functioning.
Colin Henning, MSc
PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate
COLIN joined the Emotion and Health Research Laboratory (EHRL) in 2018 as a practicum student during the third year of his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and has been an active member of the lab ever since. Colin's research uses advanced statistical modelling techniques to evaluate psychometric tools, including measures of trait emotional intelligence, and examines relationships between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a variety of life success variables in adults.
Samantha van Rens, MSc
PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate
SAM completed her undergraduate degree at Trent in 2017 and returned in 2021 to complete her Master’s in the Applied Modelling and Quantitative Methods program, under the supervision of Dr. Parker. She is now working towards her PhD in Psychology. Her research interests include personality, test development, and various outcomes related to emotional, social, and motivational competencies.
Alyssa Steggal, BScH
MSc Candidate
MSc Candidate
ALYSSA completed her undergraduate degree at Carleton in 2025 and has since begun her MSc in Psychology. Her research interests include examining how specific facets of emotional intelligence (EI) are associated with maladaptive coping mechanisms, including substance use. After completing her master's degree, Alyssa intends to pursue a clinical PhD in the field of health psychology.
Maaike van Benthem, BScH
MSc Candidate
MSc Candidate
MAAIKE joined the Emotion and Health Laboratory in 2022 as a thesis student during the final year of her Bachelor of Science in Philosophy and Psychology. Maaike's research interests include structural equation modelling (SEM) as well as the multidimensional constructs of alexithymia, generativity, and schizotypy (or more specifically, absorption).
OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (2025-2026)
Honours Thesis Students
Ava Chartrand
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
AVA is a fourth-year Honours B.A. Psychology student with research interests in mental health and emotional well-being. She plans to pursue a Master’s in Psychotherapy next year. When she’s not studying or researching with a coffee in hand, she can be found at the gym or spending time with friends.
Mary Danylyshyn
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
Mary is an honours thesis student pursuing a BScH in Biology and Psychology. Her research focuses on strengthening emotional intelligence through psychoeducational training. She hopes to pursue a MSc in psychotherapy. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends and relaxing with a good book.
Clarabel Glasbergen
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
CLARABEL is an undergraduate thesis student currently completing her BScH in Psychology and Forensic Science. She is focusing on alexithymia's ability to predict social dominance orientation and generativity. She hopes to pursue a Master's in psychology. She enjoys reading and crocheting with her roommates.
Hannah Kelpin
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
HANNAH is currently in her 5th year, working on her honours BA in psychology, specializing in developmental psychology. She is looking into the university experiences of neurodiverse students with ADHD and aims to pursue a Master's to eventually work in the juvenile detention system helping neurodiverse adolescents.
Alexa Ouellette
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
ALEXA is an Honours Thesis student currently completing her B.A. in Psychology, with specializations in Health and Well-Being, and Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience. Her thesis focuses on assessing the psychometric properties of the Coping With Health and Injury Problem Scale (CHIP).
Ashley Watson
BScH Candidate
BScH Candidate
ASHLEY is an honours thesis student currently completing her BA in Forensic Science and Psychology. Her research focuses on how personal intelligence and trait emotional intelligence, predict relationship satisfaction in romantic couples. She plans to complete her masters in forensic psychology.
OUR ALUMNI
Yelnura Autalipova
PhD, 2025
Jeremy Barr
MSc, 2025
Amy van Elswyk
MSc, 2025
Penelope Chatila
BScH, 2025
Brenda Kimberley
BScH, 2025
Milo Ogar
BScH, 2025
Elora Singer
BScH, 2025
Jordan Wills
BScH, 2025
Shanzay Afzal
BScH, 2024
Havanha Bondi
BScH, 2024
Lucas Geeves
BScH, 2024
Kayla Carman
BScH, 2023
Amanda Gauthier
BScH, 2023
Jacob Persi
BScH, 2023
Gah-Lee Won
BScH, 2023
LAB UPDATES ON 
ABOUT DR. PARKER
Dr. James D.A. Parker is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University (Ontario, Canada). He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from York University (Ontario) in 1991, and from 1991 to 1994 was a research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He held the Canada Research Chair in Emotion and Health at Trent University from 2002 to 2012.
Professor Parker has published over 200 journal articles and book chapters on a diverse range of topics connected to alexithymia, coping, emotional intelligence, personality and wellness. He is co-author of Disorders of Affect Regulation (1997) from Cambridge University Press, the co-editor of the Handbook of Emotional Intelligence (2000) published by Jossey-Bass, the co-editor of Assessing Emotional Intelligence (2009) published by Springer, and the co-editor of Emotional Intelligence in Education (2018) also published by Springer.
Professor Parker also co-developed several widely used assessment tools in the alexithymia, coping and emotional intelligence areas, such as the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems Scale (CHIP), and the Youth Version of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi:YV), all published by Multi-Health Systems. He is co-author of the twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research in 1994—the most widely used measure of alexithymia in the field.
CHALLENGE THE WAY YOU THINK
Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.
Trent University
Peterborough Campus
1600 West Bank Drive
Peterborough, ON Canada, K9L 0G2
Emotion and Health Research Laboratory
LHS/DNA C133, Department of Psychology
(705) 748-1011 x7644