Babes-Bolyai University
The Platform for Advanced Imaging – MRI/EEG – in Clinical Cognitive Sciences
Who we are and what we do
Alina S. Rusu, PhD – Director executive of the Program
Alina S. Rusu is a Senior assistant professor, Ph.D., at the Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, an ethologist/biologist specialised in genetic counseling and animal-assisted therapy (including, animal assisted robotherapy). Afte the completion of her PhD in Natural Sciences at the University of Zurich (2004), she accomplished a postdoctoral training in evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy at the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health. Her research interests cover general areas such as evolutionary psychology, animal psychology, applied ethology, animal assisted therapy, behavioral analysis and psycho-physiology. Specifically, her research area includes several themes, such as: animal communication, human-animal interaction, social organization in relation to individual reproductive success in animals, human mate-choice strategies etc.
Team members:
Sebastian Pintea, PhD
Sebastian Pintea is a sociologist with a PhD in psychology and a postdoctoral degree in evidenced based psychotherapy. His domains of interest are research methodology and data analysis and entrepreneurial psychology.
Ioana Cristea, PhD Student
Ioana Cristea is a Ph.D. candidate Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca. She is currently completing an academic training in clinical cognitive neuroscience and imagistic methods of brain exploration at University of Pisa, Italy. Her research interests cover: (1) Emotional regulation strategies: links to psychopathology and neurobiological bases; (2) Combined fMRI-ERP analysis; (3) Mirror neurons; (4) Neurobiological basis of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy.
Oana Gavita, PhD Student
Bianca Macavei, PhD Student
Bianca Macavei is clinical psychologist and supervisor in cognitive behavioral psychotherapies, certified by the Romanian Board of Psychologists. She is assistant professor at the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Department, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and staff member in the “Babeş-Bolyai – PsyTech”. University Psychological Clinic. She is specialized in the empirically validated psychological intervention for adults, teenagers and children. The professional interest areas include: (1) Psychodiagnosis and treatment for (a) anxiety disorders, (b) mood disorders, (c) adjustment disorders; (2) Pre and post surgery psychological counseling; (3) Self development; (4) Health promotion by rational-emotive behavioral education; (4) Animal assisted cognitive behavioral intervention (focusing on depresion and anxiety disorders); (5) Pastoral/Spiritual counseling. Her research fields of interest are the following: (1) The impact of spiritual/religious beliefs on mental health; (2) The impact of human-animal interraction on spiritual value development, and (3) The function of human-animal interraction in cognitive restructuring.
Ramona Moldovan, PhD Student
Ramona Moldovan is a clinical psychologist, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and counselor. Her activities and interests rely to clinical psychology and psychotherapy, genetic counseling, evidence-based assessment and therapies, having extensive training in rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Vlad C. Muresan, PhD Student
Vlad C. Mureşan is currently a PhD student at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education. His scientific interests revolve around the field of evolutionary psychology, clinical psychology, and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Specifically, he is interested in the evolutionary explanations of psychopathology, happiness and mate selection on one hand, and computer aided psychotherapy, robotherapy, virtual reality, and internet based cognitive-behavioral interventions on the other hand.
David Opris, PhD Student
David Opriş is a researcher at the Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca and Phd. Student of the “Evidence-based psychological assessment and interventions” doctoral school from the same University. The professional interest areas include: (1) Asessment and treatment, including virtual reality technology, for anxiety disorders; (2) Optimization and self-development and (3) Health promotion by rational-emotive behavioral education. Research fields of interest are: (1) Functional and dysfunctional emotions; (2) Virtual Reality technologies use in psychopathology assesment and treatment, and (3) Psycho-physiological data use in virtual reality environment.
Simona Stefan, PhD Student
Simona Stefan is a PhD student at the Evidence- based psychological assessment and interventions Doctoral School, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeş – Bolyai University, Cluj – Napoca. Her thesis focuses on anxiety disorders and the way control related judgements are formed in this context. Specifically, Simona Stefan is interested in studying whether and to what extent certain behaviors and maladaptive coping mechanisms are maintained as a consequence of the illusory sense of control they engender. Recently, she became interested in topics related to evolutionary psychology, especially the evolutionary roots/basis of human behavior and disorders.