Laura J. Summerfeldt is a registered clinical psychologist whose general area of research is personality and psychopathology, with specific focus upon obsessive-compulsive (OC) characteristics in nonclinical and clinical populations.

She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University. Her principal area of research, currently funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), examines basic dimensions that may underlie the many different types of OC symptoms, with a focus on "just right" experiences. Other research activities include collaborations on several studies related to OCD, including on its genetics and familial characteristics, and its links with the autism spectrum.

Dr. Summerfeldt's clinical activities are located at the Anxiety Treatment & Research Centre at St. Joseph's HealthCare in Hamilton, where she is involved in both research and treatment of OCD.

Thursday, October 26, 2006 Concurrent Sessions: 3:45 P.M. - 5:15 P.M.
Session 11 - Obsessions, Compulsions and Repetition: OCD and ASD, Shared Features and Causes