Rafael Okafor

Background

Rafael Okafor is on the faculty of the Department of Psychology and holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. Before Porter, Rafael consulted on selection and assessment for employers.

Rafael's research focuses on developmental psychology, with related work in clinical and counseling psychology; undergraduates are involved in the lab most terms.

Areas of expertise

• Developmental psychology
• Clinical and counseling psychology
• Undergraduate research and project mentoring

Teaching

Rafael regularly teaches courses in Psychology. Specific sections and syllabi are listed in the class schedule each term.

Courses lean on current problems from the field: students read recent work, reproduce a result or method, and then extend it. Rafael builds in low-stakes practice before graded work and gives written feedback on drafts.

Advising and office hours

Rafael advises students in the Psychology programs and holds weekly office hours during the fall and spring terms, posted on the office door and in the course pages. Prospective students are welcome to email to arrange a visit or a call.

Advising conversations usually cover course sequencing, whether to add a minor or a concentration, and how classroom work connects to internships, research, or graduate study. Students who are undecided are welcome; part of the job is helping them narrow things down.

Recent and representative work

Rafael's recent activity is a mix of peer-reviewed work, conference talks, and student-involved projects in developmental psychology and clinical and counseling psychology. Representative items:

• A peer-reviewed article on developmental psychology in a disciplinary journal.
• A conference paper on clinical and counseling psychology, co-authored with an undergraduate researcher.
• An internally funded project applying developmental psychology to a regional partner's problem.

Titles and venues here are illustrative. UW–Porter Falls is fictional; Rafael has no real publication record.

Get in touch

The fastest way to reach Rafael is email (rokafor@uwporterfalls.edu); messages during the fall and spring terms are usually answered within two business days. Prospective students and families can ask the Psychology department office to set up a call, a class visit, or a meeting during an admitted-student day.