MEET OUR BOARD
MEMBERS
President:
Adelinne Whittenhall
Vice President:
Fabian Ortiz
Secretary:
Alexia Aguayo
Treasurer:
Sonia Ramos
Journal Directors:
Jacqueline Olguin
Amy Mack
MEET OUR NEW
ADVISOR
Tips on Managing Stress 3
#Art4MentalHealth Interview 4
#Art4MentalHealth Testimonials 6
Psych 361: Art Therapy Department
of Psychology Hallway 8
Peep Our Gear: T-shirts 9
Meet Our Faculty: Dr. Pirlott. 10
Narrow Your Job Search 12
Eat a healthy diet. Caffeine becomes
everyone's friend around this time, so
make sure to balance it out by eating
plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains.
Try some muscle relaxation.
Exercise by tensing up all your mus-
cles, holding for a few seconds, and
then relaxing them.
Breathe. Consider breathing exercises such
as this: take a deep breathe in through your
nose, hold the breath for a few seconds and
then exhale through your mouth.
Exercise. Even just ten minutes a day helps.
Yoga is a great alternative.
Listen to some relaxing music. Try to take
some down time to yourself and try to calm your
mind.
Make sure to get plenty of sleep. For the av-
erage person, seven to nine hours is sufficient.
#ART4MENTALHEALTH: INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR NICOLA DEMONTE
Written by Michelle Hoskins
#Art4MentalHealth was made part of this years annual Depression Screening in the form of a art station in which students were invited to sketch on two large canvases. This is not the first time #Art4MentalHealth has been joined with an event.
Q: How did #art4mentalhealth start at Saint Xavier University or come to be a part of The Counseling Center’s Depression Education and Screening Event?
According to Professor Nicola Demonte,
#Art4MentalHealth began as a response to similar
campaigns that were spreading in other parts of
the world. Wanting to bring a similar campaign
here to the U.S., he began to test the waters by
opening up a Tumblr and Twitter page with the
hashtag #Art4MentalHealth in the year 2014.
Struggling to create a hashtag and gain a follow-
ing, his hopes were that other mental health pro-
fessionals and organizations around the world
would see it and join in the collective
sharing of people’s art work. Over the first years
of the sites’ existence, they began to gain much
attention from organizations worldwide like the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The
Refugee Art Project, and M.E.C.C.A.
At Saint Xavier University,
#Art4MentalHealth has become one of the many
different mental health awareness movements of-
fered to college students, especially during Men-
tal Health Awareness Month which is in May.
Partnered with the college’s Counseling Center,
#Art4MentalHealth continuously brings a variety
of fun art therapy activities to their students, and
has been known to collaborate with others such as
Jazz students to really provide a fun relaxing ex-
perience here at Saint Xavier University. His
hopes for #Art4MentalHealth is to not only see
#Art4MentalHealth grow, but to also raise public
awareness through art on issues like battling stig-
ma and promoting wellness,
individually and through society. He also hopes
to encourage more psychologists, art therapists,
counselors, etc. in promoting and sharing art ther-
apy techniques, and giving people a platform to
share their artwork. In this interview, Professor
Nicola Demonte will share with you his own ex-
periences he had during one of Saint Xavier Uni-
versity’s most recent #Art4MentalHealth events.
Q : What first made you interested in bringing
such a cause to this event?
A: I was really pleased, surprised, and excited to
see people come in. At one point, the event took a
life of its own. A positive, natural response was
happening that people needed. They may or may
not have been aware of self-expression. I was al-
so pleased to see the people and connect with dif-
ferent students.
Q: What is one thing you hope to see people
take away from #art4mentalhealth?
A: Take this, make this your ownand shape it so
that you may benefit the student body and raise
awareness about mental health issues, raise
awareness about art therapy, increase awareness
about creativity and mindfulness to help reduce
stress and increase happiness… increase commu-
nity engagement, reduce prejudice and stigma,
and increase inclusivity among different people
from the student body that maybe wouldn’t have
come in contact with one another because of dif-
ferent cultures and backgrounds.
NICOLA DEMONTE
#ART4MENTALHEALTH: INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR NICOLA DEMONTE
Q: Where would you like to see the
art4mentalhealth hashtag represented on cam-
pus?
My goal is to take this from an internet based ap-
proach/program and bring it into the real world to
see how SXU students can make it their own. I’d
like to continue to increase the engagement with
the faculty and the students but also bringing in
the music school and psychology department that
have traditionally have been independent aca-
demic spheres to increase collaboration.
TESTIMONIALS: REFLECTIONS OF MY PARTICIPATION IN #ART4MENTALHEALTH
I connected with Nicola Demonte through
a mutual passion and understanding of the healing
value of art and The Arts. In my school counsel-
ing education, I was drawn to the medium of art
as a tool for counseling. When I viewed the edu-
cation video with Natalie Rogers, daughter of
Carl Rogers, demonstrating one of her counseling
sessions using pastels, it was powerful to me. Na-
talie spoke very little and was so patient in letting
her client take her time with her artwork. This is
where I witnessed how art can speak where words
cannot. As a club advisor, I had used music with
students as a means of connecting to others via
sharing songs (favorites, ones that had meaning,
ones that lifted, ones that represented them, etc.);
music is a universal language after all, and is par-
ticularly fascinating when heard in a different lan-
guage. Songs are powerfully emotive. They can
catch you by surprise, even. I presented “Using
The Arts to…Let It Out” to my school counseling
colleagues to use music for the students that need-
ed that extra TLC, and needed a safe and fun re-
latable outlet to express themselves... differently.
Personally, I have always turned to art in
times of stress and I would share it online. Nicola
Demonte understood this as he used art with his
Alzheimer patients and even took it a step further
outside the box by teaching Art History to his pa-
tients to trigger memories/emotions. I loved this!
I thirsted for articles of using art in medicine, art
in healing, and art in relieving stress and anxiety.
I read articles on music and its effects on the
brain, on the body, and in healing. Nicola taught
all of this. I would have taken his courses if I
lived closer! And so, when asked, I was more
than happy to participate in spreading awareness
of how art heals and can be a tool in everyone’s
mental health tool kit. We all have the power to
express our feelings with art, to release pent up or
tamped down emotions through the freedom and
joy of creating.
Written by: Susan Day-Holsinger
#Art4MentalHealth
I scrolled through all of the posts to the
#Art4MentalHealth and viewed mine in particular. I
had photos of clouds, flowers and sunsets, “art at-
tacks” as I have called them of colored pencil sketch-
es, acrylic paintings, and pastel colored drawings
(Exotic Bejeweled Beauty is one of my favorites.)
Additionally, I have shared cartoons, articles and
songs to echo a mood or feeling that I wanted to share.
Perhaps, something made me smile and I wanted oth-
ers to smile, too. Or, maybe there was a tragedy that
tugged at all of our hearts and a particular song’s lyric
or melody resonated the shared heartbreak. I even,
spontaneously was driven to create in the sand after I
finished a run on the beach. I started to pluck rocks to
form a person’s head and then took green seaweed to
make a brain and spread the seaweed outward to form
a peace sign. I had to do it and did! This was one of
my favorite contributions to #art4mentalhealth.
We Are All In This Together
Whether I was sick, frustrated, stressed or distressed, I
created. I sent my energy outward onto paper. I
knew, or rather understood the enormous value in us-
ing art rather, The Arts as a tool for aiding our mental
health to produce wellness. The beautiful thing about
doing this is the ripple effect in the lives of all who
benefit from the artwork. The creator benefits with
the mindfulness and emotional release that comes with
the creating and the viewer benefits from the mindful-
ness that comes with art appreciation. (I read an arti-
cle once that student doctors use art appreciation as
part of their training to sharpen their observation
skills. That is ingenious!)
The contributors to #art4mentalhealth had the oppor-
tunity to spread the word of their mission and purpose
and give voice to their
artists, while the rest of the world mindfully experi-
enced/enjoyed the creations of its artists. I learned of
so many organizations that used art as its vehicle to
accomplish its goal. One group’s sole mission was
lifting homeless artists out of poverty by assisting in
the sales of their art through @ArtLifting. I learned of
@RXhibition’s mission to brighten chemotherapy in-
fusion rooms with art to aid in healing and reduce
anxiety. I read all about how @SplashesOfHope
paints fantastical murals in children’s hospitals and
even in prison family waiting areas to brighten and lift
spirits with its colorful artwork. I viewed the art of
voices that probably felt would never be heard
through @RefugeeArtProj.
My world has been forever expanded by my par-
ticipation in this Twitter campaign and once
again, I marvel at the power and connectivity of
art.
#Art4MentalHealth
Create on, my friends.
Bejeweled Beauty, #art4mentalhealth drawing by Susan Day-Holsinger.
DESIGN SUBMITTED BY SILVESTRE PÁRAMO
Silvestre Páramo, third year transfer
student from Joliet Junior College.
“ When I was making the design I was more concerned
with what people outside of Psych Club would see and
make them say “Oh! That’s an interesting shirt!” to get
people more interested in or asking about Psych Club. For
this approach to the Psychology Club T-shirt, I decided to
give the roots of psychology a redesign by updating them
to a modern, yet classy feel for the club. From left to
right: Skinner, Piaget, Wundt, Freud, James, and Erikson,
I have implemented six of the most influential and im-
portant people in the field of psychology to represent our
club. “
We will be designing and ordering shirts once a year, so start thinking of any pictures, designs, quotes, etc. We will
be taking all submissions and casting votes through the Psychology club members.
MEET OUR FACULTY: Angela Pirlott Ph.D.
Interview was conducted by Amy Mack
Dr. Angela Pirlott has been an assistant
professor at Saint Xavier University since
2015.
Q: What made you want to work in the psy-
chology field?
Understanding human behavior has always fasci-
nated me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve al-
ways had why questions running through my
head—why do people do what they do? So that’s
what lead me to psychology, and ultimately to
social psychology. Nearly all human behavior is
social behavior, and social psychology allows us
to ask and answer nearly every question about
human behavior.
Q: What area of psychology do you specialize
in? What do you like the most about that area
of interest/why did you choose that specialty?
Probably like many other psych majors, I had
always wanted to “help people” and so originally
I thought I wanted to go into clinical psychology.
However, as an undergrad, I had the opportunity
to do my own research project and that’s when I
fell in love with research. I realized that I wanted
to understand the “bad things” that happen in the
world, so that if we understand why they happen,
we can work to eradicate them. And so that’s why
the main focus of my research is understanding
prejudice and discrimination. I think that’s one of
the most important things psychology has to of-
fer.
To answer the question about what made me want
to teach… As faculty members, we’re conducting
research and interacting with others who conduct
research, which means we’re always on the cut-
ting-edge of the new knowledge produced in the
field. And we get to bring that cutting-edge
knowledge into the classroom. What I love about
teaching is finding those research studies that
blow students’ minds. I love talking about an
amazing new study and watching students’ eyes
get big and hearing them say “whoa..” or shake
their heads in disbelief. It shows they have
learned something new that might have changed
the way they think about the world, and they will
take that knowledge out into the world with them
and hopefully share it. Ultimately, that’s what
college is all about, and being a part of that pro-
cess is a real honor.
Q: Do you have any research projects right
now?
Currently I’m working on a series of projects that
seek to explain why some heterosexuals are prej-
udiced against LGB people. I’m also working on
a project with Marilee Cervantes-Bautista that
seeks to understand LGB individuals’ fear-based
prejudices against other sexual orientation groups.
My other program of research seeks to understand
human mating behavior. Along those lines, Laura
Vogrig and Chanelle Wilcox are conducting a
meta-analysis of sex/gender differences in mate
preferences, and Shelby Olita and Beata Czewien
are conducting a meta-analysis of sex/gender and
sexual orientation differences in mate prefer-
ences.
Q: Have you had any experiences in your ca-
reer that have had an impact on you?
To be honest, I didn’t realize, as an undergrad,
how important the process of finding a graduate
program in which you have a good “fit” with your
research mentor is. I was unprepared and that
made a challenging transition to graduate school
and wasted a lot of my professional time in
graduate school. That’s why, as a faculty mem-
ber, I always want to make sure students have the
most information possible to set themselves up
strategically to apply to graduate programs and
make good choices about the programs they
choose to attend.
Q: Do you have any interests or hobbies out-
side of psychology?
Who has time for hobbies?! J/k…When I do have
time, I’m currently obsessed “nesting,” meaning
that I love watching “fixer-upper” and “DIY”
shows as I’m currently in the process of settling
into and decorating our new home.
Q: Do you have any advice for current psy-
chology students?
Always try to be the best student you can be. Do
well in your classes, be engaged in your classes,
seek out opportunities to form relationships with
faculty members, and take advantage of every
opportunity outside the classroom. The psycholo-
gy major is one of the most popular majors at
most universities around the country, which
means the field is incredibly competitive. This
means you need to do well not only in the class-
room, but gain experiences and form relationships
outside the classroom as well.
And also remember that the ultimate goal is learn-
ing, not “getting good grades.” When you gradu-
ate, if you have great grades but learned nothing,
what was the point of going to college? What
matters is all the amazing things you learned that
you can take with you.
MEET OUR FACULTY: Angela Pirlott Ph.D. Interview was conducted by Amy Mack
Looking for a Psychology related
job or internship?
Dr. Timothy Ritchie gave a recent presentation on how to narrow a job search using an online search en-
gine. This was very kind of him, considering it makes easier for us all to use so we do not get overwhelmed
just in the searching process. Rather than scrolling through hundreds of jobs, some of which do not pertain
to your search at all, there are a few things you can do to narrow your results.
There are many different search engines, but this directory is based on using Indeed.com. Directed
searches for jobs usually give better results than open-ended searches.
On the home page, type in the keywords you find appropriate and the location of where you want to
search. But before you hit “Find Jobs”, click on the “Advanced Job Search” under the “Find Jobs” button.
Now there will be a few different options for searching such as, keywords, exact phrases, specific com-
panies, title words, etc. This allows you to focus more on the areas of interest for you. There is also a
search bar for you to enter specific words for things you may not be interested in.
Next choose Job Type (i.e. full-time, part-time, internship, temporary, etc.)
Then you can choose where to show jobs from (i.e. all websites, only employer websites, etc.)
You can add desired salary range.
Finally, location, age of job listing, and how many results per page.
There is a filter column to the left of the results and you can narrow it down further by experience
and such. Eliminate the jobs that do not fit you. Bookmark pages and save names and numbers for
those that do fit what you are looking for.
Dr. Ritchie also suggests writing down 3 - 5 reasons why that job would be a good fit for you. Sub-
mit your resume to those companies you are interested in and only post it on the webpage if you
know there are opportunities there for you.
One can not simply post a resume and wait to get contacted, it takes a lot of effort to find a decent
and interesting job that suits you. With these helpful tips, it shouldn't be so intimidating, and hope-
fully it makes your search a little easier.
Happy Hunting!
Professor Demonte
Dr. Pirlott
Dr. Ritchie
Susan Day-Holsinger
Silvestre Páramo
Email: [email protected]
facebook.com/sxupsychclub
@sxupsychclub