Student Affiliates of Seventeen – Fall 2015


Greetings SCP Members!

 

eric whiteman ashley oliver sasWe are in our third and final year as the Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS) Host Institution and we would like to share some of our accomplishments and endeavors with the SAS membership. Our Board has been working diligently to accomplish tasks and maintain a high level of productivity, which has helped us pursue our goal of creating new opportunities for Counseling Psychology students throughout the Society of Counseling Psychology.

 

First of all, we would like to thank Brittan Davis, M.Ed. who completed her two-year term as SAS Co-Chair. Brittan has been an exceptionally important figure in the development and sustainability of SAS at Cleveland State University. She worked tirelessly to see that SAS accomplished tasks and found new opportunities for collaboration with students and professionals. We have been fortunate to have her mentorship and we look forward to her presence as Past Co-Chair.

 

Erica Wiley Whiteman, M.A. has joined Ashley Oliver, M.S. in the role of SAS Co-Chair for the 2015-2016 term, and together they look forward to leading the SAS Board during the third and final year as Host Institution. We would also like to welcome two new SAS Board Members: Brittany Carbaugh, M.A., Membership Chair, and Dean Malec, M.A., Programming Co-Chair and Social Media Chair. Welcome to the Board, Brittany and Dean!

 

At the 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention in Toronto, Canada, SAS sponsored multiple programs for students. Lela Pickett, M.A. and Erica Wiley Whiteman, M.A. designed three different discussion and mentoring sessions to provide students the opportunity to interact with leaders and students in Counseling Psychology on topics of importance in their lives. They are as follows:

 

  • Difficult Dialogue: Conversations About Privilege, Oppression, and Microaggressions as it relates to the Hoffman Report. This discussion was led by Rosie Bingham, Ph.D. (Memphis State University), Jioni Lewis, Ph.D. (University of Tennessee), Julia Phillips, Ph.D. (Cleveland State University), Douglas Knutson M.Ed. (Oklahoma State University), Akilah Reynolds, M.Ed. (University of Houston), and Ayse Sequeira, B.A. (University of Tennessee).
  • How To Get What You Want Out of Graduate School: Discussion and Mentoring Hour. This discussion was led by Eddy Ameen, Ph.D. (Assistant Director of APAGS), Jerritt Tucker, M.S. (Iowa State University), Brittan Davis, M.Ed. (Cleveland State University), Ally Sequeira, M.Ed. (Texas Tech University), Douglas Knutson, M.Ed. (Oklahoma State University), and Akilah Reynolds, M.Ed. (University of Houston).
  • Combining Our Professional and Personal Identities through Work-Life Balance: Discussion and Mentoring Hour. This discussion was led by Anthony Issaco, Ph.D. (Chatham University), Marcy Rowland, Ph.D. (Independent Practice, Hollidaysburg, PA), Traci Callandrillo, Ph.D. (American University), Dominic Scalise, Ph.D. (University of Maryland), Neeta Kantamneni, Ph.D. (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), Erin Ayala, Ph.D. (University of Albany), and Dominika Borowa, M.A. (Texas Tech University).

 

SAS also sponsored a Symposium on Social Identities and Intersectionality: Social Justice Perspectives, which allowed students to share their research with other students and psychologists. Presentations included Transforming the Acronym: How the Development of Intersecting Identities is Socially Experienced by Rebecca Shoemaker, M.A., Sarah Rich, B.A., Catherine Coppola, B.S., Rachel Neff, M.A., and Ciera Payne, M.S. (Chatham University); Dynamics in Multicultural Counseling Skill Development: Social Interaction Model by Stephanie Paulk, M.A., and Janet Helms, Ph.D. (Boston College); and Keep On Keeping On: A Qualitative Investigation of Diverse College Student Social Justice Advocates by Pauline Venieris, M.A. (Arizona State University). Rebecca Toporek, Ph.D. (San Francisco State University) who is one of the editors of the Handbook for Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: Leadership, Vision, and Action and The Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, served as the discussant. It was wonderful to hear from all of our presenters!

The SAS Awards Committee Co-Chairs, Sneha Pitre, M.A. and Brian Fitts, M.A. (Cleveland State University) along with the SAS Awards Review Committee, Stephanie Carrera, M.S. (Iowa State University), Ellie Castine, M.S. (Boston University), Ingrid Hogge, M.A. (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Tiffany Chang, M.S. (Indiana University Bloomington), and Cecile Gadson, M.A. (University of Tennessee) would like to acknowledge the following SAS Award recipients: Practitioner Award – Caroline Lavelock, M.S. (Virginia Commonwealth University); Travel Award – Christopher Stults, M.S. (New York University); and Social Justice Award – Jenna Brownfield, M.A. (University of Missouri- Kansas City). To congratulate the hard work and distinction of awardees, an awards ceremony was held at the Annual Convention during the SAS Business Meeting and Social Hour.

Furthermore, the SCP Science Advisory Board, which includes Lisa Spanierman, Ph.D. (Arizona State University), Martin Heesacker, Ph.D. (University of Florida), Rachel Navarro Ph.D. (University of North Dakota), Kevin Cokley, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin), Meifen Wei, Ph.D. (Iowa State University), and Bryan Kim, Ph.D. (University of Hawai’i at Hilo), along with Past SAS Co-Chair, Brittan Davis, M.Ed. and SAS Awards Committee Co-Chair, Brian Fitts, M.A. (Cleveland State University) would like to acknowledge the SCP Student Science Award recipient: Stacy Ko, M.S.W. (Iowa State University).

SAS Mentoring Co-Chairs, Sneha Pitre, M.A. and Ashley Poklar, M.Ed. served as leaders for the SAS E-Mentoring Initiative. This program provides opportunities for mentoring for students from traditionally oppressed and underrepresented groups (e.g., racial, sexual, gender-transgressive, ethnic, religious minorities) across Counseling Psychology programs. We look forward to updating the SAS membership on the success of the program. If you are interested in being a mentor or mentee, please contact Sneha Pitre, M.A. and Ashley Poklar, M.Ed. at [email protected]

SAS was invited to co-host a difficult dialogue series titled Grad Students Talk: Psychology Graduate Students Invested in Social Justice. They included topics on oppression experienced by people of color within the United States and reflections on the APA Hoffman Report. Furthermore, the group initiated the “First, Do No Harm” t-shirt campaign at the 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention in the wake of the Hoffman Report, which was widely received and recognized by The New York TimesThe Chronicle of Higher Education, and distinguished leaders and scholars within APA. Through this collaboration, SCP and SAS students have been recognized as leaders in multicultural issues.

Additionally, we have developed and distributed the Call for the next SAS Host Institution. We are looking forward to having many qualified applications for our next SAS Host Institution submitted by Counseling Psychology programs throughout the nation. The applications will be reviewed and then voted upon by the SAS Executive Board and presented to the SCP Executive Board at Mid-Year meeting in January 2016. Interested Counseling Psychology programs can find the application included on the SAS website: https://scp.wpengine.com/SAS/index.html. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the field of Counseling Psychology by representing the student voice within the Society of Counseling Psychology. We appreciate the involvement of students and psychologists as we work to provide opportunities for engagement!

With gratitude, 

Co-Chairs, SAS

Ashley Oliver, M.S.
Erica Wiley Whiteman, M.A.


Tags: Posted on: November 9th, 2015