Barrett, Elizabeth  

Professor Barrett is an AMAZING teacher. Her class is definitely rewarding and is actually not at all difficult. Never did i find myself bored. She works hard to create a trusting environment and really cares about her students. I really wish I could take her for every class. YOU WON\'T REGRET TAKING HER. take notes from her powerpoints and maybe skim the reading, do the study guide and you\'ll be guaranteed an A. You could possibly pass without the book, as well. It\'s an easy class, but not stupid, easy. You really do gain something out of it.

Take Professor Barrett for any class you see she is teaching!!! I took her for Family psych and I would recommend this class with her as the professor to anyone. It basically changes your life and is an easy A as long as you study for the midterm and final and put true effort into the 3 projects. Take this class no matter what major you are in!!!!! You'll never want to miss a day of this class and good news about that, you don't need to do the reading because you'll have all the info you need and more in lecture.

The normal stuff: Professor Barrett always presents engaging lectures. Only 6 grades are entered, 4 projects and a midterm and final. This means projects are worth a lot of the grade of the class but the projects aren't hard in the traditional sense. As long as you spend adequate doing the assignment and reflect on the material offered in class honestly, thoughtfully and thoroughly you will get an A. Of course, this means the grading is somewhat subjective since it is an essay and not a math problem with a definitive answer. But she is subjective only is deciding how well you answer prompts, clear questions printed on the syllabus and handed out the first day of class, and not, as far as I could tell, based off personal rapport or whether or not she agrees with you. The tests require some memorization of the lecture material so you absolutely must come to each class and take notes. However, if you do that and, as mentioned, spend a meaningful few hours per project, you will ace this class no problem. The great stuff: The thing I love the most about Professor Barrett is her engaging lecture style. She is not afraid to bring her own opinions into the class and share her personal experience as it connects to the material. One other reviewer mentioned that they didn't like this fact about one of her classes and that they found it hostile. Here I offer my rebuttal: the point of college classes, especially in a field like psychology, is to challenge your personal views and way of thinking and make you learn something useful and learn something about yourself. What better way to do that then to present an opinion to the class to discuss? In my experience, Professor Barrett is always respectful of students when addressing them directly and answers ALL questions to the best of her knowledge. Still, she creates a learning environment where you are challenged every single lecture with applying the material to your own life and really digesting it. This class is not simply memorization, it is much more valuable than that because Professor Barrett strives to make it so. Additionally, the projects assigned are not only relevant to class material but also to a student's personal growth. This includes finishing the class with an interview of someone who has experienced the entire life cycle (read: someone 75+), a meaningful experience. To conclude, I will admit that I cannot directly comment on the experience you will have with Professor Barrett in a graduate class, however the classroom environment she creates gives you as a student the opportunity to develop both yourself and your understanding of the world. She cares about each and every student, learns their names, and encourages good daily mental health habits such as steady breathing/relaxation and putting your stress into words. I wish I had the opportunity to take more classes with her.

BEST. PROFFESSOR. EVERRRRR. I loved family psych with Barrett so much I literally cried the last day of class! She is so knowledgeable about the subject and makes it easy to understand because she relates it to your own life! This is why so many people say this class and Professor Barrett literally changes their lives!!! Go to office hours and sit in the front so she really gets to know you! She is the best professor and it is an easy class overall if you do the assignments!!!!! TAKE HER NO MATTER WHAT!!! Lots of people take this as an elective because she's that amazing!!

I loved this class!! I had this lecture monday and wednesdays at 8-10 pm but she made the class so engaging that I actually liked going to class that late. The material is super interesting, you don't need to buy the textbook or do much outside work. You have a few projects but they are all fun to do and pretty easy grading

This class was so much fun. Professor Barrett really knows her material, and she is very helpful and approachable. The material is pretty straight forward. It is important to come to class because many questions on her exams are from her lectures. There are reflection papers (3), exams (2), and a film analysis. The exams are fair, and so are the papers.

Professor Barrett is beyond amazing. She's hilarious in class and relates the material to every day life (granted, it is family psychology and super applicable to every relationship). She's super fair in her grading and makes it extremely clear what she expects in terms of grading. I never read for class but paid attention in lecture and got an A in the class. She also takes an interest in her students' lives and genuinely cares about their well-being. She's the best!

TAKE DR. BARRETT if you have the chance. She is amazing-- I don't see how this woman could get a bad review. I wish I could carry her around in my pocket. Dr. Barrett is so inspiring--she has lived a great life-she has a healthy family, job and overall sense of well-being. She is passionate about what she does and she wants everyone to succeed. TAKE THIS CLASS. Amazing, it has changed my life. I hope to take another class with Dr. Barrett. GREAT JOB CP for finally hiring a wonderful teacher.

Professor Barrett is the most wonderful teacher I have had at Cal Poly. She is very passionate about what she is teaching and offers a lot of knowledge to the class. This course should really be a required GE as it is very enlightening to things that we will really encounter in our lives. Her tests are extremely fair and one can get an A easily if they attend lecture and are engaged, which isn't difficult as Professor Barrett is a great speaker. There are four little projects or papers that are about 2 pages each. Nothing that needs too much research, just a way to enhance the class. If you are looking for a good use of your elective units I recommend this class.

I've been at Cal Poly for 3 years and Mrs. Barrett is definitely my favorite professor. In fact, she's my favorite teacher in all my school years. She is so passionate, knowledgeable, HUMOROUS, and genuinely cares about how her students are doing in class and outside of class. Her jokes can stir up a roar of laughter throughout the whole class and her humor keeps me awake throughout the 2 hours. Also, the material is very interesting and I ended up reading other chapters that were not assigned because this class and the book she recommended was that interesting. There are a few papers, but they're easy, as long as you try and follow the prompt, you'll do fine. There is one art project (don't worry, she doesn't grade on your artistic skill, just your effort and how well you understand the prompt). The reason why I loved doing the essays and projects is because they helped me understand myself and the world better. Yes, it is a lecture class, but you learn so much about yourself and those around you that can help you today and prepare you for the future. Absolutely my favorite class. I didn't miss one class (not because I was worried about my grade, but because I wanted to hear her lectures). Take this class. Even if you don't have to. You won't regret it.

Dr. Barrett is an amazing professor who is extremely passionate about psychology. Take her whenever possible. She is knowledgeable and helpful and her lectures were always highly entertaining. I learned so much in family psych and it was the least stressful of all my classes. The projects are fun and graded fairly and the midterm and final are very straightforward. Sadly, I don't think Barrett is teaching this class in the fall but hopefully she will again in the future.

Professor Barrett is my idol. I wish she was my best friend or aunt or something. She is so wise and interesting. I sat front row and went to every class mostly because I would never want to miss a word she says! She's hilarious and kind and this class truly taught me about myself and the world. I learned so much in this class. I wish i could take it again and i feel bad for those who never took it! -->TAKE. THIS. CLASS. <-- Even if you don't have to! I force all my friends to take it because its just so informative and interesting. I love you Prof. Barrett!

This class was amazing! I don't think I have ever enjoyed a class as much as this one at any level of my education. Each and every day, I left the lecture feeling like I had learned a valuable life lesson. Professor Barrett was always full of positive energy and truly made an effort to connect with all of her students. She was also extremely helpful during office hours. The class assignments consisted of three projects (all of which I found very enjoyable), two exams (a midterm and a final) and readings from the textbook and/or articles from lecture. I definitely recommend this class to everyone, regardless of major, as it is super applicable to your entire life, not just your career. Your college education won't be the same without it. I hope I get the chance to take another class with Professor Barrett in the future!

Professor Barrett is hands down the best professor I have had at Cal Poly. I genuinely looked forward to each and every class of hers and she has definitely had a significant positive impact on my life and the way I interpret my relationships with other people. I was so sad when the quarter ended and I cried on the last day of class. I HIGHLY recommend this class to anyone, not just people who are PSY or CD majors. If you have the opportunity to take a class with Barrett DO NOT HESITATE. She might just change your life. PS I would not even be taking the time to write on this page if I did not feel strongly about it. :)

This was such a fun class and Barret is a great teacher. There is a lot of projects and work but no tests which I personally liked! Pay attention in class you will need to add this info in to your essays.

First off, let me just say Professor Barrett is amazing. Her lectures are extremely entertaining and full of material at the same time. She is incredibly knowledgable on the subject and it really shows. Her grading policy is extremely fair, she even says she won't hold your grade above your head, yet with this being said, she does want a fair amount of effort to be put into the projects. TAKE THIS CLASS. You will not regret it.

BARRETT IS THE BEST PROFESSOR I WILL EVER HAVE. She shares her wisdom about life and life experiences and is truly a fascinating. Aside from her insanely introspective class, its not too hard. You have a few projects that do require you to put in some effort but aren't hard to do well on. She has two exams, but be warned the final is a little harder than you expect based on the midterm. Her exams are mainly lecture based, but overall the best class I've taken in my life. There is so much knowledge and wisdom she has to offer. I think everyone should take her class so if you're considering it please do it! Literally changed my life

Professor Barrett is one of the best teachers/professors I have ever had. I am a first year at Cal Poly and I took her Family Psych class my fall quarter, and I can honestly say the course has changed my life. I feel that I am a more attentive, observant, and appreciative person because of this course and I think that everyone should take this class! She is a relatively easy grader, she tells hilarious, emotional, and personal stories that relate directly to the material, and her tests are very reasonable. However, it is important to come to class because she covers a lot of material every day. There are also a lot of projects that may seem tedious, but if you take them seriously, and get them done earlier than later, you'll get something valuable out of it! As long as you show up and are ready to engage, this class will be very enjoyable! Professor Barrett is also a clinical family therapist and she shares many stories from her experience! If that's something you're interested in, you should definitely talk to her about it! She is enthusiastic, reasonable, and cares very much about her students. In this class, you will learn much more than just the material presented in the textbook. This class will teach you lasting life values about managing stress, maintaining healthy relationships, and what is means to be successful. I'm excited for you to meet Professor Barrett <3

At first I didn't think I was going to like this class because it seemed like a lot of work and I didn't understand why people loved it so much. But as the quarter went on, I grew to love Professor Barrett and became much more interested in the material we were learning in class! Not only did this class change my perspective on life, it was also one of the most useful classes I've ever taken. We learn about the psychology of communication, dating/relationships, family dynamics, and even body image and feminism. You may not agree with all of her opinions, but I think it's definitely important to hear things from another person's perspective, you might be surprised how much you get out of it! There's 4 projects which seems like a lot but it is doable! For the midterm and final she gives you a study guide and for the final you get to use a full page front and back of notes during the test. I highly recommend this class even for people who aren't PSY/CD majors, it will literally blow your mind and you won't regret taking it! Professor Barrett is the best!

I love Barrett. Her class was seriously life-changing, and not once was I sitting in lecture bored. She has such insightful things to say, and is teaching for so many more reasons than just to give us the grade (which, by the way, is an easy A as long as you do what you have to do). She can sometimes be one-sided and judgmental, but once you get passed that you can appreciate what she's doing to change your life. The work load is seriously not much at all and you will get SO MUCH OUT OF THIS CLASS. PLEASE TAKE THIS CLASS I BEG YOU.

ALL OF THESE REVIEWS ARE BULLSHIT. the thing w Barett is you either love her or hate her. heres my theory: if you have strong opinionsand any opinions at aall and strong sense of self you will hate her bc she only preaches and is obsessed with herself and will never consider anyone else's opinions. But if you are a meek thoughtless individual you will be mesmerized because she's severely agressive and will brainwash you viciously. anways the class doesnt suck that much theres like htree assigemnts and two half ass tests but shes pretty terrible and makes my skin crawl.

I've very surprised at the review above me. I didn't realize there was a single student that could've not enjoyed Barrett's class. I love this woman. The one day that I was absent I honestly felt guilty and like I was missing out. The material is so relevant and so interesting.. I've come out of this class a better woman. Granted, I did have some days where I was completely bummed by this class. Barrett does a great job with getting you completely immersed in the lecture and the material, but sometimes forgets to remind her students NOT to take everything too seriously and to always relate it back to your life. My relationship STRUGGLED this quarter and honestly I feel a good portion of our conflict was due to this class. Sometimes I came out of class thinking "wow, I'm doing a great job, love my boyfriend we're doing great" and then sometimes I seriously considered breaking up with him because of all of the statistics and communication styles and family traits, etc. Note to self: don't relate all of the class material to your personal life because it's based on the AVERAGE family and most notably, what worked for HER family. She is a licensed clinician, so she has merit to pull stories from her personal life and her clients' lives. I was not offended by this at all, but often forgot to take it with a grain of salt. Overall, class was easy to do well in. All of the projects and papers are super interesting so I honestly enjoyed doing them. You do a technology fast, a family genogram (kind of like a family tree but you track traits, ex: alcoholism, estranged parents, etc.), and then a conversation with an elder (go find an old person and interview them). One midterm and one final, not cumuative, 50-100 questions. I took a lot from this class and would 10/10 recommend taking it if you can. It's almost always offered 6-8pm, so bring some half-caf coffee and a snack, attend everyday, take notes, study, and you're good to go!

Professor Barrett is an extremely intelligent and engaging professor. She relates much of the topics we cover in class to her own personal life, and it makes it much more relatable. The class itself is really interesting and the topics covered are not boring in the slightest, it is kind of like taking a class on dating and such. Highly recommend taking this class with Professor Barrett, you will not regret it.

I am minoring in psychology and definitely grew in my knowledge and understanding about family systems by taking this class. Professor Barrett teaches this class based on Cal Poly's philosophy, "Learn by Doing." While many people know the basic psychology concepts, Professor Barrett takes them one step further, she puts those concepts into practice. The majority of your overall grade is based on projects such as talking with an elder about their life, spending a day without technology, and comprising a family genogram. I love how she teaches subject matters that are applicable to our every day lives. I felt like I learned so much about myself and gained a better appreciation for my family through taking this class. Even in a giant lecture hall, it still felt like an intimate setting. She cares about each one of her students and wants her students to understand more than succeed with a certain grade. I am glad that I took this class and would suggest taking it even if you are not a psych major or minor because it is applicable to marriage and parenting.

Professor Barrett is extremely intense and it made going to class difficult at times, be prepared to be called out. Some people liked her a lot because she talks about life a lot. She is strong-willed, and knowledgable but sometimes her lectures felt really rehearsed. Great teacher just didn't like her very much as a person.

Barretts class is hella easy. its basically projects and a midterm and a final. shes hella nice and chill sometimes she is kinda anal about rules like no phones or about writing on your notecard at the beginning of class. something she does is lets u write ur feelings on a notecard and does breathing excersises before class and thats preatty cool - i really appreciated that. she is a professional counselor and tells stories from her counseling sessions in lecture which is cool. i learned a lot -its funny cuz im actually able to apply lots of the stuff i learn in class to my own family like- using ifeeal and not you statements. the projects arent hard but stressful sometimes because of deadlines but other than that they are really enjoyable and i never say that about projects cuz they usually suc. but barretts projects are there for a reason to connect you to the course material in a real world context. and they usually involve going out of your comfort zone but it wasnt too bad- its mostly talking to people u have to do. i wish i went to office hrs more bc shes super down to talk and help her students out. for her exams, bruh i didnt read the book- instead go on quizlet and look up study guides for that cuz the work is there for u. and memorize that shit. also, read ur notes before hand - ull b able to do pr well on the exams if u do tht. on the final she lets u hav a notecard cheatsheet so thts something tht might help u. at the end of class write questions about the lecture on ur notecard and sometimes she answers it the next lecture, if she doesnt bring it up first, remind her and she will. this class went by super fast cuz it was interesting from start to finish even when we were learning about death and old ppl which is something i didnt expect. Take barrett! shes great and im super glad i can say that about her

Best professor that I have had up to this point. She is very passionate about what she teaches about. She understands that sometimes she comes across as a little harsh, or that her words can easily be misinterpreted, so she makes everyone turn in a notecard at the end of lecture with questions or thoughts on it and next class she tries to address as many of those as she can. She is not afraid to apologize if something came across in a bad way and I completely respect her for that. She says in the beginning of this course that you only get out what you put in, and that is 100% true. You can B.S. the projects, but you are better off doing the work. Every project and test in this class is reasonable if you pay attention to lecture and read the articles she posts on PolyLearn. (You can go without the book). This class actually helps with life and teaches us skills that we can use now and in the future. I walked out of every lecture kind of mind-blown and ready to learn more. DON'T TRY AND RELATE EVERYTHING IN THIS CLASS TO YOUR LIFE and definitely put your beliefs aside and come in open minded and ready to appreciate a different perspective (you don't have to agree with it). This professor has impacted my life in an amazing way and I hope that I get to take many more classes with her. I highly recommend taking any class with Professor Barrett.

I love this class and this professor. If you get the chance to take it I highly recommend it. This class will better your relationships and your families I promise. There's one midterm and one final and the final is just from the midterm on. However, there are 4 projects so just be prepared for that. Also, don't buy the book you don't need it trust me it was such a waste of money.

It's like a class in living your best life. It's pretty easy and super interesting.

TAKE THIS CLASS! Professor Barrett is amazing. You'll be a little bit intimidated on the first day, but this class is seriously life changing. You start every class with a breathing exercise and writing down whatever is causing you anxiety. The class is a midterm, final (both pretty easy if you pay attention in lecture), and 4 projects. The projects take some effort, but she's a very lenient grader as she just wants you to take something away from the assignment and take it seriously for your own benefit. This class & Professor Barrett will completely change your perspective on life.

THE BEST CLASS I HAVE TAKEN AT CAL POLY! Hands down the best class and professor I have had the privilege of taking. Professor Barrett truly cares about her students in a way that I have never seen before. Her lectures kept me engaged and interested every single time and the material was stuff I could directly relate to my self and my own family. Basically the class consists of 4 projects, a midterm and a final. I will say you might have to study a bit for the midterm and final, but hey! its college! All 4 projects were extremely manageable and meaningful! You will be a better person after this class, 100%. I really look at life and relationships in a different way after taking this class.

Take this class!! This class was so informative in getting to know more about family relationships or relationships in general. For every class, we did breathing exercises and wrote down on a card what was stressing you out before the lecture began. There were a few papers that we had to do and she grades pretty easily, so just try your best and you will most likely get an A. I loved the way she taught the class, she was so blunt about everything and she helped us understand the material by giving us examples of things that went on in her life. Whenever someone had questions or didn't understand something, she would do her best to explain a concept. I was honestly so sad when this class ended. I would recommend this class to anyone, it was so much fun!!!!

Professor Barrett is AMAZING!!! If you can take her for 323 or Family Psy, DO IT!!!! She is a very fair grader, and loves the material she is teaching. She can sense when students are not feeling well and has worked flexibly with the schedule and class set up. She is a wonderful person who truly cares about the students and just wants to know that you take the material seriously and appreciate her style. She is fabulous!!!

This class takes a lot of effort and getting out of your comfort zone. Be prepared to do a lot of talking in front of the class, and the simulation is terrifying but beneficial.

She is wonderful. This class changed my life which is largely because of her. Her work is demanding, but the class time was my favorite part of the day. It was the most engaging class; 100% take her if you get an option!!

Barrett is amazing. Her first class she's intimidating perhaps to a fault, but the rest of the quarter she is the most passionate, well-informed professor. She really cares about her students, and she wants you to learn and succeed. She takes this stuff seriously, and she expects you to as well (which you should because it's so applicable to communication and relationship success and growth). She is a fair grader, she has a great gauge on the effort you put in and your learning process. The class does require effort, regardless of teacher, but she is now one of my all time favorite professors. Highly recommend!

Barrett is amazing, the course material for this class is relevant if anything but her teaching methods are enlightening and she has some amazing life advice. She also is super great to talk to in office hours, overall amazing prof!!

Take any class you can with Barrett! She is so insightful and is the most engaging professor I've ever had. She assigns a few essays in 370, as well as one midterm and a small group presentation that is very open-ended. She is a super fair grader and really appreciates when students think "outside the box."

Barrett has an interesting/out-of-the-box kind of mind, but I did not like her for this class. Take Kendra or Estrada instead !!!! I wanted to learn more about the actual profession/process of becoming a counselor - but Barrett only spends a little bit of time on that. She mostly talks about our mental health as a society and philosophical ideas. If you're interesting in having discussions about philosophy or society, take this class. But if you want to have more knowledge about becoming a counselor/psychiatrist/etc, don't! this won't help you!! the only time I learned about the actual content of the class was for the final project where STUDENTS were TEACHING! why isn't she teaching us this??? ~~~~~~ also she says you must read the books for this class; I only read part of each and I got an A. ~~~~~~~~~~ also she is REALLY BIASED toward her students, she loves some and pays no attention to others, which I find very annoying

I had the pleasure of taking Professor Barrett for four courses (PSY 254, 323, 370 & 450) while at Cal Poly. To say she was the most inspiring professor I had throughout my undergraduate experience would be an understatement. I will start off by acknowledging the fact that I am biased, because this particular professor symbolizes what I strive to be like as a marriage and family therapist. However, I will do my best to put my personal feelings aside and evaluate her teaching abilities alone. As far as her courses go, they all seem to follow a similar pattern in assignments and expectations. She expects that you come to class consistently. She expects that you will give her your undivided attention and that you come prepared to engage in class discussions. She expects that you will be open and honest both with your own experiences and with your feelings and opinions about course topics. Her lectures are extremely interesting and while I am a student who typically misses a few classes per quarter, I genuinely looked forward to class and had no problem turning off my cell phone during each lecture. Her tests heavily rely on lecture notes and if you take notes and absorb the information during lectures you will have no problem getting an A. The papers and assignments (usually an art project) revolve around self-awareness. The material can be challenging in the fact that it forces you to analyze yourself in ways that you may not have considered before. Barrett will push you out of your comfort zone, especially in PSY 323 & 450. She also is not afraid to inform you that textbook courses are not enough to make you a successful therapist. She is BIG on experience, fitting for a college that promotes "learn by doing". Personally, I appreciated her push to step outside one's comfort zone and embrace hands-on experience. However, in PSY 450, a course mixed with graduate and undergraduate students, I did notice hesitation from the graduate students. Perhaps because they are more confident in their therapeutic abilities they see her emphasis on experience as a way of telling them they will fail? I'm not sure, but I think she is honest and realistic about the difficult field of psychology. I mean anyone who entering the field knows the work is not going to be easy, and will come with a learning curve, right? I would hope so. Bottom line: she is a refreshingly open and honest professor that students can learn a great deal from if they enter the course with an open mind and heart. DO NOT MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A COURSE WITH PROFESSOR BARRETT, SHE IS LIFE CHANGING!

Undergrads seem to love her, but I was not impressed. She is very judgmental and only considers her own way of looking at things. She constantly reminds the class what "horrible" therapists we will all be in the beginning, yet never tells about her own experiences in the beginning (which we could potentially learn from). She's very full of her self...

You will never regret taking a class with Barrett. I truly feel bad for people who have never had her as a professor. If you have the opportunity to take a class with Elizabeth Barrett- REGISTER.

Barrett creates a hostile environment in the classroom where she forces her unsolicited, narrow, judgmental opinions on the class. Through her verbal harassments, she invalidated the cohort's ability to be successful within days of knowing us, while creating fear and anxiety within the classroom. During the first week of classes, she emphasized to the cohort how unqualified we will be upon graduating for not being married or having children. She has no clearly defined rubric or expectations for papers and expects the class to take one cumulative test (final).The material on the final was not clearly covered in lecture. On the day of final she added 3 short answer questions that ended up being worth 30% of the test, with NO warning (no opportunity to prepare). The assignments overall were meaningful but the content was lost in her aggressive, judgmental, process. There were several occasions where she was aggressive with the class (physically throwing the test out to us, slamming our journals down in a temper-tantrum-like fashion). She uses a very subjective grading method, based off of personal rapport with each student. She very clearly lacks empathy and I am overall profoundly dissatisfied with her as an academic and with the graduate department's ability to provide a safe environment for learning and for a required, foundational course (1st quarter graduate student). What comes as a shock to me is the amount of praise she receives from her undergrads on this forum. There is clearly a major discrepancy in her ability to teach consistently across academic levels.

Taking this instructor is like being in a Twilight Zone episode. You just can