Insight Magazine by The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

SPRING 2008

VOLUME 1

ISSUE 2

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Going Global Psychology in a Changing World

T hro u g h A L at in o L e n s A n Ir a q i P e r s p ec t i v e Me e t t he A l u mni C o u n c il

SPRING 2008 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2

editorial staff: Judy Beaupre Kelli Langdon Matt Nehmer Beth VanDyke Contributing Writers: Chanté DeLoach Zak Stambor Design: Bates Creative Group Contributing Photographers: Amy Braswell Geraldine Garwood Tim Hursley Brian La Belle Kelli Langdon Carol Lin Derrick Smith Cover Photo: David Sacks

“

To work with…people of different cultures, psychologists need to know what they don’t know. They have to be open to learning. Merry Bullock, senior director of international affairs, American Psychological Association

”

President Michael Horowitz Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Administration and Student Affairs Tamara Rozhon Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance Jeff Keith Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Academic Affairs Patricia Breen Michele Nealon-Woods Dean, Los Angeles Campus Darcy Tannehill Dean, Online Campus INSIGHT is published twice annually by the Office of Alumni Relations and Development and the Office of Communications and Public Relations at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. It is mailed to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the school. Address changes and correspondence should be sent to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development T he Chicago School of Professional Psychology 325 N. Wells St. Chicago, IL 60610 insight@thechicagoschool.edu 312.410.8988

SPRING 2008

V OLUME 1

IS SUE 2

T HE M A G A Z INE FOR A L UMNI A ND F R IEND S OF T HE CHIC AG O S CHO OL OF PROFE S SION A L P S YCHOL O G Y

08 departments 2 President’s Letter 4 On Campus

In Chicago, L.A., and abroad, new ventures and opportunities

FEATURES

8 Faculty

14 Going Global: Psychology in a Changing World

Quoted by the media, engaged in dialogue, or offering fresh perspectives, faculty share their expertise

From tsunami relief in Sri Lanka to a Guatemala orphanage, psychologists play a critical role in international humanitarian efforts

22 Class Notes

The Center for Latino Mental Health provides psychology practitioners with much-needed cultural competencies

Meet the Alumni Council and a U.N. psychologist

25 Last page The Chicago School with an L.A. climate

20 Through a Latino Lens

{president’s letter}

Let’s work

together. The Chicago School is currently seeking high-impact partnerships through which we can lend our expertise and provide meaningful and lasting service to the community. Every year, our students and faculty donate nearly 500,000 hours working in underserved communities, social service agencies, schools, hospitals, mental health centers, and businesses: •H elping non profit and for-profit organizations answer critical strategic questions, strengthen treatment models, and deliver more powerful outcomes for their constituents

• Generating relevant and applied scholarship and programs that create lasting, systems-level change for communities most in need • And much more

• Providing high-quality psychological services to thousands of individuals and families

If you know of an agency or organization that could benefit from the capacity building that a Chicago School partnership can provide, please contact the Chicago School Office of Community Partnerships at 312.410.8991 or email jglenn@thechicagoschool.edu.

s The Chicago School continues to hone its mission of outreach and service, we find ourselves persistently broadening our sights and aspirations. Our profession is one that is needed around the world, yet countries vary widely in the way and degree to which psychology is understood and used. With great enthusiasm, we have been pursuing international opportunities for increasing the impact and reach of our mission and psychology. Recently, I have made two trips to China, both of which resulted in the potential for future partnerships. A visit to Shanghai’s Fudan University yielded an exchange of students from its School of International Relations and Public Affairs, while connections forged with an educational entrepreneur in China led to discussions of collaborative online programs with major Chinese universities. The potential is immense for working with this fascinating country of more than a billion people. It is a nation that struggles not only with the same mental health issues as its western neighbors but with pressures that are uniquely its own: the stress inherent in rapid modernization and the psychological impact that the nation’s one-child policy places on today’s families. My conversations left me with the understanding that China is a country intensely interested in psychology, but challenged by a dire shortage of professional psychologists. The possibilities under discussion are many and varied: two-way exchanges for both faculty and students; intensive training for the Fudan University counseling department here in Chicago; internship and employment opportunities for our Applied Behavior Analysis students with the Children’s Institute of Hong Kong (the only school in Asia devoted exclusively to the education of children with autism). These potential projects offer just a glimpse of what is possible, and are likely to lay the groundwork for more and bigger initiatives—not only in Asia, but around the globe. We have much to offer, that is certain. But we also have the world to gain. Continued exploration into such international partnerships will draw extensively upon our multicultural competencies. Our students, faculty, and graduates will find themselves working with people whose needs are much like our own, but whose culture, history, and traditions demand a deep level of cultural sensitivity and understanding. As The Chicago School takes its place at the forefront of the movement to internationalize psychology, we can be confident in the transformative experiences we will offer our students, our staff and faculty, and ultimately our alumni.

Michael Horowitz President

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 3

Spreading our Wings

{president’s letter}

Let’s work

• Generating relevant and applied scholarship and programs that create lasting, systems-level change for communities most in need • And much more

• Providing high-quality psychological services to thousands of individuals and families

Michael Horowitz President

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 3

Spreading our Wings

The Chicago School Here a nd Now

the Pasadena Freeway, parking, and public transportation. Its central location will allow the school to connect with service organizations and other training sites throughout the region. Overseeing the campus as dean will be Dr. Michele Nealon-Woods, a 2000 graduate of The Chicago School and outgoing chair of its Clinical Psychology Department in Chicago. Five programs represent the initial L.A. offerings: Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, Psy.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis, M.A. in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology, M.A. in Forensic Psychology, and the Applied Behavior Analysis Specialization of the M.A. in Clinical Psychology.

Midwest Meets West Coast The Chicago School Opens New Campus in Downtown Los Angeles

fter nearly 30 years of addressing the need for more professional psychologists in the Midwest, The Chicago School is taking its unique approach to psychology training to new frontiers. A new West Coast campus, which opened its doors April 1 in Los Angeles, will begin offering classes in fall 2008. Keeping with the school’s traditional urban setting, the campus will be located in downtown L.A. at 617 W. 7th St., strategically adjacent to

Conversations about a West Coast presence began in spring 2007 after the school engaged in a successful self-study and site visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the regional accrediting agency covering our main campus. HLC granted The Chicago School a broadened scope of accreditation in the areas of psychology and related behavioral sciences. Soon thereafter a task force was convened by President Horowitz and Board Chair Richard Grunsten to examine the school’s mission and current strategic plan and to determine the school’s next steps. “We came to this strong sense that programmatically there is so much opportunity in psychology-related fields,” said Chicago School Trustee Brian Fabes, Ph.D., who co-chaired the task force. “We don’t want to just do everything and get big. We’re driving for more excellence in the fields of psychology. There is much need and opportunity to serve more people. The need for psychologists, our mission, opportunity, and available resources, they all align right now.”

Making the Honor Roll

he Chicago School learned in February that it made the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to disadvantaged populations. Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on factors such as innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. The school earned the distinction in part for its efforts to help local agencies build greater capacity to serve more people. Through their internship and practicum experiences, Chicago School students perform nearly 500,000 hours of pro bono community service each year. An additional 12,860 hours of service were added in the 2006-2007 academic year thanks to the efforts of the school’s Office of Community Partnerships, which connected students to a host of new community service, service-learning, and community-based research projects. “It is exciting to be recognized,” said Dr. Sayaka Machizawa-Summers (Psy.D. ’05), the school’s community-engaged scholarship coordinator. “The credit goes to our faculty and students who embraced the opportunity to help our highimpact partners reach more people in need.”

On Tour with the Center for International Studies, Students Travel to the Middle East and the United Nations

“I

t was a spiritual journey … an unforgettable cultural experience,” wrote Geraldine Amat, a second-year I/O student, upon returning from the Middle East this past December. She was one of 10 students representing six programs who participated in the educational trip. Two months later an additional eight students traveled to New York to serve as World Federation for Mental Health

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 5

on campus

(WFMH) delegates at the 52nd Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The trips are two examples of the global learning opportunities arranged by the school’s Center for International Studies (CIS), which was founded in 2006 to provide opportunities for students and faculty to engage in curricular and co-curricular teaching and learning activities, and to position The Chicago School as a future leader in international psychology. Working with the center and its director, Dr. Nancy Dubrow, students and faculty contribute to research, training, practice, and public policy focused on international human rights, global justice, international relations, diplomacy, and cultural issues. Before leaving for the Middle East, students stuffed more than 400 pairs of socks donated by the campus community in their suitcases for the 6,000-mile trip from Chicago to Jerusalem. The socks were distributed to the people of Nahhalin and Dheisheh, a refugee camp that is home to

11,000 Palestinians. The excursion also included visits to Bethlehem and the Israeli Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma. “The Chicago School thinks globally and is ever-growing in our international relations,” said Andrea Morrison, a third-year Clinical Psy.D. student. “This trip is one of the many experiences I have had at The Chicago School that has helped me in my professional development.” The eight students attending the United Nations commission in New York in late February met in front of a statue depicting a revolver twisted in a knot. This is the second year that CIS has been involved in the event, which calls on member U.N. states to report on and set global standards for gender equality. One of the more »

Rebecca Millard, a first-year Counseling student, shares a moment with children in the village of Nahhalin.

The Chicago School Here a nd Now

Midwest Meets West Coast The Chicago School Opens New Campus in Downtown Los Angeles

Making the Honor Roll

On Tour with the Center for International Studies, Students Travel to the Middle East and the United Nations

“I

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 5

on campus

Rebecca Millard, a first-year Counseling student, shares a moment with children in the village of Nahhalin.

above: The iconic statue by Swede Fredrik Reutersward called “Non-Violence” stationed in front of the United Nations Building. above right: First-year Counseling student Barbara Hansdorfer at the 52nd Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.

The Chicago School Here a nd Now

participants was Barbara Hansdorfer, a first-year Counseling student who came to The Chicago School from Poland. “Meeting women from abroad and having a chance to talk with them opened my eyes to numerous social phenomena,” said Hansdorfer. “I am very happy that I was able to participate in the sessions and to meet those for whom the fate of other fellow human beings is in the center of their concern.” In their roles as World Federation for Mental Health delegates, Chicago School students were responsible for ensuring that the need for mental health and psychology services was addressed in all formal discussions. The WFMH is in its 50th year of internationally promoting mental health and the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Nancy Wallace is the organization’s lead representative to the

United Nations. She saw the students as another voice to advance the federation’s mission of making mental health a priority for people throughout the world. “They seemed to be extremely bright, committed, and enthusiastic,” said Wallace about the eight students. “I think part of our responsibility is to be mentors for students. I hope that it enlightened them a little bit and broadened their scope about global issues. They were able to network and meet people from all over the world.” One of the participants Wallace spoke of was Marissa Petersen, a first-year Clinical Psy.D. student from Orono, Minn. “I was moved by the women that I met from all over the world that were dedicated to improving the status of women,” Petersen said. “I look forward to applying what I learned at the conference in my classroom and clinical experience, and I am hopeful that this experience will make me a better clinician and student.”

Chicago School Partnership Forged with IVS in Germany

t a fall 2007 ceremony, Chicago School President Michael Horowitz and Dr. Wolfram Dorrmann—representing Germany’s Institut für Verhaltenstherapie, Verhaltensmedizin und Sexuologie (IVS)—signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a formal partnership. Based in Nuremberg, IVS is one of the largest government-approved behavior therapy education institutes in Germany. It specializes in training psychotherapists with tracks focused on adult, child, and adolescent populations. While their program provides students the experience

ACADEMICUPDATEs: Two Programs Open Doors at University Center of Lake County The Los Angeles Campus isn’t the only alternate destination for Chicago School students this fall. Taking courses at the University Center of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill., will be a second option for students enrolling in the Counseling Specialization or the School Psychology program. According to Dr. Barbara Kelly, former associate chair of the Counseling Department, the center’s location in the northern suburbs and its accessible course format will attract a new community of students to The Chicago School. “We think our programs at UCLC will not only draw career changers, but people who are already working in the field,” said Dr. Kelly, who has since assumed the role of chair of the Clinical Psychology Department. “The idea is to give the students the same experience they would get if they were on campus, nothing less, with the added benefit of a course format that is more accessible to working professionals.” Courses taken at UCLC will be delivered in a blended format—a mix of online and on-site learning offered in eight-week cycles.

required to earn licensure, as a private institute IVS cannot award formal academic degrees, a void that The Chicago School may be able to fill. “I’m not aware of any transnational psychology programs that require course work on two continents,” said Dr. Christoph Leonhard, professor of clinical psychology at The Chicago School, who is helping to develop the partnership. “This is quite a unique opportunity and represents another means to expand the Psy.D. internationally.” Dr. Dorrmann, who sits on the institute’s steering committee, found The Chicago School’s commitment to diversity training to be a good fit to enhance the IVS curriculum. “I think there is much benefit because, more and more, Germany is becoming a melting pot for different cultures,” said Dr. Dorrmann, who was in Chicago to participate in the school’s Cultural Impact Conference. “They come from all over Europe. It’s necessary to provide training to help people of other countries.” While details are still being finalized, the current plan is for students to take classes in Germany as well as at The Chicago School. In addition, students will complete extensive practicum and dissertation requirements on both sides of the Atlantic.

Naming Gift Received for New Treatment and Observation Room

tudents studying Forensic Psychology at The Chicago School this fall will have access to a unique new teaching facility thanks to a substantial gift by Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Utigard and Transwestern Commercial Services. To be located in the school’s new 40,000 square feet of annex space in the Merchandise Mart, the Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Utigard and Transwestern Treatment and Observation Room will be a centerpiece of The Chicago School Forensic Center, which was founded in 2007 as the practice arm of the school’s Forensic Psychology Department. The room will support the school’s instruction of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The facility will be equipped with a one-way mirror, separate observation room, and a “bug-inthe-ear” communication system that allows a therapist to observe and discreetly coach parents as they interact with their children. Because PCIT

ACADEMICUPDATEs: Applied Behavior Analysis is joining the doctoral ranks this fall with a new Psy.D. degree to be offered at the Chicago and L.A. campuses. The Chicago School is currently in its fourth year of offering ABA programming as a specialization through the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. What started in 2004 with an entering class of 18 has grown to more than 100 students. The Business Psychology Department is introducing two new specializations to its doctoral program this fall. Students following the Group Interventions route will take three courses never before offered: Conflict Resolution, Group Facilitations, and Organizational Change Management. Measurement and Assessment is the second specialization with new courses in Inventories, Simulations, and Advanced Interviewing.

Students entering the Counseling Specialization next fall will have the choice of six concentrations: Child and Adolescent Treatment, Health Psychology, Latino Mental Health, Supervision and Leadership in Community Mental Health, Treatment for Addiction Disorders, and Generalist. Latino mental health also will be the focus of two certificate programs beginning this fall. Social service and mental health professionals with an undergraduate degree will be eligible to earn the school’s new PostBachelor’s Certificate in Latino Mental Health. It provides formalized training centered on culturally responsive care to Latino/a clients and their families. The PostGraduate Certificate in the Assessment and Treatment in Latino Mental Health is an advanced program that targets mental

is evidence based, it carries the endorsement of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a recognized model for helping families with a history of abuse. Although it is a therapy that has been shown to be effective with abusive families in several states, few Illinois practitioners have been trained in its use. “I am personally delighted and honored to be able to support The Chicago School’s new Forensic Center,” said Mr. Utigard, executive vice president with Transwestern. “The center will be a tremendous asset for the school and will be a valuable resource for helping families learn how to better communicate and interact.”

health providers such as counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and nurses already working in the field. Clinically based, it includes courses specific to interviewing and treating Latinos. The Chicago School is now offering a Master of Arts in Psychology (MAP) degree in an online and blended format. Targeted to working professionals, students will take nine credit hours in foundational psychology, six credit hours in an applied research project, and the remaining 21 hours within one area of specialization. A nine-credit-hour certificate, taught by MAP faculty, also will be available for students not wishing to enroll in the full master’s program. Students who complete a certificate have the option of applying the credits to the master’s degree should they wish to continue with the program.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 7

on campus

The Chicago School Here a nd Now

Chicago School Partnership Forged with IVS in Germany

Naming Gift Received for New Treatment and Observation Room

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 7

on campus

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 9

faculty

Our Responsibility as Global Citizens {by dr. chanté deloach}

munity. We must not go into developing countries with a missionary paternalism to heal the Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology ‘underdeveloped’ or as a further tool of cultural imperialism that exports Western psychology he world has witnessed the devastating without regard for its appropriateness. Rather, effects of natural disasters such as as psychologists and agents of social change, we hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis must fervently ask how psychology can aid in the on communities around the world. Similarly, promotion of global health. the effects of man-made disasters such as There are international opportunities for colonialism, poverty, genocide, and physical psychologists to engage in this work. For displacement are evident. Too frequently the instance, in Africa, South America, and the world’s citizens, including psychologists, turn Caribbean—where most of my international work away and do nothing. Yet psychologists have a has been—there are myriad needs. The impact of unique role and responsibility in responding to colonialism, AIDS, inadequate health resources, global issues and initiating systemic change. and globalization has led to deleterious social, While the field has championed causes such economic, and health consequences. As an as ‘multiculturalism’ and more recently, educator, I have taught classes at the elemen‘social justice,’ these frequently become buzz tary through graduate school levels in Africa and South America. “ A s psychologists and agents of social change, As a practitioner, I have visited orphanages, medical clinics, and community centers. As a researcher, trainer, and consultant, I have worked with government words—familiar language with little depth and officials and nongovernmental organizations less action. Few psychologists actually engage (NGOs) on local needs and experiences. In these in and fight for social change. As The Chicago experiences, I have relied more heavily on my School begins to implement its global initiatives, cultural knowledge, communication skills, we must consider the underserved and not limit and ability to relate to people than on specific ourselves to those countries that are part of the psychological interventions. first world with greatest privilege and resources. In some developing countries, the psychologiAs psychologists actualize our civic responsical community is well established; in others, bilities as global citizens, we must seek psychology is somewhat of a cultural rarity. opportunities to better understand and respond to Thus, one of the goals of psychologists and other global inequities and challenges. The concept of service providers in these areas should be to international psychology more frequently brings work with indigenous systems of healing and to mind a European vacation than traveling into a existing structures to learn about what our role war zone or country experiencing active cultural can be, given the particular cultural arena. We genocide. To deliver psychological services that must ascertain the local barriers to change. meet needs across national boundaries, we For those students and professionals who must be willing to rethink our idealized notions of are interested in engaging in international work, Western psychology and move toward a culturally it is important to remember that there are emic psychology centered in the worldview of the opportunities to work with displaced, immigrant, respective culture; one that espouses goals that and refugee communities domestically. Given are consistent with the felt needs of the com-

we must fervently ask how psychology can aid in the promotion of global health.”

international social conditions, many individuals and families seek refuge in the U.S. and are in need of services. Training and preparation for such work is necessary. Many students and professionals may have only met a minimum diversity course requirement with no additional training in international or human rights work, or they may be linguistically limited. I encourage students and professionals alike to seek out additional reading, workshops, and volunteer opportunities to help prepare for this type of work. Other options to increase

international knowledge are study/teach abroad opportunities and international fellowships. Social preparation is equally important. You must be willing to abandon American ethnocentrism, and be willing to tolerate life without modern luxuries such as high technology, hot water, or consistent electricity. Perhaps one of the most important attributes is the willingness to respect and operate under different cultural and political rules. While there are personal and professional challenges in this work, the rewards are exponential.

F ac u lt y I n the News Dr. Michael Barr, director of executive and professional education, was quoted in a story about consumer psychology on DemoDirt.com, a leading online source for demographic information. (Feb. 11) Two Chicago School professors appeared on the World Talk Radio program KidsDadsMoms. Dr. Traci Cihon, assistant professor of applied behavior analysis, discussed children with autism (Oct. 23) while Dr. Breeda McGrath, affiliate professor of school psychology, appeared on a segment titled “Parents, Psychologists, and Attorneys that Advocate for Kids.” (Oct. 2) Dr. Nancy Davis, associate vice president of academic affairs, appeared with Rev. Leo Mahon on Relevant Radio AM-950 to discuss their book Fire Under My Feet. (Jan. 25)

Dr. Evan Harrington, associate professor of forensic psychology, was quoted in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story about the use of technology to track sex offenders. (Feb. 19) Dr. Michael Horowitz, president of The Chicago School, was a guest on The Business Doctor, a radio program that airs Sunday mornings on WCPT-AM 850. (Oct. 23) Dr. Michael Fogel, chair of the Forensic Psychology Department, commented about sex offender cases on ABCnews.com (Oct. 28) and in the Times HeraldRecord. (Feb. 17) Dr. Mark Kassel, assistant professor of clinical counseling, appeared on Behavioral Health Update hosted by Dr. Joseph Troiani. He discussed the changing field of forensic psychology, the roles that future practitioners will have in forensics, the impact of the

chronically mentally ill flooding the corrections system, and other topics. (Sept. 22) Dr. Paul Larson, professor of clinical psychology, was quoted in a Tribune Red Eye story titled “Eco-Overload,” about people obsessed with the environment. (Dec. 17) He also contributed to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story about how people face major life changes. (Jan. 15) Dr. Christoph Leonhard, professor of clinical psychology, discussed phobias, their cause, and treatment methods on WMAQ (NBC 5). (March 24) Dr. Mark Rogers, adjunct assistant professor of clinical psychology, appeared on WGN Radio 720’s Steve Cochran Show regarding child custody and its psychological impact on the children involved. (Oct. 2)

Dr. Daniela Schreier, assistant professor of clinical counseling, was interviewed on avoiding burnout and workplace stress in a creative environment for the May/June publication of boutique DESIGN, an interior design trade magazine. Jason Seiden, assistant professor of I/O psychology, has appeared on more than 25 radio shows coast-to-coast and WTTW’s Chicago Tonight discussing his new book, How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What’s Left of Your Career. Dr. Jennifer Thompson, assistant professor of business and I/O psychology, was quoted in a Crain’s Chicago Business story titled “Helping Hands” discussing the growing economy of personal and business coaching. (March 10)

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 9

faculty

Our Responsibility as Global Citizens {by dr. chanté deloach}

we must fervently ask how psychology can aid in the promotion of global health.”

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

Q&A

and experiences between two groups of people separated by different cultures and nearly 6,500 miles. INSIGHT caught up with The Chicago School’s four and asked them to reflect on their experiences of discussing trauma with the delegation, many of whom work directly with children growing up in a world of conflict.

humble to be in

Dr . J imm y Walsh

J ill G lenn

their presence.”

Dr .Tiffan y M ass o n

“We felt so

Joining them on campus were Dr. Nancy Dubrow, CIS director, Dr. Jimmy Walsh, assistant professor of school psychology, Dr. Tiffany Masson, assistant professor of forensic psychology, and Jill Glenn, director of the school’s Office of Community Partnerships. Each was asked to deliver a presentation on topics in their realm of expertise including psychological trauma, the impact of war on children and youth, risk and protective factors, resiliency, and school and communitybased youth interventions. It didn’t take long, however, before the formal lectures turned into a conversational sharing of ideas

INSIGHT: Tell us about your conversation. Dr. Dubrow: We actually had a couple of meetings to prepare ourselves for this, and to discuss what each of us would present. We took on various topics from different points of view. We each had a piece of that presentation. We divided it; I talked about trauma and youth growing up in conflict zones. Glenn: I addressed community interventions. Dr. Masson: I talked about trauma and how it’s related to delinquency. Dr. Walsh: I talked about school-based interventions. I thought I was going to be educating the group about what school psychologists do. I was actually surprised—they already knew more than I was guessing that they would know.

Dr . N ancy D u brow

“I

f you doubt the love, ask your heart,” were the words an Iraqi youth worker wrote in Arabic on the white board of The Chicago School’s room 412 in October 2007. He was one of 13 members of a delegation touring the United States from Iraq as participants in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. While most of the delegation’s visits were to youth centers, The Chicago School was the only higher education institution on the tour thanks to a connection between the school’s Center for International Studies (CIS) and the International Visitors Center of Chicago.

INSIGHT: Do they have school psychologists? Dr. Walsh: Well, it’s interesting that you ask that. The day before the meeting, I got our National Association of School Psychologist Communiqué, which is our newsletter. There’s an article from a guy who is a school psychologist in the States and a reservist. He was in Iraq and wrote about how they didn’t really have school psychologists in the way that they do in the States. If someone has a question about learning disabilities, they go to a hospital psychologist. So in preparing my remarks, I said that this is my understanding of what’s happening, of how people get identified with learning disabilities or special education needs. And I was actually corrected by one of the attendees who said that there were school psychologists in schools, which leads me to think that it probably depends on where it is in Iraq. Dr. Dubrow: The school psychologists that they have are challenged under the current circumstances, so we were bringing these issues to them. In addition to being a counselor for youth growing

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 11

faculty

up in a peaceful time, they now have youth who have been through war, who’ve experienced loss—loss of people, their homes, their youth centers, loss of normal life, loss of predictable normal life, and that’s a challenge for everyone.

INSIGHT: And did they agree that was a challenge? Was it something they had thought about? Dr. Walsh: Well, the ‘big elephant’ in the room that we had to deal with, after we met for some time, was that a lot of these problems come from actions of the United States. I think there was defensiveness about whether there were really problems or not. INSIGHT: On their part or our part? Dr. Walsh: On their part, I think. There was some defensiveness of whether there really were problems until we said, ‘yeah, the problems that are there probably do come from us.’ Dr. Masson: I don’t know if it was defensiveness per se. They weren’t as forthcoming as they were toward the end of our session. And there was a moment when Nancy was talking about trauma when we sort of all looked at each other and looked at them and said, it is the ‘elephant’ in the room. And Nancy did an excellent job of just starting that conversation. That’s when we shifted. We came so prepared to talk about what we thought they needed to know. Although we went in wanting to have a discussion, I think there was some anxiety about coming together and what that

would be like. We were actually over-prepared. We had so much that we wanted to share, and in fact I think that it was at that moment with Nancy that it shifted beautifully into a very engaging discussion and they became much more forthcoming about the challenges that they face once we put it out there that we felt a sense of sadness; and we felt that this was difficult, and that we felt so humble to be in their presence. And there was a moment of emotion and tears, certainly for the Iraqi attendees and us too. Glenn: There was that moment of pause where you could see all of us welling up with tears, and then they applauded. That changed the entire meeting from that point forward. Dr. Masson: When you’re in the group dynamic, you figure out who is leading and who are the more talkative attendees. One of the leaders said, ‘Thank you for your honesty.’ That means so much to us. It was just so pure and so touching. I think it moved all of us.

And it moved us forward in a wonderful discussion where we shifted from looking at our PowerPoints and just started to ask them, ‘How can we be of assistance, and what can we learn from you?’

“ The big elephant

INSIGHT: What did you learn from them? Dr. Walsh: You just got that sense of pride that they had, and they took their work so seriously. Glenn: I think it’s also unique that all the people in the group were from so many different professions. You had an architect. You had teachers. You did have psychologists. I don’t think you see that as much here, where a grouping of people who offer so many different perspectives come together and feel a need to help the youth. It usually falls on this group of people rather than being collaborative countrywide, where they all felt a responsibility to have to do something with the youth. Dr. Masson: It’s just a strong resiliency. I learned that from

from actions of the

in the room…was that a lot of these problems come United States.”

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

Q&A

humble to be in

Dr . J imm y Walsh

J ill G lenn

their presence.”

Dr .Tiffan y M ass o n

“We felt so

Dr . N ancy D u brow

“I

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 11

faculty

And it moved us forward in a wonderful discussion where we shifted from looking at our PowerPoints and just started to ask them, ‘How can we be of assistance, and what can we learn from you?’

“ The big elephant

from actions of the

in the room…was that a lot of these problems come United States.”

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

“I think it helps them distinguish between American foreign policy and Americans as professional colleagues.”

them. One of the things that one of the gentlemen wrote down for me after he could see some of our emotion was that it’s okay to feel a sort of sadness, but we have hope. And so he wrote down on a piece of paper in his language ‘hope.’ I keep that in my office as a reminder of who they are and that while I felt such a strong sense of guilt because of the conflict, I also remind myself through him that I have hope, that things will change, that they have a strong sense for the future and a strong sense for the youth and the children, and how they want them to behave and how they want them to be active participants in their society.

INSIGHT: So they have hope after all that they’ve been through? Dr. Masson: Yes, it was resounding. Dr. Dubrow: To me, that meant that if there was doubt about the sincerity or about our coming together, that if you ask your heart, if you feel it inside,

which I felt we all did, that you don’t doubt the sincerity. Dr. Masson: The translator stated to us that they had come in thinking that we were this ivory tower, and that we were going to be talking at them for four hours. So, they weren’t really looking forward to this. By the end, however, she said that this was the most profound experience for them in learning and being. Dr. Walsh: We thought that we were going to teach them something, and maybe they learned something, but mostly I think that they learned that people cared, and that the struggles that they were going through were acknowledged and respected. And the second half of our meeting was much less about us giving them information and more about just hearing what they were doing. Glenn: They said that they wished that the people who are running the country were like the people in this group and had the heart that we had; because they felt like things would be different.

Dr. Dubrow: We asked how we could help, and they said their journals and their books and things in their libraries are very old, and they really would like more access to current books and journals. Tiffany went into her office and pulled books off her shelves—books that she had highlighted and made notes in—and gave them to them. Dr. Masson: They’re so hungry for knowledge. During their breaks there wasn’t a moment when they weren’t asking questions. One of the lawyers wanted to know how our court systems work in regard to people who have been charged with a crime who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

INSIGHT: Do you think it changed their perceptions about Americans? Dr. Dubrow: I think it helps them distinguish between American foreign policy and Americans as professional colleagues. That’s what ambassador programs are about. We

are ambassadors for the United States when we travel to them or when we host them here. I do think that that was one of the biggest challenges, that you do feel somewhat responsible. Glenn: You ask yourself how much of it is tainted by what we see on TV and the news. That’s where we get probably 90 percent of our information. So, it was nice to meet real people and put a face to it, because when you watch the news it gives you a totally different perspective. Dr. Dubrow: I think that’s reciprocal. I think they see us in a particular light, too. But if you’ve never met an American, or if we’ve never met an Iraqi,

we have our knowledge from TV and news and usually it’s distorted. Dr. Masson: What do you say to someone who’s just trying to survive second to second? We were grappling with the human side and the research side and what’s best to convey to them in the moment. In the end, we presented both sides: here’s what we know, but it makes sense what you’re doing. Dr. Dubrow: I’ve spent so much time in war zones and with people in this kind of situation. I have heard these stories from professionals, from children, from people who are living under those circumstances, and war is hell

for the civilian populations, for people on the ground. I never look at pictures on the television of war the way most people do. I know what they’re going through. Logically and professionally, we know what the result is going to be. We know that they are experiencing trauma; we know that they’re frightened; we know that they are going to lose family members, friends. We know that schools are going to be destroyed. So, I respect the group—how they manage to live and then go out and help others deal with the same thing. I admire them. I don’t know if most people could do it. I think they

are incredibly strong and resilient. I’m sure there is not one person in Iraq who isn’t touched; and all of us who then work with the people after and during the conflict, we’re all affected as well. War means something different to me than ‘let’s change a regime, let’s fix a problem.’ I have just the grandest respect for them. They’re amazing. And I’m hoping that this is the kind of insight we gain into international work. I want us to go in this direction, because we have a lot we can offer in addition to learning about each other. Have an idea for faculty Q&A? Email insight@thechicagoschool.edu.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 13

faculty

BE YOND THE CL A S SROOM

“I think it helps them distinguish between American foreign policy and Americans as professional colleagues.”

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 13

faculty

{by zak stambor} INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 15

GOING Global P s y ch o l o g y in a C hanging W o r l d

hree weeks after the disaster, Michael McNulty, a Chicago School of Professional Psychology assistant professor, arrived in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. He had received an invitation to teach and train paraprofessional workers from Father Paul Satkunanayagam — a Sri Lankan priest whom McNulty’s family had known since 1971, when he was pastor at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Winnetka, Ill. What Dr. McNulty found was a nation physically and mentally scarred, and survivors coping with countless tales of horror, despair, loss, grief, and guilt. Untangling and dealing with the damage was taxing. “You could see the stress level was high, but they weren’t talking

about it that much,” he said. It was not until his final days in Sri Lanka that Dr. McNulty learned that his four roommates had lost a fifth roommate to the tsunami. “Part of it was a language barrier,” he said, “but the other part was that people acted as though nothing happened.” McNulty’s experience (which he discusses in a blog at http://mikemcnulty.livejournal.com) is emblematic of the difficulties inherent in disaster response and in nearly all international psychological work. Language and cultural differences often make acknowledging—and dealing with— emotions difficult. The reason is simple. People in most developing countries have little exposure to the practice of professional psychology and even less exposure to mental health

{by zak stambor} INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 15

GOING Global P s y ch o l o g y in a C hanging W o r l d

A group of Batticaloa’s “Barefoot Counsellors” gather with Dr. Mike McNulty after completing his basic counseling skills workshop.

professionals. The World Health Organization estimates that countries like the United States have 770 mental health workers per 1 million people; developing countries have about three mental health workers per 1 million. That makes the work all the more necessary, Dr. McNulty says, even

“The same (mental health) issues that exist in Lincoln Park are there in rural developing countries.” if it is occasionally problematic. Merry Bullock, senior director of the American Psychological Association’s Office of International Affairs, agrees. “To work with, rather than appear to be lecturing to, people of different cultures, psychologists need to know what you don’t know,” she said. “You have to be open to learning.” Each morning in Sri Lanka, Dr. McNulty toured the tsunami’s destruction to help him work

through those challenges. “There was a strong need for me to see what had happened and to talk with the people,” he said. In the afternoon he held workshops and consultations with the paraprofessional workers—dubbed “barefoot counselors” from the tradition of removing their shoes before entering homes—who had varying levels of mental health expertise. Each session was based heavily on experiential teaching during which Dr. McNulty and Fr. Satkunanayagam spurred the counselors to work through the processes with each other. “It was clear as we went along that the learning experience helped them to cope with their own pain,” he said, “as well as to help them deal with the pain of those they treat.” To break through, Dr. McNulty relied on interpreters—even though many Sri Lankans speak at least some English. The process was difficult, particularly since there is no word for “psychology” in the native Tamil language. In the workshops, he worked with Fr. Satkunanayagam, who trained as a master’s-level therapist at Loyola

Responding to Disaster The experience of Gerard Jacobs, director of the University of South Dakota’s Disaster Mental Health Institute, mirrored that of Dr. McNulty. After the tsunami Dr. Jacobs worked with the American Red Cross psychological support programs in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and Indonesia to meet the need for training and consultation in the region. To ensure his effectiveness, he always pays heed to the International Association for CrossCultural Psychology guidelines that require American psychologists to serve as trainers, rather than direct-care providers. He follows a set formula—he tours the devastated areas, assesses the state of the recovery efforts, discusses needs, and identifies an appropriate training model. Success depends on matching the model to the community’s needs. But with the tsunami’s wide breadth of damage, it is not possible for mental health professionals to reach everyone, said Dr. Jacobs, pointing to the sheer number of victims as another reason for training counselors and paraprofessionals to handle the bulk of the work. According to Dr. Jacobs, the concept of disaster response is still fairly new in psychological

circles. He recalls his first domestic response, which came on July 19, 1989, when United Airlines Flight 232 shattered during an emergency landing on a Sioux City, Iowa, runway, killing 110 passengers and one crew member. When Dr. Jacobs and his colleagues learned of the crash, they quickly assembled a team to travel the 40 miles from Vermillion, S.D., to provide psychological support for the survivors. The response, he said, was one of the first moments when the American news media recognized the necessity for mental health care in the wake of disaster. “All three broadcast networks spoke about mental health,” he recalled, “and the public was inundated with these concepts expressed by top-notch spokespersons.” But international awareness of the mental health toll was slower to develop, he said. His first international response effort came in 1996 when he participated in a train-the-trainer program for the Bulgarian Red Cross. This represented the first in what was to be a series of consultations for the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies’ Reference Centre for Psychological Support (now the Centre of Psychosocial Support). “The thing that impresses me in every place I’ve been is the strength of the people in the face of enormous destruction,” he said. “Even where the level of poverty is crushing people, they continue to pick up and move on.” ”It is amazing to see how ready the world was for these ideas,” he said of the growing area of international psychology. “But the types of models we might develop in this country are not the same that will work elsewhere, which is why it is essential to work in collaboration with indigenous communities.”

International Psychology: Around the Globe and at The Chicago School

The Need • Every year 450 million people worldwide suffer from a mental or behavioral disorder

• Fewer than 25% of those with mental health issues have access to effective treatments; in some countries, less than 10% have access

• Depression affects 121 million • Nearly 1 million commit suicide • 25 million suffer from schizophrenia • 90 million suffer from an alcohol or drug use disorder

• Most middle-and low-income countries devote less than 1% of their health expenditures to mental health

The Reality Psychologists are far more prevalent in the U.S.—where there is one for every 2,000 people—than in most other countries. Mexico 1 per 92,000

United States 1 per 2,000

Germany 1 per 5,500

Egypt 1 per 53,000

45%

of all psychologists live in the U.S.

4.5%

of the population lives in the U.S.

China 1 per 413,000

Sudan 1 per 97,000

Rwanda 1 per 2,700,000

At The Chicago School • 55 international students representing 25 countries are currently enrolled. • International projects are underway or in the planning stages in 20 countries.

Sources include the World Health Organization, the Suicide and Mental Health Association International, UNICEF, the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, the American Psychological Association, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 17

University Chicago, to introduce materials and information suited to their culture, which is mostly Hindu, but includes scores of Muslims and Christians. Despite a family-centered traditional orientation, Dr. McNulty found himself “floored” at the openness the counselors expressed to what they didn’t know. “They are very forgiving and so glad someone is making the trip to see them and offer information,” he said.

A group of Batticaloa’s “Barefoot Counsellors” gather with Dr. Mike McNulty after completing his basic counseling skills workshop.

International Psychology: Around the Globe and at The Chicago School

The Need • Every year 450 million people worldwide suffer from a mental or behavioral disorder

• Fewer than 25% of those with mental health issues have access to effective treatments; in some countries, less than 10% have access

• Depression affects 121 million • Nearly 1 million commit suicide • 25 million suffer from schizophrenia • 90 million suffer from an alcohol or drug use disorder

• Most middle-and low-income countries devote less than 1% of their health expenditures to mental health

The Reality Psychologists are far more prevalent in the U.S.—where there is one for every 2,000 people—than in most other countries. Mexico 1 per 92,000

United States 1 per 2,000

Germany 1 per 5,500

Egypt 1 per 53,000

45%

of all psychologists live in the U.S.

4.5%

of the population lives in the U.S.

China 1 per 413,000

Sudan 1 per 97,000

Rwanda 1 per 2,700,000

At The Chicago School • 55 international students representing 25 countries are currently enrolled. • International projects are underway or in the planning stages in 20 countries.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 17

“Even where the level of poverty is crushing people, they continue to pick up and move on.”

In Sri Lanka, the Butterfly Peace Garden uses art to help traumatized children through the process of healing.

“To get into places [where mental health needs can be explored], you need to go through the first threshold of medical services,” he said, adding that basic needs—food, shelter, and primary medical care—must be provided before mental health

issues can be addressed. “But once you get through that, the same [mental health] issues that exist in Lincoln Park are there in rural developing countries.” The use of comprehensive care as an entry point for providing psychological services is one the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights has employed to achieve success throughout its history, says Scott Portman, the group’s director of international programs. “Clinical mental health training is a low priority in a lot of the developing world,” he said. “So to provide mental health care requires some attention to plain old health care.” Heartland is leading a two-year project to integrate mental health services into primary health care in Iraq. It is doing so via clinics offering services such as blood pressure monitoring for former Iraqi prisoners and other victims

of war trauma or torture. To date, more than 100 physicians and 200 medical assistants have received training in topics that include recognizing and responding to traumatic stress, suicide assessment and prevention, substance abuse, and family and community mental health education. By using professionals and paraprofessionals—part of an infrastructure that Portman describes as “decayed, but not destroyed”—Heartland builds on trust already established with Iraqi patients to screen for psychological disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. This model of integrated care functions as a “one-stop shop” for victims of war trauma or torture, and lessens the frequency with which they are forced to revisit their traumatic ordeals. The strength of Heartland’s training, said Portman, lies in its acknowledgement of the significant cultural differences between East and West, as well as within Iraq itself. For instance, the group is training Iraqi mullahs and imams to help them recognize suicidal tendencies to help lower suicide rates. The program is essential, he says, since suicide rates have increased dramatically since the war began. Although an Islamic prohibition of suicide teaches that those who take their own lives “will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell-fire,” that message is often lost on distraught individuals. Heartland is trying a less punitive approach by encouraging Islamic clerics to recognize depression as a treatable disease. “It’s a hard sell,” he adds, “but we try to do so with compassion.” For the past eight years, Heartland also has provided funding, training, and technical assistance to Guatemala’s Momostenango

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 19

Primary Care as a Threshold Psychologist Chris Stout, founding director of the Center for Global Initiatives—a center devoted to integrated primary and behavioral health care—agrees with Dr. Jacobs. That’s one reason he aims for the center to bridge the divide between primary health services and mental health care.

Fr. Paul Satkunanayagam holds one of the orphans left behind by the devastation that has overtaken Batticaloa.

Community Hospital, a nonprofit private health center that serves the country’s most impoverished people. The hospital provides mental health services to torture survivors in the rural areas of the Totonicapan and western Quiche provinces. Under Heartland’s coordination, a psychologist, physician, and social worker assist Mayan traditional leaders and priests to build connections with insular communities that distrust the dominant Spanish-speaking culture. The priests provide not only a religious context, but a cultural and linguistic one as well. “Language is more than just translation,” said Portman, “it’s cultural too.” To be sure, cultural differences can represent formidable obstacles to mental health services, but in another part of Guatemala, a Chicago School alumna uses a different approach—art therapy— to scale such barriers. Candace Esslinger, a 2006 graduate of the Counseling Specialization, works

with about 310 orphaned children cared for by Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Chimaltenango. The children arrive at the center because their families can’t afford their care or have failed to care for them properly, circumstances that have taken a toll on the children’s self esteem. Esslinger uses art therapy to connect with them and to boost their self-confidence. Constructing a house out of cardboard, tape, and glue “gives them a sense of mastery over building something on their own,” she said, “but it’s also a diagnostic tool, because it gives me an opportunity to observe them.” Art also helps reach children who have trouble expressing themselves verbally, she said. In February, Esslinger challenged a particularly taciturn girl to build a mobile of items that expressed her wishes. The task forced her to confront ideas she otherwise had trouble reaching. In Guatemala, Esslinger says, people don’t think or talk about their feelings. “It

would be odd to talk about emotions,” she said. “I feel embarrassed to ask sometimes.” But she does. And since the children she works with have serious problems and histories—including sexual, physical, and mental abuse—it would be difficult to provide them with an education without helping them cope with their pasts. “If they want to cry, or just to feel safe, I’m here for them,” she said. “But a lot don’t want to remember or talk about anything. And that’s the reason our tools can help them express themselves.” Building Public Awareness As a field, psychology is working to increase public awareness of psychosocial issues, says Dr. Bullock of APA’s Office of International Affairs. She adds that, although awareness has been increasing, it’s not as broad as it could be. To make inroads, she points to the emerging “multi-sectoral” world envisioned by the Red Cross in which people tasked with deliv-

ering food, shelter, and other types of relief are trained to incorporate a psychosocial perspective into all of the tasks. “People aren’t looking for just a single-discipline team,” she said. “They’re looking for a broader response.” The challenge of breaking down cultural barriers that separate people from psychological care is slow and difficult work, Dr. Bullock warns. “There is probably no upper limit to the extent that people can be culturally sensitive, and there is probably no limit to the extent to which we need to do it. Every time I meet someone who has been more places and done more things than me, it makes me realize areas that I haven’t thought of before.” One essential element to all international work, said Dr. Jacobs, is to recognize cultural commonalities. “One thing that keeps me going is the amazing people I have an opportunity to work with,” he said. “They want to be a part of the solution.”

“Even where the level of poverty is crushing people, they continue to pick up and move on.”

In Sri Lanka, the Butterfly Peace Garden uses art to help traumatized children through the process of healing.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 19

Fr. Paul Satkunanayagam holds one of the orphans left behind by the devastation that has overtaken Batticaloa.

Latino Lens Roberto Lopez has seen it first hand: the stress of adapting to a new a country and

a foreign culture, the desperate desire to hold on to what is familiar, and the struggle that ensues when some needs cannot be met without letting go of long-held beliefs.

Mexican emigrant who moved to Chicago to study psychology, Lopez admits that his acculturation has been easier than most. He had relatives in the United States who paved the way for his entry and his eventual establishment of permanent residency. He is well aware of the difficulties encountered by friends and relatives who have not had his advantages, however. “It’s very, very stressful,” he says of the life many Latinos face after immigrating to the U.S. “People come here to work, not because they want to be here. All they want to do is earn money and send it

home. There’s no way for them to be 100 percent happy because this is just not where they want to be.” This understanding of the challenges faced by Chicago’s growing population of Latino immigrants, combined with an interest in psychology, led Lopez to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and its concentration in Latino mental health. A first-year student in the M.A. in Clinical Psychology Counseling Specialization, he plans to focus his post-graduate practitioner efforts on the underserved Latino population. The need for people like Lopez is overwhelming, according to Dr.

Hector Torres, who directs The Chicago School’s new Center for Latino Mental Health. “There is much evidence that Latino immigrants are disproportionately affected by mental health issues, and yet it can be difficult for them to receive the help they need,” Dr. Torres said. Topping the list of barriers that prevent Latinos from receiving help for psychological issues is the stigma that accompanies the need for therapy. “When something’s wrong, if you’re depressed or even if you’re delusional, you go see your priest,” Lopez said of his fellow Mexicans. “You don’t go to therapy—that would label you as ‘crazy’ and it would bring shame on your family.” Lopez emphasized that these misconceptions are most prevalent in the small villages, where a majority of people have only a

Developing these cultural competencies is the purpose of The Chicago School’s Latino Mental Health program. Conceived in 2006, as the school was in the midst of identifying pressing community needs that it could address with new curricula, the center is designed to help fill a critical gap in qualified personnel and the services they are able to provide. Dr. Fuentes points to the fact that in a metropolitan area where one of

Latinos account for: 14.7% of U.S. population 26% of the Chicago population 46% of the Los Angeles population 1% of U.S. psychologists The U.S. has about 20 Latino mental health professionals for every 100,000 Latino residents Fewer than 1 in 20 Latino immigrants with a mental disorder take advantage of mental health services More than 70% of Latinos who access mental health services fail to return after the first visit Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Psychological Assn., National Council of La Raza

every four residents is Latino, only 1 percent of psychologists identify themselves as Latino. At agencies serving large numbers of native Spanish speakers, there is invariably a long waiting list to see someone who can converse with clients in Spanish, he said. “Bilingual clinicians are so much in demand, but they are also hard to retain because there are so few of them that they tend to be overworked.” The Chicago School plans to address this shortage of qualified mental health workers through academic programming that will be available in a variety of formats. Students pursuing the Counseling Specialization can select a concentration in Latino mental health, or working mental health providers—social workers, counselors, case managers, psychologists and psychiatric nurses—can work toward certificates at either the post-bachelor’s or the post-graduate level. Although Latinos represent the fastest growing ethnic demographic in the United States, specializations that prepare psychology professionals to address the unique needs of these individuals are few. Such programs exist in California, Texas, and Massachusetts, but The Chicago School’s Latino mental health curriculum represents the first of its kind in the Midwest. The focus on building cultural competency skills and teaching students to use evidence-based interventions to address the barriers that Latinos encounter when attempting to access mental health services responds directly to identified needs in the community. At present, Illinois is home to 1.7 million foreign-born residents; almost a third of these (500,000) lack the documents needed to become legal permanent residents. It is a status that makes lives particularly difficult. Although work opportunities are plentiful, undocumented immigrants

often find themselves ineligible for health insurance and some education benefits. It’s just part of what Dr. Virginia Quiñonez refers to as “cultural paranoia,” which she defines as the difficulty immigrants may have trusting the majority culture when they fear that their values and cultural norms are at risk. “Immigrants—whether they’re Latino or Polish or whatever—have a natural need to protect their identity,” says Dr. Quiñonez, who chairs The Chicago School’s Counseling Department and has been a primary architect of the new curriculum. “When they immigrate, they cluster together in neighborhoods to protect themselves from the onslaught of a new culture. Mexicans who immigrate here become even more Mexican than they were at home.” She adds that this sense of self-preservation often results in a resistance to acculturation, which more established United States residents can view as stubbornness and use as a reason to discriminate. “What we interpret as a refusal to learn English (or seek out mental health services that may be outside their traditional beliefs) is just an attempt to hold on to the culture that is familiar to them,” Dr. Quiñonez says. “They may perceive that we are trying to make them be just like us.” For Roberto Lopez, acculturation has not been difficult. He is happy with his American lifestyle, but he remains committed to providing a better life for those who are less comfortable in their new surroundings, and who struggle daily with issues of discrimination, language and cultural differences. This commitment is what brought him to The Chicago School. “The emphasis on diversity and the existence of an entire program devoted to Latino mental health really got my interest,” he said. “This is what I want to do, and I knew this was the place for me.”

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 21

T h rough a

Students Claudia Hinton and Roberto Lopez in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

sixth- or seventh-grade education. But these are often the same people who emigrate to the U.S., looking for work, and they bring long-accepted beliefs with them, he added. Lopez and Torres agree that understanding and breaking through these beliefs is the critical first step in convincing Latinos to seek or accept therapy. Chicago School alumna Miriam Lopez frequently encounters this resistance in her Latino clients. A 2006 graduate of the Counseling Specialization, Miriam works as a clinical intervention therapist for Uhlich Children’s Advocacy Network (UCAN) in Chicago. Her teenage clients are referred to her agency by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. What she provides is alternative trauma-based therapy for the most critical cases, who have been abused or neglected themselves and who have not responded to traditional counseling or treatments. She can’t treat them, however, if she can’t build enough trust to get through the front door of their home. “There is such hesitancy to even open the door,” she said. “Especially if they’re undocumented, they’re so afraid that they will be deported.” Miriam added that it is critical to talk to clients using language they understand, rather than in therapeutic terms. Using unfamiliar words, she said, just reinforces their lack of trust in something they don’t understand. Dr. Hal Fuentes, president of the Midwest Association of Latino Psychologists, affirmed the importance that cultural competence plays in a therapist’s likelihood of success. “A therapist doesn’t need to be Latino to effectively treat Latinos,” he observed. “But he does need to speak Spanish and to understand the cultural influences that define his patient. The best predictor of success is when there’s a match in values and empathy between the client and the clinician.”

Latino Lens Roberto Lopez has seen it first hand: the stress of adapting to a new a country and

a foreign culture, the desperate desire to hold on to what is familiar, and the struggle that ensues when some needs cannot be met without letting go of long-held beliefs.

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 21

T h rough a

Students Claudia Hinton and Roberto Lopez in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

S TAY CONNECTED, GE T IN VOLV ED

A l um n i C o u ncil Elizabeth “Scottie” Girouard (M.A. ’03) is the Alumni Council’s first chair to graduate from an M.A. program at The Chicago School. An I/O alum, she resides in Milwaukee where she serves as vice president of talent management for RedPrairie Corporation, an international company that specializes in software development and technology solutions for the retail operations and supply chain needs of companies. Girouard hopes to work with the administration to weave more connections among alumni, faculty, and students while expanding the council to represent all programs during her tenure as chair. Michelle Cannon (M.A. ’06) graduated from the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program and joined the Alumni Council in 2007. Currently, Cannon is seeking a doctorate in management and organizational leadership and teaching at The Chicago School. When she is not in the classroom, Cannon

and her husband run their own business. Cannon recently accepted the position of chair-elect on the council and is proud to be a part of the innovative environment at The Chicago School. John T. Carlsen (Psy.D. ’94) maintains a private practice as a career, writing, and life coach specializing in helping graduate psychology students write effective applications and prepare for interviews as they compete for pre-doctoral internship training. He is also the acting administrator, director of training, and staff psychologist at Englewood Mental Health Center. In this capacity he provides individual and group therapy, trains and supervises doctoral- and master’s-level psychology practicum trainees, and oversees a staff of clinicians. Silvia DeGirolamo (Psy.D. ’04) practices primary care psychology at a community health center in an underserved and culturally diverse area of north central

Massachusetts. She is the assistant director of the center’s Behavioral Health Department and is an assistant professor with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. DeGirolamo obtained a Master of Health Administration degree from Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Business last year and plans to relocate to Chicago this year. Susanne FrancisThorton (Psy.D. ’03) serves as the executive director of Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago (CCCOC), a faith-based nonprofit counseling center with an internship program that continues to provide opportunities to Chicago School students. Dr. Francis-Thornton is a bilingual (Spanish) therapist with a background in counseling, training and workshop evaluation, program development, and working with diverse populations. She is also an adjunct faculty member at The Chicago School and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.

Kim (Mount) Grabiner (M.A. ’06) is an Industrial and Organizational graduate and senior associate in the Strategy and Human Capital Practice of RSM McGladrey’s Great Lakes unit. Grabiner’s specialties include leadership development, succession planning, job analysis, organizational surveys, selection, and organizational effectiveness. She is an affiliate faculty member at The Chicago School. Lauren KomarekKucera (M.A. ’05) is is an Industrial and Organizational graduate and financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, where she coaches clients on how to save and invest for retirement. She also provides corporate training and researches methods to increase participation in corporate retirement plans. Orson Morrison, (Psy.D. ’03) is currently vice president of clinical services for Lawrence Hall Youth Services

where he provides clinical management, training, and supervision, and is involved in program development for clinical services. He is an adjunct professor at The Chicago School and maintains a small private practice in Oak Park, Ill., working with adolescents, individuals, and couples. Steve Nakisher (Psy.D. ‘96) is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and co-founder of Cornerpiece Consulting. As a psychologist, Dr. Nakisher uses a highly interactive and dynamic approach with individuals, couples, and groups. He owns the Center for Personal Development, a group practice employing more than 25 psychologists in downtown Chicago. Neha Patel (Psy.D. ’03) works for the Community Mental Health Council (CMHC) where she is a clinical psychologist on the Parenting Assessment Team. The team conducts forensic psychological assessments of children and parents with

Axis I psychiatric disorders and charges of abuse and neglect. Dr. Patel also supervises psychotherapy and assessment doctoral externs at CMHC. She provides consultation, supervision, and psychological services in her private practice in Chicago. She is a volunteer with the Soldiers Project, which provides free psychotherapy to returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.

consulting and spends time mentoring and counseling. She continues to explore ways to further contribute to the lives of and enhance the knowledge of underprivileged populations. She remains committed to the advancement of The Chicago School’s image in the community and continues to be a part of the school’s diversity initiatives. She hopes to begin doctoral studies soon.

Amy Rosenblatt (M.A. ’06) is a graduate of the Counseling Specialization completing her second year in the Adler School of Professional Psychology Psy.D. program. In addition to the demands of academia, she works part time in physical fitness in downtown Chicago and volunteers with a number of causes, including Girls in the Game.

Jeremy Wicks (M.A. ’07), a graduate of the I/O program, is a co-founder of Cornerpiece Consulting in Chicago. He serves as an adjunct professor at The Chicago School, instructing graduate students in applied statistics. He is certified to administer multiple personality and behavior assessments and is certified in leadership and emotional intelligence through the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Dawgelene Sangster (M.A. ’06) is an alumna of the I/O program. She has more than 15 years of experience in leadership development, technology, and

a l um n i pr o file :

Peacekeeping in Liberia: A Psychologist’s Role Charles Barringer (Psy.D. ’97) Charles Barringer will always remember the therapy session he conducted under a tree in Liberia. The client, a Nigerian police officer working for the United Nations, was lying on his back, reflecting on the feelings of grief and guilt that had engulfed him since an automobile accident that took the life of a colleague. Witnessing—and even participating in—the session were a half dozen of the client’s colleagues. “It gave ‘communal’ a whole new meaning for me,” said Dr. Barringer, who heads up the Staff Counseling Unit (SCU) of the U.N.’s Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia. “Intellectually, we know that other cultures view the concept of community differently than we do, but until you see first-hand how the concept manifests itself, you don’t really understand.” The police officer, he explained, had waved the bystanders over, so that they could collectively contribute to the conversation, listening to Dr. Barringer’s reflective comments, offering their own, while “activating their natural impulse to take care of their friend after I left.” Totally absent was the expectation of privacy that typically characterizes the way psychological services are delivered in the United States.

“Since I’ve been in Liberia with the U.N., I’ve had to be flexible and devise methods of counseling in ways that no textbook ever taught me,” he said. As chief of the Staff Counseling Unit, Dr. Barringer’s mandate is to provide psychological support and training for approximately 13,000 U.N. military and police personnel and 2,000 civilians who make up the peacekeeping mission in Liberia. The staff includes people from many U.N. membership countries, as well as a large number of native Liberians who work for the mission. He describes his role as expansive, wherein he functions sometimes as a psychotherapist—providing a range of psychosocial, crisis intervention, and stress reduction services—and as an I/O consultant, helping with workplace issues and training activities to improve staff welfare and morale. “They use me a lot,” he said. “The U.N. really understands the need for stress management in our work. Mission life is very stressful and inevitably has an adverse impact on one’s health, outlook, and family relations. Without good stress management skills and support, individuals quickly run into emotional and interpersonal trouble.” The SCU is composed of three additional counselors and 15 peer support counselors, one in each Liberia county, whom Dr. Barringer has trained in the foundations of counseling and crisis intervention. A primary challenge that his staff faces is providing psychological services to populations unfamiliar with the notions of therapy or counseling. In times of disaster, or grief, or stress, people traditionally turn to family

members—or they don what Dr. Barringer refers to as a “tough façade” and turn to no one at all. Shortly after the recent crash of a U.N. helicopter in a remote area of Liberia, Dr. Barringer made his way to the scene to conduct crisis intervention groups with a Bangladeshi military contingent, a U.N. police contingent, and two dozen civilians directly impacted by the event. Some of the staff who witnessed the wreckage and charred bodies were perplexed, asking “Why do we have to do that?” “Most cultures don’t use counselors and so it’s difficult for them to understand that we can help them,” Dr. Barringer said. However, far from family and traditional community supports, U.N. staff discover the benefits of organized professional group support. “Invariably, they express gratitude for our services.” Dr. Barringer, who spent six years with Chicago’s Public Health Department after completing his Chicago School Psy.D. in 1997, decided in 2003 that he wanted to work abroad. Having focused on HIV patients in primary health care settings, he wanted to apply his acquired medical, psychosocial, and public education skills in an international context. He accepted the post at the Peacekeeping Mission on a six-month trial basis; the initial six months has stretched into 32. Now, he says, he will finish his career with the U.N., possibly rotating to either Sudan or Darfur in the near future. “I’m a changed person,” he said. “I’ve discovered a level of stamina, creativity, and compassion I had barely tapped in previous years.”

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 23

class notes

S TAY CONNECTED, GE T IN VOLV ED

Dawgelene Sangster (M.A. ’06) is an alumna of the I/O program. She has more than 15 years of experience in leadership development, technology, and

a l um n i pr o file :

INSIGHT MAGAZINE SPRING 2008 23

class notes

S TAY CONNECTED, GE T IN VOLV ED

Systems for Balanced Living in Gary, Ind. She hopes to finish her dissertation and begin her internship by fall of 2009.

M ay 1 6 , 2 0 0 8 Art Show Opening Gavin Tun: www.photosbygavin.com Marc Hauser: www.marchauserphoto.com

07|

Amanda Gordon (M.A. ’07) has recently passed the LPC exam and started a new job. She is working at Mercy Home, a group residence for adolescents. She is an individual, group, and family therapist for 16-to 18-year-old boys.

J u ne 1 3 , 2 0 0 8 Commencement: Civic Opera House Distinguished Alumni Reception at the home of Dr. John Benitez J u ne 2 7, 2 0 0 8 Downtown Chicago Alumni Reception A u g u st 1 4 , 2 0 0 8 American Psychological Association Conference: Boston – Alumni Reception S eptember 5 – 6 , 2 0 0 8 Cultural Impact Conference 2008: Psychology in the Service of the Latino Communities O ctober 1 0 , 2 0 0 8 Art Show Opening Doug McGoldrick: www.dougmcgoldrick.com Colin Brietzka O ctober 1 7, 2 0 0 8 Milwaukee Alumni Reception O ctober 2 4 , 2 0 0 8 Los Angeles Campus Grand Opening J an u ary 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 Chicago Suburb Reception

Save the Date: Spring 2009 Washington, D.C., Alumni Reception Baltimore Alumni Reception For More Information Contact: Beth VanDyke Assistant Director of Alumni Relations P: 312.410.8988 Email: evandyke@thechicagoschool.edu

Alumni Council members Dawgelene Sangster and Scottie Girouard discuss nominations for the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus/a of the Year Award. The Council is responsible for selecting the recipient of this annual award, which is presented at Commencement. Clinical Psychology:

04|

Lisa Goldman (Psy. D. ’04) is working at Francis W. Parker School, a private school located on the north side of Chicago, as a lower school counselor. She is also working part time in private practice.

05|

Cheryl O’Toole (Psy. D. ’05) is working as a psychologist at The School of the Art Institute. She also has a private practice, volunteers as a counselor at the Chicago Women’s Health Center, and consults for Planned Parenthood. | Karen Trevithick (Psy. D. ’05) is the coordinator of the Eating Disorder Partial Hospitalization Program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, Hoffman Estates, Ill. She will be presenting a workshop, “Creating Connectedness: Working with Complex ED Patients,” at the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals conference and a poster presentation at the International Coalition of Eating Disorders conference in spring 2008. Trevithick received a Pillar of the Community award for her work with eating disorders.

Clinical Psychology Counseling SPECIALIZATION:

05|

Leela Banerjee (M.A. ’05) is completing her pre-doctoral internship at Miami Children’s Hospital. She has had the opportunity to immerse herself in the Latino culture as most of the population is bilingual. In October, Banerjee went to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, for one week to serve the rural population by providing primary medical care through Concerned Haitian Americans of Illinois (CHAI). Her career interests include serving ethnic minority populations nationally and internationally.

06|

Patricia Aguirre (M.A. ’06) works for Resurrection Health Care as a behavioral health clinician for Centro de Salud Familiar in Melrose Park, Ill. She coordinates the Strengthening Families program, and treats children, adolescents, and families for issues that include ADHD, depression, sexual abuse and trauma. | Sasha Ribic (M.A. ’06) is attending the Adler School of Professional Psychology, working toward a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a primary care concentration. She works at Edgewater

Forensic Psychology:

06|

Michelle Progar (M.A. ’06) is a second-year student in the Clinical Psy.D. program at The Chicago School. She currently works as a crisis intervention specialist at Community Youth Network. | Daria Rosonne Redding (M.A. ’06) is currently working for Metropolitan Family Services’ Calumet Center in Project S.T.R.I.V.E. at Percy L. Julian High School, Calumet, Ill. Redding is also preparing to take the LPC exam.

07|

Jason Lannoch (M.A. ’07) recently accepted a multi-systemic therapist (MST) position in Baltimore with Community Solutions Inc., a large nonprofit organization dedicated to MST service throughout the country. He will be doing intensive in-home therapy with juvenile offenders. | Kelly Ross (M.A. ’07) recently started a new position as a full-time therapist in Detroit. | Meg Rowland (M.A. ’07) recently relocated to Portland, Ore., and is employed as an emergency intervention specialist for an adolescent residential treatment center. She passed the LPC exam and is waiting for responses for recent doctoral program applications. Industrial and Organizational Psychology:

02|

Ryan Frosch (M.A. ’02) is employed in New York City with Wachovia as an HR business partner.

last page

The new Los Angeles Campus is located near the Garment District in a neighborhood known as “New Downtown” or “Bunker Hill.”

The building was constructed in the 1920s as the original headquarters of the Union Oil Company.

The downtown building’s bay windows are its most unique and distinguishing architectural feature.

The Chicago School with an L.A. Climate We’re taking our commitment to diversity, innovation, and service, and heading west. Beginning this fall, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus will offer aspiring psychology professionals the same real-world training experiences that have distinguished The Chicago School since 1979.

Coming Soon! a virtual Chicago School community Connect with Chicago School faculty, alumni, staff, and students Join our client referral network Register to reunite with fellow alumni at local receptions Develop a professional profile and start your own blog Learn about continuing education and cultural events Subscribe to news feeds on the latest issues

Watch your email and The Chicago School website for more information! www.thechicagoschool.edu

325 North Wells Street Chicago, IL 60610