Religion and spirituality are salient for many patients. Effective assessment of religious and spiritual beliefs and behaviors of a patient can help provide culturally competent service. This presentation give participants the opportunity to learn an assessment model and tailor it to their own style.

While we can easily give a one-star rating for a restaurant on Yelp and criticize the server who did a poor job, the profession of psychology looks for different behavior from its members. We'll look at the impact of social norms, and the impact of calling in rather than calling out on the development of professional relationships in the clinical and academic setting.

In this presentation, Dr. Wetterer will explore the educational and training prerequisites for police and public safety psychologists. The talk will encompass an examination of the diverse settings in which psychologists make significant contributions, including law enforcement agencies and crisis response teams. Furthermore, Dr. Wetterer will discuss the wide array of assessments and interventions used, with illustrative examples of pre-employment psychological evaluations and fitness-for-duty assessments. This informative presentation promises an in-depth exploration of the essential role these psychologists play in enhancing public safety.

The College of Psychology will be at UC Riverside’s Health Professions Information Day. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

A sixth-generation Californian, Dr. Jull-Patterson completed a master’s degree in counselor education with an emphasis in thanatological counseling at New York University.  He earned his PhD at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (APA accredited) with an internship (APA accredited) and post-doctoral fellowship at University of California, San Francisco in health psychology.  He is a licensed psychologist and a Certified Group Psychotherapist.

Dr. Jull-Patterson is on the Board of Directors of the California Psychological Association Division 2: Education and Training as well as the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association (Ethics Education Committee co-chair).  He is the immediate past chair of the CPA Ethics Committee and the CPA liaison to the APA’s Ethics Committee Task Force, which is responsible for a complete revision of our profession’s ethics code.  The APA Committee on Accreditation uses Dr. Jull-Patterson’s academic and programmatic experience through his participation as an accreditation site visitor.

Prior to moving to the Sacramento area, he was a clinical professor at the UCSF School of Medicine for 24 years. He received many teaching nominations and awards during that time—including being named Inspirational Teacher—and is inducted into the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.  His professional interests are in the areas of faculty development, ethics, social justice, the science of teaching and learning, and palliative care.

The College of Psychology will be at the University of Puget Sound’s Graduate Program College Fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

The College of Psychology will be at Sacramento State’s Spring 2024 Grad Fest. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

The College of Psychology will be at Sacramento State’s Spring 2024 Grad Fest. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

Come meet our community! The College of Psychology is pleased to invite you to our virtual Open House this week to meet our students, faculty, and deans while learning more about what our PsyD program has to offer. Come for an hour to meet us, get any questions answered, learn about our curriculum and training opportunities and hear first-hand why CNU might be the right program for you.

Dr. Craig Wetterer earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University (2015; APA Accredited) and an MA (2001) and BA (1996) in Psychology from the California State University,  Sacramento. Recently, Dr. Wetterer completed a postdoctoral master's degree in clinical psychopharmacology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. At CNU, he teaches personality assessment, psychometrics, adult psychopathology, and psychopharmacology courses, and his current research focus is involved in the development of a suicide risk scale for use in forensic settings. 

45% of licensed psychologists work in a private practice setting. While graduate school teaches us how to do therapy, most students learn nothing about how to start a private practice!

Join Dr. Mark Ettensohn, a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice for the last 11 years, for an overview of the basics:

• Effective Strategies: Dr. Ettensohn will cover strategies that are fundamental to establishing a robust practice.

• Building Timelines: Learn realistic timelines for practice growth and what milestones to anticipate.

• Understanding 'Full Time' Practice: Clarify what constitutes a 'full time' practice and the pathways to achieving it.

• Marketing Essentials: Learn tactful marketing and self-promotion techniques suitable for the psychology field.

• Navigating Insurance vs. Private Pay: Examine the nuances between insurance and private pay options to make informed decisions for your practice.

• Specializing Your Practice: Discover the significance of carving out a niche, enhancing your practice's appeal and effectiveness.

This presentation will be an invaluable introduction to the things you need to know about going into business for yourself.

Come meet our community! The College of Psychology is pleased to invite you to our virtual Open House this week to meet our students, faculty, and deans while learning more about what our PsyD program has to offer. Come for an hour to meet us, get any questions answered, learn about our curriculum and training opportunities and hear first-hand why CNU might be the right program for you.

Dr. Dobson earned her clinical psychology degree at Alliant International University in San Francisco, and Sacramento, CA. Her postdoc training included intensive training in court-ordered co-parenting therapy, Individual and family interventions and couples’ work. Dr. Dobson’s area of specialty includes transitional ages (home to college, college to career), human sexuality and gender issues. She has taught human sexuality at California Community colleges for nearly a decade and maintains a passionate advocacy for sexual, gender, reproductive and social justice for the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community. Dr. Dobson’s early research focused on using forgiveness as a therapeutic intervention, peace psychology and restorative justice.

In this insightful presentation, Dr. Wetterer will delve into the diverse settings within psychiatric inpatient facilities where clinical psychologists operate, highlighting their indispensable roles as key members of interdisciplinary treatment teams. The talk will illuminate the range of assessments and interventions employed by these professionals, emphasizing their contributions to patient care and recovery. Dr. Wetterer's engaging presentation will offer a comprehensive overview of the vital role clinical psychologists play in promoting mental health and well-being within the challenging context of inpatient psychiatric care.

Dr. Jull-Patterson and third year student, Kofi Adjepong, will be speaking about implicit bias; what defines it, how it can damage relationships (including therapy relationships), and what you can do to reduce its presence in your work and personal life. 

Come meet our community! The College of Psychology is pleased to invite you to our virtual Open House this week to meet our students, faculty, and deans while learning more about what our PsyD program has to offer. Come for an hour to meet us, get any questions answered, learn about our curriculum and training opportunities and hear first-hand why CNU might be the right program for you.

The College of Psychology will be at UC Santa Cruz’s Pre-Health School Fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

Weight stigma is pervasive and can be debilitating, given that our society remains stubbornly toxic towards individuals with larger bodies. A key factor is the erroneous belief that a larger body shape is a reflection of personal weakness, which supports the idea that weight stigma should motivate individuals to lose weight. In fact, the 70+ year trend of higher average weight is primarily caused by environmental factors, and weight stigma actually promotes weight gain in several important ways, in addition to numerous mental health consequences. Evidence will be presented and implications for providers discussed.

The College of Psychology is pleased to offer Virtual Open House dates throughout the year. Come learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

This presentation will discuss providing therapy to clients with neurodevelopmental disability such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability. An overview of factors that can impact therapy will be discussed as well as practical steps that can be taken to adapt therapeutic techniques.

Transitions are natural, and necessary for growth. This presentation will help students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels to consider best practices and perspectives, as well as current psychological theory, to position themselves to make these transitions well.

Come take a tour of the CNU College of Psychology campus located in Rancho Cordova, CA right outside the state capital, Sacramento. You'll get the chance to see on-campus resources for students, meet some of our faculty, and experience the close-knit community of CNU PSY!

The College of Psychology will be at UC Santa Cruz’s graduate school fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

Families, providers, hospitals, and health care systems are experiencing a behavioral health crisis putting the wellness of our youth at stake. On April 20, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsome declared May 1-7 “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week” acknowledging that the mental health and opioid use disorder crisis gripping our state and nation takes its heaviest toll among our youngest. This is to introduce a series of trainings on responding to the youth mental health crisis and the need for behavioral health services indicated in the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment in the Sacramento Region. There will be three sessions: 1) the neurobiology of adolescent cravings and social media; 2) Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT), and 3) guidance for clinicians and parents to foster resiliency for youth navigating social media.

The College of Psychology will be at the APA virtual graduate school fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

The College of Psychology will be at UC Riverside’s graduate school fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

Dr. Jason Lillis received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. He is an associate professor at California Northstate University, where he teaches and mentors doctoral students. In addition, he has worked for 10+ years an NIH grant-funded research scientist and faculty member at the Brown Medical School and the Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, where he has been awarded 6 federally funded grants. Dr. Lillis has more than 70 publications and 3 books and is considered a leading researcher of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness and acceptance-based CBT intervention for treating mental and behavioral health issues. He was one of the first certified ACT therapists in the world by the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science. He has participated in Study Group for the National Institutes of Health and is currently the Chair of the Grants Committee for the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science. Much of his research has focused on applying acceptance and mindfulness-based strategies for health behavior change in the areas of weight management, physical activity, and diabetes management. In addition, he has conducted numerous studies on the issue of weight stigma, its consequences, and its behavioral manifestations.

The College of Psychology will be at UC Davis’s graduate school fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

The College of Psychology will be at CSU Sacramento’s graduate school fair. Stop by and learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!

The College of Psychology is pleased to offer Virtual Open House dates throughout the year. Come learn more about what our Psy.D. program has to offer!