Faculty

Our professors are distinguished scholars, active researchers, published writers, and faithful Christians who demonstrate what it means to be both Christ-followers and leaders in their academic fields. As mentors and role models, they play a huge role in the integration of faith and learning at Bethel.

Department chair

Sherryse Corrow

Professor of Psychology | shc62369@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2017

Dr. Corrow received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in child psychology with an emphasis in cognitive neuroscience from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She also completed four years of postdoctoral training in neuroscience (emphasis in neurology/ophthalmology and visual sciences) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Sherryse teaches courses pertaining to cogniti. . . read more.

Faculty

Rachel Anderson

Associate Professor of Psychology | rm-anderson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2019

Dr. Anderson received her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Biology from Hamline University and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Iowa. She also completed postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research interests include how chronic stress and cortisol influence learning, cognition, and decision making. She has recently been conducting research on how stressful experiences can turn adaptive risk taking behaviors into avoidance . . . read more.

Joel Frederickson

Professor of Psychology | frejoe@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1996

Frederickson's research interests include the psychological impact of apologies and how students change over four years from participating in college. This includes changes in cognition, beliefs, and spirituality.

Anna Johnson

Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences | ae-johnson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2025

Johnson is a developmental psychologist who studies the development of emotion, stress, and self-regulation throughout the lifespan. Her research aims to identify psychological and biological factors that support resilience for children, adolescents, caregivers, and communities.

Ruth Nelson

Professor of Psychology | rnelson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2001

Nelson's research interests focus on inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the church, the provision of accessible, safe responses to women of faith with disabilities experiencing intimate partner violence and postsecondary academic support to multilingual students.

Angela Sabates

Professor of Psychology | a-sabates@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2003

Dr. Sabates' research interests are broadly related to social perception and inter-group relations. For example, her research has focused on the possible connections between hyper-masculinity bias and endorsement of negative social attitudes, factors related to some Christians' anti-Muslim attitudes, the relationship between self-perception and degree of religious affiliation, and differing moral preferences of college majors. She is also interested in how Christian perspectives are relate. . . read more.

Gretchen Wrobel

University Professor of Psychology | g-wrobel@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1988

Wrobel conducts research on curiosity as it affects relationships in adoption, including the adopted person, adoptive parents, and birth parents.

Adjunct faculty

Amy Bianchi-Ross

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology | amb94568@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology

Brenna Keefe

Adjunct Instructor of Human Services | brk83329@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2023

Adjunct Instructor of Human Services

Alicia Ochs

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology | a-ochs@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2023

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology

Kathlene Scholljegerdes

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology | kscholl@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1998

Dr. Scholljegerdes completed her masters degree in counseling psychology from Bethel and then graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a doctorate in counseling psychology. After working at Bethel for over 16 years, she was a staff psychologist at two Veterans Affairs hospitals. She provided psychotherapy for patients, focusing on trauma, and facilitated training for medical staff. Prior to working at the VA, she had an extensive background in career development and worked in human . . . read more.

Bailey Thompson

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology | bailey-a-thompson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2022

Adjunct Instructor of Psychology

Shatera Thorson

Adjunct Instructor of Psychological Sciences | s-thorson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Shatera is a Marriage and Family Therapist and adjunct instructor at Bethel University. She specializes in treating clients who have experienced trauma and enjoys integrating her experiences as a clinician into the classroom setting.

Emeritus/emerita faculty

Linde Getahun

Associate Professor of Psychology Emerita | getlin@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1994

Associate Professor of Psychology Emerita

Lucie Johnson

Professor of Psychology Emerita | johluc@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1980

Professor of Psychology Emerita

Andy Johnson

Associate Professor of Psychology Emeritus | ajohnson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1995

Dr. Andy Johnson's research interests include religion and gender violence. He edited the volume "Religion and Men's Violence Against Women."

James Koch

Professor of Psychology Emeritus | je-koch@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1984

Professor of Psychology Emeritus

Jason Li

Professor of Psychology Emeritus | j-li@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1985

Li focuses his research on cross-cultural and multi-cultural competence in counseling. He also has a passion for exploring the integration of psychological and Christian perspectives in counseling.

Steven McNeel

Professor of Psychology Emeritus | mcnste@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1978

Professor of Psychology Emeritus

Katherine Nevins

Professor of Psychology Emerita | k-nevins@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1981

Nevins focuses her research on college student development, women's lives and choices, strategies for improving teaching and learning, and conflict resolution.

Carole Young

Dean of Natural and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology Emerita | youcar@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1990

Young focuses her research on the processes of retrieving knowledge from semantic memory. Specifically, she looks at what retrieval strategies people use and how metacognitive factors influence the choice of strategies.