Faculty: Fresno/Sacramento Clinical PsyD Program

Core Faculty:

Matthew Baity 
Assistant Professor, Fresno/Sacramento, PsyD Program
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
Assistant Program Director; Coordinator of the Health Psychology Emphasis Area; Professor, 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
Director of Clinical Field Placement; Professor, Fresno, PsyD Program
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

Elizabeth Limberg
Assistant Program Director; Associate Professor, 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
Program Director; Coordinator, Ecosystemic Clinical Psychology Emphasis Area; Professor, Fresno PhD Program and Fresno/Sacramento PsyD 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, 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