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At the 2018 Conferring of Degrees ceremony, SBH proudly graduated 108 students from our three departments. We were also privileged to honor
Elsie Lobo (President's Award), Tori Dang (Dean's Award, Master's), Jeffrey Murray (Dean's Award, Doctoral),
Marlene Hagen (Alumna of the Year), Shari Lane (Distinguished Service) and Dr. Dianna Simon (Distinguished Service).
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New Internship Site Established in Samoa
This summer, SBH made an historic visit to Samoa. One of our largest trips ever, it included five faculty and 12 students from the departments of Counseling and Family Sciences, Psychology, and Social Work and Social Ecology. This trip was the result of an exciting collaboration between SBH, ADRA, and the Samoan government.
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Trauma Team Trains Mental Health Professionals in St. Maarten
This spring, ADRA Caribbean coordinated with the government of St. Maarten, the LLU International Behavioral Health Trauma Team, and the LLU-trained Trinidad and Tobago Behavioral Health Trauma Team to offer community resilience training for mental health professionals in the wake of last year's three destructive hurricanes.
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Iota Pi Donates Laundry Gift Baskets to Families in Transition
The Phi Alpha Honor Society, Iota Pi Chapter rounded out an amazing year of service to the community with a Laundry Gift Basket drive for families making the transition from homelessness to permanent housing.
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ADHD and Gaming Addiction Linked
A study directed by Dr. Holly Morrell in the Department of Psychology has found that "attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) severity is associated with severity of video game addiction."
Press release
In a separate study, Dr. Morrell's students found that "ADHD symptomatology, cigarette use, and quantity of video game use all contribute to PVGU [problematic video game use]."
Read more
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First Student Enrolls in Healthcare Experiences Training Program
Xiaohua (Nancy) Wu, the first student to enroll in a new six-month program designed to improve healthcare experiences for children at The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, completed her clinical training at LLU and returned to China in April as the second Certified Child Life Specialist in her country!
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Ashley Ingram Hutchinson, MSW
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"As a Loma Linda alumna, I really value the clinical emphasis of our curriculum. Having an advanced clinical focus truly sets us apart from other MSW programs. After applying for my ACSW number, I applied for a clinical therapist position just weeks after graduation. After being offered an interview, I received the call shortly after that I had been offered the job!"
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Summer Alumni Starbucks Meetups
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We had a wonderful time catching up with alumni in Riverside, Colton, and Loma Linda last month! Thanks so much to everyone who made it out to see us. We look forward to scheduling more events like this soon!
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Inaugural Issue of Alumni Magazine Published!
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2018 has been a wonderful year for the School of Behavioral Health. We recently published our first alumni magazine as a way to keep in touch with our valued alumni and share exciting things that are taking place in our School. The first issue includes updates on the work of the International Behavioral Health Trauma Team and the Child Life Specialist program, and showcases some of the important work our alumni are doing in their communities.
Our next edition will feature stories not only about our alumni, but about the work of Dr. Brian Distelberg and the nationally-recognized MEND program; the development of the integrated behavioral health internship placement in Samoa; research occurring within the School; and service-learning that is being provided locally and internationally.
Thank you for your continued support. We hope to hear from you soon!
--Dr. Adam L. Aréchiga, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs
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Awards and Accomplishments
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Wil Alexander Whole Person Care Award 2018: Vanessa Minishian
This year's Wil Alexander Whole Person Care Award for SBH was awarded to Vanessa Minishian, a Child Life Specialist MS student who graduated in June. Outstanding in her academics, Vanessa upholds the ethics and professionals standards of the Association of Child Life Professionals while embracing the philosophy of whole person care. She has volunteered as a coach with the CAPS Goal 4 Hearts soccer league and has participated in four SIMS trips (Honduras, Brazil, Cuba, and Peru). Congratulations, Vanessa!
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Publication: Dr. Jackie Williams-Reade
Dr. Jackie Williams-Reade, Associate Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences, has two chapters in
Clinical Methods in Medical Family Therapy
, published this past spring! You can read her work in Chapter 10, "Medical Family Therapy in Palliative and Hospice Care" and Chapter 19, "Innovations in MedFT: Pioneering New Frontiers!"
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Nichola Ribadu, DMFT, LMFT
Dr. Ribadu was recently hired as program director for the Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy program at Loma Linda University. Though she is from Montana, Dr. Ribadu has a rich history at the university having received both her MFT in 2003 and her DMFT in 2008 from LLU. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Stanislaus University.
Dr. Ribadu previously worked at North Central University for four years as a full-time faculty member, teaching foundation classes for students enrolled in their MFT and DMFT programs. She also worked as an adjunct faculty member for Brandman University, teaching in their MFT program.
She has a passion for working with high-risk children and has completed clinical hours at a Continuation High School for students, a group home, and at the SAC Health System. She also has a strong interest in social justice and program development.
Dr. Ribadu’s husband is also a graduate from Loma Linda University and currently serves as an Associate Dean at Brandman University. They have three children who are involved in playing competitive soccer.As much as her busy schedule allows, Dr. Ribadu relaxes by enjoying baking, crocheting, sewing, and playing the piano.
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Patricia M. Flynn, PhD, MPH
Dr. Flynn was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology in 2017. She graduated with a PhD (Psychology) from Loma Linda University in 2005 and also received a Master of Public Health from LLU in 2008. She has combined these two degrees to continue her commitment and passion to examining the influence of cultural and psychological factors on health behavior and outcome, particularly among minority populations.
While in the doctoral program at LLU, Dr. Flynn focused on the area of experimental health psychology. Her major research interests include addressing issues such as health disparities, patient-provider relations and the role of implicit bias, culture and treatment adherence, and the delivery of culturally competent healthcare.
Dr. Flynn has received numerous awards on issues relating to minority health and health disparities. She has co-authored professional publications in this area and presents research findings as both national and international conferences. She has also taught classes in the area of Health Psychology, Health Disparities, Cultural Psychology, Cultural Research Methods and Foundations of Social Psychology and Culture.
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Tori R. Van Dyk, PhD, MA
Dr. Van Dyk was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology starting in August of 2018. Dr. Van Dyk earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Nebraska. She completed her internship at the well-known and respected Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Subsequently, she was a research fellow and co-chief at the Hospital in the division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology.
Dr. Van Dyk has served as a researcher and principal investigator on numerous projects relating to health care among children and adolescents. She has extensively studied the impact of sleep deprivation on mental health symptoms and other health behaviors such as physical activity in youth. Further, she has studied pediatric health conditions and evidenced-based practice interventions.
Dr. Van Dyk has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in the areas of sleep deprivation, childhood anxiety, parent functioning, obesity, and the effect of medications on sleep disturbance.
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Maya Boustani, PhD, MS
Dr. Boustani recently received an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. After obtaining her PhD from Florida International University in 2015, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA.
Her research interest lies in addressing issues of mental health disparities for vulnerable youth and families. This work includes studying evidence practice models and the sustainability of these models.
She has co-authored 12 peer-reviewed publications, as well as four book chapters. Further, she has worked as a clinical co-supervisor at the UCLA Psychology Clinic and previously provided direct clinical services in the areas of life skills, substance abuse, sex education, teen parenting, and parent-child interaction.
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Read about the retirements of these three wonderful faculty on our
blog
.
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In May, the School of Behavioral Health helped to sponsor the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center's 2nd annual Stand Up to Stigma 5K Walk/Run! One of the goals of this event was to raise awareness about the damaging effects of mental health stigma.
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SIMS: Courtney Otto's Behavioral Health Service in Angola
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During the summer of 2018, directly following graduation festivities, I was honored to be a part of a team that traveled to Angola, Africa, to provide health education via health fairs and medical assistance, as well as community-building and networking for the future. Before the trip began, there were many planning meetings held on how best to serve the people of Angola, specifically in Bongo, Huambo, and Luanda. In the wonderful group I was with, the mental health team, our main focus was to provide mental health support utilizing the Community Resiliency Model (CRM).
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Book and Resource Recommendations
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This issue's recommendations come from faculty in the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology! (Click on the images for more information.)
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The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The focus of many news stories and scientific developments, the gene is worth getting to know.
Thanks to Mukherjee's accessible and biographic style, the gene’s history comes alive through the eyes, actions, and discoveries of key individuals across time—including recent CRISPR/Cas genome editing developments.
-Monte Butler, PhD, MSW
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Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast by David Puder, MD
This is a great podcast about all things mental health, treatment, and wellness! I would recommend it because as mental health professionals we can use these episodes to enhance our understanding on different diagnoses, the latest research, and various psychotherapy topics. I recommend this podcast to students and colleagues!
-Allison Maxwell-Johnson, MSW
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What are Old People For?
by William H. Thomas, MD
This book's author is an authority on the future of aging and longevity. I am always searching for books that promote a positive perspective on aging, with creative ways to bring meaning and worth to the last half of our lives. Blending optimism with practicality, this book helps readers to change forever the way they think about aging.
-Victoria Jackson, EdD, MSW
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Our mission is to provide graduate level education that prepares competent, ethical, and compassionate professionals in behavioral health.
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