Alvin Ronald Seifert

Visiting Faculty, School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

Summary of Education and Relevant Experience

B.A., Iowa Wesleyan College; Ph.D., University of Tennessee.
Ron Seifert is a licensed psychologist and a professor of health psychology, with over 30 years of combined clinical, research and teaching experience. After earning an Honorable Discharge from the Navy, Seifert went on to receive a doctorate in physiological psychology. Seifert is an expert in behavior theory research and applications, having done extensive and innovative work in clinical settings and designing his own programs and research measures. He designed and published the original control study demonstrating reduction of epileptic seizures following EEG biofeedback training. A significant piece of his career focus continues to be the work with complex neurodevelopmentally and behaviorally disordered children, using a neuroscientific approach.

Before coming to Antioch, Seifert was an Adjunct Professor at Bastyr University and taught at numerous doctoral and undergraduate programs, public education, as well as international and national peer-professional workshops. He is currently a Co-Founder and Director of the Glen Eden Institutes, a private non-public program for neurodevelopmentally effected students. On numerous occasions, Seifert served as an expert witness in legal proceedings for involuntary hospitalization, competency, neurodevelopmental placement and divorce.

Affiliations

Selected Publications

Seifert, A.R. "A Neurological Model for Understanding Pain, Fear, Anxiety, and Stress." Proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Biofeedback Society, 1997.

Seifert, A.R. "Fear Conditioning: A Common Pathway of Pain, Anxiety, and Stress?" Proceedings of the International Congress on Stress and Health, 1996.

Seifert, A.R. "A model for understanding stress: Fear conditioning and the theory of learned nonuse." Proceedings of Fifth International Congress, ISMA, 1995.

Carlson, J.G., Seifert, A.R., and Birbaumer, N., Eds. Clinical Applied Psychophysiology. Plenum Publishing Corporation: New York, 1994.

Numan, R., Seifert, A.R., & lubar, J.F. "Effects of medio-cortical frontal lesions of DRL performance in the rat." Physiological Psychology, 1975.

Professional Presentations

Models and Measurements in Stress and Coping, a thematic session. (Chair) A. Ronald Seifert, The International Congress on Stress and Health, Sydney, Australia, Oct. 5 to 8, 1996.

How Functions can Effect Structure: A Case for Learned Nonuse Theory in Pain and Anxiety. A Keynote Address. The 20th Anniversary Meeting of the Biofeedback Society of Texas. San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 15, 1994.

Overcoming Learned Nonuse. Breakfast with An Expert, Twenty Fifth Annual Meeting, The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Atlanta, Georgia, March 7, 1994.

Awards and Recognition

Plaque for Contribution to the Biofeedback Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 16, 1994

Presidential Award, Association for Applied Psychology and Biofeedback, March 22, 1992

Recognition for Exceptional Contributions, Biofeedback Certification, Institute of America, December 1992

Sophia University, Visiting Scientist Fellowship, 1991

Professional Service

Biofeedback Society of Florida, first president and co-founding member
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, member
Florida Epilepsy Foundation, vice-president
Behavioral Physiology Institutes, dean
Japan Society of Biofeedback Research, keynote invited speaker and consultant
Behavioral Institute of Atlanta, Inc, senior partner
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (formerly Biofeedback and Self-Regulation), board member, chair of 1983 annual meeting
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (formerly Biofeedback and Self-Regulation), associate-editor

Behavior Therapy, reviewer
British Journal of Clinical Psychology, reviewer
Sleep, reviewer

On Area of Interest

"Of primary concern is the interplay between the factors of human existence, not only the cognitive, that affect our health and well-being. Most recently this includes the incorporation of the accumulating research of epigenetics. My interest is that the field of psychology brings its theory and clinical application to be more consistent with contemporary conceptualization and the science of the mind and body, nature and nurture, rather than mind or body, and nature or nurture. Because of its complex history of theory and experimentation, I believe psychology has a unique opportunity to integrate the many variables that affect human function."

Contact Information

School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy
206-268-4810
E-mail