During Mental Health Awareness Month, Palo Alto University (PAU), dedicated to psychology and counseling, is convening a host of experts to examine two pressing mental health issues: the children's mental health crisis that is impacting children and families nationwide and the issue of policing and mental health as it relates to the work that police departments everywhere are doing to revamp the way officers respond to mental health calls.
The discussions will be presented live and online and are free and open to the public. A question-and-answer session will follow each discussion. Also, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Palo Alto University is offering a host of free online mental health and wellness resources to help individuals navigate self-help and mental health support.
"Palo Alto University addresses society's most pressing and emerging mental health issues through research and training in psychology and counseling," says PAU President Maureen O'Connor. "During Mental Health Awareness Month, we invite the public to join us in these important discussions as they relate to the mental health and well-being of children and the safety of the communities in which we live and to take advantage of our free on-line resources."
About the Panel Discussions
May 17, 2022, 11 a.m. (PST)
Good Treatment Matters: Mitigating the Crisis in Children's Mental Health
Recently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of national experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine, recommended that children between 8 and 18 be screened for anxiety. This call to action follows the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA), sounding the alarm on a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. This panel discussion moderated by Dr. Robert D. Frieberg, head of PAU's Pediatric Behavioral Health program, will discuss the issues and approaches to addressing this crisis in children's mental health.
The panelists include:
- Jennifer Paternostro, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is a pediatric psychologist in Iowa City, IA. She is clinical faculty at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. She specializes in assessing and treating youth with chronic medical conditions using a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework. Dr. Paternostro is also co-editor with Dr. Robert Friedberg on their book titled "Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Medical Conditions."
- Erica Rozmid, Ph.D., ACT, is a Los Angeles-based Clinical Psychologist practicing in California, Colorado, and Rhode Island. She specializes in working with children, adolescents, and adults using: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Exposure Therapy.
- Micaela Thordarson, Ph.D., is a clinical child psychologist and the program supervisor for a DBT intensive outpatient program at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange, CA.
- Michael Tompkins, Ph.D., ABPP, is a licensed psychologist and board-certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, and is the author of Zero to 60: A Teen's Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger and Everyday Irritations.
About the Moderator
Robert Friedberg, Ph.D., ABPP, is a licensed psychologist focusing on children, adolescents, and families. He is recognized as one of the leading experts in applying Aaron T. Beck's model of cognitive therapy to children. Beck's approach is considered the gold standard psychosocial intervention for various psychiatric conditions. Friedberg is Board Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Clinical Child Psychology, Div.53), and the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. He is the author of twelve books and numerous scholarly articles.
May 18, 2022, 11 a.m. (PST)
On the Front Lines: Policing and Mental Health
The murder of George Floyd in 2020 sparked widespread demand for police reforms. Nationwide, police departments are working on revamping how officers respond to mental health calls. As a result, more police departments are teaming with mental health clinicians-including psychologists out in the field or behind the scenes via crisis intervention training.
Moderator
Patricia Zapf is a forensic clinical psychologist and Vice President for Continuing and Professional Studies at Palo Alto University.
The panelists include:
- Robert Jonsen, Palo Alto, CA, Chief of Police / CCT Certified Teacher / UCLA MARC trained Mindfulness Facilitator
- Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D., aka The Cop Doc. Dr. Kirschman's specialty is treating first responders, cops, and firefighters suffering from work-related traumatic stress.
- Dr. Mark Kamena, Ph.D., ABPP, is board certified in police and public service psychology. He teaches at the Wright Institute in First Responder Psychology.
