Dissertation/Directed Awards

The Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology (FRP) is sponsoring its Annual Dissertation/Directed Study Awards. The aims of these Awards are to promote research in the field of Rehabilitation Psychology, recognize excellence in Doctoral level research, and help defray costs associated with these research endeavors.

FRP recognizes that there are many costs associated with dissertation and directed study research, including data collection, data analyses, publication costs, books, travel, and the student’s time. To meet this end, winners of the Award will receive a $2,000 Award from FRP. Applicants who have dissertation costs more than $2,000 may submit a budget for additional needs-based funding of $1,000 (see instructions for details). Submission of a budget is not required for the $2,000 award. Applicants who present their dissertation research at a future Division 22/ABRP mid-year conference will also receive a $500 travel stipend.

One of the awards will be the annual Leonard Diller Dissertation Award in Neurorehabilitation.

Through the generosity of the Diller family, FRP has established the Leonard Diller Fund in honor of Dr. Diller, a founder of American neurorehabilitation and a leader among clinicians who did not accept that impairments following acquired brain injuries were permanent and irremediable. A dissertation deserving of this award will reflect the principles of neurorehabilitation as advanced by Dr. Diller.

Applicants are eligible for a $2,000 award, to be used at the awardee’s discretion.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be doctoral students (PhD or PsyD) of psychology (rehabilitation, clinical, counseling, health, developmental, neuropsychology and other related programs) or disability studies in good standing with their university at an accredited program located in the United States or Canada. Applicants must be enrolled full-time or working on their dissertation or directed study research for an equivalent of full-time enrollment regardless of actual registration status.
2. The content of the dissertation or directed study research must be in an area of psychology relevant to rehabilitation psychology and/or disability. If you are unsure of whether your topic meets this criterion, please contact Dr. Barry Nierenberg for guidance. For a definition of rehabilitation psychology, see https://div22.org/.
3. Applicants must have their dissertation or directed study proposals approved by their respective committees prior to application.
4. Applicants are encouraged to be student members of Division 22. To learn how to join and the benefits of membership, see the Trainee information on the Division 22 website.
5. A student in a graduate department other than psychology or disability studies is eligible to apply for the award if they demonstrate that they are writing a psychological science dissertation or directed study relevant to rehabilitation psychology or disability studies and that their graduate course of study has been primarily psychological in nature. In order to be eligible to apply for the award, the student in graduate departments other than psychology must justify this eligibility for the award by providing the FRP with the following materials:
   1. dissertation title and brief abstract;
   2. transcript of graduate coursework (unofficial copies are fine); and
   3. a written explanation of how these materials show that the graduate course of study has been primarily psychological in nature. This request for award eligibility may be submitted either separately from the application or at the time of application submission.

How to Apply

All application materials for either Dissertation or Directed Study work must be in electronic format via our online form. In addition to the questions, you will need to upload:

1. A 1-page maximum typed cover letter describing your research interests and experience, as well as your career plans.
2. A 2-page maximum letter of recommendation from your academic advisor or other professor. Please communicate to the faculty member who will write your letter the importance of adhering to this maximum page limit.
3. A 3-page maximum summary of the dissertation research, including project background and rationale, an explanation of research design (methods, procedure, analysis plan, etc.), and other important aspects of the project. Please include a section describing how this project relates to and advances the field of Rehabilitation Psychology. One additional page listing references may be included (citations should be included in the text). Figures and/or tables may be included only if they can be incorporated into the 3-page research summary. The research summary must not exceed the 3-page limit including any figures or tables.
4. Your Curriculum Vitae (no page limits).
5. Optional budget for requests > $2,000: Applicants who have dissertation costs more than $2,000 may submit a budget for additional needs-based funding of $1,000. If you are requesting more than $2,000, please provide a 1-page maximum budget explaining your proposed use of funds and rationale for requesting consideration for $1,000 additional funds. If you have institutional or other award funds for the project, please indicate this and justify the need for the additional funds.

Across all of these documents, please use a font of 10 points or greater, and 1-inch margins. Materials can be single or double spaced.

For further information, or to apply, see here or contact Barry Nierenberg, PhD, at nierenbe@nova.edu.

Award Conditions

Recipients will be strongly encouraged to present their study results at a Division 22/ABRP mid-year meeting. Publications and presentations should reflect support by The Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology. The award funds may be dispersed to the student’s university or the student directly.

• Deadline: November 9, 2026
• Notification of awards will be on or before December 28, 2026.
• Number of awards: We will give out three to four awards, depending on number of meritorious applications.

A special section of Rehabilitation Psychology (2016, Vol. 1) is devoted to the foundational principles of rehabilitation psychology. Applicants are encouraged to consider and refer to these when writing their proposals.

Please forward this announcement to potential applicants or faculty of potential applicants. You may contact Dr. Nierenberg with questions.

The Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology is a charitable (501(c)3) corporation whose mission is to build an endowment that supports student research, professional education, and the advancement of Rehabilitation Psychology. The Foundation promotes the ultimate goal of the field of Rehabilitation Psychology- to improve the lives of persons with chronic illness and disability. The Foundation works in concert with the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (22) of the American Psychological Association and the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology.

On behalf of the Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology,
Barry Nierenberg, PhD, ABPP
FRP Board Member