Graduate School of Education and Psychology Diversity Projects and Programs

Urban Initiative

The Urban Initiative is an umbrella program developed by GSEP to establish a national model for preparing education and mental health professionals to work effectively in underserved urban communities. The Urban Initiative's goals are to develop a new generation of education and mental health professionals with the skills and will to work in culturally and ethnically diverse urban settings for the long-term, as well as impact future legislation affecting education and mental health services.

Multicultural Issues Impacting Community Speaker Series

The biannual Multicultural Issues Impacting Community Speaker Series was developed by the council to provide a forum for representatives of varied backgrounds and views to speak on subjects affecting the fields of education and mental health. The discussions are ultimately meant to provide a means for GSEP to build partnerships with the surrounding community and help students cultivate their multicultural knowledge. All students, alumni, faculty, staff, and guests are welcome to attend.

Multicultural Research and Training Lab

The Multicultural Research and Training Lab (MRTL) was organized by a cohort of faculty members from the Psychology Division to provide PsyD students engaged in multicultural research a space to discuss and receive feedback on their clinical dissertations topics as well as engage in discourse on the clinical implications of their work. In addition to offering dissertation support, MRTL provides students the opportunity to discuss their views on how effectively the PsyD program contributes to their multicultural competence, and the ways in which GSEP can offer a more welcoming experience for students from diverse backgrounds.

Culture and Trauma Research Lab

The Culture and Trauma Research Lab meets weekly to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on the cultural context of interpersonal trauma recovery. Projects, including critical analyses of the literature, focus on partner abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, genocide, and the societal trauma of racism. Current populations of interest are American Indian, African American, Latina, Asian American, Jewish American, Liberian, and South African. The lab has also examined the role of religion and spirituality in the trauma recovery process. The lab is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pepperdine University Faculty Scholars Grant.

Union Rescue Mission

Since January 2001, the Psychology Division of GSEP has partnered with the Los Angeles Union Rescue Mission (URM) to provide mental health treatment services for the homeless community. GSEP operates a mental health clinic at URM's main campus in central Los Angeles. Clinic services are provided at no cost to homeless and poor persons and include individual and group therapy, psychological assessment, and psychoeducational programs.

California Association of Bilingual Education

The GSEP chapter of the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) is for master of arts in education with teaching credential students interested in promoting quality educational experiences for all students in California.

Latino Student Psychological Association

The Latino Student Psychological Association (LSPA) is a student affiliate group of the California Latino Psychological Association committed to expanding multicultural awareness within the student psychological community through education, collaboration, and service. The group welcomes master's and doctoral psychology students of all cultural backgrounds who are interested in expanding their multicultural awareness, service, and professional competence. Meetings, socials, volunteer work, and language workshops provide Pepperdine students with an interest in Latino mental health and multicultural issues an opportunity to network and build a collaborative community within the University.

Spanish Language Enhancement Association for Therapists

Spanish Language Enhancement Association for Therapists (SLEAT) is a student-led group which aims to enhance students' comprehension of the Spanish language while also improving their competence working with Latino/a clients. Through the utilization of dialogue, films, speakers, text-based lessons and role play students practice speaking Spanish with each other and become better prepared to meet the great demand for Spanish-speaking therapists in Southern California.

Social Justice Collaborative

The Social Justice Collaborative (SJC) at the Irvine Graduate Campus was developed to provide a space for students to engage in critical dialogue around sociopolitical and cultural issues impacting families and communities. SJC supports graduate-level psychology and MFT students and trainees in fostering sociopolitical and cultural awareness and responding to issues of oppression and inequity. The "collaborative" aims to initiate student involvement in activities that promote social responsibility; encourage students to interact in a stimulating forum; and foster the sharing of experiences, curiosities, and critiques related to multicultural issues, social inequalities, and working in diverse, underserved communities.

Women Leading Change
The Women Leading Change student group is established for the purpose of connecting graduate women at GSEP to enrich their experience as graduate students. The group seeks to empower and unite women through discussion forums, relevant blogs, a safe environment to dialogue about relevant women's issues, outreach initiatives, mentoring, and support for women's needs. This group will also serve as a center for resources designed to engage the GSEP female community.