In response to Dr. Goodman-Bowling’s blog on fair trade labor practices, and the reason we should care about how the products we buy are made, this is a working list of some of our favorite places to shop, as suggested by CBU faculty, students, and community. Please feel free to add to the list in your comments below. Many of these are Corporation B Certified (e.g., guarantee of fair wages), and all focus on dignified treatment. Some also may focus on offsetting the environmental impact of our production. We hope you will find this list useful as you look to make choices that are more in line with your convictions about the importance of treating people of all kinds with dignity and respect.

Noonday Collection: Sells necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bags, and scarves, etc. Supports job opportunities, the empowerment of women, the livelihood of children, and values connections between producers and consumers.

Jennings and Allen: Sells: jewelry, soapstone carvings, scarves, hand-sewn purses, etc. Support many important causes including women empowerment and rebuilding communities that have fallen victim to famine, war, and other injustices.

Fair Trade Styles from Mainstream Companies: Offers information on many companies that support ethical consumerism

Redemption Market: Provides a list of fair trade businesses; online purchase available.

Jesus’ Economy: Sells holiday items, jewelry, accessories, bags, wallets, purses, dining, clothing, kids & baby items, journals, etc. Fair trade goods in order to reduce poverty around the world; has a vision to help reduce poverty by helping the poor to build business.

Finally! After three long years of classes I was entering my senior year of college. I was excited to only have a few classes left to complete my degree in Psychology and Social Behavior. However, for some reason I couldn’t fully enjoy my new “senior” status. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed by the fact that I had no idea what I was going to do after I graduated. I had spent most of my life as a student so I always knew what to expect. Finish one grade…move on to the next. Graduate from high school…go on to college. For the first time I was faced with making a major life decision and I wasn’t sure what to do.  

I started to look for various jobs online. I just couldn’t imagine going to work day after day just to get a paycheck. I had to do something that felt meaningful…that made a difference in someone’s life. I began to reflect on what I liked to do and what I felt passionate about. I thought, “I guess I like kids. Maybe I should do something with kids”. If I was really honest with myself though, I cared about children’s wellbeing but I didn’t really like working with them. I was at a loss.  

It just happened that I had the opportunity to enroll in a Social Work class the next semester. I looked over the course description and it seemed like an easy “A” so I signed up. Each week in that course something started to click. The more I learned about what social work was and what social workers did I started thinking “this sounds like me”. The values and ethics felt like my own. The focus on fighting for the underdog was refreshing and the explicit mention of topics like discrimination, oppression, and marginalization spoke to my heart.  

Sometime around the middle of the semester two recruiters from Masters Social Work programs came to pitch their programs to the class. “A Master’s degree?” I thought. I’d never considered going to graduate school. No one in my family had ever gone and I wasn’t quite sure I could be the first. Was I smart enough? Could I afford it? What would my friends and family think? After all only 9.5% of Americans pursue graduate degrees, and even fewer African Americans (less than 7%). Yet, I felt like God was speaking to me through this Social Work class but I couldn’t be sure. I prayed and asked God to make it clear if social work was what He wanted me to do. I picked a couple of graduate programs, put my applications together, and left it in His hands. I prayed “Lord, let your will be done” and trusted that if He wanted me to go, He’d get me in, and help me get through it.  

My answer came around March. I was in! I would be pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work. I was excited, anxious, and terrified all at once. It would be the most challenging (and expensive) thing I’d ever done. I was confident that this is what God was calling me to do.  

My entry into the field of social work was unlike anything I could have imagined. I found myself taking classes about substance abuse, mental illness, and racism. I was absorbing the values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, human relationships, integrity, and competence. I loved it!  

After about a month of interning I felt like I was home. A sense of gratitude overwhelmed me. I would have never guessed that I would be a social worker in a mental health setting. But by God’s sovereign grace and omniscience He led me right where He needed me to be…and it felt good. Over the course of the two year MSW program I would continue to be challenged and develop the necessary skills and insight to function as a professional social worker. What I didn’t know was that my journey home was just beginning. 

I was assigned to an internship in an adult mental health clinic. This was definitely not my choice since I had serious fears and biases of those classified as mentally ill. In fact, most Americans believe that people with mental illnesses are dangerous although data suggests otherwise. Nevertheless, I was sure the Field Instructor must have made a mistake because I was supposed to help kids. I decided to trust the process and go where I was sent. At the clinic I learned from a great supervisor and awesome staff who helped to transform people’s lives every day. I met with clients who were a lot like me. They were average folks who had suffered a bad experience, trauma, or were just feeling depressed. I became more aware of the stigma I held about this population. I was especially touched by my African American clients who reminded me so much of my cousins, aunt, mother, and father and I wanted so badly to see them made whole. 

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Stay tuned for Part II….and in the meantime, leave a comment below letting us know if any of this resonated with you today! All CBU student comments are eligible for a raffle giveaway within one week of posting!

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Stuart, H. (2003). Violence and mental illness: an overview. World Psychiatry, 2(2), 121. 

Educational Attainment in the United States: 2018. February 2019. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2018/demo/education-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html 

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A football player getting tackled to the ground by an opponent. A hockey player being bashed into the boards. A soccer player heading the ball into the goal. All of these scenarios could possibly lead to the athlete sustaining a concussion. A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by rapid acceleration or deceleration that causes the brain to rock against the inner walls of the skull. Concussions can happen to anyone however they are most prominent in the athlete population. Symptoms of a concussion can have effects on the physical and psychological states of an athlete which in turn can affect different portions of their life.

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Diagnosis of a concussion is typically based on the nature of the incident and the presence of specific symptoms. This injury is unlike the typical physical and visual injury some athletes incur and it is invisible to the naked eye. With rapid acceleration or deceleration that causes the brain to hit the inner walls of the skull, there is potential for tearing of blood vessels, bruising or swelling of the brain. These injuries to the brain create a multitude of symptoms for an athlete. Typical signs and symptoms of a concussion are headache, temporary loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia surrounding the incident in which the concussion was sustained, dizziness, vomiting, fatigue, delayed response to questions, slurred speech, amongst many other signs and symptoms as well.

When recovering from a concussion, athletes are only cleared for return to learn and return to play when their symptoms have completely subsided. If an athlete returns to learn or play before there is a chance for the individual to suffer from Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) if a second concussion is sustained before the first concussion is healed. SIS can diffuse the cerebral swelling within the brain, brain herniation, or even death can occur. Even if an athlete heals completely from the first concussion, it makes them more susceptible to incur more concussions later on in their athletic career.

With the risk of being more susceptible to sustaining multiple concussions throughout the rest of their athletic career, athletes run the risk of having long-term, lifelong symptoms. One major long-term, even fatal, danger of multiple concussions is an athlete developing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a neurodegenerative disease that is caused by an individual accumulating numerous head injuries. The only way to diagnose an athlete with CTE though is post-mortem. However, from cases such as Mike Webster or Junior Seau, two famous NFL stars who passed away due to CTE, it gives an idea of what the symptomology may look like. Typically, an athlete with CTE may express feelings of depression, paranoia, agitation, impaired judgement, aggressive behavior and even suicidal behavior as well, as these two athletes did. These symptoms, connected with the symptoms of your basic concussion, also lead into the psychological emotional aspect of these head injuries, how an athlete feels and what experiences they have through recovering from the injury.

A concussion being an “invisible injury” means that just by looking at an athlete you would not know anything is wrong with them. It takes some digging to figure out if an athlete has received a concussion, but once it has been determined they are taken out from all activities. As an athlete, these individuals thrive off of comradery and teamwork. Having a concussion prevents them from practicing, playing, and engaging with their team, the sources of comradery and teamwork they thrive off of. Their teammates or coaches may not understand what they are going through and experiencing during this process either since the injury is not visible like a broken arm. This can create feelings of isolation which can lead to feelings of depression if the recovery process takes longer than average. Concussions also create cognitive impairments, such as memory, slowing of the cognitive processes, or concentration difficulties. These symptoms may create feelings of frustration or anger within an athlete because they may not be remembering little things such as a passing pattern or when an assignment is due.

There has been little research on the experiences of athletes during their recovery from a concussion. It is pivotal that more is done in order to better understand the effects of concussions on an athlete and the emotional aspects of recovery as well. Luckily, CBU’s Sport, Performance, and Exercise Psychology (SPEP) lab is currently working on adding to the research. In researching the experiences of NCAA athletes with one or multiple concussions, the research team hopes to provide the public a better understanding of the experiences of these elite athletes and how their concussion(s) affected their athletic career, academics, personal relationships, and quality of life.

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Have you ever experienced the effects of a concussion or do you know someone who has? Let us know what that was like–or let us know what you found interesting above–in the comments below. All CBU student comments are eligible for a raffle giveaway within one week of posting!

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I recently attended a Maternal Health Summit where presenters and attendees discuss ideas on how to support immigrant families and children born to immigrant mothers. As I pondered on some of the ways I could help, I realized that it was a very emotional topic for me personally. Like many immigrant women, my mother came to the United States to provide a better life for her children. As a researcher in maternal child and women’s health my observation of what is happening today with parents being detained, I can only ponder on the implications for this hurtful and painful action and its effect on a child’s development. 

Research indicates that a child’s separation from their parent, when planned or unplanned, can cause significant stress; in some cases it is very traumatizing. I know this first hand because recently my daughter became overly stressed at school because she overheard a conversation about deportation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from a classmate. As a parent I try my best to be transparent. My children are aware that I and their father are both immigrants from Belize. My oldest daughter came home crying asking if her dad and I were going to get deported. The look on her innocent face made me so upset and scared for her as she grows up in this perils of immigration reform in America.

Fortunately for my daughter, we were able to calm her nerves because we let her know that, yes, we are indeed immigrants, but we are in the United States legally so she had no reason to be worried. This, however, is not the case for many American children who go home every day questioning their parents about their immigration status. Recently on the news I saw children crying because their parents were detained at their worksites. One young child worrying about how she would get her next meal or when she would see her father, the family’s breadwinner, again. As an immigrant mother with 3 American children I could never imagine dropping off my children for their first day of school and going to work for the day only to be picked up for deportation. This is a daily heartbreaking reality for many innocent American children born to immigrant mothers.

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Knowing this new reality for many American children, I began looking at a few articles that explored separation around immigration. One study implied that such sudden and unplanned separations could lead to disruption of eating and sleeping habits, sadness, anger, guilt, and anxiety in children (Chaudry et al., 2010). Besides these serious emotional consequences, children often suffer from an instantaneous loss of income, particularly in instances where the primary breadwinner is detained. Other studies implied that subsequent economic instability can have severe consequences to the child’s well-being (Barajas, Philipsen, & Brooks-Gunn, 2008; Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2004). Poverty is associated with a number of negative social conditions, such as inadequate education and delayed cognitive development, which are crucial to success later in life (Ceballo, McLoyd, & Toyokawa, 2004). These poor American children are now in distress overload; they are in fear and being traumatized during the most important stages of development. When compared to their peers they are now most likely to have poorer life outcomes. 

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Matthew 18:3-6 reads 3 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 If anyone causes one of these little ones -those who believe in me- to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” 

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Children are supposed to be the light of the world. Their innocence bring joy and laughter to our homes. Today, Immigrants are being portrayed as if they are sucking the sweets of America which, in most cases, is absolutely false. The take away from the summit, in my interpretation, is that American children born to immigrant women are at higher risk to be separated from their mothers which is an injustice. It is not okay to do this to the little gifts that God has blessed us with on earth.

As the scriptures implied, those who turn a blind eye or are complicit and causes little ones to stumble will deal with the wrath of our God. Our future is our children and we should not be okay with what is happening today in America. Families should not be torn apart and children should not have to worry about their next meal or when they will see their parents again. 

Now let’s hear your thoughts…

If you had the opportunity to work on immigration reform as it relates to separation of families. What would be some suggestions on how we could approach this issue? 

Many of the children who’s families are being deported are American. What do you believe will happen to these children as they grow older? 

CBU Students: Leave a comment for a chance to win a CSHB powerbank!

Although cultural encouragement for fresh starts are often reserved for the new year marked every January, the start of a new academic year is, perhaps, a better time for those of us running on a traditional academic calendar to take advantage of a new “year”. With the new academic year comes a new schedule, perhaps a new living situation, new friends, professors, responsibilities….I’m sure your list goes on. With all this new, there is also an opportunity: an opportunity for growth. Maybe it’s about time for you to really prioritize reading the Bible. Maybe you want to finally run that 5k or eat the vegetables your doctor says you should. Perhaps you just want to have better relationships this year. Luckily for us, psychological science has a lot to say about how to make the most of these kinds of opportunities. Here I want to share just a few of these evidence-based practices for real, lasting change.

1. Set the right kind of goals.

Spoiler alert: The kinds of goals we set are directly related to the outcomes we attain.

There is lots of research parsing this specific statement apart, specifying it, supporting it, and fine-tuning our understanding of it. For example, goals that emphasize growth and progress over perfection and demonstration lead to better outcomes[1]. Pursuing goals that are inherently meaningful to you, that you choose freely, are associated with a host of better outcomes for the goal itself, and for associated well-being. Factors like specificity of the goal and affect, among others, also influence how successful goal pursuit will be.

Much of the research on goal success is organized around what researchers call the “SMART goal framework.” SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Oftentimes, New Years’ Resolutions (or new academic year opportunities!) fail because we never turn our “good ideas” into “actionable ideas.” Take, for example, someone who has the admirable idea of wanting to be a better student this year. As a professor, I say, ‘yes! Pursue that!’, but then I have the SMART goal follow-up: How? What would being a better student look like for you? What kinds of behaviors are associated with the success of that goal? Perhaps it is reading all the assigned work for your social psychology course prior to the lecture date and committing to studying, review, and assignment completion for that class three times a week for 1 hour each session. Those statements are specific (read what has been assigned, study for three 1-hour sessions), measurable (at the end of the week, did you do it? Yes/No), attainable (this will depend a great deal on your own schedule, but I would suggest that if you don’t have three hours a week to devote to studying for a class, you may have too much on your plate[2]), relevant (completing course reading, assignments, and studying is surely part of being a good student), and time-bound (this goal will conclude at the completion of the course, since you don’t need to study for a class that has finished!).

It turns out that when we take the time to translate good ideas into SMART goals, we are much more likely to accomplish them. One potential reason is that SMART goals, when well-constructed, force us to face our reality honestly. For example, for someone with limited physical fitness it wouldn’t be an attainable goal to run a marathon at the end of the month. Sometimes it is hard to know if your goal is indeed structured well in this kind of formula; keep reading (especially tip #4!).

2. Consider Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal Goals[3]

One problem, especially for perfectionists out there (seriously, go read Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset), is that goals are often framed as a “pass/fail.” You either did it or you didn’t. This, on its own, can actually be de-motivating. Folks who have tried to eat better by restricting all kinds of “bad” foods can experience this; one slip up can often lead to a downward spiral of out-of-control eating of the supposed “off-limits” food. This kind of black-and-white approach to goals is inherently self-defeating.

So, how do you set measurable, specific goals that also have room for grace and failure? One way is to have “tiered” goals: a gold medal, silver medal, and bronze medal goal. You want to start exercising? Maybe your gold medal goal is a SMART goal for exercising 5 times a week for 30 minutes [4]. So what about that week that every class has a paper due, your car breaks down, your best friend has a crisis….what then? Is your goal doomed? Maybe not. What if you can still make it to the gym 3 times that week for 20 minutes? That can be a silver medal goal. Because those days and minutes are better—in terms of moving you toward your ultimate long-term goal of an exercise habit—than nothing. And if you didn’t make three times…what about one day? Or intentionally taking a parking spot that is crazy far away and sprinting to class or chapel a few days a week? Might that count as something, perhaps a bronze medal goal? Having thought through various levels of achievement allows you the flexibility to view “near hits” of a goal not as a miss, but as a different level of achievement. The more successes you have, the more likely you are to continue in your goal pursuit because intention to achieve a goal alone is insufficient to actually achieve that goal.

3. Understand your time.

In order to set effective goals, given the parameters above, you need to have a clear understanding of how much time you have and where it is spent. You can’t honestly assess if it is realistic and attainable to exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes or take on that part time job for 15 hours a week or spend 45 minutes each morning in Scripture and prayer if you don’t have an accurate handle on your time.

…we also need to be realistic about the time we have and the goals we chose to pursue in that time.

Time management skills are an important predictor for many goals, including academic success. The more we think about time as a resource, the better we can steward it. Just as we wouldn’t build a tower without first counting the cost (Luke 14:28), we also need to be realistic about the time we have and the goals we chose to pursue in that time. I find the visuals here to be helpful: time is fleeting. Understanding and using it appropriately (perhaps a topic for a different blog) is key. By sitting down and being honest with how you currently spend your time and how you can reclaim it in pursuit of your goals, you are (once again) adding to the stack of influences increasing your odds at goal achievement. As you prepare for a new semester, spend some time charting time in class, time at work, time studying/doing coursework, time eating, time exercising, time spent with friends…This kind of reverse engineering is an important reflection of what you are able to pursue, but also how what you pursue reflects about your priorities, as you live them.

4. Seek wisdom

Sometimes it is hard to know if the thinking inside your head makes sense outside your head, or how to make the most of the time you have. (I’m just going out on a limb here, assuming that’s not just me.) Thankfully, we don’t do this life thing alone and, as Christians, we are specifically called not to! As you think about what opportunities the new semester presents to you, what habits might need to change, and how best to change them, don’t have that conversation in a vacuum. Seek counsel. Bounce ideas off trusted friends. Ask a mentor for feedback on your goals. Visit a faculty member you respect during office hours. It might sound scary or a bit vulnerable to do these things but consider Proverbs 4:7: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom…”. I love this. You want wisdom? Get it. But how—you can’t use what you don’t have! I believe the Biblical answer lies in community; seek those who have wisdom and in those relationships, get it. What better place to start than questions around how to improve your habits, habits which are the core of your character.

One important caveat: be strategic in your accountability. Turns out that there are some unexpected consequences of sharing your goals, some of which can actually decrease the likelihood of goal achievement. However, when you choose whom to share your goals with carefully, such as sharing with a trusted friend of mentor, the effect of accountability serves to increase the likelihood of goal completion. In many ways, this mirrors what Scripture says about wisdom: you can’t get it from someone who doesn’t have it. To pursue it, you need to first go to the few who have it.

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Most of these tips fall under a large umbrella called motivational science. This literature has a lot more to say about how to produce lasting change successfully. Check out some of the links above and explore the rabbit-hole of internet knowledge. However, even without traveling that rabbit hole, I hope that you will take some of the cues in these tips and realize that you don’t need to know everything in order to make small changes. (That’s right: you don’t need to be an expert in motivational science to benefit from the knowledge it has produced.) Big changes are, after all, often just a series of routinized small changes.

With that in mind: where can you start fresh this academic year? What habit(s) need revision? Need better study habits? To prioritize your relationship with God? To take your eating or exercise habits more seriously? Or perhaps you need to develop better relational capacities. Whatever the change is, I hope that these tips will provide a starting point for thinking about how to make that change and make it last. I also hope that you will check back to this blog and check out some of the curriculum in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences here at CBU, as both will offer specific tools to help you in this journey.

Where can you start fresh this academic year?

As an added incentive for you to think about these questions, leave a comment below: where are you hoping to start fresh or what evidence-based tip above did you find most helpful? One comment from a current CBU student will be selected at random to win a CSHB power bank….you know, to keep your cell phone charged and ready to check back for more blogs, all semester long.

Update: Comments are working again! Please comment below. For the hassle, we’ll give away an extra power bank to a lucky CBU student!

Note: We will be giving away power banks all semester when you read and engage with new blogs, so be sure you check back for new blogs and leave comments! Raffles will be held a week after the blog is posted. Please email CSHB@calbaptist.edu if you have any questions.

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[1] This is a statement I’m particularly passionate about. There is a wonderful book on this topic, accessible to a non-technical audience, that I would heartily recommend. Check out more information here: https://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html

[2] As a note on time: each unit of a course translates to 2 hours expected outside that course a week. Thus, a typical 3-unit class expects 3 hours in-class engagement and 6 hours out-of-class engagement in a typical week. Thus, the estimate above is actually a low estimate of expectation.

[3] Thank you to Dr. Iverson for sharing this model with me and a former Introduction to Psychology course.

[4] Keep in mind that the more specific you can make “exercise”, the better (e.g., cardio? Weight lifting? A GroupX PiYo class?).

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The camera captures a shadowy figure, cloaked by night, watching from the cover of trees, with the steady gaze of a predator he tracks his prey. Anticipation builds in the audience as he leaps upon his unsuspecting victim! Cue ominous background music. Camera pans to the obviously deceased, yet beautiful face of a woman, statuesque, languidly posed over a crushed velvet chaise in an expansive, immaculate home. Hair perfect, skin flawless, lipstick meticulously smeared, delicately inferring the indecencies that occurred before her untimely demise.

For the next 45 minutes, quirky, good-looking, gun wielding geniuses come together to solve the crime. With mind-blowing expertise and witty banter, they identify the murderer, down to personality pathology, height, weight, shoe size, and favorite ice cream. Captivated fans of shows such as these often ask if being a forensic psychologist is anything like what is portrayed on television. While I want to say, “YES!  Of course I solve crimes within about an hour with my obvious genius and wit” (please read sarcasm). Sadly, I am merely human, with a desire to help, more questions than answers, and a penchant for hoarding as much information and research as I can.

Forensic psychology is a broad field that encompasses both psychology and law. Psychologists can work in a variety of settings ranging between research and practice. On the research end of the spectrum, forensic psychologists may work within academic settings: teaching, and researching any aspect of the field. Whereas, those working within applied forensic psychology have a myriad opportunities to provide treatment, evaluation, and expert testimony in any setting in which psychology interacts with the law. Some psychologists decide to work within law enforcement where they can help police officers and provide pre-employment evaluations, trainings, and crisis management. Other psychologists may work with judges and attorneys, providing consultations, psychological evaluations, and expert testimony. While others may decide to work in prisons, providing inmates with much needed treatment, evaluation, and parole recommendations. There are many more opportunities, but I am told I have a word limit. 🙂

The graduate Forensic Psychology program at CBU allows students the opportunity to learn from instructors who are all active in the academic and applied field of forensic psychology. Our program is unique and diverse, providing students the opportunity to conduct research and explore application through one-year practicum placements. Students are introduced to the FBI, Secret Service, National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, and various other organizations, which allow for internship opportunities and career development. Students in the program are engaged in a rigorous academic program that challenges them both professionally and personally. When students graduate the program, we hope that they leave with more questions than answers, with the tools to explore, and the compassion to meet people at their humanity.

I happen to work within both academic and applied settings. In the academic spectrum, I am able to teach within CBU’s graduate forensic psychology programs and I conduct research on psychopathy and psychotic disorders. The courses I teach range from Advanced Psychopathology and Criminality, Biological Bases of Behavior, to Research Methods and Criminal Profiling. On the applied front, I provide treatment and evaluations for individuals who have been convicted of sexual offenses, conduct and present research and trainings, as well as act as a consultant for active cases that require psychological profiling. My education and career has afforded me opportunities that I could have never imagined. My education and career has afforded me opportunities that I could have never imagined. As I continually confront new and complicated questions born out of forensic psychology, I have opportunities to learn, develop new understanding, and participate in the research that helps me and others address important issues facing our society. To be sure, there are times that I feel overwhelmed and frightened by what I see and hear. However, in exploring the darkness of humanity, I am constantly reminded of all the goodness, hidden in the strangest of places.

Forensic Psychology is not for everyone and that is OK! However, it is a field that you will do well in if you have an inquisitive mind, a compassionate heart, an amazing (sometimes-dark) sense of humor, can roll with the punches (sometimes literal… depending on where you work) and strength in grace. I hope that this post shed a little light on the field. Should you read this and have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your friendly, neighborhood Forensic Psychologists!

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Jenny E. Aguilar, PsyD is an Assistant Professor of Psychology who has been teaching in the Graduate Forensic Psychology Program at CBU for the last 7 years. She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, who works in a private forensic practice.

Check out the other posts in the series here:

Introducing the Graduate School Blog Series: A Story

Practice Compassion in California Baptist University’s (CBU) Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology Program: Training 21st-century “Good Samaritans” to Respond to a Suffering World

MS Sport and Performance Psychology program at CBU

What is Marriage and Family Therapy?

I often share this anecdote with individuals who are applying for the Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) program at California Baptist University (CBU):  I was completing my master’s degree in marriage and family therapy (MFT) and working in a campus-based, community mental

health clinic. I had a gentleman who presented with depressive symptoms and expressed interest in receiving psychotherapy. While most traditional psychotherapeutic approaches would focus onproviding treatment to the husband individually, the clinic I worked in encouraged including spouses and/or family members in the treatment process. The assumption was that these additional individuals could be a key resource in the psychotherapy process, and this could help lead to better therapeutic outcomes for all of those involved. The gentleman was invited to bring his wife in for the intake process, and after observing their interactions together, the decision was made that the best way to treat the husband’s depressive symptoms was to also include his wife in the treatment process. This research-based, systemic approach to mental health is a unique and powerful component of the MFT training, degree, and licensure (Gerhart, 2013).

This story illustrates one of the unique aspects of MFT and provides a useful frame for responding to the question, “What exactly is marriage and family therapy?” When people hear the term MFT, it is generally assumed that MFTs only provide therapy to couples and families. While MFTs are uniquely trained and qualified for providing couple and family services, what really sets MFTs apart is the emphasis on looking at psychopathology and mental distress from a relational frame. Clients, whether they might be an individual, a couple, or a family, are considered in the context of their significant relationships, broader social networks, cultural backgrounds, and related influences. This contextual framework encourages MFTs to not only take into consideration these varying influences, but to also incorporate this perspective in to a treatment approach that addresses these influences.

The field of MFT has a long and distinguished history in the state of California. The first MFT license was offered in California, and, currently, there are more MFTs in California than in any other state. MFTs are also well represented by various professional organizations in California, and the MFT license has a broad scope of practice in the state. In addition, all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, support and regulate the practice of MFT. Finally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates demand for MFTs will increase by 23% between 2016 and 2026.

MFTs are employed in a variety of settings, including in private practice, community mental health clinics, schools, medical centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, and correctional facilities. Furthermore, the federal government has designated MFT as a core mental health profession, along with psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing.

The MSCP program at CBU has been approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) as meeting the degree, curriculum, and experience requirements for MFT licensure in California. CBU’s MSCP program offers a unique delivery format with classes meeting in the evenings (Monday through Thursday, with some Saturday classes), and students can choose to complete the degree in two, three, or four years. In addition, all MSCP courses integrate clinical theories with a faith emphasis, and faculty teach from a biblically-rooted perspective.

Core faculty in the MSCP program have practiced an average of 23 years, so students can have confidence that they are learning from established professionals with a wealth of clinical experience. Finally, students in the MSCP program have the option of completing the Professional Clinical Counselor concentration, which gives those students the opportunity to pursue the Professional Clinical Counselor license in California, in addition to MFT licensure.

On a more personal level, I find the practice of MFT to be one of the most meaningful and satisfying aspects of my professional service. I am continuously humbled by the amazing, hard work invested by the clients that I work with, the resiliency that they demonstrate, and God’s grace in allowing me to be a part of their journeys. If you are looking to make a difference in the lives of others while pursuing an in-demand career path that will continuously challenge you, I highly recommend you consider the MFT-field and CBU’s MSCP program!

If you would like to learn more about the practice of MFT, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) has this useful overview video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31EgvvbXS6M

References

Gehart, D. (2013). Mastering competencies in family therapy: A practical approach to theory and clinical case documentation. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

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Jay Burke, PsyD, LMFT

Program Director, Counseling Psychology

California Baptist University

Check out the other posts in the series here:

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/02/25/introducing-the-graduate-school-blog-series-a-story/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/04/practice-compassion-in-california-baptist-universitys-cbu-doctor-of-psychology-psyd-in-clinical-psychology-program-training-21st-century-good-samaritans-to-respond-to/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/11/ms-sport-and-performance-psychology-program-at-cbu/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/04/01/forensic-psychology/

The baseball player trying to calm down before the big game, the military cadet steadying her breathing before pulling the trigger, the endurance athlete creating a goal plan to prepare for his next race, and the singer trying to pump herself up to deliver a dramatic performance.  Sport and performance psychology consultants work with people in these kinds of situations.  To put it succinctly, sport and performance psychology is the study of performance through the lens of psychology.  Much like forensic psychology, it is an area of psychology that focuses on a specific type of population, just instead of criminals the focus is on performers.  Applied sport and performance psychology uses research-based techniques to improve mental skills in order to improve performance, such as arousal control, goal setting, and adjusting to sport after injury.  Trained sport and performance psychology consultants find themselves working for organizations such as police academies, surgical institutes, college athletic teams, and pro-sports teams.

The MS Sport and Performance Psychology program at CBU was launched fall, 2018.  It a 12-month

program that integrates courses in psychology and kinesiology and requires 400 hours of internship under the supervision of practicing sport and performance consultants.  This internship allows for hands-on mentorship, as CBU students—aspiring sport and performance psychology consultants—work with CBU athletes and performers, the Riverside Unified School District, Riverside Police Department Explorers, and Riverside Fire Department, to name a few. Students begin with observation, and then begin leading their own workshops and consultations.  Both the academic and internship requirements were designed to directly map onto the certification requirements for the Applied Association of Sport and Performance Psychology (AASP); upon completion of the program, students can qualify to take their certification exam for official certification as a mental performance coach (CMPC-AASP).   CBU is only one of two masters programs in the US that does this currently, and the ONLY program worldwide that has been preapproved through AASP.

Our program already has a lot of ‘firsts’.  We are the first SPP program in the AACC, the first Christian SPP program that leads to certification as a mental performance consultant through AASP (CMPC-AASP), AND we are at Division I university!  Pretty impressive.  Being Division I is a huge boon for us as it means our students get to work with Division I college athletes and our athletes get free SPP consultation services.

The MS Sport and Performance Psychology program at CBU also puts emphasis on giving back to the community.  Our students are part of a pilot Peer-to-Peer program, going into local Riverside High Schools to partner with high school students and counselors to support bullying prevention efforts with an emphasis on building confidence and cohesion in and between the students.  This initiative is part of a collaboration with the Riverside Medical Clinic Anti-bullying Institute.  A second initiative is in the works as we partner with the Casablanca Home of Neighborly Service to create an afterschool program for the kids in the neighborhood who may lack resources.  Additional love is being spread to our CBU community as well.  The MS SPP program oversees the new Sport Injury Clinic and Employee Wellness Program and participates in all of the mental-health related events.

While an applied program, the MS SPP program offers opportunity for valuable research experience as well.  Students can join in the Sport, Performance, and Exercise Psychology (SPEP) lab to be a part of ongoing research projects with the ultimate goal of dissemination by presenting at local and national conferences and publishing in scientific journals.  Current projects focus on exercise-induced flow, CTE, and program evaluation.

As the director, I am proud of this program and even more proud of the students that are in it!  We have a unique opportunity to spread God’s word and love to a population that often gets missed, that of athletes and performers.  If you are interested in learning more about our program, feel free to contact me.

____________

Kristin Mauldin, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director, Sport and Performance Psychology.  She loves studying concepts in cognitive neuroscience and sport and performance psychology and working with students.  When not working, she loves running and spending time with her 3 amazing kids!

Check out the other posts in the series here:

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/02/25/introducing-the-graduate-school-blog-series-a-story/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/04/practice-compassion-in-california-baptist-universitys-cbu-doctor-of-psychology-psyd-in-clinical-psychology-program-training-21st-century-good-samaritans-to-respond-to/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/25/what-is-marriage-and-family-therapy/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/04/01/forensic-psychology/

Practice Compassion: Answering the Call

On a Thursday afternoon, Dr. Anderson gets the call. A missionary is returning home after a six-month stay in Nigeria. Experiencing symptoms of low mood and a loss of interest in her work, the missionary has been overwhelmed with excessive guilt about whether or not she is “worthy” to share God’s message of hope and reconciliation to a lost generation. After briefly discussing these recurrent symptoms by phone, Dr. Anderson invites the missionary for an intake session at her newly-formed mental health clinic, which specializes in treating church employees struggling with mental health issues. Over the next few months, Dr. Anderson walks alongside the depressed missionary, blending psychological science with the Christian faith in order to help her find meaning and purpose again in her calling to respond to the needs of non-Christians. As a graduate of California Baptist University’s (CBU) doctoral program in clinical psychology, Dr. Anderson was trained in both faith integration and Christian psychology, learning how to combine a Christian worldview with psychological theory so as to serve suffering individuals in Western society. In fact, her dissertation focused on the relationship between depression and rumination and worry among Christian missionaries, which she eventually published in an academic journal. Because of her advanced training at the doctoral level, Dr. Anderson was able to pursue licensure in the state of California as a clinical psychologist, opening a community mental health clinic to respond to the needs of hurting workers within the Body of Christ. In that she was “academically prepared,” “globally minded,” “biblically rooted,” and “equipped to serve,”[1] Dr. Anderson responded to the call, moving towards suffering with compassion and commitment, reminiscent of the “Good Samaritan” in the gospel of Luke.[2]

Practice Compassion: Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology

As the above example reveals, Dr. Anderson was prepared to respond to the needs of a suffering world, drawing from her training in a clinical psychology doctoral program in the process. But what, exactly, does a clinical psychologist do on a daily basis? According to the Society of Clinical Psychology, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) division for clinical psychologists,

The field of Clinical Psychology involves research, teaching and services relevant to the applications of principles, methods, and procedures for understanding, predicting, and alleviating intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social and behavioral maladjustment, disability and discomfort, applied to a wide range of client populations. In theory, training, and practice, Clinical Psychology strives to recognize the importance of diversity and strives to understand the roles of gender, culture, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and other dimensions of diversity.[3]

In other words, clinical psychologists work in a variety of contexts, offering direct services to consumers of mental health services (e.g., psychotherapy, psychological assessment), teaching in a plethora of settings (e.g., higher education), and conducting research (e.g., investigating new treatment approaches for depression and anxiety), to name just a few professional activities. When working in such settings, the aim is to employ psychological principles to respond to the mental health needs of the people being served, taking clinical judgment (e.g., experience) and context (e.g., culture, family-of-origin) into consideration. As you can tell from this definition, clinical psychologists have the opportunity to use their advanced training in a variety of ways, which is extremely important in the rapidly changing world of integrated healthcare.

Like Dr. Anderson, you may feel a calling to help people in need within one of the many healthcare professions in the 21^st century. Therefore, choosing the right profession may be an important next step as you decide which path to take. But why, precisely, should you consider becoming a clinical psychologist, as opposed to many of the other noble healthcare professions? Stated differently, what is in store for you, career-wise, if you obtain a doctorate in clinical psychology? First, obtaining advanced clinical training at the doctoral level can help you develop the requisite skillset to competently, effectively, and ethically meet the psychological needs of a suffering world. Second, doctoral training in clinical psychology prepares you to attain psychology licensure in the state of California, which means you have the flexibility to pursue a wide variety of career endeavors. Third, a doctorate in clinical psychology can prepare you to lead an organization or develop innovative ways to respond to a suffering world, possibly carving out a new path that has yet to be traveled upon. Fourth, by balancing the practice and science of clinical psychology, you will be able to apply sound principles and methods, caring for a suffering world with a commitment to offer services that actually work. Ultimately, completing a doctorate in clinical psychology equips you to respond to a suffering world with compassion, reminiscent of the story of the “Good Samaritan” in Luke’s gospel.[4]

Practice Compassion: California Baptist University’s (CBU) Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clincial Psychology Program

As the next step, assuming you have decided to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and psychology license in the state of California, why might you apply to California Baptist University’s (CBU) Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology Program? First, in the CBU PsyD Program, we are committed to helping you develop into a competent and effective clinical psychologist, offering mentoring experiences to walk with you on this important journey. To be sure, our faculty are dedicated to staying current with the clinical psychology literature, contributing in innovative ways with original research, intervention programs, and so forth. Second, we believe strongly in individual and cultural diversity, which means we have regular conversations—both formally and informally—in a variety of contexts on the intersection between diversity and clinical practice to help you sensitively respond to the unique cultural needs of the people you will be serving. Third, we are firmly committed to helping you understand, draw from, and contribute to the peer-reviewed psychology literature, meaning you will be learning to interact with original sources to apply this understanding to the populations you serve. Fourth, as a Baptist institution, we want to train you to work effectively with Christian clients, helping you develop the ability to understand a Christian worldview so as to meet the unique needs of suffering Christians.

From the first day of class, to walking across the stage at graduation, to celebrating licensure, we are dedicated to helping you to grow into the identity of a clinical psychologist. Therefore, the CBU PsyD Program offers a clinical training sequence so you can develop into a practitioner, along with a research and dissertation sequence so you can better understand what it takes to develop into a scholar. In fact, CBU PsyD core faculty are currently working on a variety of projects within the Center for the Study of Human Behavior. Combined with other training opportunities, the five-year CBU PsyD Program will work to equip you with the competencies necessary to build a career in a variety of contexts and settings, (a) providing intervention and assessment services in non-profit, government, church, medical, private practice, forensic, military, or other settings, (b) working in higher education as a professor, (c) offering consultation services to organizations, or (d) conducting research to contribute to the peer-reviewed psychology literature in an original way.

Practice Compassion: Psychology Licensure

To conclude, why might you choose to pursue a psychology license, rather than a master’s-level license (e.g., marriage and family therapist [MFT], licensed professional clinical counselor [LPCC], licensed clinical social worker [LCSW]), in the state of California? In other words, why devote the additional time, energy, and finances? Certainly, the above master’s-level licenses each offer unique career paths, providing the opportunity to contribute to the mental health field in important ways with dedication and purpose. However, a few key features differentiate a doctoral-level licensed clinical psychologist. First, a licensed psychologist is trained to put an emphasis on the science of clinical psychology (e.g., evidence-based practice), working with a wide spectrum of populations and disorders. Second, a licensed psychologist is prepared to wear a variety of “hats,” such as “practitioner,” “researcher,” “educator,” “trainer,” “consultant,” and “writer.” Third, a licensed psychologist can offer both intervention and assessment services when responding to a suffering world and striving to meet the needs of consumers of mental health services. Fourth, a licensed psychologist, drawing from his or her doctoral education in clinical psychology, is prepared to contribute to the psychology literature in an original manner in the form of publishing textbooks, workbooks, or other important resources. Finally, building on his or her doctoral degree, a licensed psychologist is prepared to pursue a tenure-track position in higher education, training the next generation of students in a university or college setting.

Practice Compassion: Next Steps

Above all else, in the CBU PsyD Program, we want to train you to practice with compassion, responding to a suffering world with a servant’s heart in order to truly become a 21^st century “Good Samaritan.” Like Dr. Anderson, we want you to be able to confidently respond to the call—where will you be in five or ten years when the telephone rings? Will you have the advanced training necessary to ethically, competently, and effectively meet the needs of the person on the other end of the line? Consider joining us in our commitment to respond to a suffering world with compassion, drawing from the science and practice of clinical psychology. Please visit our webpage and submit your application now: www.calbaptist.edu/psyd. We have a short introduction video to tell you more about the program and are still accepting applications for a fall 2019 start date. I look forward to speaking with you further about our commitment to training you as a clinical psychologist.

Notes

[1] https://calbaptist.edu/about/mission

[2] Luke 10:25-37.

[3] http://www.div12.org/

[4] Luke 10:25-37.

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Joshua Knabb, PsyD, ABPP

Director, PsyD Program

Associate Professor of Psychology

California Baptist University

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

8432 Magnolia Avenue

Riverside, CA 92504

(951) 343-4405 (phone)/(951) 343-4569 (fax)/jknabb@calbaptist.edu

Check out the other posts in the series here:

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/02/25/introducing-the-graduate-school-blog-series-a-story/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/11/ms-sport-and-performance-psychology-program-at-cbu/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/25/what-is-marriage-and-family-therapy/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/04/01/forensic-psychology/

Remembering my own journey to graduate school, I recall the many questions that I had, and in fact, the many questions that I didn’t even know I ought to be asking.  I wondered, for example, if I had enough research experience or the kind of skills to thrive in a graduate-level context.  One thing that I most certainly recall being significant were specific individuals who spoke information and wisdom, as well confidence, into me.  Without these key individuals, most of whom were faculty in my undergraduate program, I likely would not have had either the tangible skills or self-confidence to

pursue graduate education.  Today, I am incredibly humbled and honored to sit on the other side of that conversation, providing guidance and encouragement to students who are interested in pursuing graduate education, and specifically to speak truth into those who I see great potential in, even when they have not seen it yet.  If I could offer you encouragement today, please spend time with your professors, seek their input and advice, risk trusting them with your dreams and fears – we are rooting for you more than you will ever know!

As an undergraduate student I majored in psychology, and pursuing a graduate degree in psychology was the logical next step – – and as it turned out, a great choice and fit for me!  Though, there are several degree options in the field of psychology to choose from.  For example, here at CBU we offer graduate degrees in Counseling Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Sport and Performance Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and even a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.  Additionally, we have two degrees closely related to psychology: Social Work and Counseling Ministry.  In my journey, I selected a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, but specifically chose a program that focused on cultural psychology and international psychology, as I knew these emphases were of interest to me.  As a graduate student I had two really amazing opportunities afforded to me, first the opportunity to conduct my graduate level research – field work in Brazil – and second to work as a graduate teaching assistant for the program that I was enrolled in.  Engaging in these experiences allowed me to find the environment that I truly loved and flourished in – higher education. While many students enjoy learning and obtaining an education, most often, their goal is to obtain their degree and move into their career.  For me, I knew that I had found my career in higher education and that I never wanted to leave!  Therefore, the next step was to obtain my doctoral degree; given my experiences, expertise, and interests, a degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Global Studies was a natural choice.

From time to time I have been asked why I switched career paths or fields of study from Counseling Psychology to Higher Education (though I don’t actually see it that way).  As I reflect upon God’s incredible providence as He has woven my story, each degree, experience, and educational encounter were essential elements and preparation for the work that God has called me to do.  From this, I remind and challenge students to courageously pursue the plans that God has for them, knowing that no two stories will be the same.  In fact, one the reasons that I am so thankful to serve as the Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences here at CBU is because we are serious about walking with you, our student, as you seek to discern your calling and live your purpose.

Stories can be powerful and deeply personal. I share a little bit of my journey here to invite you into thinking about what your journey might look like. What is God preparing you for? How has he developed in you interests and ideas that can be applied for the benefit of His Kingdom? I invite you into these questions. In the coming weeks, the CSHB will be highlighting several of the graduate programs here at CBU. Read along, engage, and follow-up with your professors. Who knows, perhaps this is the beginning of the same wisdom and information process that started my own journey when I was in your shoes.

—

Jacqueline Gustafson is the Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Associate Professor of Psychology, at California Baptist University.  Her professional passions include innovation in curriculum and program development, increasing educational access and equity for underserved populations, global leadership policy and praxis, and living and leading with intentionality and courage.  She began her professional journey, beginning college at 16 and earning her B.A. degree in Psychology from Northwest College, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in International Psychology from Northwest University, a Post-M.A. in International Community Development from Northwest University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a dual emphasis in higher education administration and global studies from Seattle University. 

Check out all the posts in the series here:

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/04/practice-compassion-in-california-baptist-universitys-cbu-doctor-of-psychology-psyd-in-clinical-psychology-program-training-21st-century-good-samaritans-to-respond-to/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/11/ms-sport-and-performance-psychology-program-at-cbu/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/03/25/what-is-marriage-and-family-therapy/

http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/cshb/2019/04/01/forensic-psychology/