Blog

The Department of Social Work and Social Ecology’s honor society, Iota Pi, has a commitment both to academic excellence and to serving the local community. Iota Pi is affiliated with the national Phi Alpha Honor Society, which consists of more than 400 university chapters. This year, Iota Pi was again chosen as the Phi Alpha Chapter Service Award Winner for its philanthropic work—their 6th time receiving this award, and their 5th year in a row. They will be receiving a cash award along with a plaque honoring their outreach.

Tori Dang graduated from the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology in June 2018 with her Master of Social Work degree. In addition to her academic studies, Tori was instrumental in providing philanthropic work to the local community as President of the Iota Pi chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for the 2017-18 academic year. Born in Vung Tau, Vietnam, Tori understood the importance of helping others from a very early age, especially with regard to the impact of trauma on people's lives.

Not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep has consistently been linked to increased risk of developing obesity in adolescence. This is concerning, considering that over two-thirds of teens are sleep deprived, putting a significant portion of youth at risk for poor health consequences. Although the relationship between poor sleep and obesity seems clear, the underlying reasons for this relationship are not. Dr.

Imagine being at a national convention when, all of a sudden, a book publisher approaches you with a request to write a book about the journey of becoming a marriage and family therapist. That’s exactly what happened to Jessica ChenFeng, PhD, LMFT, alumna of the Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health’s Counseling and Family Sciences Department. Jessica was attending a national American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy conference, where she and fellow professor Dana J.

Mental health treatments for children and adolescents are more effective than ever at treating common problems such as anxiety, disruptive behaviors, and depression. Unfortunately, about half of children who need treatment do not enroll in service. For those who do enroll, half drop out of treatment prematurely. Dr. Kimberly Becker at the University of South Carolina and Dr. Bruce Chorpita at the University of California, Los Angeles set out to understand what the research can tell us about ways to effectively engage children and families into mental health treatment.

The University of California, Davis hosted its fourth Ulysses Banquet last month to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Ulysses Refugee Health Project. The event honored the work of over 200 refugee community and agency leaders, doctors, students, and faculty members of several American and international universities. A refugee-led collaborative effort, the Ulysses Project has advanced migration health research, education, and policy along with the professional re-entry of many refugee doctors.

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines as a Category 5 storm on the morning of Friday, November 8, 2013, at Guiuan, Eastern Samar. This super storm, referred to in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, is believed to be the strongest cyclone storm to hit land in recorded world history, with winds as strong as 380 kph (235 mph).

Loma Linda University’s Department of Counseling and Family Sciences (CFS) was well-represented at the 2019 American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) Conference in Oakland, California. CFS students, faculty, and alumni were listed as presenters on just under twenty-five percent of the over sixty-five presentations given at this year’s conference. Seven students currently enrolled in the Systems, Families, and Couples (SFC) PhD program attended the conference, along with three faculty presenters and mentors (SFC program director Zephon Lister, Bryan Cafferky, and Brian Distelberg).

The Loma Linda University Department of Social Work and Social Ecology recently hosted a two-week summer internship program for high school and community college students interesting learning more about behavioral health and careers in mental health. During the program, students shadowed mental health experts within professional settings and attended seminars on mental health topics such as interventions for depression and anxiety, suicide prevention, drug and alcohol use, gangs and violence, eating disorders, responding to trauma, and stress management.

Dr. Maya Boustani was invited to the Institute for Community Partnership (ICP) spring quarter town hall meeting to discuss how she developed a partnership with the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD). Along with school counselor and community partner Ms. Yesenia Ceballos, Dr. Boustani reflected on how the ICP facilitated the initial connection. Relationship building efforts since then have led to a solid partnership with SBCUSD Student Services.