Staff

By: Nathan Long, President, Saybrook University

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reportedly affects approximately 7.7 million American adults, with members of the military as one of the high-risk groups. After experiencing severe trauma or life-threatening events, the mind and body will either go into mobilization mode (fight-or-flight) or immobilization. When the nervous system is unable to return to its normal state of balance, PTSD occurs. Depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders are often connected to instances of PTSD, particularly for veterans returning from war.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the reported cases of PTSD are jarring and continue to rise. A range of 12 to 30 percent of veterans were diagnosed with PTSD in a given year, including those from Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), the Gulf War (Desert Storm), and the Vietnam War.

Susan Quaglietti, who is currently in the Ph.D. in Psychology: Creativity Studies Specialization program at Saybrook, has been a nurse since 1978 and identified a need to do something creative to help the mental state of veterans.

The 2016 film “Visions of Warriors”—showing at the Vail Film Festival on March 31 and April 1, and the 15th Oakland International Film Festival on April 5—features Quaglietti’s work to develop the Veteran Photo Recovery Project, which uses photography to help veterans cope with PTSD and other mental illness diagnoses.

Our team sat down with her to discuss her background, her most memorable moments with veterans in the program, and what drew her to Saybrook later in life. Read the full interview here.

By Dr. Michele Nealon-Woods, President of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post 11/16/2016 

While many of us need time to absorb the cacophony of messages that emanated from our recent general election cycle, as psychologists and behavioral health specialists, it is incumbent upon us to remain focused, help to heal the divide, and create a positive dialogue among our families, friends and communities.

Those of us who are also leaders have an enormous responsibility, as well as the potential to set a tone of acceptance, mutual understanding, and emotional resilience in our respective organizations, all of which are microcosms of society as a whole. We must make certain that we provide a safe environment for dialogue among people whose individual circumstances have led to viewpoints that differ widely. We must be prepared to listen, and to encourage others to listen, to one another. We must understand who we are—individually and collectively—and how we got to where we are today. We must encourage the honest exercise of our first amendment rights, including the right to peacefully protest, but adamantly discourage rhetoric that either directly or indirectly smacks of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, intolerance and hatred.

Fear can do irreparable damage to our national psyche and to the emotional well-being of each of us. It is contagious, eating away at our sense of security and engendering a pervasive uncertainty about what tomorrow will bring. It takes a toll on our health and our relationships, and it affects us—sometimes more than we realize—at home and at work.

Each of us must play a role in guiding the conversation that will inevitably surround us in the months and years ahead. We can open our minds to the diverse perspectives that have led us to where we are now. We can choose our words carefully, even when our cautious rhetoric does not completely reflect our own thoughts and anxieties.

Those of us who have the privilege to serve in leadership positions have a special responsibility to create environments that are supportive and respectful. We must make certain that everyone in our organizations feels valued and respected for who they are, and that all groups are given equal opportunity in the workplace, allowing them to attain their highest achievements.

As President of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology—a university committed to ensuring the mental health and emotional resilience of individuals everywhere—I have boundless faith in our nation and in each other. There are times—and this is one of them—when we need to work harder to ensure that we remain united. We can do it by keeping our minds open and helping one another as we work together to bridge the gaps that divide us.

On the eve of Education Beyond Borders: A Faculty-Led Study Abroad Course to Cuba—where students will have the opportunity to witness first-hand how the Cuban legal and political systems function—Professor Jared Carter discusses the implications of the incoming U.S. administration regarding the decades-long trade embargo with Cuba.

By Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law Adjunct Professor, Jared Carter, J.D.

Cuba and U.S. Relations Are at a Crossroads

In recent years, we’ve seen a historic shift in U.S. law and policy. A normalization of relations is underway and more Americans are traveling to Cuba than at any time in nearly 60 years. For these reasons alone, it is a fantastic time to visit and study in Cuba.

However, with a new administration taking the reins, Cuba experts have serious legal and policy questions about whether the “thawing” of U.S./Cuba relations will continue. The Trump administration’s posture has moved back and forth between isolation and engagement—both of which will have real impact on the lives of Cubans and Americans. Adding to the uncertainty, Rex Tillerson, the President-elect’s nominee for Secretary of State, recently indicated that the new administration does intend to review President Obama’s policy on Cuba.

In order to understand the future of the legal framework that governs U.S./Cuba relations it is important to first reflect on how we got to where we are today.

The United States Embargo Against Cuba

On a blustery, fall day in 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower decreed that all exports to the island nation of Cuba were prohibited. Less than three weeks later President Kennedy was elected and Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act authorizing Kennedy to expand the embargo to include a ban on all Cuban imports. The story goes that just before banning all Cuban imports, Kennedy sent his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, to purchase 1,000 Cuban cigars from the country. And, while Kennedy perhaps had no way of knowing it at the time, that purchase represented one of the last unregulated trades between Cuba and the United States.

Just under 90 miles from the U.S., Cuba’s people, products, arts, and culture have long been virtually off-limits to United States citizens. For this reason, President Obama’s recent announcement that Cuba and the United States will resume normal diplomatic relations under the Vienna Convention is both significant and historic.

Not only did these changes mean that Cuba was removed from the dubious “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list, but it also paved the way for legal travel, trade, and exchange. Before President Obama’s announcement, only those few individuals who held specific licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department were allowed to travel to the island. Under the new regulatory regime, many travelers will no longer have to ask permission from the Treasury Department to visit Cuba.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Legally, we still are not permitted to visit Cuba for vacation—a week at the beach is still illegal under the Trading with the Enemy Act and its associated regulatory regime. However, cultural people-to-people visits and academic travel are now allowed pursuant to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Cuban Asset Control Regulations. The result has been an influx of U.S. travelers and investment.

I’ve been leading academic trips to Cuba for a while now, and many changes are already visible—hotels are full, the restaurant industry is booming, and small-scale entrepreneurs are taking advantage of relaxed Cuban laws that now allow for small businesses and co-ops.

Through engagement we can learn from each other. For example, Cubans can learn from Americans about sustainable development, business law, or private enterprise while teaching us a thing or two about how to feed, house, and provide health care to our entire population at a fraction of our current costs. If both countries continue down the path toward a free exchange of ideas and information, it can have a real impact—economically and socially.

To be sure, this historic change in law and policy will face roadblocks along the way. There will be legal setbacks and political false starts, and at times progress will be clouded by the uncertainty of politics. However, by engaging in citizen-to-citizen diplomacy—no matter who is the President—I’ve found that travelers to Cuba invariably return home with the unmistakable conviction that we are more alike than we are different.

And that’s good policy.

Education Beyond Borders: A Faculty-Led Study Abroad Course to Cuba

This course provides an introduction to the law and legal system of Cuba. Through an intensive ten-day study-abroad experience in Havana, Cuba, students will attend lectures and seminars led by Colleges of Law faculty and faculty from the University of Havana School of Law, visit municipal courts, engage with Cuban law students, and visit the Cuban national bar association.

To learn more about Education Beyond Borders: Cuba, or how the Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law prepares graduates for successful careers in law-related fields through a collaborative learning environment, visit www.collegesoflaw.edu

Preparing next gen nursing professionals to provide care today’s patients and health care providers demand.

By: Dallas Nursing Institute Dean, Gwen Gaston MSN, RN

When the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress in 2010, it was a step in the right direction. It meant that health care providers could no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and every American, regardless of employment status, would have access to affordable health care.

However, as a national survey illustrates, one of the most important ingredients for quality patient care is still a work in progress—compassion.

While 800 recently hospitalized patients and 510 physicians agreed that compassionate care is important, only 53 percent of patients and 58 percent of physicians surveyed said the current health care system delivers.

As a nursing professional with more than 20 years of experience in health care, I knew exactly what they were talking about. Having worked on the front lines, I’ve seen what a dose of compassion can do for patients and their families.

So while the ACA has been beneficial on many levels, I know we can do better. Because the fact of the matter is, you cannot legislate compassion. But you can work to create the conditions so that compassionate care is a priority for both health care systems at large and individual practitioners.

If you think about it, most health care or hospital environments are cold and sterile places for patients who, by virtue of being there, are likely at their most vulnerable. Receiving care from a practitioner who treats them with compassion, warmth, and empathy is proven to make all the difference in patient satisfaction.

To me, that’s just common sense.

However, as I tell our students at DNI, there is a difference between sympathy and empathy—whether it’s for the patient in crisis or the family coping with the aftermath. I experienced this myself, first hand, when I was a nurse working in the intensive care unit of a Detroit hospital.

Mother to Mother: A Compassionate Call

It’s a night I will never forget. A 19-month-old child had been taking a bath with his two siblings, ages 6 and 3. The 14-year-old babysitter stepped out of the room, the 19-month old put his mouth on the spigot, and it got stuck. He had suffocated on the water, and the minute I saw that child, I knew he was not going to make it.

All I could think about was the mother, who was hysterical witnessing this tragedy play out before her eyes. As a nurse and a mom, I knew what needed to happen. I couldn’t let that child die in a hospital bed.

Everyone on the floor was saying to me, there’s no way this mother can hold this child in this condition. He was hooked up to about 20 IVs. It didn’t seem possible. But I was determined. “There’s no way this mom cannot hold this child,” I remember saying. “I’m going to make it happen.”

And I did. She got to hold him, she got to grieve, and she had the privilege of watching this child take his last breath. Yes, she sobbed, and yes, it was horrendous, but that act of compassion was the first step in her recovery.

Compassionate Care Index Unveiled

In 2011, a year after the ACA passed into law, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare was founded in part to advocate for the inclusion of a Compassionate Care Index (CCI) as part of our new national quality standards.

“For most clinicians, compassionate care matters because it is fundamental to the practice of medicine, ethically sound, and humane,” lead author Dr. Beth Lown, medical director of the Schwartz Center, wrote in that inaugural report.

The Schwartz Center took it one step further in 2015 by publishing a white paper that surveyed the role of compassionate care and patient experience in 35 U.S. hospitals and health systems—making a case to national health care providers that compassionate care should be built into the bottom line.

Patients who receive compassionate care are happier, their outcomes are more positive, and the caregivers themselves experience higher job satisfaction, their research showed. Even CNN has reported on the importance of bedside manner.

It’s a win-win for everyone. And I believe that our students here at DNI are ideally suited to be part of this compassionate care revolution.

The DNI Difference

Nursing is a science and a service.

As a mother, I was able to show compassion to that mother in crisis because I was able to empathize with what she was going through. I firmly believe that compassionate care can be taught, and it’s a significant emphasis in Dallas Nursing Institute’s curriculums. That’s why I’m confident DNI graduates are a step above the rest when it comes to compassionate care.

Through the DNI experience, our students get to see that, even though we are all different, we are alike. We have the same aches, the same yearnings, and the same needs.

These lessons are the foundation for compassion, and ultimately, the foundation for success as DNI graduates. As nursing professionals, they enter the workforce with the ability to see the whole person, and provide the level of high quality, compassionate care today’s evolving health care industry demands.

To learn more about Dallas Nursing Institute and its programs to train compassionate, dedicated nursing professionals to serve our community, visit www.dni.edu

Reflections on the Impact of TCS Global Engagement

By: Saybrook University President Nathan Long

As many of you may know, Saybrook is going global through a partnership with TCS Education System and its colleges and universities. Our inaugural trip for Education Beyond Borders will take us to Berlin to examine the issues of immigration from a global context. Even though this experience has just begun, it has already been a breathtaking experience. One that I will surely never forget.

My daughter Simone and I are now in Berlin after what has proven to be such important bonding time between the two of us. As she begins to prepare for the next phase of her life, we thought we might take the opportunity of this Berlin experience to also extend our trip to see some of the major sights of London and Paris beforehand. From a fatherly perspective, I have treasured this time together.

Coincidentally, while walking the streets of Paris the other evening, we saw a sign hanging from a building that read “Please support the Syrian refugees”. In the midst of our privilege of spending quality time together, we were thrust back to what is happening in our world, most importantly what is happening to thinking, feeling, breathing human beings who are at the center of what has become a cultural-political storm not just in Europe but worldwide. And so it is with this important trip connecting the five colleges and universities. This thrusting back to an important and vital reality offering us the invaluable opportunity to explore various aspects of the immigrant-refugee experience: Social-political, economic, and cultural experiences that intersect with the varied, complex psychodynamics affecting whole refugee camps, families, and individuals.

Over the last few weeks, we have been reading alongside with students, faculty, administrators, and trustees about the various forms of supporting immigrant-refugee communities. Despite our best efforts at being informed educators, practitioners, and clinicians, these support processes pose challenges. Additionally, we have discovered a panoply of research outlining the various ways in which we can better understand the experience of immigrant-refugee families and individuals, especially in light of the trauma that is often experienced both in their country of origin and in the new country where they seek asylum. This process of discovery has led to a clearer understanding that one-size-does-not-fit-all with regard to how we support individuals seeking pathways to healing and integration. As a humanistic institution, we fully embrace this notion as well as the importance of working collaboratively with clients and community members in their pathway to actualize their own full potential.

We join our students from across the System in less than twenty-four hours, with readings and discussions framing what will likely be a transformative experience beyond our imaginations. Together, we will experience first-hand the work that educators, legal and healthcare practitioners, therapists, and government agencies are immersed in. Exploring the many challenges and opportunities in supporting Syrian and other immigrant-refugees, I am greatly anticipating hearing both the first- and second-hand stories of those who have been living the reality so that I might be able to understand how we as a community can offer additional layers of institutional and system-wide support. Lastly, following this experience I am hopeful that in the spirit of Saybrook University as well as TCS, we take what we have learned and turn it into further action both at home in the U.S and abroad through coursework and community engagement. We must also recognize our efforts are not the final answer; instead, our contributions hopefully will add to the global community’s efforts in support of refugees here and around the globe.

This is more than just a trip to Berlin. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. It is the start of a journey that begins at the nexus point of several cultures, institutions, and individuals coming together to explore ways of being and continues long past our arrival back in the States where we have the opportunity to educate and advance positive transformational change.

Before I conclude, I want to stress how grateful we are for our faculty and students who have been immersed in coursework these last few weeks of the semester. I anticipate learning both with them and from them as they bring incredible intellect and skills to this international table. Lastly, our trip would not have been possible without the incredible work done by TCS Education System’s Global Engagement team led by Emily Karem, Jennifer Fullick, and several others. Their tireless efforts to make this experience a reality has already had an impact on the lives of so many people.”

To learn more about Saybrook University and its programs to make positive, substantive change in the world, visit www.saybrook.edu