Blog

On November 8, 2018, Paradise, CA suffered the worst forest fire in California history. Eighty-six individuals tragically lost their lives and over 15,000 structures burned. In total, almost 50,000 people were displaced. The Paradise Adventist Church was destroyed and the Adventist Health Feather River hospital sustained heavy damage. A few months later, the church requested the support of the Loma Linda University International Behavioral Health Trauma Team (LLUIBHTT).

Dr. Kelly Baek was recently appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology. Dr. Baek was previously a student in the Social Policy and Social Research PhD program, with her doctoral degree awarded in 2018. Her dissertation focused on Korean-American mental health perceptions, the scope of mental distress, and informal and formal help-seeking behavior.

In February of this year, Director of Clinical Training for the Child Life Specialist Program, Alisha Saavedra, was part of a Students for International Mission Service (SIMS) trip to Baja, Mexico. One of the locations that the SIMS group visited was Door of Faith Orphanage (DOFO) in La Misión.

The MEND (Mastering Each New Direction) team, led by Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences Dr. Brian Distelberg and alumnus Dr. Daniel Tapanes, have developed and implemented a program emphasizing mental health integration with chronic illness.

The Pediatric Brain and Spine Tumor Support Group provides emotional support and functions as a bridge between the medical and emotional needs of the patients and their families. The group was initiated by Dr.

A special mixer for alumni from the School of Behavioral Health was held on February 28 during Loma Linda University Health’s annual Homecoming weekend. Hosted in the Department of Psychology, alumni, faculty, and family turned out to enjoy a photo booth, a variety of door prizes (including a pen ink drawing by Dr.

The Child Life Specialist program has a bunch of exciting activities planned in celebration of Child Life Month! March 1 The program has been invited to attend Education Hour with the Child Life staff at Loma Linda University Children's Health. Allie's Helping Hands, a program that helps siblings of chronically ill children, will be presenting.

One of the major shifts occurring in the United States is the aging of our population. It's projected that within just a couple of decades older people will outnumber children for the first time. By the year 2035, there will be approximately 78 million people aged 65 years and older.

The chances of you or someone you know being impacted by mental health challenges are very high. According to Mental Health America, 18% of adults in the United States have a mental health condition. That’s one out of five people--or over 43 million Americans. In addition, nearly half are also struggling with substance abuse. However, about 9 million people report having an unmet need. In California specifically, over 65% of people struggling with a mental health challenge are not getting the resources they need.

Disruptive behaviors are a common occurrence in children. While almost all children exhibit some level of rule breaking, defiance, or acting out, only a subset of children may need intervention to curb these behaviors. Maya Boustani, PhD, clinical child psychologist and Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University’s School of Behavioral Health, Department of Psychology, answers some of the most common questions about Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).