Dr. Pamela V. Thacher

Associate Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist

I attended The College of William and Mary for several years when I first started college, but dropped out just before they could kick me out (no worries, just bad grades, no shocking behavior). I worked for quite a while, then realized that a college degree would be extremely useful, and from then on got much better grades, so that instead of being a cautionary tale, I get to be a shining example. Anyway, I transferred to the University of Connecticut, where I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology. In 1993 and 1995 I earned the Master of Arts and my doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology (at UConn also).

I completed an NIMH postdoctoral fellowship in 1997 at Brown University, at the E.P. Bradley Hospital Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory. I also had a private practice, seeing sleep and anxiety patients at Rhode Island Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry. I accepted a full time position there as staff psychologist for one year, and then moved into a teaching position. I currently hold a license in clinical psychology in the state of New York and have a small private practice.

From 1999 to 2001, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bucknell University, and then came to St. Lawrence University in 2001. I fell in love with St. Lawrence when I visited and the love never stops! Although the winters were a bit of a reach for me I acclimated nicely and now even enjoy the winter, although I’ve had to put off my plans to be a Bi-athlete every winter thus far (cue laughter). Ah well. I’m still young yet.

I was promoted and earned tenure in 2007, and currently teach Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Psychology. My research interests include investigations about insomnia, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. In the area of sleep deprivation I focus especially on self-induced, chronic, partial sleep deprivation (the kind all of us seem to impose on ourselves!). Closely related to this is my interest in adolescent sleep patterns and how learning and well-being are affected by sleep deprivation and irregular sleep patterns.

Generally, I work with students primarily in the arenas of sleep and anxiety, particularly post-traumatic stress and its relationship to sleep and insomnia. Side interests include psychodynamic theory (Freud, in other words) and how psychodynamic thought continues to influence the practice and science of psychology today.

I’ve published articles recently in a variety of journals, including Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Chronobiology International, and Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. Currently I’m working on a longitudinal project with many current (and even former!) students, examining the effects of the change in school start times from earlier (start time 7:45 a.m.) to later (8:30 a.m.), to measure student academic achievement, student enrollment and truancy, and student well-being: past studies suggest that all of these domains show improvements after start times are delayed. This study is off-site, taking place at Glens Falls, NY, and I have many students helping me collect, examine, analyze, and write up the results – students are crucial to this project and I enjoy showing them how the skills they have acquired in their classes can be applied to real-world projects.

I have three boys – Eben (14), Charles (10), and Sam (8) – and a great husband, Brett; two large dogs, one guinea pig, and more dust bunnies than I can count. My hobbies are archery, biking, cross-country skiing, and, perhaps most importantly, reading apocalyptic literature and watching zombie movies. Someday we hope to own chickens.