2012 Rapport, Special Annual Report Edition - Massachusetts ...

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Adventures Near and Far Reflect Students’ Powerful Sense of Mission It’s called the “New Youth Children’s Development Society,” but the truth is, it’s a home for 50 young people ages 3-18 in Bhaktapur, a remote town outside Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Some children are left there by their parents because they are too poor to care for them. Eden Gudonis, school Psychology MA/cAGs student, spent last summer being “doctor” for the children she describes as having nothing. “The experience absolutely changed me. i take nothing for granted now,” she says. They live without regular electricity, water, food or even parents. Consistent with her own parents’ influence and lessons learned at MSPP, eden is eager to continue to help those who are less fortunate. Her desires to travel, to serve and to nurture power her eagerness to return to Nepal. “i want to do more work overseas,” she insists, and hopes to return to the children in Bhaktapur next summer. “i really tested myself, my independence and my limits. The whole trip was overwhelming and i’m so thankful for my loving parents and the support of my faculty. i feel like i can do anything now.” eden especially credits faculty Vega and ecker as “inspirational models who do good work.” on a steady diet of only rice and cabbage, with milk, meat and eggs only once a week, along with contracting an unknown illness that brought on hallucinations, fatigue, fever and diarrhea, eden lost 30 pounds, but it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm one iota. Eden Gudonis, MA/CAGS School Psychology student with children from Bhaktapur, Nepal. 1 0 M a s s ac h u s e t t s s c h o o l o f P ro f e s s i o n a l P s y c h o l o g y “i love working with children,” she says. At a farewell ceremony, one child extracted his own molar, hoping it would prompt her to stay and take him for treatment. “i’ll never forget it,” she says. Many MSPP students are eager to become skilled professional psychologists, trained to change people’s attitudes and outlook. stephanie Matos-Tabashneck, clinical Psychology PsyD student, likes to work at changing the system. Having won a Rosenblum Fellowship from the <strong>Massachusetts</strong> Psychology Association, Stephanie learned how to influence policy and advocate for patients’ entitlements. Working specifically on the Continuity of Care Bill designed to enable patients to stay with their therapist even if their insurance changes, she gathered supporting stories from psychologists. “The relationship with a therapist is too important to interrupt,” she explains, “you could switch eye doctors or dermatologists, and the end result might not change, but in therapy the therapeutic relationship is integral to the success of treatment.” Next year, Stephanie will work on an APA internship at Spring grove Hospital in Baltimore, MD with people who have i like working at the intersection of law and mental health. The setting challenges me. You have to adjust your sense of change. You learn to value the little steps. Stephanie Matos-Tabashneck, Clinical Psychology PsyD major mental illnesses. “i want to work with a forensic inpatient population,” she says, “and also work on policy. This past year, i gathered background information for risk assessments, used by those determining what privileges patients should get and their danger to themselves and to society. in the future, i want to be the person who makes those decisions,” she says. “i like working at the intersection of law and mental health.” Stephanie prefers the fast, unpredictable pace of psychiatric hospitals. “The setting challenges me. You have to adjust your sense of change, see their humanity and consider things like maybe it’s a person getting out of bed in the morning or just showing up for therapy. You learn to value the little steps.” Stephanie, now based in Virginia, loved her MSPP experience and the faculty she says are “phenomenal. My classmates have been wonderful and my personal and professional growth would not have happened without the support i received there.” She is eager to continue her advocacy work, she says, because “psychologists should be advocates for the policies that directly affect our profession.” ◗ Stephanie Matos-Tabashneck, Clinical Psychology PsyD student with husband and MSPP Clinical Psychology PsyD student, Greg Matos-Tabashneck.
“ Dr. Harriet Berman with her granddaughter, Nora. You really raise the bar for all of us,” someone at work recently told MSPP alumna Nancy gaulin, PsyD. “That’s because i was trained by the best,” Nancy thought at the time. And, by “the best” she meant Dr. Harriet Berman, her teacher, mentor, and, ultimately, her colleague and dear friend. Harriet died in May this year, leaving an indelible legacy for Nancy and many others in Boston’s therapeutic community. “Some people are part of the roots of who you are as a person and as a professional and others are part of the branches,” says Nancy, who graduated from MSPP in 2006 and is now a staff psychologist at McLean Hospital and co-founder and staff psychologist at Facing Cancer Together. “Harriet is in my roots. She honed me as a clinician. She was there when i began to understand that this is my life’s work and she is always there with me now as i sit with clients.” Harriet, who was married to Stanley Berman, PhD, MSPP’s Dean of Programs of Advanced Study, earned her doctorate in psychology at Ferkauf graduate School of Psychology in 1983 and began teaching at MSPP in 1988. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, she had an enhanced perspective on her work at the Wellness Community of greater Boston. More than Director of Training and Clinical Vice President, she was also a cancer patient. When the Wellness Community had to close their doors in 2008, Harriet and five colleagues founded Facing Cancer Together: A Community of Hope. Harriet served as the new organization’s first executive Director. Both organizations are dedicated to supporting cancer patients. Harriet continued to be a teacher, friend, colleague and mentor at MSPP until she was too ill to continue in her multiple roles. “i am still learning from Harriet,” says Quinn Pertman, PsyD, “Things she told me years ago that i didn’t understand fully at the time, i now see as true.” Quinn often uses the word “trust” in describing her beloved former teacher. “Harriet had the insight, wisdom and skill to trust that i would find my own way of helping clients,” says Quinn. “She didn’t want me to do it her way. She wanted me to find something within me. She knew it was there and helped me trust myself as a therapist. She had the ability to keep an eye on the client’s needs and allow me to find my bearings at the same time.” “And, i knew i could trust Harriet to support me even as she was going through difficult times herself. She never forgot what i needed,” adds Quinn, who graduated in 2011 and is now doing post-doctoral work at Facing Cancer Together. “even after she was too sick to work, she was there at my doctoral colloquium presentation. it meant a lot to me.” Karen Fasciano, PsyD, feels Harriet’s impact in every dimension of her life. “in class, she taught me about women’s development, which enhanced my clinical skills and personal growth. As my supervisor, she gave honest, direct feedback, but, at the same time, it was always deeply compassionate and thoughtful,” says Karen, who graduated in 1996. “i feel like Harriet and i spoke a common language and that my professional life was modeled by her. She inspired me with her passion for helping people, especially people who were ill or dying from cancer. ‘You are not going to fix the situation’ she would say, ‘but you can try to give some insight that may help a person Remembering Dr. harriet Berman beloved teacher, mentor and friend To honor the memory of this remarkable voice for compassion and for extraordinary teaching, an anonymous donor has offered a Challenge grant. This generous donor will match every dollar made to the Harriet Berman Fund at MSPP before March 2, 2013. Later in the spring, MSPP will dedicate a classroom on campus in Dr. Berman’s honor. Please contact the Development office at 617-327-6777 x1419 to make a donation that will automatically double. Your kindness is greatly appreciated. adjust a little better.’ i learned that from her and use it every day in my work.” Harriet was passionate about her work in health psychology, especially psychooncology, and about teaching the next generation of psychologists at MSPP and at The Wellness Community of greater Boston. “My students,” she wrote, near the end of her life, “…the awe of starting a new career, their need for connection and their incredible urge to serve and to heal.” When Harriet was confronting her own death, “She taught me at her most vulnerable time, through her honesty, what it was really like to have cancer,” says Karen, who has chosen psycho-oncology as her specialty. She is now the director of Young Adult Mental Health at Dana Farber Cancer institute. “We all have a few people who have been important to us in more ways then they will ever know. For me, that person was Harriet Berman, and i am sure that is also true for many other people as well.” ◗ M s P P r a P P o rt 1 fa l l 2 0 1 2 1 1
Page 1 and 2: apport Volume 9 Issue 2 Fall 2012 A
Page 3 and 4: Moments can transform individuals.
Page 5 and 6: Panel speaker Chris Counihan, Direc
Page 7 and 8: i’m so glad i chose MSPP; i’ve
Page 9: Margaret (Maggie) Scofield and owen
Page 13 and 14: Honor Roll of Donors This list refl
Page 15 and 16: Jane Hobbs Sean Hopkinson Susan Hur

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