HNU Counseling and Forensic Psychology Program

Reminder for the day✨

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Here’s a thought for you 💭: Trust yourself

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Do you experience this too? 💙
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The HNU Counseling and Forensic Psychology Program is incredibly honored to announced that our Master’s in Forensic Psychology Degree has been named Best Degree Program by Intelligent.com!

Ranked #7 on the list of Top 12 Master’s Degrees in Forensic Psychology, HNU was awarded Most Flexible On-Campus Degree Program. This is what has to say about our department:

“Holy Names University describes its Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology program as an ‘intersection of psychology, law, and social justice.’ Students will learn the principles of restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, and theoretical knowledge of the criminal justice system. Eventually, students will also get a chance to put their knowledge to work through a Field Placement Experience in the Oakland area. The program's impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1 allows professors to take an invested approach with each student, acting as both a teacher and a mentor. Students can pick from afternoon, evening, and weekend classes or choose a hybrid format. Flexibility is a priority at HNU, giving students the convenience of something like an online program with all the benefits of being on campus.”

We are beyond excited to share this accomplishment! Thank you to for the recognition!

Learn more at https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-forensic-psychology-degree-programs/

My heart is so full of gratitude, appreciation, and joy as our 27 Summer 2022 and Fall 2022 Counseling and Forensic Psychology graduates students commence and continue on their journey into the mental health field.

Their passion, compassion, and clinical skills will continue to shift the climate of mental health as they embark on a career of service and decolonization of systems.

I’m so proud of every single one of them. It has been an honor and privilege to be their advisor, Professor, mentor, and director these past 2-3 years!

Congratulations CPSY students from Holy Names University! You are part of a deep rooted legacy of many folks who have come before you who are agents of change!

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Now, for those of you out there like me who have health anxiety, I don’t want to stress you out, but... It is important for us to remember what our brains can do to our bodies.

Trauma, anxiety and stress can cause us to have a dysregulated nervous system which can lead to a whole heap of unwanted health issues, it can cause a low immune system, gastrointestinal problems, insomnia, oversleeping, brain fog, erratic hormones, mood fluctuations – the list goes on and on.

Our bodies and nervous systems are connected, and if one is struggling, so will the other. Try to do things that help to relax and bring you calmly back into your body – a lot of people suggest walking barefoot on grass, dancing, meditating, eating regular, nutritious meals, improving sleep hygiene – but as always it comes down to YOU and what makes you feel safe.

Our trauma’s are individual to us, and so will our healing be.

Your body needs you on it’s side,
so try to stop fighting it, and start supporting it.

Stay Strong ♥️
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Calling all Summer and Fall 2022 Grads!

Join the CPSY Department to celebrate your Graduation! Friday, December 9th at 6pm in Brennan Lounge, we will be celebrating your accomplishments with food, music, and a toast to the graduates of Summer and Fall 2022 classes.

Please RSVP to Lea Graham at [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you there!

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👑 C-PTSD, while not an official diagnosis, is becoming more widely recognized. This is a simplified explanation of some of the core differences & similarities between PTSD and CPTSD.
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👑 Both PTSD and C-PTSD can present very differently depending on the person and the source of the trauma - your symptoms may look different from what’s shown in this post.
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👑 What does ptsd / cptsd look like for you? What else would you add?

Each new month brings new goals and desires. Ending the year, December allows us to reflect on our successes, growth, and journey ahead.

Here are some affirmations to carry you through the month!

There are so many stigmas surrounding mental health and those who suffer with mental health conditions.

It can be easy to generalize and make assumptions about mental health conditions. However, these conditions deeply affect people and their daily lives. Through ending the stigma surrounding mental health, educating others, and practicing mindfulness, we learn together how to grow and heal.

Dear CPSY and HNU Community,

The Stearns Family thanks you for your wonderful and heartfelt prayer service at the McLean Chapel earlier this month.

They extend an invitation to have anyone from the HNU community (faculty, students, alumnae, etc.) to join them for a memorial service/celebration of life. There will also be a livestream and replay link for those who are interested but unable to attend.

Please join us Saturday, December 3rd at 2:00pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley

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Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) faces many criticisms, with one being that not enough attention is paid to context. It can be unjust to effectively name people's thoughts as dysfunctional when actually despite the distress they may cause, they are in fact very functional.

This cross sectional formulation is well known in clinical psychology and can be used to understand the interactions between thoughts, feelings, physical responses and behaviours across a wide range of issues. It can be used as aframe to unpick distress patterns as a prerequisit to making shifts in how people feel. But I feel strongly that context needs to be embedded in any CBT formukation.

I hope my version acts as a reminder to not only consider context but to work it into a shared understanding of distress. This may mean sometimes not getting people to swap their thoughts for less 'maladaptive' ones but instead spending more time trying to understand their experience and context. It also is a continual reminder that as therapists with privilige and power, we have a responsibility to be thinking about and actively making change to the contexts that underpin distress.

We know CBT can be useful and I have seen it be transformative for some, so this post is not to dismiss its efficacy. Ive been on a journey with it from very anti CBT to embracing it during training. I now feel it can be really useful for some in some contexts, but am under no illusion that it's often missing the point and energies being put in to things like IAPT are doing nothing to prevent distress developing in the first place. People also heal in relationships and in community and cbt perpetuates an individualism narrative tgat dismisses collectivist cultural norms. But where it is used, I hope we can continue to consider context and this drawing can be used to do so.

Happy Thanksgiving to our CPSY community!

We are thankful for our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and program supporters.

We would also like to acknowledge the indigenous land that our University sits on. We pay our respects to the Ohlone people and their culture. We encourage you to continue learning about restorative practices and the ancestral lands of the Ohlone people.

Holidays can be a great time to see family and friends but sometimes, it is difficult to set boundaries with loved ones.

Boundaries are not selfish. Boundaries are a way to take care of ourselves. When you understand how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, you can avoid the feelings of resentment, disappointment, and anger that build up when limits have been pushed.

Setting boundaries prioritize our wellbeing, emotions, and beliefs. They allow us to grow closer to our loved ones, making us feel more comfortable and connected.

The holidays can be a stressful time, but setting boundaries can help!

Ending the celebration of Transgender Awareness Week with the acknowledgement of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Trans Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester's death, and began an important tradition of highlighting anti-violence against the Trans Community.

The Trans Day of Remembrance raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people and publicly mourns and honors the lives of transgender people who might otherwise be forgotten.

To learn more about Trans Day of Remembrance and other resources, visit the links below:

GLAAD TDOR - https://www.glaad.org/tdor

Gwendolyn Ann Smith - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/transgender-day-of-remembrance-why-we-remember_b_2166234

Transgender Resources - https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources

The Trevor Project - https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

November 19th, 2022 is International Survivors of Su***de Loss Day. This is a day in which survivors of su***de loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience. This day is designed for both those who have experience the loss of loved one’s and those who are survivors.

Today we honor all who have been affected by su***de and those who have lost their lives to su***de. This day may bring up triggering emotions or thoughts. Remember that you are alone in the struggle or the healing. Below are resources for support:

Dial 988 for the Su***de and Crisis Lifeline or visit https://988lifeline.org/
American Foundation for Su***de Prevention: https://afsp.org/
Alameda County Crisis Support: https://www.crisissupport.org/
Healing Conversations: https://afsp.org/healing-conversations

***delossday ***deprevention ***deawarness #988

Affirmations can help us ground our minds and cool anxiety. They help us set positive opinions and boost our self confidence, ultimately helping us to achieve our goals.

Here are some affirmations centered in resilience✨

Please join us for our second self-care series session of the semester!

This month’s self-care session will revisit our yoga practice, led by fellow CPSY student, Monica Rodriguez.

This event will be held in person in the Heafy Faculty Lounge at 5:30pm on Friday, November 18th. Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a yoga mat.

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, contact [email protected] or .educated.bohemian.510

Your Monday reminder for this week✨🍂

Art by:

Today we honor and recognize Veterans Day

Veterans are at a disproportionate risk of mental health conditions due to the stress of combat such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These conditions make it difficult for veterans to transition into civilian life and get the treatment they need. Through interactive programs, rehabilitative retreats, and professional services, veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of service can build resilience to help overcome mental health conditions.

If you, a loved one, or a client is suffering, below are community resources:

Wounded Warriors Mental Health - https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/mental-wellness

Service Members and Families - https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/veterans

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Combat Stigma - https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/ptsd

Professional Development opportunity:

Medi-Cal Documentation Training

Saturday, November 12, 10AM-12PM

Zoom access to workshops will be posted to the CPSY 101 Canvas Community Page

Presenter: Megan Maley, UCSF Quality Assurance Director

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for MFT and PCC trainees at sites that use EPSDT/Medi-Cal documentation

Journaling is the act of keeping a record of your personal thoughts, feelings, insights, and more. There is no correct way to journal. You can type, write, or draw your feelings and emotions. You can journal with prompts to help you focus on a specific topic or stream of conscious journal, letting your mind wander.

It isn’t easy to start journaling. It can feel like work, and the expectation of writing every day may deter some people. But the positive effects of journaling can be felt even if it’s not done daily.

Whether you’re dealing with stress from school, burnout from work, an illness, or anxiety, journaling can help in many ways.

Journaling helps categorize your thoughts and feelings. It helps you gain clarity on your emotions and encourages you to be open with yourself. It also is a quick way to de-stress when anxious thoughts arise. Some benefits include:

Keeping your thoughts organized
Processing difficult emotions
Improving concentration
anxious or racing thoughts
Relieving stress
Increasing self awareness

What are your favorite journal prompts?

As the seasons, time, and weather change, so can our mood and emotions. Thousands of people experience what we call Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), more commonly known as seasonal depression. This disorder can make it difficult to function through this time due to environmental factors. This leads to lethargy, feeling down, and trouble sleeping and waking up. These are all important symptoms to acknowledge to help regulate your body during this time.

The decrease in light may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of sadness, anxiety, or depression. The lack of light can affect your body’s production of hormones such as melatonin or dopamine.

To ease symptoms of SAD, it’s recommended to get your body moving, whatever way works best for you. Light exposure helps regulate your internal clock and nervous system, even simulated light! Sticking to a sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day can regulate your internal clock. Consuming extra vitamins and nutrients can help your digestive system and hormones. Talking through your symptoms in therapy may help as you work through your emotions.

Faculty Spotlight: Professor Gwenn Silva

Professor Gwenn Silva is a long-time Faculty member and lecturer in the CPSY Graduate Program at Holy Names University.

Gwenn started teaching in the Graduate Psychology Department in 2004 and has remained a beloved instructor since. When starting at HNU, she taught Child Therapy. She was working full-time in private practice with children and their families, and with hospice patients as a Bereavement Counselor. Her favorite part of her job was working with children, utilizing Non-Directive Play therapy enriched with sand tray work, and applying her experience and new techniques to her lectures. She was also asked to teach a Law & Ethics class. At first, she was apprehensive and wondered, “Do I know enough about the law?” However, she soon found it invigorating and fun to do the investigative work for her classes. She learned alongside her students and loved keeping up with new laws and how they impact clients.

Since that time, she has taught classes about Grief & Trauma, Spirituality, and Practicum. She is now teaching the very last class that students take before graduating, the Integrating Seminar. Gwenn loves to teach the Integration class as she is able to see how the CPSY students grow from the beginning of their academic journey to the time they are ready to take their licensing exams.

Advice for students: “I believe the most important words I have are to remain curious! Curiosity allows us to learn about ourselves, our clients, our community, and our world. It allows us to be in touch with the sacred in our lives without judgment, and to be on the journey toward fulfillment with ourselves, and with our clients. It is all such a blessing, I remain grateful for the gift of being a part of this amazing community!”

A special thank you to Professor Gwenn Silva for the mentorship she provides for her students! To learn more about Gwenn and her work visit: https://hnu.edu/news/where-few-dare-to-tread-child-grief-expert-gwenn-silvas-book-steps-up-for-families/

Shame and guilt are to emotions that everyone has felt at least once. However, the two emotions are difficult to distinguish when perceiving yourself or an action.

Guilt is a feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong. Shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong, and it may not be related to a specific behavior or event.

It is important to know the difference between the two emotions as they have a different impact on how we perceive ourselves and our course of action.

Shame can stem from blaming yourself for characteristics or flaws that you perceive in yourself. You fundamentally perceive that you are unworthy based on who you are as a person. Shame brings feelings of inadequacy, comparison, and pain as you judge yourself. This negative emotion fuels a sense of distrust in yourself, making it difficult to trust others or think you are worthy.

When feeling guilty, you identify a specific action that makes you feel that way. Often times the action results in a negative consequence for yourself or someone else. You can feel remorseful or sad by your action and want to make the situation better by apologizing. Guilt can be useful as a way to identify behavior that effects others. However, guilt becomes unhealthy when it stems from the feeling that our actions do not meet the expectations or standards that we set.

Today is National Stress Awareness Day

This day honors our ability to recognize, manage, and reduce stress in our personal lives. By monitoring our stress levels, we are able to look at our physical and mental well being to strategize new ways of stress management.

You can celebrate today by taking deep, intentional breaths, embracing peace, and meditating. Acknowledge the physical and mental markers that stress creates. In recognizing our individual internal and external stressors, we can work to mitigate the strain that stress can put on our lives.

The signs of stress can manifest as:
Feeling drained or tired all the time
Having a loss of motivation
Struggling with self-doubt
Getting easily overwhelmed
Having tightness in the body and chest
Feeling irritable
Restless sleep
Frequent headaches

Ways to reduce these signs of stress could be:
Consistently exercising
Practicing deep, tonal breaths
Connecting with your loved ones
Using guided meditations
Spending intentional time away from work or your phone

What is your favorite way to de-stress?

Happy Halloween! Therapy can be sometimes be spooky but don’t get scared! Take some of these reminders from through your week🎃

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As humans we like to think that we apply pure logic and control many outcomes in life. But, we actually are often guilty of cognitive distortions. These are thought patterns that are not based on reality or facts. They are a distortion of reality.

Why we have these thinking patterns? Sometimes they are a coping mechanism, or a way to protect us. Sometimes they harm us and are a result of trauma or our upbringing.

Hello CPSY and HNU Community,

We invite you to join us for a memorial prayer service to honor the life of Dr. Lily Stearns. All members of the community are welcome.

Prayer Service for Dr. Lily Stearns
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
4:30pm at McLean Chapel

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Anxiety and stress are two very common experiences that can have a BIG impact on our lives.

Both anxiety and stress can cause physical symptoms like fatigue, difficulty sleeping, tension headaches, and irritability.

They can also make it hard to focus and concentrate.

However, there are some important differences that can help us identify anxiety and stress to better manage them.

Stress is a milder, shorter-term response to a specific external trigger. For example, you may feel stressed about an upcoming deadline at work, but once the project is finished, the stress will go away. (Byeee 👋)

Anxiety, on the other hand, is usually more severe and persistent than stress. It’s a more general feeling of unease.

That's not to say stress that dealing with stress is a piece of cake 🍰. In fact, the more you have on your plate, the more likely it is to lead to anxiety 🎂🙅🏻‍♀️

But at least with stress, you know what's causing it. With anxiety, on the other hand, the source of your panic, worry, or fear may be less clear.

So the next time you're feeling frazzled, take a moment to ask yourself: Is this stress or anxiety?

If it's stress, there's probably a specific reason for it that you can identify and address.

If it's anxiety, you might need to take some time to relax and de-stress.

💌 Looking for a therapist? I'm accepting new clients in NY, NJ, and FL. Schedule a free 15 minute intro call with me at the link in my bio!

Follow 👉🏼 Kelly McKenna | Anxiety Therapist + Biz Coach] for more relatable mental health content!
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Join the Graduate Admissions department for the CPSY Program Information Session tomorrow!

This is a great opportunity to learn about the CPSY program and admissions process. Participants meet the program’s faculty and staff and are able to ask detailed questions about the program.

Register now at: http://hnu.edu/grad-rsvp

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
5:30-6:30pm PST
Via Zoom