Tegan Smischney

Job Title

Adjunct Instructor
Psychology (B.A.), College of Adult and Professional Studies

Highlight

Dr. Smischney is an Adjunct Instructor in Psychology at Bethel University in the College of Adult & Professional Studies. Dr. Smischney is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of MN and is passionate about helping others reach their highest potential.

Started at Bethel

2025

Education

Bethel University - B.A. Psychology, 2007
Saint Mary's University - M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy, 2011
Michigan State University - PhD. Human Development and Family Studies, 2016
Eastern University - M.S. Data Science, Anticipated 2026

Biography

Dr. Tegan Smischney earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Bethel University and went on to complete a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Minnesota and works in outpatient care at Crestpoint Wellness in Saint Paul. Dr. Smischney also holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Data Science.

Dr. Smischney is deeply committed to helping others achieve their highest potential, both academically and emotionally. Her research interests include the impact of cyberbullying on mental health, suicide prevention among Active Duty Service members through her contract work with the Department of Defense, and the influence of communication regarding ethical non-monogamous relationships on mental health.

Courses Taught

Introduction to Statistics; Human Development; Introduction to Psychology; Human Sexuality; Individual Marriage & The Family

Publications

Shechter, O. G., Ho, T. E., Osborn, M., Wortman, J. A., Schneider, K. G., Van Trieste, G. M., Daniel, S. M., Caramagno, J. P., Schwerin, M. J., Smischney, T. M., Carlisle, B. L., & Williams, K. H. (2017, August). Survey of Postvention and Bereavement Needs of Survivors of Military Suicide Loss. Presented at the DoD/VA Suicide Prevention Conference, Denver, CO.

Schneider, K. G., Osborn, M., Ho, T. E., Hesse, C. M., Smischney, T. M., Carlisle, B. L., Schwerin, M. J., Shechter, O. G., & Williams, K. H. (2017, August). Mental Health and Help Seeking in the U.S. Military: Insights from Focus Groups with Gatekeepers. Presented at the DoD/VA Suicide Prevention Conference, Denver, CO.

Ho, T. E., Schneider, K. G., Smischney, T. M., Carlisle, B. L., Schwerin, M. J., Hesse, C. M., Osborn, M., Shechter, O. G., Williams, K. G., Williams, K. H., & Walsh, A. (2017, August). Perceived Barriers to Seeking Support for Suicidal Ideation or Suicide Attempt among Active Duty Service Members. Presented at the DoD/VA Suicide Prevention Conference, Denver, CO.

Smischney, T., Smreker, K., Alhabash, S., & Young, R. Curbing the Effects of Cyberbullying: How Celebrity Gender and Attractiveness Affect Evaluations and Behavioral Intentions of Anti-cyberbullying Facebook Posts. Paper Presentation at the 65th Annual ICA Conference, “Communication across the Life Span." May 21-26th, 2015

Smischney, T. Family Resilience: Adolescent Bully Victimization and Depression. Poster Presentation at the 6th Annual MSU Graduate Academic Conference. March 27, 2014.

Smischney, T. Effects of Gender Violence Prevention Training in Religious Men at an Evangelical University. Poster Presentation at the Michigan Marriage and Family Therapy Annual Conference. October 5, 2012.

Jankowski, P., Johnson, A. & Smischney, T. Religiosity, intolerant attitudes, and domestic violence myth acceptance. Poster Presentation at the 2010 American Psychological

Smischney, T. & Worch, S. The Impact of Apologies on Social Aggression. Poster Presentation at the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference. May 14, 2007.

Presentations

Journal Articles

Alhabash, S., Smischney, T. M., Suneja, A., Nimmagadda, A., & White, L. R. (2024). So Similar, Yet So Different: How Motivations to Use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Predict Problematic Use and Use Continuance Intentions. Sage Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255426

Gliske, K., Richards, A., Smischney, T., & Borden, L.M. (2019). Mindfulness strategies: Supporting military parents during reintegration. Mindfulness. DOI: 10.1007/s12671-019-01156-0

Smischney, T. M., Roberts, M.A., Borden, L.M., & Perkins, D.F. (2018). Developing youth competencies: The impact of program quality. Journal of Youth Development, 13(4), 29-48.

Jankowski, P. J., Johnson, A. J., Holtz Damron, J. E., & Smischney, T. (2011). Religiosity, intolerant attitudes, and domestic violence myth acceptance. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21(3), 163-182

Research Briefs

Ho, T. E., Schneider, K. G., Wortman, J. A., Beneda, J. G., Osborn, M., Smischney, T. M., Schwerin, M. J.,… Daniel, S. M. (2017). Postvention in the U.S. Military: Survey of Survivors of Suicide Loss from 2010-2014. Monterey, CA: Defense Personnel and Security Research Center/Office of People Analytics.

Ho, T. E., Hesse, C. M., Osborn, M., Schneider, K. G., Smischney, T. M., Carlisle, B. L.,.Shechter, O. G. (2018). Mental Health and Help-Seeking in the U.S. Military: Survey and Focus Group Findings. Monterey, CA: Defense Personnel and Security Research Center/Office of People Analytics.

Mischel, E., Smischney, T., Lu, Z., Otto, M., Schroeder, B., Root, H., . . . Borden, L. (2017). Child maltreatment in the military: Understanding the research. Saint Paul, MN. University of Minnesota.

Richmond, A., Mischel, E., Smischney, T., Lu, Z., Root, H., Otto, M., . . . Borden, L. M. (2017). Military Spouse Licensure Portability Examination. Saint Paul, MN. University of Minnesota.

Richmond, A., Smischney, T., Gliske, K., Otto, M., Otto, A., Schroeder, B., . . . Borden, L. (2017). Mindfulness: Applications to military families. Saint Paul, MN. University of Minnesota.

Wortman, J., Hesse, C. M., Smischney, T., Reynolds, B., & Rose, A. (2017). An evaluation of publicly available social media information for personnel security background investigations and continuous evaluation. Monterey, CA: Defense Personnel and Security Research Center/Office of People Analytics.

Rose, A. E., Hesse, C. M., Laverty, P. B., Smischney, T. M. (2017). Using social media information to help assess suitability for military service. Monterey, CA: Defense Personnel and Security Research Center/Office of People Analytics.

Online Policy Briefs

Smischney, T. M., Chrisler, A., & Villarruel, F. A. (2014). Risk Factors for Adolescent Suicide [PDF]. Retrieved from The REACH military families website https://reachmilitaryfamilies.umn.edu/sites/default/files/rdoc/Adolescent%20Suicide.pdf

Chrisler, A., Smischney, T. M., & Villarruel, F. A. (2014). Promoting Positive Development of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth [PDF]. Retrieved from The REACH military families website https://reachmilitaryfamilies.umn.edu/sites/default/files/rdoc/Adolescent%20Suicide.pdf

Certificates and Licenses

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist MN; Star Behavioral Health Tier I Provider

Professional Organizations, Committees, and Boards

American Psychological Association Member - Division 19: Society for Military Psychology; Military Operations Research Symposium (MORS)

Hobbies and Interests

Gardening, research, hiking, spending time with her family and Golden Retriever Finn

Areas of expertise

Mental Health; Cyberbullying; Suicide Prevention

Research interests

Military research; Suicide Prevention; Mental Health; Cyberbullying; Social Media; Ethical Non-monogamy

Teaching specialty

Psychology; Human Development; Statistics; Family Studies; Psychopathology