Faculty: Fresno/Sacramento Clinical PsyD Program

Core Faculty:

Matthew Baity 
Assistant Professor, Fresno/Sacramento, PsyD Program
Research interests: Research interests: personality assessment with a focus on Cluster B disorders, multi-method psychological assessment, treatment process and alliance, premature termination, prediction of substance abuse relapse, neuropsychological factors in psychiatric disorders
Clinical interests: acute inpatient populations, DBT, patient-related outcome, psychological and cognitive assessment in substance abuse populations, long and short term dynamic treatments, patients with new onset psychosis

Lynette E. Bassman
Professor, Assistant Director and Coordinator of the Health Psychology Emphasis Area, Fresno, PsyD Program
PhD, 1990; New York University
Research interests: alternative treatments for mental health; psychodynamic correlates of self care behavior; defense mechanisms and health
Clinical interests: fibromyalgia; chronic fatigue syndrome; eating behavior; self-care; coping with illness

Debra Bekerian
Lecturer, Fresno, PsyD Program
PhD; University of California, Berkeley
Research interests: adult and child event memory (qualitative/quantitative paradigms) child development including impact of abuse on development and attachment; cognitive models of trauma; applied psychology
Clinical interests: group psychotherapy; trauma including PTSD; chronic mental health issues; abuse

Wesley T. Forbes
Professor, Fresno/Sacramento, PsyD Program; Director of Professional Training, Fresno/Sacramento
EdD, 1983; University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Research interests: child/family; adolescents; delinquency/corrections; multicultural issues in psychology; ban on IQ testing of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in California; system of multipluralistic assessment

Sue A. Kuba
Professor, Fresno, PsyD Program; Fellow, Rockway Institute
PhD, 1981; California School of Professional Psychology, Fresno
Research interests: women’s health; eating disorders in multi-cultural populations; phenomenology; sister relationships; women’s development; gay and lesbian issues
Clinical interests: LGBT issues; mother-daughter-sister relationships; multicultural LGBT issues

Beth Limberg
Associate Professor and Co-Program Director, Sacramento, PsyD Program
PhD, 1999; California School of Professional Psychology, Fresno
Research interests: parent-child interaction; child development
Clinical interests: infant- preschool mental health; family therapy; play therapy; community mental health

Kevin J. O’Connor
Distinguished Professor and Co-Program Director, Fresno/Sacramento, PsyD Programs; Program Director, Fresno PhD Program; Fellow, Rockway Institute
PhD, 1980; University of Toledo
Research interests: parent-child attachment; child psychotherapy process; play therapy
Clinical interests: attachment disorders; child abuse; impact of chronic illness; impact of prenatal narcissism; child development; sex role socialization; ecosystemic child psychotherapy; play therapy, art therapy and Theraplay

Suni Petersen
Associate Professor, Sacramento, PsyD Program
PhD, 1997, University of Florida
Clinical interests: health psychology with minority populations; creating and testing evidence-based interventions for underserved minority populations; cardiovascular disease; cancer; health promotion; using computerized interventions for cost-effective approaches to health behavior change

John D. Preston
Professor Emeritus, Fresno/Sacramento, PsyD Program
PsyD, 1979; Baylor University
Research interests: psychopharmacology; neuropsychology; trauma; aging

Ronald W. Teague
Professor, Fresno, PsyD Program
PhD, 1973; California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco
Research interests: psychology of antiquity; psychohistory phenomenology; Jungian psychology; psychoanalysis; psychoanthropology; psychology and the humanities; history of psychology
Clinical interests: acculturation problems; spirituality; analytic dream therapy; psychologist burnout; mid-life adaptation