Welcome to the Division 52 Student Member Page!

Dear Division 52 Student Members,

As we embark on a new year filled with possibilities and opportunities, it brings me great joy to assume the role of the Student Chair of Division 52. I am excited to see where we go this year. I would like to take this chance to tell you a little bit about me and my goals for next year.

First, a little about me. I am a 4th year Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate at Fairleigh Dickinson University. I was born in Bangalore, India, and lived there between the ages of 9 to 18. I have a deep commitment to global mental health, have worked with the international rescue committee, and my research is focused on cultural variations in risk factors for suicide.

I hope to encourage more student engagement in the division this year. Currently, we have dedicated students contributing to various committees such as the Handbook Committee, the Webinar Committee, and the Women’s Committee. Their efforts are invaluable, and I extend my gratitude to each of them. However, our strength lies in our unity, and I encourage more students to join Division 52 committees. Your unique perspectives and skills will undoubtedly enrich our initiatives.

My commitment is to transform our division into a welcoming and open space for students to interact, learn, and form global connections. I invite each of you to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or if you wish to play a more active role in our division. Your involvement is pivotal to the success of our collective mission.

Let us seize the opportunities that this new year brings, working hand in hand to make a positive impact on global psychology. Together, we can create a community that thrives on collaboration, support, and a shared passion for mental health.

Thank you for your dedication, and I look forward to an inspiring year ahead.

Neha Srinivas M.A.
Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Candidate
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Nehasrinivas16@gmail.com

 

Meet the Elected Division 52 Student Leadership

Neha Srinivas

2024 Student Chair
Neha is a fourth year in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Originally from India, Neha is passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health issues and violence against women in the country.  She is an incoming extern at the Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience, and Recovery at Northwell Health in New York. Previously she was a Clinical Psychology extern at the International Rescue Committee, conducting individual and group therapy for refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and South America. Her other clinical experiences include providing individual therapy and psychological assessments to marginalized populations at FDU’s Center for Psychological Services and as a School-Based Mental Health Clinician. She has a clinical interest in crisis and trauma work with adolescents and young adults.  Her research interests are within the field of global mental health and specifically focus on cultural variations in psychopathology and how stigma affects the risk, prevention, and intervention of psychological disorders. Her dissertation focuses on investigating cultural variations in risk factors for suicide ideation by cultural orientation.

Olivia Mounet

2024 Student Chair-Elect

Upcoming Division 52 Student Events

 

Get Involved

Please let us know if you are interested in joining any of the following Division 52 Committees or Special Interest Groups:

  • Advocacy Committee
  • Awards Committee
  • Convention and Programming Committee
  • Curriculum & Training Committee
  • Early Career Professional (ECP) Committee
  • Immigration and Refugees Special Interest Group
  • International Committee for Cross Cultural Research
  • International Committee for Women
  • International Environmental Justice Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Newsletter/International Psychology Bulletin Committee
  • Science Committee
  • Student Committee
  • Webinar Committee
  • Website and Social Media Committee

We also welcome students to join the Division 52 Student Committee. A list of current student initiatives can be found below. If you are interested in becoming more involved with Division 52, please email Erinn Cameron at ecameron@email.fielding.edu.

Join Division 52 Student Listserv and Follow Division News On Social Media

Div52 STU Listserv: We invite you to join the division’s student listserv so that you can stay up-to-date on student news and communicate with international colleagues.

Division 52 Facebook Group: Join us on Facebook to further connect with fellow members.

Division 52 Twitter: Be sure to keep up with division updates by following Division 52 on Twitter.

APA Division 52  Awards with Special Student Categories

Please consider applying for one of the following Division 52 awards:

International-Related Funding Opportunities for Students

International-Related Resources for Students

Fellowship, Study, Volunteer, Work, and Immersion Experiences Abroad

Current Division 52 Student Initiatives

Recruitment and Retention

Our hope for this year and subsequent years is to make Division 52 a place of professional collaboration and belonging for students across the globe. As we do so, recruitment and retention efforts are important for us to ensure that every student is warmly welcomed into our division and feels a sense of belonging. We are currently offering 10-free Division 52 Student Membership Needs-Based Scholarships for International Students both within and outside the U.S.!

Programming and Networking

Student programming within the Division continues to highlight cross-cultural collaborations with fellow APA divisions and international organizations/ associations so that we can provide students with comprehensive global programming and opportunities to connect with peers in different regions of the world.

Student Webinar and Dine and Discuss Recordings – 2021 follow this link to access the archived Student Webinar Series and Dine and Discuss recordings from 2021.

International Research Database

In 2021, the Student Committee developed an International Research Database, which is a collection of the names of various online research databases located in different countries across the globe. Our goal was to highlight the utility of using these databases when designing and conducting cross-cultural research studies, rather than solely relying on research databases in the United States. We hope these resources will provide individuals with greater access and insight into important global databases with the goal of facilitating further internationalization in the field of psychology.

The below flyer includes the names and links to a collection of global databases, as well as a direct link to a Google Form (https://bit.ly/3ppwfdA) that anyone can edit. If you know of databases that are not included in this resource, please feel free to add the information to the Google Form. We are greatly appreciative of every individual who contributed to this project.

Current Student Committee Members

(Not pictured: Gunjan Bansal, Megan Hall, Stylianos Syropoulos, and Guolin Zhang)

Aashna Banerjee (she/her) is pursuing her Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Ball State University in Indiana. Originally from India, Aashna currently serves on the student committee for Division 52, the newsletter team for Division 48, and is the student member for Section for Advancement of Women in Division 17. Aashna’s clinical work strives towards the liberation and empowerment of diverse clientele. Additionally, her research focuses on the intersection between international psychology, counseling psychology, and peace psychology. Currently, she is developing her dissertation and hopes to use positive psychology principles to reduce sexual violence amongst women in India.

Emily Lutringer is a Ph.D. candidate in International Psychology, Trauma specialization at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is also a licensed counselor and registered play therapist and co-founded a transformational anti-racism organization. Her primary research interests are in decolonial and indigenous psychologies, and issues pertaining to refugees and youth. She hopes for a career in developing international study abroad experiences that develop deep cultural competencies and address social justice issues.

Kat Becker is a Ph.D. student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Denver and a Graduate Research Assistant through Morgridge College of Education. Clinically, Kat finds great meaning in providing LGBTQIA+ affirming care with an intersectional approach and working with clients experiencing concerns around addiction, trauma, chronic health conditions, and grief and loss. Kat takes an Existential approach to psychotherapy, which overlaps with their research interests. Kat hopes to practice, live, and grow while embracing international approaches to psychology.

Stephanie Elizabeth Beckman

Stephanie Elizabeth Beckman is a Ph.D. student in International Psychology with a concentration in Organizations and Systems at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. They are the 2021 recipient of the Jean Lau Chin Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in International Leadership Contributions from APA Division 52, International Psychology. They serve as the Director for Student and Early Career Membership in APA Division 48, Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence. They work at Madison College in Madison, WI, USA as Full-time Faculty (English/ Business Communications), Equity & Inclusion Co-chair, and International Academic Fellow. Stephanie’s research examines organizational contributions to individual and community peace and healing in Bogotá, Colombia.

Ana Hill

Ana Hill, M.A. (she/her/ella) is a doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Georgia. She is currently in her fourth year of the program and will soon begin an APA-accredited Health Services Psychology internship in August 2021. Ana’s research interests are related to cross-cultural topics such as ethnic identity development, language and culture, bicultural and multiculturalism, Latinx self-categorization theories, clinical supervision, cross-cultural mentorship, and the globalization of clinical mental health services worldwide. For fun, Ana enjoys running outside, playing sports, hiking, reading, and loving on her two cats.

Rita M. Rivera, M.S.

Rita M. Rivera, MS, CTP, is pursuing a Psy.D. in clinical psychology at Albizu University in Florida. She is past Chair of the Florida Psychological Association of Graduate Students (FPAGS) and Chair of the Higher Education working group of the APA’s Interdivisional COVID-19 Taskforce. She is a writer for APA’s Society of Counseling Psychology-SCP Connect Team and her Psychology Today blog, “Physio & Psych.” Her areas of interest include fields that explore the relationship between physiology and mental health, particularly among minority and underserved populations. Rita has clinical experience working with Hispanic/Latinx patients and high-risk populations both in the United States and in her home country, Honduras.

Mengqing Shang is a first-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Ball State University. She is interested in the indigenization of psychotherapy, Buddhism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Before entering the counseling field, Mengqing was in a MA/Ph.D. program in cultural anthropology, where she focused on psychological and medical anthropology and researched the indigenization of psychotherapy in contemporary China.

Neha Srinivas (she/her/hers) is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Originally from India, Neha’s clinical work includes working with marginalized populations and specializing in trauma work with adolescents and young adults. As a member of FDU’s Stigma and Trauma Mental Health lab, her research interests are within the field of global mental health and specifically focus on cultural variations in psychopathology and how stigma affects the risk, prevention, and intervention of psychological disorders. Neha is currently a member of the Division 52 Student Committee, the Global Student Psychology Committee, the American Association of Suicidology, and the Global Psychosocial Network.

Hayoung Kim is a Ph.D. student in Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development at Boston University. Hayoung’s previous articles and current works focus on suicide, social support, and future-readiness of adolescents and emerging adults with a cross-cultural approach. She is also particularly passionate about applying quantitative methods (machine learning, multi-level approach, longitudinal analysis) to advocate for and support youth at risk.

Janine M. Ray is a 2nd-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University. She is a clinical counsellor and art therapist in private practice in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. Janine’s clinical work and research focus on women and her dissertation research addresses transgender youth and their experiences. She is primarily interested in supporting gender diversity, sexual-preference minorities, borderline disorder, and minority stress.

Division 52 Student Committee 2021 Year-In-Review

With 2022 marking Division 52’s 25th Anniversary, we invite you to celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of our Student Committee throughout the 2021 year via our 2021 Year-In-Review Newsletter.