Diversity and Difference

Office of Multicultural Affairs Recognizes Cultural Ethnic Differences

Sasheen Hazel

Sasheen is a third year student in the Clinical PsyD and forensic program. Sasheen’s interests lie in providing psychological support and access to services in underserved communities of color, and other social justice issues.

Since entering MSPP Sasheen has taken advantage of many of the opportunities offered, including a service trip to New Orleans, attending the annual Multicultural Family Therapy conferences, and working with an MSPP alumna in co-facilitating a weekly community based cancer support group.

As a member of The APA Division 45, the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues Sasheen connects with mental health professionals of color, learns about opportunities for psychology students of color, and connects with other students of color in the field. Sasheen used her involvement with Division 45 to promote a similar network for students of color at MSPP. “I believe that the experience of ethnic minority students at MSPP is unique; thus specific networks of support are not only helpful but necessary.” After creating the formerly called, MSPP Students for Division 45, the group will now be a more informal mentoring and support based student group known as MSPP’s ALANAA group which stands for African, Latina, Asian, Native, and Arab American. “ALANAA” is MSPP’s derivative of the term “AHANA”, coined in 1979 at Boston College as a substitute for the term “minority”. “As our population of ALANAA students at MSPP grows, I hope that our ALANAA student group will continue to grow in its efforts to support one another.”

Lauren Hodge

Lauren is a first year student in the Clinical PsyD program. Her interest is working with refugee and international populations affected by trauma. “My passion for such work stems back to my experiences in Namibia, Africa where I volunteered at an elementary school for children affected by HIV/AIDS.” Lauren is MSPP’s APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethic Minority Issues) Representative, working to bring together MSPP students who are interested in topics related to ethnic minority issues. She will work with the ALANAA group to organize events, social outings, and a venue to discuss issues around diversity. For further questions about Division 45, please contact lauren_hodge@mspp.edu.

As a member of Division 45 students have the opportunity to present their ideas and research, receive updates on others’ work, and network with other members in addition to an annual conference and a variety of other resources.

Juliana Tseng

Juliana is a fourth-year student in the Clinical PsyD program. She is a first-generation U.S.-born Chinese American, and was born and raised in New York with her brother. Her parents immigrated to the States from China when they were young adults. Juliana's ethnic identity has greatly influenced her clinical framework and interaction with patients. Her clinical interest is "working with individuals on multicultural issues as they may be affecting their lives and using topics of culture in therapy to provide well-rounded care." Currently, Juliana is completing her doctoral project comparing Chinese American and European American views of parenting behaviors and motivations. Her current placement is at MIT's Medical Mental Health and Counseling Service where she works with "young adults of many diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds." Upon graduation, Juliana strives to work in college mental health with the hopes of providing therapeutic support to "young adults surrounding issues of identity formation and self-exploration."

In addition to her clinical interests, Juliana is actively involved with the newly formed MSPP ALANAA group. Reflecting on the Chinese New Year and the fact that many students are not able to be with their families during this important holiday, Juliana tells us that "the Chinese New Year represents a new beginning and a fresh start. It's a time to reconnect with loved ones and wish good fortune upon others for the upcoming year." Other than ALANNA, Juliana is a member of the Massachusetts Psychological Association (MPA) Student Group. Juliana has also worked with and currently volunteers for the Asian American Diabetes Initiative at the Joslin Diabetes Center

APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Ethic Minority Issues

The Society for the Psychology Study of Ethnic Minority Issues is the major representative body for psychologists who conduct research on ethnic minority concerns or who apply psychological knowledge and techniques to ethnic minority issues. The Division's purpose is to advance psychology as a science and to promote public welfare through research, to apply research findings towards addressing ethnic minority issues, and to encourage professional relationships among psychologists with these interests. It also represents ethnic minority concerns within the governance of the APA. www.apa.org

Contact Information

If you would like to be included in future profiles on this site, please contact Gretchen Nash at gretchen_nash@mspp.edu.

Updated 3/13/13