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March 2016

Message from the President

The history of psychology dates back to

the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Persians,

Chinese, and East Indians. Many

recognize the names Plato, Pythagoras,

and Aristotle as some of its earliest

contributors but few have heard of

Hipparchia of Maroneia, Arete of Cyrene,

and Aspasia of Miletus, their female

contemporaries whose teachings of the

mind, existence, morality, and gender

roles helped lay the foundation of the

psychology we study and practice today.

The first contributions to modern psychology by a female scholar are credited to

Margaret Floy Washburn, Ph.D., who in 1894 became the first woman to receive a

Ph.D. in psychology. She was also the second woman elected to serve as president

of the American Psychological Association. Many more women have made their

In This Issue

Appointment of New Trustee,

Victoria Dolan

Manika Turnbull Named Woman

of Excellence

Dr. Nealon-Woods Selected as

Woman of the Month

Sean Nufer Online Learning

Excellence Award Recipient

MOU Signed with Japanese

University

mark on the profession of psychology since then, including Anna Freud, Mary

Ainsworth, and Karen Horney.

Last month, we lauded the accomplishments of the diverse and influential women

from the past and present who have helped shape the academics and clinical

practice of psychology. In our own local tribute, and to demonstrate our commitment

to diversity, the Division of Student Affairs hosted the 4th Annual Women in

Leadership Panel, which brought together a few of our own prominent female leaders

across our campuses to share their journeys through academia and the field of

psychology. I was honored to be a part of this dynamic panel that included Drs.

Tiffany Masson, Lavonda Mickens, Julie Benesh, Verna Oliva, and Cynthia Langtiw.

We celebrate all of our colleagues throughout the university who have helped shape

our profession and also the careers of our students.

Learn about the contributions women have made in the field of psychology

here.

Warm regards,

Michele Nealon-Woods, Psy.D.

President

New Trustee Joins The Chicago School Board of Trustees

Victoria L. Dolan, M.B.A., vice president and

corporate controller at Colgate-Palmolive, has

joined The Chicago School's Board of

Trustees. Dolan is a recognized finance and

business leader with more than 30 years of

experience across multiple industries,

business disciplines, company cultures, and

countries. Her experience includes high-profile,

global brand companies such as Colgate-

Palmolive, Marriott International and The Coca-

Cola Company. Dolan also has a proven track

Articulation Agreement: VCCCD

& LACCCD

Sherritta Hughes Elected

President Elect of MAMCD

Alum Profile, Jacqueline

McGivern

Women in Leadership Panel

Student Awarded Albert

Schweitzer Fellowship

TCSPP Legislative Agenda

Community Partnerships Awards

Ceremony

Active Shooter

TCSPP Supports

Association for Behavior

Analysis International 42nd

Annual Convention

May 27-31, 2016

The Naomi Ruth Cohen

Institute's 15th Annual

Community Mental Health

Conference

June 5, 2016

Summit on Community

Resilience, Intervention,

Prevention and Training

July 6-7, 2016

Victoria Dolan

Dr. Manika Turnbull

record of developing and implementing

innovative global business, financial, and

operational solutions. The Chicago School is a

nonprofit university, and one of the leading

institutions devoted to psychology and related

behavioral and health sciences.

"I am pleased to be part of the important work

of The Chicago School and lend my experience

both to further the school's mission and the

delivery of the 2015/2020 Strategic Plan. I am

excited to work with my fellow Board Members,

the President, and her Cabinet as they make

progress on their journey," Dolan stated upon her appointment. Read more.

Trustee and Alumna Manika Turnbull, Ph.D., Named Woman of

Excellence By The Chicago Defender

The Chicago Defender, one of the oldest

publications serving the African American

community, honored Dr. Manika Turnbull at its

"Women of Excellence" ceremony on March 25,

2016. The award ceremony celebrated 50 other

Chicago-area African American women, who

embrace community service and also inspire others

through their vision, leadership and exceptional

achievement. Dr. Turnbull, vice president and chief

diversity officer for the Health Care Services

Corporation (HCSC) was nominated by a fellow

employee.

"Receiving this award is humbling on so many levels, one being that the nomination

came from an HCSC employee whom I mentored for the past couple of years," said

Dr. Turnbull. "When I found out that I was nominated with the support of my

organization, I realized the impact. There are very few experiences more rewarding

than making a difference in someone's life. It was an honor to stand alongside so

many exemplary women of excellence, who are all leading extraordinary lives."

APA Annual Convention

August 4-7

Race, Ethnicity and Place VIII

Annual Conference

September 21-23, 2016

Stay Connected

Martha Farmer and Dr. Nealon-Woods

Leadership America Selects President Nealon-Woods as March

Woman of the Month

For her dedication to education, the

development of new and innovative

programs, and for ensuring that

underserved populations receive the

mental health care they need, Leadership

Women proudly recognized President

Nealon-Woods as the March Leadership

Woman of the Month. President Nealon-

Woods is a 2012 Leadership America

graduate. "From the moment Dr. Nealon-

Woods joined the class of 2012, she was recognized as a leader among leaders,"

remembers Founding Director Martha Farmer and TCSPP Trustee, adding that Dr.

Nealon-Woods talks the talk and walks the walk. "We are proud to have her as an

ardent advocate for Leadership America."

Sean Nufer, Psy.D., Adjunct Professor and eLearning Specialist

Awarded for Excellence in Online Education

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Sean Nufer, who because of his commitment to

providing online students with a stellar

education, has been recognized by

Pearson with its Online Learning

Excellence Award. The awards are given

to those "who are making significant

contributions in online education" and

whose contributions "drive student

success."

Awarded annually and in two categories,

K-12 and higher education, the awards

Dr. Sean Nufer

come with a $1,500 donation to the

scholarship fund of each winner's choice.

Dr. Nufer is an adjunct assistant professor

in the Online Industrial/Organizational

Psychology Program and also the TCS

eLearning specialist, a position in which

he identifies key trends and new

developments in instructional technology

and design in order to better engage and

serve students.

"Being nominated for and then receiving

this Pearson award for excellence in

online teaching has been an amazing

milestone for me," said Dr. Nufer. "My

journey is far from over, though now I can

have a sense that my endeavors are taking

me in the right direction. I am humbled

because I know that I am a meager

contributor to the larger framework of

online learning in higher education."

Dr. Nufer, a 2012 graduate of the Business Psychology Program at the Chicago

Campus, has designated his $1,500 donation to the Nancy A. Newton Business

Psychology Award, a scholarship fund established to honor TCSPP Professor Emeritus Dr.

Nancy Newton, who passed away in 2015.

"Nancy was one of my readers for my doctoral dissertation. She had been with the

institution for 31 years of service and filled many pivotal responsibilities during her

tenure. Our institution would not be what it is today were it not for Nancy Newton."

Educational Partnership with Japanese University Signals

Ongoing Collaboration

(L-R) Marie Aizawa, Ph.D. special assistant to the President for International Affairs,

Shokei Gakuin, Sayaka Machizawa, Jennifer Fullick, director of Global Engagement, TCS

Education System and Meiying Huan, Ph.D., vice president, Shokei Gakuin.

The Chicago School and Shokei Gakuin University in Mayagi Prefecture, Japan,

have joined in an educational partnership that has long-term hopes of a collaborative

institutional partnership between the two universities; faculty exchanges that allow

the exchange of teaching best practices; and collaborative scholarship between

faculty of both institutions, including co-authorship of journal articles and co-

presentations at national and international conferences. In the short-term, the MOU

has produced plans for a virtual symposium in the fall in which faculty from the

universities present together. A study abroad class for TCSPP students is planned

for May 2017.

In its current stage, the MOU "is about promoting faculty and student exchange and

is pretty broad," according to Sayaka Machizawa, Psy.D., associate director,

Community Partnerships and international faculty lead. Dr. Machizawa along with

Ted Scholz, Ph.D., interim chief academic officer, was instrumental in bringing the

MOU to fruition.

Shokei Gakuin University was established in 1892 and is known for its unique

Faculty of Comprehensive Human Sciences which consists of six departments, one

of which is the Department of Human Psychology. The university has an active

international exchange program in which it partners with several foreign universities,

including in China, Russia, and Australia.

"One of the vice presidents of Shokei is Meiying Huang," said Dr. Machizawa. "She

was a visiting professor at The Chicago School a few years ago. Her university is

pushing for more internationalization and partnerships with schools overseas and she

contacted us because she thought it might be a mutually beneficial opportunity."

Partnership Forged with Ventura County Community College

District to Create Pathways for Students

An articulation agreement signed by The

Chicago School and Ventura County

Community College District (VCCCD) allows

VCCCD students to complete their

undergraduate education in The Chicago

School's B.A. in Psychology Program, helping

The Chicago School further realize its goal of

providing access to its wide range of quality

educational opportunities to a broader

audience. The B.A. Program was originally

launched as a two-year completion program and has since expanded to four years.

The program is offered online with plans underway for an onground program in Los

Angeles. The Chicago School plans to sign a similar articulation agreement with Los

Angeles County Community College District.

Comprised of three colleges, Moorpark College, Oxnard College, and Ventura

College, VCCCD serves 50,000 students annually system-wide and offers a full

range of programs to help students successfully advance to the next phase of their

lives. Current and former VCCCD students who meet requirements are eligible to

take advantage of the opportunity.

Sherritta Hughes

"We are excited to partner with the Ventura County Community College District to

offer this wonderful opportunity to VCCCD students who are interested in pursuing a

degree that will help improve mental health care in our communities," said Michele

Nealon-Woods, Psy.D. Read more.

Doctoral Candidate and Adjunct Professor Sherritta Hughes,

M.S., LPC, Elected President of Maryland Association for

Multicultural Counseling and Development

Sherritta Hughes, Washington D.C. Campus

doctoral candidate in the

Counselor Education and Supervision Program,

has been elected president-elect of the

Maryland Association for Multicultural

Counseling and Development (MAMCD), a 60-

member organization whose purpose is to

promote a greater understanding among

Maryland and D.C. mental health providers of

culturally related issues like ethnicity, gender,

language, privilege, race, religion, and sexual

orientation. She is scheduled to take the office of president July 2016.

"I am very excited about being elected," Sherritta said. "I look forward to a productive

year of planning and implementing the programs suggested by the MAMCD

Governing Board."

A state division of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development

(AMCD) and the Maryland Counseling Association, a division of the American

Counseling Association (ACA), MAMCD provides its members with leadership and

multicultural training workshops and hosts a conference every year.

Sherritta, who as president will serve as chairperson of the executive board and

manage and control the business of the association, has big plans for the

organization, including working to make it more visible, working to increase

membership, and of course, working to meet all expectations of the MAMCD Board.

"As a transformational leader, I am looking forward to continuing the goals and

Jackie at her very first volunteer

opportunity as a TCSPP student.

mission of MAMCD and will also actively support change in forward directions in the

counseling profession."

Meet Alumna Jacqueline McGivern, M.A., LPC, Chicago Campus

It is estimated that in the United

States, 20 million women and 10

million men suffer from "a clinically

significant eating disorder at some

time in their life," National Eating

Disorders Association (NEDA). The

occurrence of new cases of eating

disorders have been growing steadily

since 1950, making it imperative that

those living with the disorder are

treated by mental health professionals

experienced in treating eating

disorders and committed to helping

their clients discover recovery and

reclaim their lives.

Jacqueline McGivern, graduate of the

Masters in Counseling Psychology

Program, is a clear choice for such a

role. The Chicago Campus alum has

been involved with NEDA since her

arrival at TCSPP. Her first volunteer

opportunity as a student was with the Chicago NEDA Walk, and after graduation she

accepted a position on the organization's committee. It was only natural for her to

accept a behavioral health counselor position with the Eating Recovery Center's

Insight Behavioral Health Centers, a position in which she provides therapeutic

support and counsel to adolescents and adults receiving treatment for eating

disorders, body image concerns, and mental health challenges.

"It is incredibly inspiring to be a part of a community dedicated to enhancing our

field's understanding of eating and weight disorders and {to be} providing evidence-

based treatment," Jackie explains.

It is Jackie's continued commitment to volunteering and advocating on behalf of a

cause which she describes as "near and dear" to her heart that earned her the

inaugural TCSPP Alumni Service Award. She not only works with NEDA, she also

volunteers in the Eating Disorders Program at the University of Chicago Medical.

"I feel so honored to have been chosen as the 2016 recipient. I look forward to

continuing to live and work as a passionate counselor, dedicated advocate, and

proud TCSPP alumna!"

Women in Leadership Panel Discussion Held in Honor of

National Women's Month

On March 11, The Chicago School held a panel about women in leadership and invited

TCSPP female staff and faculty to share their journey, accomplishments, and obstacles

they faced as women in leadership roles. (L-R) Panelists Dr. Julie Benesh, Dr. Cynthia

Langtiw and Dr. Tiffany Masson at the Chicago Campus; Moderator Shaniece McGill,

Panelists Dr. Nealon-Woods and Dr. Lavonda Mickens at the Los Angeles Campus. Not

pictured is Dr. Verna Oliva, Washington D.C. Campus panelist.

Student Awarded Albert Schweitzer Fellowship to Implement

Project Aimed at Reducing Effects of Islamophobia on Youth

Heather Laird, a student in the Psy.D.

in Marital and Family Therapy Program

at the Los Angeles Campus, is the first

Heather Laird

psychology student to be selected for

the Los Angeles Chapter of the

prestigious Albert Schweitzer

Fellowship. Laird's proposed project

seeks to reduce the effects of

Islamophobia on Muslim and American

Muslim youth ages 5-18 through

psychoeducation about mental health

and by providing 20 Muslim schools

and mosques with mental health

resources---- including assistance in

finding qualified therapists in the area.

In recent years Islamophobia has been on the rise, and American Muslim children

have suffered from negative media images, school bullying, and other blatant acts of

aggression and violence. In addition, there are new refugees entering the United

States from war torn countries from around the world, and many of them are children

who are also Muslim.

"These are two vulnerable and underserved populations with the commonality of a

belief system. These youths come from very diverse backgrounds including African-

American, Arab, South Asian, East Asian, and African. Muslims typically have

stigma to getting mental health including self, public, structural and label avoidance,"

stated Laird. She continued, "Los Angeles has one of the largest populations of

Muslim youth in the United States, and I would like to serve this very underserved

population."

Laird joins an interdisciplinary cohort (medicine, pharmacy, dental, nursing, public

health, and occupational therapy) of 15 students who through the year-long fellowship

will each work to establish sustainable programs aimed at overcoming serious

barriers to health in underserved communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

"There is added value in working in interdisciplinary teams. I am hopeful that for

those who depart into the hospitals and healthcare settings do so with the idea, from

this experience we will have together, that mental health professionals are an added

value to integrative teams of health professionals," said Laird.

TCSPP's Legislative Agenda Aims to Help Shape Mental Health

Laws

Dr. Nealon-Woods (far right in red) testifying before the Senate Panel in Sacramento.

Through the Association for Independent California Colleges and Universities

(AICCU) The Chicago School was invited to Sacramento on March 9 to provide

testimony to a panel of the California Senate Health Committee chaired by Senator

Ed Hernandez. The Senate panel, made up of members of the Health Committee and

the Subcommittee on Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care, heard testimony

from Dr. Michele Nealon-Woods, as well as representatives from the University of

California Riverside and the California Community College System regarding

preparation of California's mental health workforce.

Dr. Nealon-Woods' testimony responded to the panel's expressed interest in the

following regarding educational institutions:

Who's producing the mental health workforce?

Which programs have the most capacity?

Mentoring: are students being guided into certain specialties or into the public

health system?

Partnerships: with employers, other programs, etc.

Challenges being faced from both academic and practitioner perspectives

Read Dr. Nealon-Woods' testimony before the Mental Health Workforce Panel

here.

Mental Health Reform Act

On March 16, 2016, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and

Pensions voted in favor of S.2680, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016. The

bipartisan legislation provides vital reforms to mental health funding to increase

patients' access to effective and evidence-based care particularly focused to those

with serious mental illness. The APA and the APA Practice Organization (APAPO)

supported the legislation, but there are provisions that should be included that aren't,

including allowing limited Medicaid coverage for services provided in institutions for

mental disease (IMD) and removal of the 190-day lifetime limit on Medicare coverage

for services provided in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. It is hoped that these

provisions, along with others, will be integrated when the Act is considered by the full

Senate.

The APA and the APAPO have been reviewing legislation for the Mental Health

Reform Act. The Chicago School was honored to work with the APAPO during this

process.

"From an impact perspective, we are shaping mental health law. Last year, we made

a strategic priority to develop and promote a comprehensive legislative mental and

behavioral health, and healthcare agenda," said President Nealon-Woods. "The

University's overarching big picture goal is to promote the incorporation of

comprehensive mental health components into legislative agendas, while

strengthening our leadership position in the field of behavioral health. We believe that

by strategically focusing now on the development of a strong government relations

program, we can successfully establish The Chicago School as a leader in mental

and behavioral health, and healthcare policy discussions and developments."

Annual Community Partnerships Awards Ceremony Honors

Service to the Community

The Annual Community Partnerships Awards Ceremony to recognize students,

faculty, and staff who make a difference in the community and who live out TCSPP

values in their daily lives, was held on March 29 on the Chicago Campus. Organizers

added something new this year and included a category to recognize alumni who are

committed to doing great things in the community. The winner of the inaugural award

was Jacqueline McGivern, 2015, for her work with the National Eating Disorders

Association.

"Once again at this year's ceremony, we recognized students {and others} who live

out each of our values," said Jill Glenn, director, Community Partnerships. "Don

Togade, an ABA student, has taken on a leadership role at One Million Degrees;

Andy Lichtfuss, an IO student, attends weekly field trips with Global Citizenship

Experience High School, and Dr. Eleazar Eusebio started a program for first year

School Psychology students to mentor youth in the Chicago Public School System,"

she continued. "The ceremony reminds us why what we do as The Chicago School is

so important."

Active Shooter Impact: Panel Discussion Held on Prevention and

Healing

On February 16, The Chicago

School's Alumni Council and Alumni

Relations staff brought together a

panel to highlight Chicago School

expertise and perspectives on

active shooter events and what can

be done to better inform, empower,

and support our communities

through prevention and response to

such tragic incidents.

"This is an important topic for The

Chicago School, not only because it

is a concern for school

environments, but because our

expertise across behavioral health

sciences lends important context to

this topic. We are committed to use

this perspective to affect greater

good within our communities," said TCSPP's Ted Scholz, Ph.D., who acted as

moderator for the discussion.

Panelists included The Chicago School's Gary Goines, M.A., Claudia Shields, Ph.D.,

and Nancy Zarse, Psy.D. Participants gathered at the Chicago, Washington, D.C.

and Southern California Campuses and remote audiences connected via

GoToWebinar. Questions that were addressed included: "How can we best address

the collective sense of pain, loss, and anxiety among our communities in the wake of

an active shooter tragedy and help restore a sense of safety?" and "With the 24-hour

news cycle and contemporary social media fueling public response as tragic

situations are still unfolding, what are the challenges to getting the right information

out?"

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