Blog

The Department of Social Work and Social Ecology is proud to introduce our newest faculty member, Christi Bell, MSW, LCSW. Professor Bell received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and Master of Social Work from Cal State University, San Bernardino.

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing Latinas' personal insights into and recommendations for a healthy lifestyle following their participation in the Full Plate Living intervention. On March 12, 2020, the last of six program cohorts gathered for the last time in a crowded Moreno Valley classroom. Unbeknown to us all, that would be the very last time we would see each other again without masks covering our faces. Drastic changes and major program accommodations followed, forcing us to delay the final (cooking) class for months.

Lorraine Thompson, MA, EdS, PPS, who served as School Counseling Field Experience Coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, retired at the end of June. She had filled this role since 2015. Before joining the CFS department, Professor Thompson worked as a school psychologist for the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Later she moved to Loma Linda Academy, where she served as a school psychologist, counselor, resource specialist, and vice-principal.

The School of Behavioral Health is pleased to welcome Heather Beeson, DMFT, MA, LMFT, one of our newest faculty members. Dr. Beeson is now working in the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, where she will support the growth and learning of our Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (DMFT) students. She is passionate about promoting the Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy program through research and teaching. Dr. Beeson has experience teaching in the areas of diversity, therapeutic treatment models, MFT administration, and systemic organizational consultation, among other topics.

This past May, Travis Air Force Base leadership recognized me as one of a number of military spouses who are faced with complications due to California's professional licensure restrictions and regulations. Just one example of the complexities the life of a military spouse can have, these complexities are magnified when the military spouse maintains a professional license. As a licensed marriage and family therapist who is married to an active duty Air Force officer with the requirement to move every 2-4 years, looking for employment can feel like a game of Tetris.

On April 23, Dr. Holly Morrell attended the virtual 2021 Diversifying Clinical Psychology (DCP) Conference, which is held annually by the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology. One of the goals of this event is to highlight the research of undergraduates from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds who wish to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Students present posters on a number of topics, often related to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Dear Faculty, Alumni, Students, and Staff: The School of Behavioral Health and its members condemn hate, discrimination, racism, and violence toward all groups of people. This shared pledge transmits from our moral responsibility and genuine commitment to protect, respect, and value all people regardless of individual differences.

No one can deny it. There is a major need for students to have more and more flexibility in how they attend graduate school. Advanced learners are working while they pursue master's and doctorate degrees. Often they have family and other commitments.

Megan Krantz, a fourth-year Clinical Psychology PhD student in the Department of Psychology, has been announced as a winner of the Sleep Special Interest Group student poster competition at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (SPPAC). Along with student co-authors and faculty mentors, Dr. Cameron Neece and Dr. Tori Van Dyk, Megan examined differences in, and risk factors for, sleep difficulties in preschool youth with autism compared to typically developing youth.

I have been honored to lead the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences Writing Center for the last two years. My role in this capacity is to provide training, support, and encouragement to enhance students' professional and academic writing skills, and to help them feel more comfortable with writing. Many students have shared that they have received negative messages about their writing performance in their earlier academic careers, which decreased their confidence in their writing ability and affected their view of themselves as successful students.