Leighna N. Harrison, M.S.

Academic Affiliation
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology Palo Alto University 1791 Arastradero Road Palo Alto, CA 94304 Email: lharrison@paloaltou.edu

EDUCATION
2009 Present Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University Palo Alto, CA Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology (expected 2015) Advisor: Leonard Beckum, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, Culture Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies Universidade Catlica do Salvador Salvador, Bahia, Brazil Semester Abroad, Philosophy and Brazilian Studies

2002 2006

LANGUAGES
Spanish Portuguese Advanced speaking, reading & writing Intermediate speaking, reading & writing

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
08/13 Present Student Therapist, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System Menlo Park, CA VA-based 90-day residential treatment program for veterans with substance use disorders and dual diagnoses. Clinical responsibilities: provide individual cognitivebehavioral therapy and case management; co-lead classes and group therapy; facilitate occasional staff meetings; complete risk assessments and develop safety plans; administer brief psychological screens, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental Status Exam; work with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, recreation therapists, and paraprofessional addiction counselors; participate in program evaluation and improvement. Supervisor: Timothy Ramsey, Ph.D. 08/13 Present Student Therapist, Community Health Awareness Council Mountain View, CA Community mental health clinic servicing adults, adolescents, children, and families. Clinical responsibilities: provide individual cognitive-behavioral therapy in Spanish with monolingual Spanish-speaking clients; utilize projective techniques in working with child and adolescent clients (e.g. sand drawing, house-tree-figure); complete risk assessments and develop safety plans; participate in individual and group supervision in Spanish; receive didactic training. Supervisor: Elisabet Revilla, Ph.D.

2
09/11 03/12; 01/13 11/13 Student Therapist, Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System San Jose, CA Hospital-based outpatient, community mental health, and inpatient clinics servicing adult and older adult African Americans, Caucasians, Asian Americans, and Latinos. Clinical responsibilities: conducted individual cognitive-behavioral therapy in English and Spanish; co-led group psychotherapy; administered neuropsychological and psychological assessments in English and Spanish, including the RBANS, WASI, PAI, BSI, Trails A&B, and COGNISTAT Subtests; conducted assessment feedback sessions to discuss evaluation results and treatment recommendations; provided milieu therapy and psychoeducation to migrant farm workers as part of a mobile clinic; participated in grand rounds; worked with a multidisciplinary team of primary care physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. Supervisors: Ginny Estupinian, Ph.D. & Charles Preston, Ph.D. 04/12 12/12 Student Therapist, Fundacin Aigl Buenos Aires, Argentina Private outpatient clinic servicing Argentinean children, adolescents, and adults. Conducted individual cognitive-behavioral co-therapy in Spanish; observed live intake interviews through one-way mirror and close-feed camera loop; received didactic training; participated in supervision groups for adult, child and family therapists; assisted in clinical and support work at local hospitals, specifically in the palliative care and neonatal units. Supervisor: Edith Vega, Ph.D. 09/10 06/11 Student Therapist, The Gronowski Center: A Community Clinic for Psychological Services Palo Alto University, Los Altos, CA University-based community outpatient clinic servicing children, adolescents, families, and adults. Provided cognitive-behavioral therapy with individual adult and couples clients; conducted semi-structured telephone and in-person intake interviews; administered psychological screening assessments; completed risk assessments and developed safety plans; received supervision of video review of clinical interactions; participated in case conferences. Supervisor: Jennifer McCollum, Ph.D.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
09/10 Present Dissertation: An Analysis of the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide with African American Adults This study utilizes a recently developed measure, the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide (CARS; Chu et al., 2013), to investigate cultural variations of suicidal behavior in suicidal vs. non-suicidal African Americans. Proposal Defended: September 2013 Anticipated Final Defense: Spring 2014 Chair: Leonard Beckum, Ph.D. Committee Members: Joyce Chu, Ph.D. and Alinne Barrera, Ph.D.

Leighna N. Harrison Leighna N. Harrison

3
09/10 Present Research Assistant, Multicultural Suicide Research Center Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA Research project involving the development of an online database for culturally-based suicide risk and protective factors. Duties: generate a comprehensive literature review on suicide in the African American population; recruit participants; collect data; analyze data using SPSS. Principal Investigator: Joyce Chu, Ph.D. 9/10 05/13 Research Assistant, Trauma, Dissociation & PTSD Research Group Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA Research project validating the psychometric properties of the Race-Related Events Scale (RES, Waelde et. al., 2010). Duties: recruited participants; facilitated online and in-person data collection; managed subject pool; analyzed data using SPSS. Principal Investigator: Lynn Waelde, Ph.D. 06/12 01/13 Research Assistant, OCD: Narratives of the International Intrusive Thoughts Interview Schedule, Research Consortium on Internal Fears (RCIF), Latin American Group Fundacin Aigl, Buenos Aires, Argentina International research study investigating thematic differences in intrusive thoughts. Duties: translated Argentinean participant narratives from Spanish to English. Principal Investigator: Fernando Garcia, Ph.D. 09/10 03/12 Research Assistant, Meditation & Psychotherapy Research Group Stanford University; Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA NIH-funded research project investigating hypnotic trance and mindfulness meditation through functional MRI brain scans at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Duties: administered consent forms; administered and scored the Hypnotic Induction Profile and neuropsychological batteries (Wisconsin Card Sort, Delis-Kaplan Trail Making Test, and Conners Continuous Performance Test); assisted in screening and scanning subjects for fMRI analyses. Principal Investigator: Lynn Waelde, Ph.D.

PRESENTATIONS
Prado Abril, J., Harrison, L.N., Sanchez Reales, S., Cabellero Palaez, C., Ben-Bouchta, S., & Garcia Campayo, J. (July, 2013). Relationship between clinical severity and dysfunctional beliefs in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Presented at the 7th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Lima, Peru. Prado Abril, J., Garcia Campayo, J., & Harrison, L.N. (July, 2013) Effectiveness of cognitiveinterpersonal therapy in personality disorders: two single cases analyzed. Presented at the 7th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Lima, Peru. Delorefice, A.R., Pan, I.C., Gruen, J., Harrison, L.N., Fett, A., & Waelde, L.C. (February, 2013). Gender moderates ethnic differences in exposure to race-related events. Presented at the 3rd Cross Cultural Health Care Conference, Honolulu, HI. Pan, I.C., Delorefice, A.R., Harrison, L.N., Gruen J., & Waelde, L.C. (November, 2011). Ethnic differences in exposure to race-related stressors. Poster presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Baltimore, MD.
Leighna N. Harrison Leighna N. Harrison

4
Waelde, L.C., Pan, I.C., Delorefice, A.R., Gruen, J., & Harrison, L.N. (November, 2011). Perceptions of racist environment and race-related PTSD. In B. Ghafoori (Chair) Racism, psychological distress, and treatment seeking in racially and ethnically diverse trauma survivors. Symposium conducted at the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, Baltimore, MD. Harrison, L.N., Chu. J., Bongar, B., & Goldblum, P. (October, 2011). Minority stress and ethnic group differences in assessing risk for suicide. Poster presented at the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention 2011 Conference: New Conversations on Suicidality, Vancouver, Canada. Harrison, L.N., Chu. J., Bongar, B., & Goldblum, P. (August, 2011). A culturally relevant assessment of risk factors for suicide in an African American adult population. Poster presented at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C. Borgueta, A.M., Hall, M., & Harrison, L.N. (April, 2011). Pathways to identity in multiracial individuals. Panel presented at Deconstructing Diversity in the Bay Area, Santa Clara, CA. Harrison, L.N. (December, 2006). Here inside: the life of a Brazilian domestic worker. Documentary film presented at Culture in Motion, The New School, New York, NY. Harrison, L.N. (November, 2006). Here inside: the life of a Brazilian domestic worker. Documentary film presented at the Pacific Coast Conference on Latin American Studies, CSU-Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.

SPECIALIZED TRAINING
09/10 Present Academic Emphasis in Diversity and Community Mental Health Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA Doctoral curriculum designed to educate students in the provision of psychological services within the public mental health sector. Competency areas: theories and models of community mental health; philosophies of wellness, recovery, and consultation; vulnerable minority populations; cultural competence; mental health disparities; discrimination and stigma reduction; organizational, economic, advocacy, and policy issues; program evaluation; organizational research. Director: Joyce Chu, Ph.D. 06/13 06/13 The Essentials of Motivational Interviewing & Harnessing Your Clients Energy and Drive to Promote Change CMI Education Institute, San Francisco, CA Two-day seminar focusing on the fundamentals of motivational interviewing. Competency areas: theory and basic principles of motivational interviewing (MI); client-centered counseling skills; the integration of MI with other clinical approaches. Facilitator: Raymond Tafrate, Ph.D. 07/11 08/11 Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion Program Alliant University, Mexico City, Mexico Four-week immersion training in working with international and multicultural populations. Activities: Spanish courses tailored to topics in psychology for mental health workers; site visits to local clinics; dialogue on applying systems theory to local and global settings; engagement with indigenous healers and alternative healing practices; home-stay with local Mexican family. Director: Jason Platt, Ph.D.
Leighna N. Harrison Leighna N. Harrison

5 LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
02/13 07/13 Event Coordinator, Simposio Tapas y Vino: A discussion on the advancement of Palo Alto Universitys Internet-based interventions in Latin America The 7th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Lima, Peru Newsletter Editor, Dialogues: The Newspaper for the Students of Ethnic and Cultural Awareness Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

2009 2011

SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS, AND HONORS

2011 Diversity and Community Mental Health Scholarship of the Mental Health Services Act Prop 63, $20,772 Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA Students for Ethnic and Cultural Awareness APA Travel Award Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA Undergraduate Deans Honors List: Six quarters University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

2011 2006

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
2010 Present American Psychological Association, Student Affiliate Member Division 9: Psychological Study of Social Issues, Student Affiliate Member Division 27: Community Research and Action, Student Affiliate Member Division 45: Ethnic Minority Issues, Student Affiliate Member California Psychological Association, Student Affiliate Member The Association of Black Psychologists, Student Affiliate Member

2011 Present 2013 Present

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
11/13 11/13 Learning Partner Program to Cuba, American Psychological Association Havana, Cuba Participant in APA-sponsored learning trip to Cuba focused on the Cuban health care system. Activities: meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Public Health to discuss health psychology in the Cuban system; visits to community-based primary care and behavioral health care clinics; engagement with mental health professionals involved in post-graduate work and community-based research. Trip Leader: Suzanne Bennett Johnson, Ph.D., Past APA President

WORK EXPERIENCE
03/13 07/13 Research Consultant, Catalyst Resources San Mateo, CA User interface design company for mission critical software applications. Duties: optimized software usability via human behavior research on issues of disaster response and psychological reactions to fear and distress. Supervisor: Paul Giurata, Managing Partner & Lead Solution Architect
Leighna N. Harrison Leighna N. Harrison