August 2024

Anticipation and Trepidation

For me, this time of year has always come with excitement as I anticipated a new school year.

When I was younger, it was associated with the possibility of new shoes (depending on how much I grew!). As I look forward, I’m excited to meet new challenges with my co-leaders and colleagues regarding our various programs (from undergraduate to postgraduate—we are many while still one Derner) and to welcome new faculty, who will be contributing across programs: Emily Cowan, PhD, Naama Gershy, PhD, and Emma Freetly Porter, PhD.

I cannot help but acknowledge the backdrop of what is happening on political fronts nationally and internationally. There is so much that is worrisome. In this regard, I have always taken comfort in trying to focus on controlling what you can control. So care for those you can (family, friends and patients), be respectful to the many others you encounter (imagine walking in their shoes), and don’t forget to vote (one of our most sacred responsibilities). And remember the sentiment “You’ll never walk alone” (a favorite refrain in my family).

Laura Brumariu, PhD, associate professor of psychology and associate dean for professional programs and student advancement (above, right), and Katherine Fiori, PhD, professor and associate dean for foundational psychology and faculty involvement, launched the Graduate Programs at a Glance (GOAL) program. The "goal" is to help students from underrepresented groups successfully navigate grad school applications, advance their careers and go on to diversify the profession.

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At the Adelphi University Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, the postgraduate programs in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy have made history by surviving—and thriving—for 60 years. Learn how the programs have evolved through the decades of psychoanalytic thought, from Sigmund Freud to today’s new approaches.

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Thanks to this esteemed educator, director and mentor, this series coming in Spring 2025 will explore the latest topics, practices and career options in clinical psychology.

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The scholarship will provide support to students earning master’s degrees in mental health counseling who will go on to help those who struggle to overcome what Achan calls their “darkest moments.”

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Dean Christopher Muran, PhD, was honored by the Board of Directors of the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (American Psychological Association Division 29) with the 2024 Distinguished Psychologist Award in recognition of his lifetime of contributions to psychotherapy, psychology and society.

It's a New Era for School Psychology. And This Professor Wrote the Book.

The “bible of school psychology” has a new lead editor. Edited by Lea Theodore, PhD, professor in the Adelphi University Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, whose work is helping to guide practitioners in this evolving field, the Desk Reference in School Psychology is an 800-plus-page compendium published in 2024 by Oxford University Press.

Second That Emotion: Derner Alum Provides the Neuroscience Expertise in This Summer's Blockbuster

Beyond the engaging story and colorful characters, this summer's hit movie is rooted in neuroscience, thanks to the expertise of renowned psychologist and scientific consultant Paul Ekman, PhD ’58, ’08 (Hon.). Inside Out 2 is following in the footsteps of the original Inside Out in becoming a box office smash and winning the hearts of audiences and critics.

Stepping Into the Future: Using Neuroscience to Inspire Climate Action

Heather Gittelson, a cognitive neuroscience major, investigates whether viewing from the perspective of future generations can motivate people to take climate action today.

"The Words That Need to Be Said and Heard, and Carried With Love": Searching for Clues to Inform Treatment for Language Loss

Hemish Naidoo, a molecular neuroscience major (a multidisciplinary program offered through the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences), has spent the summer exploring that possibility, and for him, the mission is personal as well as academic. His grandfather, whom he refers to as “my first friend,” developed a disease known as Broca’s aphasia, in which the ability to speak spontaneously and link words correctly is lost.

Alliance Ruptures and Repair

Friday, October 18, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

In this seminar, Derner School Professor Catherine Eubanks, PhD, will present an integrative, transtheoretical approach to recognizing and addressing alliance ruptures in a way that strengthens the working alliance and facilitates corrective experiences.

Making Room Versus Making Aware: How to Promote Acceptance and Diminish Rebuke in Psychotherapy

Saturday, November 16, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy originated in the search for the truth that the patient was hiding from herself. This workshop will consider an approach that enables the patient not just to know the thoughts and feelings they have been defending against but to make room for them—to reclaim these aspects of self, enabling vitalizing resources to be integrated into one’s daily life and one’s emotional and behavioral repertoire.

Revisiting Becoming Attached

Sunday, January 26, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Robert Karen, PhD, Derner adjunct faculty member, will discuss the new edition of his classic book on attachment.

Resparking: Working With the Challenge of Energyless Patients

Friday, March 7, 2025, 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

In this talk, Graham Music, PhD, will introduce thinking from his recent book, Respark, to discuss ways of understanding and working with more shutdown states, such as those seen after trauma, neglect and learned helplessness.