Nisha Gupta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
678-839-0698
ngupta@west ga.edu
Melson Hall - Room 205
Office Hours
By appointment
DR. NISHA GUPTA is an associate professor of psychology at the University of West Georgia, an arts-based phenomenological researcher, a psychotherapist, and creativity scholar. Her work as a researcher, artist, therapist, and educator seeks to embrace the creative process as a vehicle for evoking empathic understanding, fostering joy and well-being, and building beloved community. Nisha has a developed an innovative research method for psychology called "arts-based phenomenological research," which involves conducting qualitative research about people's psychological experiences, and then disseminating the research findings to the public as art (filmmaking, painting, poetry, music) for psychoeducation and community healing. At the University of West Georgia, she founded the "Phenomenological Art Collective" a research lab through which she teaches students her arts-based phenomenological research method. She also facilitates art therapy workshops for community organizations using her arts-based phenomenological method.
Trained as a clinical psychologist, Nisha is also a private practice psychotherapist. She offers individual and couples counseling for clients of diverse backgrounds and identities. She integrates psychodynamic, internal family systems, Jungian, mindfulness, and liberation psychotherapy approaches to provide culturally-sensitive, insight-oriented, trauma-informed therapy for clients. Nisha received her education at New York University (M.A.) and Duquesne University (Ph.D.), and has a background in the advertising industry prior to her career in psychology.
- B.S., Psychology and Communications, New York University, 2006
- MA, Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, New York University, 2012
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Duquesne University, 2018
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science)
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology)
- PSYC-4010 (Theories of Psychology)
- PSYC-4085C (Psychobiography)
- PSYC-4350 (Culture and Psychology)
- PSYC-4500 (Explorations into Creativity)
- PSYC-4884 (Integrative Seminar)
- PSYC-5500 (Explorations into Creativity)
- PSYC-6021 (Psychology as Human Science)
- PSYC-6881 (Arts-Based Research Lab)
- PSYC-6887 (Practicum: Human Resources)
- PSYC-6899 (Thesis)
- PSYC-7810 (Explorations into Creativity)
- PSYC-7810A (Explorations into Creativity)
- PSYC-7810B (Liberation Psychology)
- PSYC-7810D (Presenting Research)
- PSYC-8581 (Arts-based Research in Psych)
Spring 2025 Sections
- PSYC-4085C (Healthy Conflict-Resolution) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4884 (Integrative Seminar) Section: 03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810D (Explorations in Creativity) Section: 04 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2024 Sections
- PSYC-6021 (Psychology as Human Science) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-6887 (Pract:FamilyCommunityMentalHea) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810A (Research Workshop- Presenting) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Phenomenological Research) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2024 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4010 (Theories of Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4085C (Psychobiography) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2024 Sections
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4884 (Integrative Seminar) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-6887 (Practicum: Human Resources) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810B (Liberation Psychology) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (HermeneuticPhenomenologicRsrch) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2023 Sections
- PSYC-4500 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810A (Research Workshop- Presenting) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Dissertation Hours) Section: N02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Dissertation Hours) Section: N01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (HermeneuticPhenomenologic Rsch) Section: E04 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Dissertation Hours) Section: N03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Dissertation Hours) Section: N04 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2023 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4010 (Theories of Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2023 Sections
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4884 (Integrative Seminar) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-5500 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Art Therapy) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2022 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4500 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-6881 (Sociocultural Praxis) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810D (Presenting Research) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2022 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4010 (Theories of Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2022 Sections
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4500 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Arts Based Research) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2021 Sections
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-6881 (Arts-Based Research Lab) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810 (Research Workshop 2) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: 03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Arts-Based Research) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-8581 (Arts-based Research in Psych) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2021 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4010 (Theories of Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2021 Sections
- PSYC-3730 (Social Psychology) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4500 (Explorations into Creativity) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-6899 (Thesis) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810A (Research Workshop) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2020 Sections
- PSYC-2010 (Psychology as a Human Science) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-4350 (Culture and Psychology) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- PSYC-7810A (Explorations into Creativity) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Gupta, N. and Zieske, C. (2024): Arts based phenomenological research: Theory and praxis. Qualitative Psychology.
Head, JC; Gupta, N; Korobov, N. (2023). Reflecting back and imagining forward: Qualitative inquiry in psychology at the dawn of a new era. Qualitative Psychology.
Gupta, N. (2020). Teaching phenomenological research as a method of therapeutic art-making: A Covid-19 case study. Qualitative Methods in Psychology Bulletin: Special issue on creative and multimodal approaches to Qualitative Research, Issue 30 Autumn 2020
Gupta, N. (2020). Singing away the social distancing blues: Art therapy in a time of coronavirus. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology; Special issue on COVID-19. Onlinefirst.
Gupta, N. (2018). Stories of faith, stories of humanity: Fusing phenomenological research with digital storytelling to facilitate interfaith empathy. Qualitative Research in Psychology. DOI: 10.1080/14780887.2018.1442705
Gupta, N. (2017). Exploring the schizoid defense of the closet through the existential-phenomenology of R.D. Laing. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 5(2), 170-189.
Gupta, N. (2015). The cinematic chiasm: Evoking societal empathy through the phenomenological language of film. Janus Head: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature, Continental Philosophy, Phenomenological Psychology, and the Arts, 14(2), 35-48.