Meet Your SGA Executive Committee:

Matthew Witter—Co-Chair

I am very excited to be SGA Co-Chair this year. I am a 2nd year PsyD student and my practicum site is at Walden House. I work in a women's inpatient residential treatment center for individuals with substance abuse and many times a mental health disorder too. I am also a teaching assistant for Assessment, and part of the I-MERIT committee, Campus Action Committee, Rockway Queer Alliance, and Spirituality forums. I enjoy being active on campus and helping other students. My current dissertation topic is on the lived experiences of gay men with a noticeable physical disability. I hope to work with LGBT clients in some capacity in the future and obtain an LGBT Human Services and Health Certificate upon graduation. In my limited free time I enjoy watching sports (Go Giants!), as well as dancing, hiking, and bowling.

Katie McCarthy—Co-Chair

I am excited to be one of the SGA Co-Chairs for 2012-2013! I am a 3rd year PhD student, and I have held positions in SGA since my first-year (Financial Aid Rep and PhD Student Rep). I am happy to answer questions about ways to get involved in SGA and other organizations, both on and off campus. My first clinical practicum was at the Psychological Services Center in Oakland, CA, where I provided individual and group therapy to disadvantaged adolescents in a high school setting. My current practicum is at HealthRIGHT 360 (formerly Haight Ashbury Free Clinics – Walden House) in San Francisco, CA, where I provide individual and group therapy and skills-based groups to adults in recovery from co-occurring disorders. My clinical, research, and teaching interests include providing psychological assessments and evidence-based treatments to children and adolescents with mood, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. My hobbies include taking an active role in student and professional organizations, reading, writing, watching movies, listening to 80s and 90s music, attending festivals in the Bay Area, and spending time with friends and family.

Dominique Gougis—Communications Coordinator

I am a 4th year student in the PsyD program. I grew up in Chicago, completed my undergraduate degree at Lawrence University, and moved here for graduate school. I am currently completing my fourth practicum at Mission Mental Health, a community mental health clinic in the Mission. One of my career goals is to work in health psychology—I love working with the layered and holistic approach to overall well-being. In my free time, I enjoy stand-up comedy, TV and films on Netflix, vegan food, sports, meditation, and flash mobs. I am very excited to be a part of SGA, and I will do my best to voice the concerns of students. Many earlier year students have expressed a desire to connect with later-year students in the program. I am interested in helping to bring more peer support to earlier-year students. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about previous sites or experiences and I hope to meet you if I have not already

Tran Nguyen—Treasurer

I am Tran, a 3rd year PsyD student. I am very interested in multicultural issues and health psychology. I am doing my practicum at Highland Hospital, Alameda County Medical Center. My research is on communication about sexual preferences between partners. I am involved in the Listening to the Dragonflies project researching how models for behavioral change could improve the emotional and physical health of Phong Binh, a rural village in Vietnam. Faculty and students at CSPP Sacramento go back to Phong Binh once a year. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in any aspects of the research. I love exploring restaurants in San Francisco, from budget food to fancy restaurants. I also love hiking, practicing aikido, and watching movies.

Here are some other opporunities to get involved with the Alliant community:

I-MERIT
I-MERIT (International and Multicultural Education, Research, Intervention, and Training) serves as the home for the University’s diversity initiatives, which are aimed at institutionalizing multicultural and international values and perspectives in all of Alliant’s education and training programs and in its organizational culture. I-MERIT conducts open meetings on the first Tuesday of every month from 1-2 p.m. Direct questions to Sharla Pidd at spidd@alliant.edu or Maya Howe at mhowe@alliant.edu.

Latino Professional Development Forum
This group creates a safe space for the exploration of the Latino cultural identity and experience in effort to develop a multicultural skill set for self-understanding and the achievement of success in intercultural transactions as students and professionals. It uses a mentorship model to link students with Latino faculty and other culturally competent professional organizations. The aim is to support Latino students in successfully graduating and becoming active professionals and mentors in the community. Contact Elena Padron at epadron@alliant.edu.

Rockway Queer Alliance
The Rockway Queer Alliance began in 2006 with a mission to provide opportunities for social support and professional development to the LGBTQ students of Alliant and students concerned with LGBT issues. The name is borrowed from The Rockway Institute with the hope of strengthening the LGBTQ community at Alliant through student research, professional development and community networking events. Goals are to provide a supportive social environment, professional growth opportunities, resources for students impacted by LGBTQ cultural issues, and to advocate for the personal and academic advancement of Alliant students interested in LGBTQ issues. For questions contact members of the executive committee: Peter Madsen, Brendon Delaney, Alexis Petrakis, Michael Seely, Natasha Gintel.