Faculty Highlight: Dr. Gerald Fishman

Union Institute & University prides itself on the number of scholar-practitioners we have leading our academic programs. Dr. Gerald A. Fishman successfully combines over three decades of psychological research and practice with a passion for community outreach and the skill and insight for effective institutional administration. He is a resource and model for both students and faculty, and he is a valued member of both his own local community and of the public health, social services and counseling community nationwide.

A New York State Licensed Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist trained in a number of therapy areas related to public health and chemical dependency, Dr. Fishman brings over 30 years of experience from his individual clinical, counseling practice to his role as Associate Dean at the Vermont Center in Brattleboro.

In this role of Associate Dean, he is responsible for administering and providing direct service to master’s and doctoral level graduate programs in psychology. He is active in program development and evaluation, institutional research, outcome assessment, and strategic planning in addition to his teaching responsibilities.

The Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology allows students to become familiar with identifying and treating psychological issues in a variety of clinical, educational and workplace environments. The degree also offers a unique graduate Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling.  Dr. Fishman’s training in therapy approaches related to chemical dependency and addiction issues, as well as his work with nonprofit organizations, universities, governmental agencies and school systems, make him an invaluable resource and model for students in the program pursuing professional counseling avenues in different areas.

Outside of the academy, Dr. Fishman has used his training to create a number of adolescent chemical dependency and adult disorder programs throughout the state of New York. He is also the director of the Human Services Consultation and Training Institute, in Albany New York, an organization offering statewide and national professional trainings in specific clinical, chemical dependency, behavioral health, and school psychology.

More recently, Dr. Fishman has served as a consultant with Casey Family Programs out of Seattle, Washington. This position involves consultation to not-for-profit community mental health centers and governmental agencies serving rural eastern Kentucky and providing a continuum of care to women, children, and families. In this role, Dr. Fishman participates in formative research, program development, and staff training.

We asked Dr. Fishman to share some of his views about the important topics for current students of psychology, as well as his insights into what it means for him to practice the value of social responsibility.

What started you on the path of psychology, public health, and psychosocial related services?
My interest in psychology and clinical practice with children and adults was sparked by my volunteer work in high school with special education students and peers encountering academic difficulty.  I reflected on the best teachers I ever had, asking what was it about these teachers that influenced positive learning and emotional and behavioral change in their students, and I also included the effects that these teachers had on me.  From these early experiences, I became very interested in understanding and applying principles identified and researched by psychologists to the goal of helping others encountering challenges in their lives.  This essential purpose influenced pursuit of specialized graduate training, certifications, and professional experience intended to address the needs of children and adults across a variety of clinical and behavioral health areas.

What are the top two issues that you believe need to be addressed for your students within the therapy and public health fields?
Addiction and trauma-informed treatment are two critical areas that need to be addressed with students in clinical training programs.  The scope and impact of substance abuse is increasingly apparent in mental health, criminal justice, health, and social welfare settings, with adverse childhood events (including trauma) evidenced to influence poor outcomes for both children and adults in these systems.  The symptoms of trauma and substance use disorders are maintained in a vicious cycle.  Trauma-informed care is based on a model of empowerment that promotes recovery from both substance use and mental health disorders and helps the client build skills to increase safety and effective adaptation in their lives.

What have been the most rewarding aspects of your career within the fields of counseling, teaching, writing, workshop leadership, etc.?
I am both excited and honored by the possibility of making a difference in the lives of others by training future counselors and clinicians in best practices and evidence-based approaches to relieving suffering, enhancing coping skills, and increasing positive life outcomes.  Continued evaluation of educational programs for quality assurance and quality improvement purposes is critical, and informs all of our efforts to provide a valuable and value-laden education for our students.  To this objective, I am actively involved in teaching, practice, and lifelong learning. Engaged study keeps us humble and grateful.  As the mantra goes, “the more I learn, the less I know.” 

What does “social responsibility” mean to you? 

As educators and human services professionals, social responsibility translates to ensuring respect for human dignity and human rights.  Social responsibility and, more broadly, social justice provide a set of principles which guide both the content and the conducting of education for our students.  Enhancing access to education, exploring the nature of responsibility to others through ethical, cultural, and societal lenses, and examining the values which inform our direct actions with others are crucial to influencing fair treatment and equality for all people we serve.

Faculty Highlight: Dr. Dorothy Firman

 

Dr. Dorothy Firman takes the value of social responsibility seriously—and she lives out the definition of that value in her work, her teaching, her life in the surrounding communities and in their outreach.

Dr. Dorothy Firman has been a member of Union’s faculty since 2006. She is a prolific author, speaker, life coach and counselor. She was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show, and her book Chicken Soup for the Mother & Daughter Soul (2012) was a New York Times best-seller. Fox News, New Morning, Wisdom Television, Nightbeat, Eldervision, Time for Spirit, and the CBS special Family 2 Family have all been media venues that have featured Dr. Firman and her work.

Her most recent book is titled Engaging Life: Living Well with Chronic Illness (2013). In this collection of stories, self-help exercises, and meditations on the importance of friendship and family, Dr. Firman tackles the difficult subject of how to successfully navigate the path of pain and suffering and how to support those who are bearing the burden of a long-term illness.

Part of the inspiration for the book came from one of Dr. Firman’s former patients—a woman struggling with terminal cancer, with less than a year to live. This woman’s journey became a remarkable story of survival, recovery, and of finding meaning in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances. Drawn from similar experiences, Dr. Firman unpacks the emotional methods and interpersonal tools that will allow an individual to seek the help they need and to cultivate the relational support to walk through sickness and loss.

Self-reflection and self-examination are among the tools that Dr. Firman recommends for her patients. She provides exercises that help individuals become more aware of their own life narrative—the trajectory of their own story—and to begin to see and shape that narrative as a story of resilience, relationship, and purpose.

Dr. Firman teaches in Union’s Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program, and she is the co-founder of the Synthesis Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she acts as director of training in Psychosynthesis—an integrated, medical-spiritual approach to psychology and counseling. She is often both a national and international guest speaker and workshop leader. Her focus and expertise prioritizes coaching people around the topic of meaning, purpose, and empowerment in their lives. She is especially equipped for counseling people as they walk through times of transition, including grief counseling, spiritual and existential therapy, and coaching on dealing with age, illness, and disease. She has also worked within the corporate world to provide consultation regarding staff and personnel dynamics.

When asked how she understood the value of social responsibility, Dr. Firman said “For me, personally, having been in the field for over thirty years, social responsibility requires two things of me. The first is that I see clients and all humans in their social context. In their social context means that a client who is struggling, is struggling within their system (school, culture, family, job, country). No one can be diagnosed, treated, cured, or transformed outside of their community context and often a fair share of what creates a problem for an individual is located squarely in the culture and is not simply a psychological issue. Practitioners in the field now recognize that the most effective treatments occur within a person’s social context and even have come so far as to understand the very different essential impact of treatment on people of various cultures. The meaning of counseling or psychotherapy is different within one culture and another. Even the impact of a particular medication is now understood to have different effects on people of different ethnicities. So that's the first important take home for me. Who is this person sitting in front of me and who is this person within the social system that he or she lives in?

The second value for me that arises from this knowledge is that I, as a professional, have a responsibility within society to work towards its improvement. Having been an activist for most of my life, this responsibility comes naturally to me, but I have had to carve out the ways that a socially responsible activism works within the field of psychology. In part it means being involved in professional organizations, presenting at conferences on issues related to social responsibility, and continuing to be trained on issues of diversity, social justice, oppression, and human rights. It also means helping clients and students see themselves within a system and take steps (however big or small they can) towards being empowered within the system.

To watch an individual find voice, stand up for what they believe, confront injustice and hold strong to their values, is a wonderful thing and one of the great gifts, for me, of being in this field.”

Visit Dr. Firman’s blog at Psychology Today for more information on her work.

Webinar: DSM-5 Diagnosis and New Diagnostic Categories

February 27, 2014

12:15 to 12:45 PM EST

Online

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Please join us for a webinar presented by Union Institute & University’s graduate psychology programs. Jerry Fishman, Ph.D., associate dean and faculty in Union’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology will host the presentation.

Learn more about the features of the American Psychiatric Association’s Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM-5 is a highly useful and preferred guide to clinical practice. Through much research and discussion among academics and clinicians, the disorders in the DSM-5 have been reordered into a revised organizational structure and enhanced specificity of criteria for assessment and diagnosis of presenting symptoms has been developed. This webinar will discuss specifically the diagnostic category changes and additions to the DSM-5 and outline a strategic approach for practice.

For webinar visual: http://tui.adobeconnect.com/map
For webinar audio: 1-866-951-1151
Conference ID: 3425762
RSVP requested but not required: hanna.thurber@myunion.edu

Learn more about Union Institute & University’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology and Doctor of Psychology programs.

Privacy and Implications for the Field of Counseling Psychology

Shanta Crowley, M.B.A.
and Dr. Gerald Fishman, Associate Dean,

M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program

Union Institute & University 

In June, it was impossible to read a newspaper or watch the news without hearing about the NSA/Edward Snowden controversy. While this latest challenge to privacy sounds like a repeat of the privacy scandal that surfaced just a few years ago, we can’t ignore some of the ramifications this has for practitioners in the field of Counseling Psychology. In this short piece, we explore the implications of the Snowden incident in relationship to personal privacy and the professionals in the human services field.

Privacy and the Self:

We should first examine why privacy and the compromise of it is much bigger than having a paranoid feeling that the government is gathering information about your private life. According to past and present theories, privacy serves several purposes including our need to create space for ourselves and maintain relationships with others. In his 1967 work Privacy and Freedom Alan F. Westin (as cited in McDougall, 2005) expanded the definition of privacy by describing it as “…a two-tier definition… combining personal and social dimensions and consisting of four states (anonymity, reserve, solitude, and intimacy) plus four functions of privacy (personal autonomy, emotional release, self-evaluation, and limited and confidential communication).” (McDougall, 2005, para. 25)

Privacy is a concept that our society has been attempting to define long before this current social landscape. These aspects of privacy also straddle Maslow’s hierarchy of needs between the levels of safety and love/belonging. As human beings we like some level of privacy to create a sense of safety and form/maintain human relationships and trust.

Privacy, the Social Climate, and the Implications for the Field of Therapy:

When is the breach of individual privacy and confidentiality acceptable? Those who work in the field of human services regularly navigate the ethical nuances of privacy, confidentiality and legality. Some of these situations involve child abuse, clients seeking treatment for substance abuse, and a whole host of other areas. The American Counseling Association outlines the various professional ethical codes in relationship to the client, privacy, and confidentiality. The information that is shared with a counseling professional is confidential except under circumstances in which the keeping of certain information as confidential is considered to pose a danger to the client or another party. In situations in which a counselor is summoned by the court, counselors will “…obtain written, informed consent from the client or take steps to prohibit the disclosure or have it limited as narrowly as possible due to potential harm to the client or counseling relationship.” (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005, Section B: Confidentiality, Privileged, Communication, and Privacy) For example, if a counselor receives a subpoena in a criminal case involving one of their clients, this may require the counselor to release all of their client notes to the court. Thus, for those working in human services, maintaining individual client privacy and adhering to professional ethics within the context of legal obligation requires ongoing reflection.

In the situation with Edward Snowden and the government’s access to personal data of each American citizen, one of the arguments is that the privacy of the individual must be compromised in exchange for the safety of the overall group. In many ways as briefly outlined above, counselors, social workers, and other similar human service employees may be challenged to make decisions between maintaining confidentiality and individual privacy or violating it for the greater good. This raises the question of defining “the greater good.” For instance, consider these scenarios:

• Employer incentive-based wellness programs. These programs are based upon the goal of a healthier workforce or lower insurance costs if employees are encouraged to make  better lifestyle choices through various rewards. However, when does the well-intentioned wellness program infringe upon the individual’s right to personal choice? For example, mandatory gym memberships enforced by the employer override the rights of the individual in exchange for the overall good of contributing to a healthier, physically fit society.

• An individual who may be under distress or suffering from depression discloses their violent fantasies to their counselor. At what point does venting or therapeutic disclosing become a real threat or danger to the client or other people?

The distinction between what is good or safe for the individual versus a group or society is not always clear. These moral dilemmas are especially present in public health, public office, psychology, criminal justice, or other related professional fields of work.

However, in this current social climate, one does not have to necessarily be in the field of counseling psychology to be affected by issues of privacy. We are all constantly grappling with what individual privacy means now versus what it meant when it was theorized in the American Bill of Rights. With the progression of technology in regards to social media—Skype, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace—the distinction between public and private has become indistinguishable in some instances. We will most likely revisit this issue given the increased use of electronic medical records. While it offers convenience and ability to provide timely treatment to the patient, what is being compromised in regards to individual privacy or HIPAA? In addition to healthcare providers, many individuals working in other capacities within human services will have to re-evaluate what it means to be of service while navigating these ethical considerations.  As the concept of privacy continues to expand and change, those of us engaged in the field of psychology will continue to contribute to this important dialogue while navigating its impact upon our work.   

Authors:

Dr. Gerald Fishman,
Union Institute & University

Dr. Gerald Fishman is the associate dean of Union’s Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program. He is a NYS Licensed Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist with additional post-doctoral training in public health, chemical dependency, and specific therapy areas. Dr. Fishman has worked with clients across the developmental spectrum in mental health, chemical dependency, school, and private practice settings for over 25 years, and has taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Fishman has developed and directed adolescent chemical dependency and adult outpatient co-occurring disorder programs in both upstate and metropolitan New York areas, and is the co founder of the Human Services Consultation and Training Institute, offering statewide and national professional trainings in specific clinical, chemical dependency, behavioral health, school psychology, and education areas.

Shanta L.E. Crowley

Shanta Crowley is a multi-faceted professional with experience in management, consulting, event planning, visioning, strategy, and workshop creation and implementation. She has managed social-marketing campaigns, press conferences, city-wide health initiatives, and academic mentoring programs. Shanta is passionate about the arts. Her artistic endeavors include photography, writing, dancing, and performing.  She holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Her favorite hobbies include traveling and collecting fairytales, stories, and mythology from various cultures. Most recently, Shanta exhibited her photography in Surrender (Brattleboro, VT), based on her five month travels throughout India. Currently, Shanta is a contributor to the Brattleboro Reformer newspaper and writes regularly on her blog.

Article References and Resources:

ACA Code of Ethics as Approved by the ACA Governing Council. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Bissell, L. C., M.D., C.A.C. & Royce, J. E., S.J., Ph.D. (1987). Ethics for Addiction Professionals. (2nd ed., pp. 23-36). Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden Educational Materials.

Edward Snowden and the NSA Files — Story So Far. (2013, June 24). Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/edward-snowden-and-the-nsa-files-story-so-far/article4846529.ece

Greenwald, G., MacAskill, E., & Poitras, L. (2013, June 9). Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind the NSA Surveillance Revelations. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance

McDougall, Bonnie. "Privacy." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 1899-1907. Student Resources In Context. Web. 31 July 2013.  Retrieved from

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&zid=7bfd1c8d80be55a9be48bd995ba205ec&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3424300635&userGroupName=aust78750&jsid=dca94ad8d9c31bcd74f8771578498472

Time-Saving Secrets from Union Students

Union Institute & University students are extremely busy adults who must manage time carefully and balance their many responsibilities. Juggling work, school, family, volunteer, and social life activities can be a challenge. They seem to operate on a day with more than 24 hours! To find out how they manage it all, we asked four outstanding Union Institute & University students to share their top-ten secrets for succeeding as adult students.

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Nikki Dominique | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program:  Master of Arts with a concentration in  Leadership, Public Policy and Social Issues

1. Use your lunch hour for studying. Find a quiet place at work or go sit in your car and get some reading done. If you do this all week, you gain five extra hours of studying or five hours of free time in the evening or weekends to do something fun/relaxing with friends and family. 
2. Take one day off per week. Set aside one day, whether a week day or a weekend and don’t do any school work. It’s important to take time away from the stress of school work so you don’t burn out. 
3. Start out ahead and stay ahead. Use Sunday to prepare for the upcoming week, not as catch up for the previous week. Start your reading on Sunday so you can post early in the week. That way, if life gets hectic you have some wiggle room to get things done. This also helps your fellow students who need to respond to your online posts. 
4. If you have school-aged children, create family homework time. Complete your homework while your children complete theirs. If your children are not in school yet, have them color or complete an activity book. 
5. Communicate openly and frequently with your professors. If you are struggling with the content or the deadlines, talk to your instructors. Union has great professors, they will have ideas to help and will review content with you. 
6. Be honest with family and friends. Let them know you are starting school and how excited you are. Prepare them for the fact that you will have less time and may need to cut back on commitments and/or social outings. If they care about you, they will understand and support you on your new adventure. 
7. Stay organized. Keep a calendar, either electronic or an old-fashioned paper planner. Write in all of your school assignments, family commitments, and work assignments. Take a look at your planner every morning and evening to prioritize and keep on track with all of your tasks. 
8. Reward yourself. Just finished a big paper or hard reading assignment? Go out for ice cream or have your favorite candy bar. Going back to school is a challenge so recognize your accomplishments, even if they are small. It will keep you in a positive state of mind. 
9. Write down the top five reasons you are going back to school. Post that list somewhere that you will see it on a regular basis. When you are feeling overwhelmed and/or frustrated, look at those reasons to remind yourself why getting a degree is important to you. 
10. Make friends with your fellow students, even if you only ever speak online. These are the people who are going through the same things that you are. They understand your struggles and your triumphs. Your fellow students are a good support system and sounding board.

Nikki Dominique earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio University in 2002. She served in both the insurance and construction industries before joining Union Institute & University’s admissions department in October 2012. In addition to working, she is pursuing her M.A. with a concentration in Leadership, Public Policy, and Social Issues. She was drawn to the university’s online master’s degree program for its freedom in program design and flexibility to fit into her busy schedule.

Joe Behler | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program:  Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

1. Make sure your significant partner/friends/family understands the commitment you are making to doctoral study. 
2. Track the number of hours you spend each week on any Psy.D. doctoral work. This includes reading, ProSem, etc. I was surprised to learn I spent 29 hours a week in my first semester. 
3. After recording your average number of hours, then become more efficient. For example, I used voice dictation software to write papers and reduced the hours per week to 23-25. 
4. I worked full time my first year, against the advice of faculty, and this was a mistake. I reduced my work from 40 hours to 32 hours for my second, third, and fourth years and this helped. 
5. Read articles and books whenever possible. I often read at work when a client would not show or cancel an appointment. I gained some study time in this manner. 
6. Self-care is critical. Exercise, eating, and sleeping well are very important. I had to be careful about staying up too late doing school work, missing sleep and then feeling run down. 
7. I had to cut back some friendships and I focused on my partner, children, close friends, and family. There is a loss here but I would catch up on breaks, during the summer, and after four years. 
8. Organization is critical. I used my calendar to write down every assignment due date. If you follow the faculty program of expected classes and do not stray from it you will finish. 
9. I had the luxury of living in close proximity to the ProSem site. If you live farther away and must travel, get advice from student travelers on how to manage this time issue. 
10. I have fond memories of the extended weeks in Brattleboro and Cincinnati. After class we had fun together. Bond with your classmates and get to know the wonderful faculty.

Joe Behler selected the distance learning doctoral psychology program (Psy.D.) at Union Institute & University because the program allowed him to maintain a job in psychology while completing his doctoral coursework. Face-to-face training was on weekends mostly, once a month and two extended weeks each year, which gave Joe time for family commitments and studying.

Emily Dunham | Lincoln, Vermont Academic Program: Master of Arts with a Concentration in  Counseling Psychology

1. Do your homework!! Not just the readings/papers/tests, but also research specific state and national requirements for your chosen major. Develop a plan for after graduation and determine exactly what it's going to take to get there.
2. Be your own advocate. Part of graduate school involves increased personal responsibility to determine what you want in school, work, and life overall. Go for it! Find out who is going to be able to help you reach your goals and utilize them.
3. Don't procrastinate. This is big. I am notorious for saving everything until the last minute, and I can always count on a few miserable weekends towards the end of each term. Believe me, things are MUCH easier if you start early.
4. Use the writing center and your peers. This is easier said than done, but as this program is so independent, it can be easy to get off track and discouraged when you have no one to bounce your ideas off of. The writing center is always available to help!
5. Research Capstone early. A very useful part of the Capstone project is being able to incorporate earlier pieces of your own papers throughout the course of your educational career. After all, you can't plagiarize yourself! This is super helpful, but in order to really take advantage of this, you need to start thinking about your Capstone early and writing papers that can be tied to it later on.
6. Get to know your peers. I was not great with this over the course of my time at Union. The residencies are extremely useful to build relationships with other students, but only if you choose to engage. The residencies give us an opportunity to share our experiences with others who are balancing the same things and can be a very useful tool to enhance self-care.
7. On that note, pay attention to self-care. It's easy to lose ourselves in balancing the job, internship, school work, kids etc. It's very important to take time for ourselves in order to be fully present for our other responsibilities. I have found that self-care is the easiest thing to neglect in grad school and perhaps the most important thing to nurture.
8. Start looking for internship sites early. It's important to start this process very early. Think about what you are interested in. Submit several applications. Place follow-up calls. Identify a contact person to reconnect with to express your interest. It took me months to nail down a site and straighten out all of the details. Do yourself a favor and don't save this until last minute!
9. Research financial resources. Contact the financial aid office to ask about scholarships. As my time here at Union is drawing to a close, I am not faced with repaying my loans. Make sure to consider how these will impact you in the future. There are plenty of resources out there; you just need to take the time to seek them out.
10. Overall, my best piece of advice is to start early with everything and to speak up when you have questions. Union has plenty of very supportive and knowledgeable staff, and because of the online format, there is an increased personal responsibility to reach out for assistance when you need it. I have never had anyone ignore my questions or point me in the wrong direction.

Emily Dunham lives with her fiance and three dogs in Addison County, Vermont, where the couple recently purchased their first home. She works full-time at an animal hospital and also works 20 hours per week at an intensive outpatient treatment facility as part of her internship requirements for graduation. She really enjoys working with individuals trying to obtain recovery and she hopes to secure employment in this field upon graduation from Union Institute & University.

Nashid Shakir | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program: Master of Arts with a concentration in Leadership, Public Policy and Social Issues

1. Online learners must take control in planning their learning pace (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999), and also be realistic about their capabilities as they learn better about themselves, they must be willing to do better. 
2. They must monitor their own learning comprehension. (Shapley, 2000). 
3. They must make judgments on various aspects in their learning process (Petrides, 2002) and their personal learning style. 
4. Learners need to become aware of and actively explore various learning resources in an online learning context (Sener & Stover, 2000) with an understanding that their every subject and everything they learn on the front end of their academic journey is to prepare them for the rigid requirements that will be demanded of them at the end of their journey and that the whole is a combination of its parts. 
5. Learners need to develop strategies to effectively use resources and overcome challenges that are uniquely associated with online learning (e.g., written communication) (Hill, 2002). 
6. Online learners need to become motivated to overcome the procrastination challenge associated with online learning (see Elvers, Polzella, & Graetz, 2003), and to take advantage of online communication affordances to create meaningful interaction (King, 2002). 
7. Online learning provides flexibility for learners to pace their own study (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999). The anytime, anywhere feature of asynchronous online learning provides learners with the ability to plan their activities at the time and the place that are most convenient for them (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). This can often feed procrastination because the learners most always allow themselves more time than they actually they have. Be very careful, procrastination may be your biggest culprit! 
8. Learners still have the flexibility to choose the most convenient place from which to create their own learning space (Song et al., 2004), and decide on their own learning pace and sequence (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999). Be careful and do not over estimate your abilities or capacity. 
9. In an online learning environment, the monitoring responsibilities are in large part left to the learner. They must decide whether they understand the subject correctly [or not] (Shapley, 2000) or are heading in the right direction with their course work. Even though your professor may be only an email away, he or she may also not be! 
10. The level of responsibility for seeking assistance is also on you as the learner. It’s your time, your money, and ultimately your responsibility if you succeed or not!

Nashid Shakir has worked in social services and community capacity building for the past 25 years. Union Institute & University became a path to increase his effectiveness as a social entrepreneur. In his direct social environment there are a plethora of doctoral-level graduates and candidates from Union working to bring about productive change. These alumni and their achievements inspired Nashid to join Union's master of arts program.

Visiting Day: M.A. with a concentration in Counseling Psychology

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Brattleboro, VT and Cincinnati, OH

Union Institute & University’s Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program will be featured at a Visiting Day on Saturday, June 29, 2013. The event will take place 9:00am-12:00pm at Union’s Cincinnati Academic Center, 440 E. McMillan Street in Walnut Hills, and 9:15am-12:00pm at the Vermont Academic Center, 3 University Way Suite 3 in Brattleboro.

Union’s Visiting Day allows prospective graduate students to join current students during their summer residency weekend and attend faculty presentations to better understand the scope, delivery, and pace of the low residency program. Faculty and staff will provide an overview of the program, including information about sitting for the National Counseling Exam while still in the program. Admissions staff will be available to answer questions about the application process. Attendees are welcome to stay to attend additional afternoon sessions.

Union’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology is a hybrid program, featuring both online and face-to-face courses. Students may enroll in the program on a full-time or part-time basis. The program’s curriculum fulfills state counseling licensure requirements and includes 60 credit hours and an internship. Residency weekends take place three times per year at the Cincinnati and Brattleboro academic centers.

“Union Institute & University is committed to offering a flexible and rigorous graduate psychology degree program for adults who are juggling many responsibilities,” states Lauren Wenstrup, Enrollment Counselor for the M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program. “We are open to candidates who have an academic or professional background in mental health, and those who are thinking about a career change. The M.A. program’s format blends the flexibility of online learning with the camaraderie and support provided by face-to-face meetings each term with faculty and fellow students.”

For more information about the M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology, and to RSVP to the Visiting Day in Cincinnati, please contact Lauren Wenstrup at 513-487-1269, or lauren.wenstrup@myunion.edu. To register for the Brattleboro event contact Hanna Thurber at hanna.thurber@myunion.edu.

Free Psychology Webinar: Counseling Approaches

Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change

Thursday, May 30, 2013

12:15-12:45pm EST

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Please join us for a webinar presented by Union Institute & University’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program. Jerry Fishman, Ph.D., associate dean and faculty in Union’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology will host the presentation.

For webinar visual: http://tui.adobeconnect.com/map
For webinar audio: 1-866-951-1151
Conference ID: 3425762

RSVP requested but not required: hanna.thurber@myunion.edu

Motivational Interviewing focuses on exploring and resolving ambivalence about changing behavior and has been effective in the treatment of substance abuse and mental health disorders. Techniques and strategies that are responsive to the client’s readiness for change are used collaboratively with the client to increase intrinsic motivation and help move the client toward meeting their valued goals.

MAP Program Approved for Placement of Interns in NY

Union's Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program (MAP) is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, the New York State Education Department approved the placement of Counseling Psychology students in authorized New York State internship settings.

Union has received many inquiries from prospective students residing in New York who are interested in attending the MAP program, and this approval will support their enrollment.  Associate Dean, Jerry Fishman adds “With New York state located next to Vermont, many interested students from New York will be able now to enroll with confidence in a NBCC-and CAMPP-approved program in counseling psychology.  The need for Licensed Mental Health Counselors is high in New York, and this hybrid program will offer candidates quality education and approved local internships.” 

Learn more about Union Institute & University's Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program.

Free Psychology Webinar

“PTSD in Children: Assessment and Treatment Considerations” 

January 24, 2013 | 12:15-12:45pm EST

Union will be hosting a free public webinar presented by the M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program. 

Recent traumatic events have raised awareness of children and psychic trauma. The short and long-term effects on children traumatized by witnessing acts of personal violence and children traumatized in small groups will be discussed. Jerry Fishman, Ph.D., associate dean and faculty in Union’s M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology will host the presentation.

This event is free and open to the public.

For webinar visual: http://tui.adobeconnect.com/map

For webinar audio: 1-866-951-1151

Conference ID: 3425762

RSVP requested but not required:  hanna.thurber@myunion.edu