September 2015 Message from the President With our fall semester in full swing, we paused to acknowledge National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, and National Suicide Prevention Week in September. Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration that recognizes the contributions Hispanics and Latinas/os make to the U.S. while honoring their heritage and culture. The rich and vibrant Latina/o culture is known to be hardworking and loyal to community and family, from a mental health perspective, we know many are considered high-risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among Latinas/os age 15 to 24, while only 1 in 11 Latinas/os seeks treatment. How can we better address this issue and raise awareness? One central way is by honoring The Chicago School's mission to assure future clinicians and professionals are educated and trained to integrate culturally relevant theory and best practices in their delivery of mental health services. In my recent Huffington Post blog, I further spoke about the issue of suicide by posing the question: What is Our Role as Educators and Parents in Suicide Prevention? With more than 20 million college students now back at school, nearly six million will be vulnerable to experiencing feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. Here at The Chicago School, we work hard to ensure suicide prevention remains part of the mental health conversation. Last year, suicide prevention was the focus of our Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute Annual Community Health Conference, and we also have partnered with the Public Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide (PIPS), an organization in Northern Ireland that was formed by individuals who have experienced the devastation that accompanies the suicide of a family member. Additionally, to further strengthen the training of students in our Los Angeles Clinical Doctoral Program (Psy.D.), we are now requiring that
In This Issue Dr. Roland Assumes President-Elect Role at ACA Washington, D.C. Campus to Graduate First Doctoral Candidates Welcome New Faculty Grand Re-Opening--West LA Counseling Center Grants Awarded Inaugural TCSPP Class at Xavier University of Louisiana Impact Story: Jenna Hedglen, M.A. Alum Profile: Jamie DeWitt. MFT UC Berkeley Implements TCSPP Alumnus' Dissertation as Executive Education Program Hispanic Heritage Month: Latino Mental Health Certificate Program Research Clerkship in Clinical Psychology Dr. McGrath Serves as Panelist at American Bar Association Conference
our students who are enrolled in practicum courses attend a 6.5 hour suicide prevention workshop called "Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk." As always, I would like to hear your thoughts on the progress and path forward of improving minority mental health care in America. Tweet us at @TCSPPPrez or @gradpsychology.
Welcome Weeks Student Exchange Program with CETYS University Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute Honored by NAACP Spotlight on Faculty Scholarship
Warm regards,
Faculty in the Media Michele Nealon-Woods, Psy.D. President
Catherine Roland, Ed.D. Assumes President-Elect Role with the American Counseling Association
Dr. Catherine Roland
After being elected as the 65th president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Dr. Catherine Roland, professor and chair of the Counselor Education Program at the Washington, D.C. Campus, began her role as president-elect on July 1, 2015. Dr. Roland has accepted a three-year commitment to the world's largest organization that exclusively represents counselors in all practice settings. She will begin her year as president on July 1, 2016, and her year as past president on July 1, 2017.
"My job as president-elect is to support the current president, and to take a role in helping the national divisions and regional associations of ACA, and ACA as a whole accomplish goals. I will also advocate on behalf of counselors, as well as the counseling profession," said Dr. Roland. Read more.
Washington, D.C. Campus to Graduate First Doctoral Candidates at 2015 Commencement The 2015 commencement at our Washington, D.C. Campus marks the first time the six-year-old campus graduates candidates from its doctoral programs. Hailing from the Clinical Psychology Program, the International Psychology Program and the Organizational Leadership Program, the new doctoral graduates will be joined by fellow graduates at the George Lisner Auditorium on October 9. Representing her class at the ceremony, Erica Vien is a graduating doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program. Erica's desire to work with women and children in the field of mental health led her to completing her M.A. in psychology at The Chicago School, and to completing her internship at New York City's Hamilton-Madison House, a mental health community outpatient clinic. Erica will perform her postdoctoral fellowship at private outpatient group practice The Lorenz Clinic of Family Psychology in Minnesota. Read more.
Commencement Dates Washington, D.C. and Online October 9 George Lisner Auditorium Southern California and Online October 29 Pasadena Civic Auditorium
TCSPP Supports HACU 29th Annual Conference Miami Beach, Florida October 10-12
TCSPP Students and Alumni in the Media Dr. Anne Brennan Malec Jade Magazine September 18 Brett Cavanaugh Michigan Live September 4 Casarah Stark, M.A. Kane County Chronicle August 20 Samara Lipsky The Jewish Week August 19 Heidi Fareri, M.S. Pocono Record August 12
Insight Magazine Explores Life After Trauma
The Chicago School Welcomes New Faculty Across the Institution During the summer and fall, The Chicago School welcomed 12 new faculty members to a roster already boasting more than 200. "The addition of new faculty is a natural outcome of the growth of our institution and is another way we ensure that our students have access to a superior educational experience," said Dr. Nealon-Woods. "We've added some of the best and brightest in our field to an already robust, impressive faculty." Learn more about who they are.
West Los Angeles Counseling Center Celebrates New Branded Location for The Chicago School One of The Chicago School's Counseling Centers celebrated its new home in West Los Angeles with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and social gathering on August 20, 2015. Representatives from the Offices of Mayor Eric Garcetti, State Senator Holly Mitchell, Councilman Paul Koretz and Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, and the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, joined Dr. Daun Baker, associate provost, Training and Licensure Affairs, President Dr. Michele NealonWoods, and key staff on this special day to formally announce The Chicago School's contribution as mental health care providers to the surrounding communities. Read more.
(L-R) Dr. Clive Kennedy, faculty member; Chamber Member Farangis Siahpour, Chamber President Roozbeh Farahanipour, Dr. Daun Baker, Dr. Nealon-Woods, Dr. Cynthia Worthen, dean of Academic Affairs, So Cal Campuses; Dr. Jens Schmidt, assistant director of Clinical Training; and Chamber Member Buzz Park.
New Grants Awarded to Impact Communities Intervention Program for At-Risk Youth, Developed by Michelle Hoy-Watkins, Psy.D., Receives $121,935 Grant Save Our School Children (S.O.S), a program developed by Dr. Michelle Hoy-Watkins of the Chicago Campus' Forensic Psychology Department and designed to help at-risk youth, was awarded a $121,935 grant to be disbursed over one year by funding organization Get IN Chicago. S.O.S received the grant because of its dedication to reducing youth violence by working with students in four Chicago high schools and elementary schools.
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"We're honored by this recognition of our work," said Dr. Hoy-Watkins. "The grant allows us to expand the program into three additional high schools, thereby enabling us to serve more youth." Read more. Students at the Southern California Campuses Benefit from Department of Justice Grant The U.S. Department of Justice granted the City of Los Angeles a oneyear extension for a grant to support the "Second Chance Act Technology Career Training Program for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles." Under this grant, TCSPP students can conduct their practicum in collaboration with the Coalition for Responsible Community Development to help ensure individuals leaving correctional facilities make a successful transition into the community. Improving employment outcomes for previously incarcerated individuals can contribute to increased public safety and lower recidivism rates.
The Chicago School Welcomes Inaugural Clinical Psychology Class in New Orleans The Doctor of Clinical Psychology Program in New Orleans is officially underway. The program that is hosted at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in New Orleans, launched this fall semester with 16 students. Department Chair and Professor of the new program Christoph Leonhard, Ph.D., ABPP said, "The most exciting aspect of developing this program over the past four years has been the tremendously welcoming reception to us bringing the first Psy.D. program to Louisiana and the first clinical doctoral program to New Orleans." The Clinical Psy.D. students at XULA will complete foundational
coursework in four intervention orientations including: Cognitive Behavioral, Psychodynamic, Humanistic Existential, and Systems and have the opportunity to tailor their coursework with focused study to meet individual educational and professional goals.
Clinical Psychology Student Jenna Hedglen's Desire to Help Children Dealing with Trauma Leads her on a Global Journey The Rwandan Genocide of 1994, which lasted approximately 100 days, left a horrifyingly enduring legacy in its wake. The extensive trauma found in the aftermath of an estimated 800,000 to one million murders; 75,000 children left orphaned; and 250,000 to 500,000 rapes, has an intergenerational impact that is experienced throughout the country. The Global HOPE (Healing Opportunities through Purposeful Engagement) Training Initiative was born, quite indirectly, out of a desire by The Chicago School to create a task force that would somehow help Rwanda in its efforts to overcome the destruction.
Jenna Hedglen, M.A.
When TCSPP task force's planned partnership with a non-governmental organization failed to be brought to fruition, a new strategy was needed. "Back in 2007 there was a call-out to all faculty asking for involvement in the task force," explains Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., co-founder of the program, vice-president of e-learning and global innovation, and interim campus dean, Chicago Campus. "The partnership with the NGO fell through and we (Dr. Mark Kassel) asked ourselves what we could do." Read more.
From Television and Film Producer to Therapist, Meet Alumna Jamie DeWitt, M.A. Before delving into the human mind as a marriage and family therapist, Jamie DeWitt documented the personal and emotional experiences of people from diverse backgrounds on camera for 16 years as a nonfiction television and film producer. "An essential component of my work required that I gain the confidence of my subjects, so that they could feel safe and secure while entrusting me with their life experiences. Being a good listener and an inquisitive, respectful interviewer allowed me to retell their stories accurately with compassion and dignity," said DeWitt. Jamie DeWitt, M.A.
Following 9/11, DeWitt----a graduate from the then Westwood Branch Campus---traveled to Ground Zero where she interviewed the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue workers who shared their feelings of shock and horror with her. Read more.
Alumnus' Dissertation to be Implemented as Executive Education Program at UC Berkeley Congratulations to Keith Gatto, Ph.D. (Online Organizational Leadership Program, 2015). His dissertation, "An Experimental Study of the Impact of Positive Psychology on Innovative Work Behavior" will be implemented as a University of California at Berkeley's Executive Education Program, "Innovation and Leadership through Positive Psychology." The three-day program will take place in February 2016.
Latina/o Mental Health and Cultural Competency Offered by Certificate Program For many years now, The Chicago School has recognized the importance of providing multicultural training to students and professionals: The Chicago Campus has offered a Latino Mental Health Concentration within the Counseling Psychology master's Program, and the Irvine Branch Campus has offered Latino/a Psychology in the Applied Clinical Psychology Program as well. Gerardo D. Canul, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Applied Clinical Psychology at the Irvine Branch Campus explains the importance of this training: "As an institution it is important to continue to offer Latino/a psychology to our TCSPP students, so they are more competently prepared to serve Latinos/as in their practicum, internships, and beyond. It's also important to promote our educational programs to attract students of color and Latinos/as to enter the mental health profession." Read more.
Chicago Campus' Clinical Psy.D. Program's Unique Research Clerkship Course Proves to be Great Success The Clinical Psychology Program at the Chicago Campus has been home to a unique program since 2007. Research Clerkship has proven to be so advantageous to students that it has been expanded to include every student enrolled in the Clinical Psy.D. Program instead of just those in the child and adolescent major area of study group as originally intended. "We envisioned Research Clerkship as a mentorship process that would provide students with support in developing research skills and acumen," said Tom Dr. Tom Barrett Barrett, Ph.D., department chair. "During the 2007 cohort's fourth year in the program, however, all of the child and adolescent track students successfully matched for internship, and nearly 70% obtained APA accredited slots. Noticing their success, we decided to make Research Clerkship available to all of the students in the program." Read more.
Professor's Participation on American Bar Association Panel Underscores Expanding Role of the Mental Health Professional
The American Bar Association's Annual Meeting held in Chicago in July featured The Chicago School's own Breeda McGrath, Ph.D, dean of Academic Affairs, Online Campus and department chair of the Online International Psychology Program. Asked to offer her mental health expertise, Dr. McGrath staffed a panel titled "Women and Children First: Is Family Detention Really Justified and Necessary?" with three other experts, among them a U.S. Congressman, an attorney and a public safety commissioner.
Dr. Breeda McGrath
"Serving on the panel was important because questions around immigration and the law require multidisciplinary approaches that include mental health, physical health, legal issues, and community engagement," said Dr. McGrath, who has worked with the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights at the University of Chicago Law School for several years. Read more.
Welcome Weeks Celebrations Greet All Students Welcome Weeks marked the beginning of the fall semester for new and returning students across all campuses. Leadership, faculty and staff guided the students through various workshops, presentations and social gatherings.
Psychology Students from Mexico Visit The Chicago School's Irvine Branch Campus for an Exchange of Ideas Traveling to Tijuana and other border cities in Mexico has been a favorite destination for many who live in Southern California. The beaches are beautiful, food is fresh and you can get a big bang for your buck while you get a taste of the Mexican culture. But, The Chicago School looks beyond the tourist relationship and recognizes the importance of cultural competency between the two countries, and more importantly, between professions. For the second year in a row, TCSPP brought the Mexican culture to the Irvine Branch Campus by hosting close to a dozen psychology students from CETYS University, a nonprofit private university with several campuses throughout Baja California, Mexico. Together, CETYS and TCSPP students celebrated their diversity and learned how their respective cultures impact the views and practices in their field of work. Read more.
TCSPP leadership and faculty take time to pose with TCSPP and CETYS students.
Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute to be Honored by the NAACP for Work in Underserved Communities The Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education (NRCI) at The Chicago School will be honored by the Evanston Branch of the NAACP with its Community Service Award. The award is given annually to individuals and organizations in recognition of "outstanding contributions" to the community. NRCI, because of its unwavering commitment to the removal of mental health stigma, especially in underserved communities, will be recognized with other honorees at the branch's Freedom Fund Banquet in November.
Spotlight on Faculty Scholarship: Aaron Mishara, Psy.D. Dr. Aaron Mishara, professor in the Clinical Psychology Program in Los Angeles, has contributed another research paper, NeNurbiological Models of Self-Disorders in Early Schizophrenia, to his list of publications published in high-impact journals. This publication contributes to new discoveries about the conceptualization of the self-disorders and its relevance for understanding early schizophrenia. For a full listing of other faculty scholarship, click here.
Missed Media Stories with TCSPP Faculty Experts and Alumni? Check Out Top Stories Below and Congratulate Your Colleagues The Chicago School's faculty are oftentimes sought out as experts by members of the media. Below is a sampling of some of our recent media coverage about trending news stories. Chicago is a city that works...while on vacation In an interview with the Chicago Tribune's Blue Sky Innovation website, Sharon Pappas, Ph.D., department faculty in the Chicago Campus' I/O and Business Psychology Program, talks about the importance of disengaging from work-related technology when on vacation, and the best ways to do this. When it comes to lay-offs, don't drag it out In the aftermath of mass lay-offs at several large companies, Connie Fuller, Ph.D., department faculty in the Chicago Campus' I/O and Business Psychology Program, interviewed with the Chicago Tribune to discuss how employees are affected by lay-offs and the best practices that companies should put in place when they find that they must downsize. Dealing with a Disgruntled Employee After a reporter and cameraman were shot and killed by a former coworker who had been fired, Cynthia Langtiw, Ph.D., associate professor in the Clinical Psy.D. Program at the Chicago Campus, interviewed with PBS affiliate WTTW's Chicago Tonight to discuss what companies can do to address the potential dangers of disgruntled employees. (Segment begins at 10:39). Virginia Journalists Gunned Down on Live TV In the wake of the shootings of a reporter and cameraman on live television by a former co-worker, Nancy Zarse, Psy.D., full professor in the Forensic Psychology Program at the Chicago Campus, interviewed with NBC 5 to give an analysis of the tragedy and to discuss educating people about warning signs and the pathway to intended violence. L.A. Clinical Psychologist, Professor Career is Two-Folded Erica Ellis, Psy.D., faculty in the Somatic and Applied Clinical Psychology Department at the Los Angeles Campus, was interviewed for the CBS Los Angeles website about her career as a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology.
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