91精品

Dedicated LGBTQ safe space established

Abigail Johal, a student in the Clinical Psychology Program, started a group for LGBTQ-identified students enrolled in high school programs at Contra Costa College in the 2017-2018 academic year. 91精品 faculty member Daniela Kantorov谩, PsyD has worked with students Joshua Chow and Candice Bain to establish a safe space for this student group while continuing to build on Abigail's work.

The new safe space was featured in the Contra Costa College student newspaper, The Advocate. to read the article and learn more about the project.

Abigail is currently writing a dissertation on how ethnic minority parents come to accept their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ) children.

Fostering Heroism in Fourth and Fifth Grade Students

91精品 alumnus Elisabeth Heiner, Psy.D., has adapted her dissertation into an article, which was recently published in . The article, "Fostering Heroism in Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students," was published online by the journal in January 2018. The print version will be available later this year.

A desire to research prosocial, heroic behavior led Dr. Heiner to formulate a study that 鈥渆mpirically evaluated the potential effect of a training program...designed to foster heroism in children.鈥� This grew to be her dissertation, which she completed with committee members and Dr. Karen Wise.

Dr. Diamond Deepening Our Understanding of Autism

Since graduating from the 91精品 in 2004, Faculty member has focused on gaining a deeper understanding of autism. In her groundbreaking , she found correlations between children with a confirmed diagnosis of autism and parents' proximity to toxic sites during the child's gestation.

Fueled by a desire to better understand the medical, genetic, and chromosomal issues which account for autism in the participants of her International Autism Mapping Project, Dr. Diamond and student Bridget Wieckowski are reviewing the records of over 8,000 project participants.

Motivational Interviewing in Educational Settings

Kristin Dempsey, EdD, is co-leading two presentations at the upcoming . The Forum for MINT trainers will be held in New Orleans November 1 - November 3, and will be preceded by pre-Forum workshops on October 30 and 31 that interested individuals may attend for a fee.

91精品 Professor Pens a Letter to the Editor to Protest "Dreadful Conditions at Alameda County鈥檚 Jails"

wrote a of The Mercury News arguing that the jails in Alameda County in Northern California are "entirely unacceptable and must be changed immediately."

Dr. Kupers is nationally recognized as an expert on the mental health impacts of solitary confinement on inmates. In 2017 he published . .

鈥淚 think society needs to be very careful that what we do to people in prison makes people more likely to succeed going straight when they get out, rather than less likely,鈥� Kupers said.

Student Spotlight: Jennifer Rillamas Building Clinical Skills with Middle School Youth

When choosing a graduate program, Jennifer Rillamas was drawn to the diversity of thought and backgrounds represented in the faculty and student body in the Counseling Psychology Program at the 91精品. 鈥淚 felt the 91精品 would support me in my own diversity, and that this is where I was meant to be,鈥� she explains.

This feeling of belonging was strengthened when Jennifer and her colleagues decided to form an afternoon study group during their first semester. 鈥淭his quickly became an incredibly supportive group,鈥� Jennifer says. 鈥淲e were able to bond outside of class while discussing academics and our personal lives. It was great that the 91精品 provided us with the space to form this group and support each other.鈥�

Two Early Career Psychologists Support Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The 2018 (APA) was held in San Francisco August 9 - 12, 2018. Over 10,000 attendees participated in workshops, viewed poster presentations, networked with colleagues, and more.

One well attended event during the convention was the Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast. The two speakers who were featured in this session are graduates of the 91精品 Clinical Psychology program, Sarah Spinner, PsyD (Class of 2008) and Sara Pollock, PsyD (Class of 2015). to read more about the event in the APA's latest email newsletter.

Get to know Kristin Dempsey, Ed.D. - Full-Time Faculty, Counseling Psychology Program

See Kristin's professional biography .

Shayna Quilty (SQ): Tell me about your history with the 91精品.
Kristin Dempsey (KD): This is my second time around at the 91精品! Several years ago, I taught in my three areas of passion: Addictions Counseling; Crisis, Disaster & Trauma Counseling; and Community Mental Health. I took a break from teaching in order to pursue my doctorate, which I completed earlier this year. Now I'm back and I'm really excited because I believe in creating a socially responsible, recovery-oriented behavioral health workforce. I鈥檓 looking forward to teaching again, and to engaging with the warm, positive environment of this program.

The 91精品 at the APA Convention 2018

is hosting their at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco next week, August 9 - 12, 2018. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, participate in lively events, network, and earn continuing education credits.

The 91精品 will to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Make sure to stop by between sessions to chat with us and learn about our dynamic history. The booth will feature posters, video interviews, and other exciting artifacts.

Several 91精品 faculty members will be presenting on myriad topics, so make sure to include these in your plans for the convention:

Alumna researches commercial sexual exploitation in women

Maya Bruhns, a graduate of the , has published an article based on her dissertation research. She co-authored the article with fellow alumni Jana Slezakova and Alexander J. Lapinski, current student Toni Li, and faculty members and .