California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University
PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Bay Area
Professional Information
Associate Clinical Director, Cognitive Behavior Associates Private Practice in Beverly Hills
Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA Department of Psychology
Q: How did your Alliant experience contribute to your career growth?
A: When I was a Clinical Psychology PsyD student at CSPP, I relished the words "Doctoral Candidate" that followed my name. This was an incentive which ultimately reinforced me doing well in the program. I went to the Alhambra campus between 2005 and 2009, where I had role models like Drs. Judith Holloway, John Cavaro, and the late Ron Duran. These professors understood how to offer a budding psychologist diverse opportunities within the field of psychology. I can think of many instances where they told me something I wasn't even aware existed within the field, like "author, speaker, group therapist, mentor, policy contributor, and advocate." To have these roles illuminated as possibilities gave me the chance to get my feet wet and see if I could find a synergy between my passions and training. After graduation, I spent time in community mental health and private practice, where I enjoyed the administrative and clinical roles. I am now the Associate Clinical Director of a group practice, Cognitive Behavior Associates in Beverly Hills. I also am an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: I most enjoy watching my clients get better and I also enjoy the flexibility making my own schedule provides me in private practice. I also love presenting and taking additional trainings. I am currently getting a certification in a trauma treatment called Cognitive Processing Therapy. I like the metaphor of a mechanic being able to do more with more tools, much like a psychologist can do more with more training. It's a challenge to learn and it keeps me sharp. I am also presenting on Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Stress at this year's annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). I love presenting on subject areas that affect my community. Belonging to organizations like ABCT reminds me a lot of CSPP. Always a nugget of wisdom to learn and someone to collaborate with!
Q: What inspires you to make a positive difference in the world?
A: The influence a psychologist can have on a single person is very strong. Each interaction I have offers the ability to take someone in a helpful direction. Whether these interactions occur in traditional clinical settings or within larger communities, my goal remains to be helpful. Usually, this help comes in the form of solutions- the most overlooked solution is often identifying the problem itself. For instance, many individuals blame themselves for a problem they did not start. The solution here is to identify a helpful perspective where the individual can see their intention doesn't match their current outcome. The same is true for larger communities so this is really at the policy level. Although clinical work was where I started it's perhaps not where I will ultimately end up. If we look at the "golden rule" of treating others how we want to be treated, perhaps a lot more solutions are in identifying systemic problems. As a practitioner who wants to devote a lot of my work to underserved populations, I want to bring competency to areas that have less research funding, access to healthcare, etc.
Q: Share your advice for current students.
A: Expand your networks and never stop learning. To expand your networks, share what your ideas are and get to know what others' goals are to see if there are opportunities for collaboration. You will be able to help in many different arenas because the mental health field is so broad. Whatever skills you are afraid to develop- develop those! Do not hold back on your training. You may not see results for the work you do for some time but you will eventually see it. Focus on the things you would like to learn but also the things you don't want to learn.
If you would like to share your reflections in an Alliant alumni spotlight, please click here or email alumni@alliant.edu.
Author
Sarah Garro
Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Career Services
Sarah Garro is the senior director of alumni relations and career services at Alliant International University. Sarah has 24 years...
