what are people saying? The Adler School has been a great place to learn how to do something.... I’ve learned to look at people, not just labels.... I feel like even more of an advocate now.... I deeply resonate with the Adler School’s priority to prepare socially responsible practitioners .... If you want to be successful, you want to be here.... You’re getting to see how theory works in practice.
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welcome
The Adler School of Professional Psychology, established in 1952, is the oldest independent psychology school in North America. The Adler School continues the pioneering work of Alfred Adler by graduating socially responsible practitioners, engaging communities, and advancing social justice.
Chicago Campus Programs
Vancouver Campus Programs
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) • Clinical Psychology (General) Track • Child and Adolescent Psychology Track • Military Clinical Psychology Track Doctoral Concentrations • Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy • Art Therapy • Clinical Neuropsychology • Marriage and Family Therapy • Organizational Development • Primary Care Psychology • Traumatic Stress Psychology
Master of Arts Programs Community Psychology Counselling Psychology Organizational Psychology For more information, visit adler.edu or contact the Office of Admissions for specific programs offered at our Chicago and Vancouver campuses.
Master of Arts: Counseling Programs Counseling Psychology Counseling Psychology (Online/Hybrid Program) Counseling Psychology, Art Therapy Counseling Psychology, Specialization in Forensic Psychology Counseling Psychology, Specialization in Rehabilitation Counseling Counseling Psychology, Specialization in Sport and Health Psychology Counseling and Organizational Psychology Marriage and Family Counseling Master of Arts Programs Emergency Management Leadership (Online/Hybrid Program)* Police Psychology Public Policy & Administration* • Human Rights Advocacy Concentration • Urban Mental Health Concentration Master of Arts: Online Programs Criminology Industrial and Organizational Psychology Military Psychology*
* The Adler School is poised to offer this program beginning fall 2013, pending approval by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
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Welcome to the Adler School of Professional Psychology. Here, you will find doctoral and master’s programs in a range of specialties focused on our mission to graduate socially responsible practitioners. Together, our students, faculty, and staff engage with communities to advance social justice, by reaching out to those facing the greatest barriers to mental health support. The Adler School was founded on an important idea: Our health resides in our community life and connections. This drives our commitment to community engagement—and our curricula to prepare students with the theory, science, and practice necessary to become agents of social change. Our learning community includes: • A dedicated faculty of scholars and practitioners who serve as mentors inside the classroom and out, and who are active in community, clinical practice, and professional organizations.
• Peers from across the globe who provide multiple perspectives that enhance our shared inquiry and peer learning. • Our Center for Learning and Teaching, which provides academic support for students and faculty especially in the areas of writing and research. • High-impact partners who work with the Adler School to provide significant community engagement, practica, and internship opportunities. • International visitors and partners who enrich our global perspectives and introduce us to community mental health practice around the world. We work with those who are courageous enough to want to effect change across the world and in their own communities. In the pages to follow, you will meet a few of them. Reach out to us and consider joining the Adler School community to impact social justice through community engagement and socially responsible practice.
03 Focusing Coursework on Community
“This project opened my eyes and gave me a chance to connect.” Christie Ledbetter Psy. D. Clinical Psychology Program Chicago Campus Youth sports. Community banking. Minority hiring on public works projects. What’s mental health got to do with it? With colleagues in her Community Psychology class, Christie Ledbetter worked with the Westside Health Authority in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood to help develop youth programming as part of youth mental health education and intervention. She helped create a master fundraising proposal for a youth sports league, which kicked off with more than 300 youth coming out to play baseball. “We wrote a grant document on the importance of a youth sports league for the community and the importance of youth sport participation for healthy development,” Ledbetter says. “Since I am not a Chicago native, this project opened my eyes to surrounding areas of the city and gave me a chance to connect.” It’s a very different approach from the traditional research model that view communities as research subjects. In partnering with the community, course instructor Dr. Nataka Moore says, “Students learned that if you’re concerned about the mental health of youth in a community, it often comes down to developing programs—and that requires funding.”
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“I knew it was the program I had been searching for.” Sherry Simon M.A. Community Psychology Program Vancouver Campus
A member of the Skeetchestn Indian Band in the Secwepemc
School’s priority to prepare socially responsible practitioners
Nation, British Columbia, Sherry Simon has dedicated her
and provide services with a focus on prevention, early inter-
career and life to being a strong Indigenous advocate, role
vention, and social change.”
model, and mentor for young people. As a consultant for three international organizations, Simon
Simon values the Adler School’s emphasis on mentoring students and appreciates the chance to integrate counsel-
has supported thousands of young people as they define their
ling psychology with a focus on community change. “I am
assets and discover their creative talents through visual arts,
strengthening my foundation in counselling and expanding it
movement, and writing.
to include the impact of political, cultural, and environmental
After years of researching graduate programs, she found
influences on the individual,” she says.
herself instantly in sync with the Adler School’s Vancouver
“Community psychology is particularly relevant for those of
campus. “After meeting with Begum Verjee, the program
us who are advocates for the well-being of people, especially
director, I knew immediately that it was the program I was
marginalized populations.”
searching for,” she says. “I deeply resonate with the Adler
05 Innovating Specialized Programs
“The campus is always booming. There’s so much to be involved in.” Heather O’Brien Psy.D. Clinical Psychology Program Chicago Campus Growing up in a U.S. Army family, Heather O’Brien enlisted with the Air National Guard at age 17. Today, she is a commissioned second lieutenant. Members of her unit have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and she’s been honored for supporting their deployments and supporting wounded veterans. “I’ve been to a lot of different military hospitals and worked with a lot of different health professionals,” O’Brien says.
“We have great professors and great resources.”
O’Brien, a first-generation college student, is inspired to work as quickly as possible toward her goal of serving her country as a military psychologist. She found the opportunity to do that taking coursework through the Adler School’s Psy.D. track in military clinical psychology.
Long Quach
“The track examines the psychological impact of various
Psy.D. Clinical Psychology Program
military operations and prepares students to provide
Chicago Campus
necessary services in a range of settings,” she says. “Veterans suffer above-average rates of psychological
Before coming to the Adler School, Long Quach had no experience with the military. However, Adler School professor and recently retired U.S. Navy commander Dr. Joseph Troiani sparked Quach’s interest in new opportunity. Dr. Troiani told him about an opportunity to apply for a prestigious U.S. Air Force scholarship. Quach learned more about the School’s work training psychologists in high demand for work with the military. “When I was younger I wanted to be a pilot,” Quach says. “Dr. Troiani talked to me about the military and the scholarship as a way to get my feet wet.” Quach has been delighted with his Adler School experience. “One thing I appreciate is the emphasis on diversity,” he says. “Being culturally competent is lacking in the psychological world. Our professors pay attention to different cultures. To be aware of that is great in helping to serve those cultures.”
problems and, having chosen this profession, I feel it is my privilege to assist my fellow service members as necessary. I am proud to serve my country and help others help themselves overcome life’s obstacles.”
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07 Advocating for Social Justice
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“At the Adler School, there’s a way to make bigger changes.” Elena Quintana, Ph.D., Executive Director Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice
The Institute on Public Safety & Social Justice works to promote socially just policies and practices within the justice system. The goal is to build safer, healthier communities, and help communities cultivate resources that alleviate public safety concerns and lead to overall community health. Dr. Elena Quintana leads the Institute in educating and encouraging local, state, and international communities to adopt research-based restorative justice practices. Additional projects include collaborating with Adler Community Health Services to develop and evaluate state-of-the-art mental health services for those re-entering society after incarceration. The Institute also spearheads systemic approaches to helping young people break out of the cycle of violence that many current justice systems foster. “When people
“In order to get equality, we have to change policy.” Travis Munnerlyn Psy.D. Clinical Psychology Program Chicago Campus On June 2, 2011, Travis Munnerlyn joined about 200 people in Chicago’s Millennium Park to witness 30 same-sex couples enter civil unions. The ceremonies were among the historic first in Illinois, the sixth state to allow civil unions.
are in the juvenile detention center and they get released,
“Coming to the Adler School was the first time I realized the role
there is currently not any sort of exit plan for them,”
policy plays in sending messages to the community,” Munnerlyn
Quintana explains. “They’ve missed school, and there’s
says. In his work as president of Adler Pride, the campus group for
not a transition plan. Many of them don’t get back into
members of sexual minority groups and their allies, Munnerlyn
school. We can and should do better by these kids.”
led the group organizing a talk by Bernard Cherkasov, a leader in
The Institute recently partnered with the juvenile
the campaign for civil unions.
detention center in Chicago to provide violence
Munnerlyn challenged himself to address homophobia among
prevention programming, and begin a research project
teenage boys during his practicum in a juvenile correctional facility.
reviewing policy and practice to find ways to improve
He offered an open ear to young men discovering their sexual
outcomes for young offenders.
orientation. “I’ve had several youth come out to me,” he says.
“People get confused thinking of criminals as predators,”
Thanks to his work with Adler Pride, he could inform counselors
Quintana says. “When we don’t view them as vulnerable
and youth at the facility about resources and opportunity for policy
people and pay attention to their needs, they are locked
changes, like the push for civil unions. He advised them: “You
into being criminals.”
don’t see it now, but good changes are coming.”
09 Addressing Social Exclusion
“I’ve learned to look at people, not just labels.” Stacey Willard Psy.D. Clinical Psychology Program Chicago Campus Stacey Willard says the Institute on Social Exclusion’s Social
priorities right, and I ignored seeking food. In the real world,
Exclusion Simulation opened her eyes to injustice. While role-
that’s not possible.”
playing a woman trying to find food and shelter after serving jail time, she received a card saying she had been raped. “I felt lost and there was no one to help me,” she says. “I felt very discouraged.” In the simulation, she returned to jail multiple times because she put self-care ahead of tasks like meeting with her parole officer. By her second time role- playing, she knew within the simulation how to “work the system” and why real ex-offenders can’t. “I had my legal
The simulation hits people in the gut. “You get it. You feel oppressed. You feel like you’re a criminal.” She has worked with the ISE to keep the simulation up-to-date and create a training manual. “I’ve learned what it means to wear those labels—sex offender, incarcerated—and how they work against you. I’ve learned to look at people, not just labels.”
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“Students are exposed to state-ofthe-art thinking.” Lynn Todman, Ph.D., Executive Director Institute on Social Exclusion At the Institute on Social Exclusion (ISE), Dr. Lynn Todman leads a growing team of Adler School faculty, staff, and students along with community partners and public agency representatives to address factors that prevent some communities from accessing basic rights, opportunities, and resources. ISE’s groundbreaking work includes advancing social change through the development and implementation of a Mental Health Impact Assessment (MHIA), which is attracting local, national, and international attention. The MHIA is designed to help ensure that public proposals— including legislative, policy, and programmatic initiatives put forth by federal, state, or local governments—are vetted for their impacts on the collective mental health and well-being of communities, especially the most vulnerable. “The MHIA is an emerging practice for ensuring that public officials make decisions that promote population mental health and narrow mental health disparities,” Todman says. “At ISE, students who work with us are exposed to state- of-the-art thinking and practice as they relate to advancing health and other forms of social equity.”
11 Applying Theory in Practice
“My practicum has been invigorating.” Debbie Serber Psy.D. Clinical Psychology Program Chicago Campus
In her assessment practicum, Debbie Serber provided needs
Through play, a therapist offers interventions that young
assessments working with students, teachers, and admin-
clients can understand. “Kids who are unable to verbalize
istrators with a Chicago Public Schools art therapy program
life experiences act out what is happening to them through
developed by two Adler School alumni. Her next practicum
play,” Serber says. Working with a young boy who was
experience was a diagnostic practicum with a suburban
struggling to cope with bullying, Serber encouraged his
health department’s child and adolescent unit. It instilled in
play characters to talk back to the bullies. “He is starting
her a love for testing.
to realize he can take the play therapy examples and apply
During her counseling practicum, Serber spent 12 to 20 hours
them in his real life,” she says.
a week leading individual, group, and family therapy at Bridge View Challenger Day School. Conducting play therapy with her clients, she saw classroom learning come to life.
“I received a lot of face-to-face time with clients through practicum, which you don’t always get.”
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“A great place to learn how to do something.” Brian Noble M.A. Counseling and Organizational Psychology Program Chicago Campus With a background in executive recruitment, Brian Noble calls the Adler School “a phenomenal environment” for forging a career. During his Community Service practicum, Noble consulted for Executive Service Corps, providing board development consultation for a not-for-profit on Chicago’s South Side. “We interviewed internal and external stakeholders, and compiled the data to do an analysis and provide recommendations to address turnover and recurring issues the board faced,” Noble says. “I applied a lot of theory and design principles from class, as well as counseling techniques. Listening—hearing what people are saying even when they are not overtly stating information—was critical to the process.” With a counseling practicum with the Career Learning Center at Loyola University Chicago behind him, Noble says, “The emphasis here on clinical, business, and community service practica makes you more competitive. The Adler School has been a great place to learn how to do something—be it counseling, consulting or coaching. You’re getting to see how theory works in practice.”
13 Transforming Communities through Service Practicum
“The CSP is what sets the Adler School apart.” Natalie DeFreitas M.A. Counselling Psychology Program Vancouver Campus During her Community Service Practicum (CSP) with British Columbia’s division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Natalie DeFreitas trained police officers, paramedics, and emergency room staff interacting with people to look for signs of mental health crisis and assess potential suicide risk. The training helped first responders understand that erratic behavior can signal a need for medical attention, not just that someone is drunk or high. “We really encouraged them not to make assumptions, but to try to get a snapshot of what’s going on in the person’s life,” DeFreitas says. She and the training team also helped create simple communication tools, like a shared care form that a police officer can leave for ER staff to know what police had done to assess an arrested person who also needed medical attention. As a student who came to British Columbia to attend the Adler School, DeFreitas considered her CSP a chance to give back to her adopted home. “The CSP is what sets the Adler School apart from other schools,” she says. “We can use our own strengths to institute positive change at the community level. The faculty and staff are supportive every step of the way. They are invested in us not just as students, but as people.”
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“I feel like even more of an advocate now.” Stephanie Herro M.A. Gerontological Counseling Program Chicago Campus Before coming to the Adler School, Stephanie Herro managed an assisted living facility serving people with Alzheimer’s disease. While she knew the day-to-day issues Alzheimer’s sufferers and their caregivers face, she had limited experience with how public policy affected them. That all changed thanks to her Community Service Practicum (CSP) with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Illinois Chapter. In May 2011, Herro went to Washington, D.C. for the Alzheimer’s Association’s national conference and annual lobby day. She met with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services leaders, and pushed legislators to consider redirecting more federal funding toward Alzheimer’s research. The number of Alzheimer’s cases is rising sharply. More young people are living with the disease. The experience opened her mind to the importance policy holds for mental health professionals. “I feel like even more of an advocate now. I’ll always have an ear out for the most recent legislation.”
15 Reaching Out through Clinical Training
“The work that I do is socially responsible. I’m working with individuals from all facets of life.” Brian Humphrey, Psy.D. Adler Community Health Services Chicago Campus Brian Humphrey, a graduate of the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Program, became a post-doctoral fellow with Adler Community Health Services. ACHS provides psychological services to underserved populations through its clinical training programs. Offering internships exclusively to Adler School students, the Adler Community Mental Health Predoctoral Internship Program in Clinical Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association and is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. Humphrey divided his time among five ACHS internship sites: two adult transition centers serving men during the work- release phase of their imprisonment; two rehabilitation centers for formerly incarcerated men and women attempting to re-enter society; and a primary care medical center serving the homeless and people with HIV. Working with clients, Humphrey says, “I listen to their experiences. If something is preventing them from feeling better, I help them—whether by finding information, speaking out against what is standing in their way, or encouraging them to apply their own resources.” Humphrey says his clinical practica so embedded theory in practice, it’s impossible to separate them. “You’re constantly receiving and learning while doing the training.”
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Practicums, Internship and Training Support All degree programs at the Adler School include practical training experiences to prepare students with critical skills for ethical, empirically based, compassionate practice. These training experiences also help students become competitive in the employment marketplace upon completing their degrees. Community Service Practicum The Adler School was the first graduate school of professional psychology to design a Community Service Practicum (CSP) for first-year students, a non-clinical training experience to give students the opportunity to lead social change by affecting social conditions and policy related to mental health. Students engage in at least one of four different areas: needs assessment; grant-writing and fundraising; program development and evaluation; and community organizing and outreach. Clinical, Counseling and Professional Practicums These practicums, as required by the degree program in which the student is enrolled, provide the chance to put classroom education to practice in relevant settings: family counseling centers, community health centers, schools, prisons, organizations in the business sector, and other sites. Students gain confidence and hands-on skills with guidance from experienced clinicians and professionals. International Training Opportunities Students also have opportunities to take part in clinical training and community work in international settings. Combined with coursework, students explore relevant applications of psychology and community mental health across cultures and geographic boundaries. Dedicated Training Support Our Department of Training and Community Engagement works closely with students to support their practicums and training. The Department also provides research, statistics, writing, and additional support and resources, including one-on-one consultations for students.
17 Building Community in the World
“I really believe in the philosophy of the Adler School.” Jennifer Van Wyck, M.A. Counselling Psychology Program Vancouver Campus Shortly after graduating from the Adler School, Jennifer Van Wyck and four other alumni co-founded Phoenix Vision Society, a non-profit organization combining microfinancing, trauma counselling, and community-building to help women and children displaced by the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. Van Wyck works in three camps for internally displaced people in or near Port-au-Prince. “In one group, we all cried when one mother described how her children have to sift through garbage piles to find food,” Van Wyck says. Beyond counselling, Van Wyck has organized cholera education and provided hand-washing supplies to reduce the chances of infection. She also started a community garden to feed the poorest camp refugees. “I really believe in the philosophy of the Adler School,” Van Wyck says. “I practice daily the integration of community and social advocacy.”
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“I want to learn how to start something up that is sustainable after we leave.” Sarah Joy Mikolajczyk M.A. Counseling Psychology, Art Therapy Program Chicago Campus
An artist, a traveler, and a healer, Sarah Joy Mikolajczyk spent
therapeutic uses of art to enhance self esteem, improve
part of summer 2011 in Ethiopia working with Art Therapy
communication skills, and foster interpersonal skills.
Program Chair Deb Paskind and fellow student and artist Rachel Nelms. They represented the Adler School in partnership with Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights to help launch an art therapy program, training Ethiopian counselors and working directly with women and children. The trip is one of many examples of how Adler School faculty and students travel throughout the world to collaborate, train, and focus on improved community health in partnership with local communities. In Ethiopia, the focus was facilitating self-help group meetings and providing staff development in
Mikolajczyk was eager to apply her art to counseling across a language barrier, with very different materials than the art supplies she’s accustomed to using in the United States. Learning how to transfer skills to a partner quickly but with lasting benefit was critical, she says. “I wanted to learn how to start something up that is sustainable after we leave, not just ‘the Adler School Show,’” she says. “This opportunity was profoundly exciting to me.”
19 Joining a Campus for Change
“Being at the Adler School has given me a better understanding.” Diana Jung M.A. Community Psychology Program, M.A. Counselling Psychology Program Vancouver Campus
Through her Community Service Practicum (CSP), Diana Jung
experience,” Jung says. “Being at the Adler School has given
worked with Vancouver leaders as part of the Women
me a better understanding of how we can change.”
Transforming Cities initiative to address a lack of female
Her experiences at the Adler School have also enriched her
representation in government. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is working to raise the percentage of Canadian women mayors and city council members from 22 percent in 2011 to 30 percent by 2026. The CSP experience is a good example of why Jung enrolled in the Counselling Psychology and the Community Psychology programs at the Adler School: to focus on a holistic approach to addressing change, and the ways that social and political factors can affect personal well-being. “Systemic inequality tends to trickle down to the individual
understanding of the diversity of the city in which she grew up, she says. Originally settled by the Coast Salish peoples, Vancouver has developed into a culturally diverse city while maintaining its natural beauty. “There’s so much to do in Vancouver: the scenery, the food, the diversity,” she says. “We’re so close to the beach and the mountains.” She encourages students new to Vancouver to investigate the city’s neighborhoods before settling into an apartment. “I think the Vancouver experience is very different depending on which community you settle in.”
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“I really appreciate how the Adler School encourages students to view clients in a holistic way .” ,
Melissa Doman M.A. Counseling Psychology Program Chicago Campus
Melissa Doman’s longtime interest in mind/body health blossomed at the Adler School, in her work with the Chicago Campus Wellness Committee offering regular classes in mind/body practices like yoga and zumba, as well as seminars on work/life balance. “I really appreciate how the Adler School encourages students to view clients in a holistic way,” Doman says. “The Wellness Committee was one of the reasons I applied here.” Doman created a speaker series on holistic practices that complements mental health work, such as acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, massage therapy, and nutritional counseling. “It gave me great experience and great connections in the community,” she says. “I want to work with similar practitioners in the future.”
21 Finding Out More
“It’s a fabulous place to be. The support you get from your professors and friends is incredible.” Jayeti Poddar M.A. Counseling and Organizational Psychology Program Chicago Campus
The Adler School’s unique program for counseling with an orga-
Quetzal Center, a Community Counseling Center of Chicago
nizational psychology focus is what first caught Jayeti Poddar’s
for sexual violence survivors, was transformative, she says.
attention as she researched graduate schools. The mission and
“I worked with a population I’ve never worked with. I grew as a
the people at the Adler School are what brought her from her home in Mumbai, India, to enroll at the Chicago Campus. “The support from the Admission team solidified my position that
person. I’ve learned how to integrate concepts from textbook into the real world. The gap between the classroom and the world has been filled.”
I want to be here. All of my mentors—students and professors—
With a background in human resources and post-graduate
are wonderful. Even faculty I don’t have for class are people I can
plans to earn her doctorate, Poddar says. “I want to do work that
go to when I have a problem and need help finding a solution.”
is important. If you want to be successful, you want to be here.
In her first year, faculty showed her ways to instill creativity in her research. Her Community Service Practicum (CSP) at
If you want the support, they will help.”
Our Campuses
Take the next step
The Adler School of Professional Psychology provides
Learn more about our programs and admission
students with forward-thinking graduate learning on vibrant
requirements by visiting adler.edu or call our Office of
downtown campuses in two of the world’s great cities:
Admissions to speak with an Admissions Counselor.
Chicago, Illinois, and Vancouver, British Columbia. At each
Chicago Campus Office: 312.662.4100
campus, students enjoy close access to a wealth of research, teaching hospitals, cultural institutions, thought leaders and sites for community service, clinical and professional practicums, and social opportunities.
Because most programs fill quickly, we strongly encourage you to begin the application process early. • The priority deadline for the Doctor of Psychology in
You can afford your degree
Clinical Psychology Program is February 15.
To finance their graduate education, most students rely on a combination of scholarships, assistantships, student loans, and paid employment. We encourage all prospective students to apply for financial aid as early as possible in the application process. We will work with you throughout the financial aid process. Here are just some of the ways you can afford an Adler School degree: Chicago Campus
Vancouver Campus: 604.482.5510
Vancouver Campus
• Scholarships
• Scholarships
• Federal student loans
• Canada student loans
• Alternative loans
• Provincial student loans
• Federal work-study • GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon Program
Please note that students applying to the Vancouver Campus must enroll before applying for scholarships.
• Applications for Master of Arts Programs are accepted on a rolling basis.
Adler School of Professional Psychology 17 North Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60602
Chicago Campus
Vancouver Campus
17 North Dearborn
1090 West Georgia Street
Chicago, IL 60602
Suite 1200
Phone: 312.662.4000
Vancouver, BC V6E 3V7
Fax: 312.662.4099
Phone: 604.482.5510 Fax: 604.874.4634
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