Tuesday, February 23, 2010

“Touro University Worldwide (TUW) Starts Master's Degree Program in Media and Communications Psychology (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)” plus 2 more

“Touro University Worldwide (TUW) Starts Master's Degree Program in Media and Communications Psychology (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)” plus 2 more

Touro University Worldwide (TUW) Starts Master's Degree Program in Media and Communications Psychology (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 12:42 PM PST

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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Distance learning pioneer Dr. Bernard J. Luskin has announced the launch of a new online Master's Degree program in Media and Communications Psychology.

"This new program offers opportunity to gain an understanding of a 21st century advances in media and communications in society and the workplace. This Media and Communications Psychology program is fully online. Each student enjoys a convenient quality opportunity to earn a Master's degree at his or her own time and pace while working," said Luskin, who is Professor and Director of the Media and Communications Psychology Program for TUW.

"More than 50 professionals from many states and countries are already enrolled and pursuing a master's degree in this new program. Students in the MA degree program are presently employed in entertainment, education, health services, commerce and business, journalism, publishing, public policy, government, marketing, advertising and many other fields," said media and communications Professor Jane Kagon, ESQ.

Comments from "students" include:

Raoul Morris, a filmmaker participating from Canterbury, England, who says: "I needed to feel sure that what I thought I knew about new media was actually borne out in reality. Touro University's program brought together the elements that I felt least sure about and offered the course in an innovative and exciting way. The program is an exploration in how the new world might come together through media communications. It also offers me the chance to connect with people of diverse experiences and perspectives and expand my network."

Martin Perlmutter, a writer from the San Francisco, CA, says: "I just got a Facebook ping from a friend saying, 'You're doing what all of us talk about, but haven't done.' I've loved the pacing, content and colleagues I've encountered in my first course of the Touro Master's program. It's such an intellectual homecoming, yet nearly everything is new! Professor Kagon has offered a world of materials that I need to know, and didn't. It's challenging work, academically sound and a stretch for hungry mental muscles. I think I've grown in just 8 weeks."

Linda Lauer, a holistic therapist, from Monroe, Michigan and President of Holistic Physical Therapy, LLC, offers these comments: "A better understanding of media is empowering me to use current and effective communication techniques. I hope to advance my company and contribute to the college, of which I am a Trustee, by putting the valuable knowledge I am receiving from TUW to practical use."

Jack Kushnatsian, an information technology specialist, stated: "This program offers the opportunity to understand human behavior and media. It applies theories in psychology to media and addresses 'why' people respond to media stimulation. It helps me to understand the human dimension."

"TUW's mission is to offer opportunity and access to earn a degree and participate in continuing professional programs from anywhere in the world through the TUW 'electronic campus.' More and more, we are recognizing a need to study 24/7, from anywhere, anytime. This innovative new program allows professionals and those seeking new career opportunities to remain in their respective communities and fulfill demanding personal and professional responsibilities while learning. MA degree students benefit from working with colleagues around the world while studying with leading faculty members who bring academic excellence and real-world experience to each course," said Luskin.

For more information visit: www.tuw.touro.edu or contact Student Information Specialist, Kristen Crandall, at: Kristen.Crandall@tuw.touro.edu.

About Touro

Touro University Worldwide is a division of Touro College Los Angeles and a member of the Touro College and University system (www.tuw.touro.edu). The Touro colleges are regionally accredited, not-for-profit institutions. Touro College Los Angeles is accredited by The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Touro has experienced phenomenal growth since its founding in 1971, and is currently educating approximately 17,500 students at locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Jerusalem, Moscow, Berlin and Paris. Touro College and University continues to have a profound impact on the lives of its students and the communities it serves.

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Doctor Jeffrey Barnett, Loyola psychology professor, honored with distingished award for noteworthy career contributions (The Greyhound)

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:18 PM PST

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While idly flipping through the new intro to psychology textbook he purchased for an elective class as an undergrad, Professor Jeffrey Barnett, Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), unexpectedly discovered his passion for the field of psychology.

"I bought the textbook the weekend before the class, and started flipping through the book, started reading and basically pulled and all-nighter," said Barnett. "I read the entire book and loved it, just loved the book and fell in love with the subject. I thought, 'This is amazing.'"

He now sits at his tidy desk over-looking the Loyola quad in Beatty Hall. A few three- inch-high piles of papers are neatly arranged and the book shelves are fully stocked subtly demonstrating the efficiency he clearly exudes.

"I'm really proud of that," he said with a sincere grin as he energetically pointed to the picture frame that holds the award he received from the American Psychological Association (APA) last year.

This year, Division 29 of the APA, the division of psychotherapy, is awarding Barnett with The Distinguished Psychologist Award for Contributions to Psychology and Psychotherapy. This award recognizes significant and noteworthy career contributions and accomplishments that advance the profession of psychology and the field of psychotherapy, whether in practice, research, or training.

Loyola University's Professor Barnett was chosen based on his significant work in research and publications that have advanced the profession of psychology, his work as a mentor to junior colleagues and graduate students, his efforts resulting in the development and advancement of the field of psychotherapy, and his outstanding leadership in the profession of psychology.

Barnett graduated as a psychology major from the State University of New York at Oneonta. He then attended Yeshiva University graduate program where he holds his master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology. To pay for grad school, Barnett was granted a full scholarship by the Health Professional Scholarship Program through the US Army where he went on active duty as an officer working in army medical centers as an army psychologist. Upon graduation, Barnett began clinical work and has been primarily a practitioner for the past twenty five years.

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For many Vancouver Olympics athletes, sports psychology is key (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 04:35 PM PST

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Whistler, British Columbia – German biathlete Magdalena Neuner came into the Vancouver Olympics with six world championship titles in her pocket – but a history of wildly inconsistent shooting that has also left her with some poor results.

So when the young stand-out won her first of three medals so far at these Olympics – including two of Germany's six gold medals – she had a simple answer for how she had become so much more consistent this year.

"I worked very hard, especially in the mental training," she said, a concept she elaborated on later. "One has to understand that physical fitness alone isn't sufficient. My mental training is very complex and it makes me believe in myself…. To control your mind is more difficult than to control your body."

As individual athletes increasingly come into the Olympic Games with huge expectations on their shoulders – not just for veterans, but for rising stars who have been hyped at home by eager advertisers and Olympic committees looking to cash in on sponsorships – sports psychology has become more mainstream than ever. Athletes from Neuner to Canadian gold medalist Alex Bilodeau to luge athlete and five-time Olympian Mark Grimmette have all talked about the mental techniques they use to achieve top success when it matters most.

"In the 1990s, a lot of coaches saw sports psychology as – well, if an athlete really has trouble or is a choker, then he/she needs to see a sports psychologist," says Sean McCann, senior sports psychologist with the US Olympic Committee, who says that now "100 percent" of US athletes are using at least some of the mental skills he and his team teach. Those skills include visualization, breathing, body control, energy management, and the use of key words to help an athlete perform at his or her best – which is the key challenge of an event that is more media-intensive than most other competitions.

"At the Olympics it's not about getting to a new level. The challenge of the Olympics is executing. All these tools are in service of executing your skill. That's really hard to do at Games," says Dr. McCann. "There are so many questions, so many thoughts – thoughts like, 'If I don't throw my long program [in figure skating], it will be worth millions of dollars to me.' "

'Mumbo-jumbo talk'?For better or worse, sports psychology has become tightly woven into the fabric of the Games. In Scandinavia, that's set off a controversy, with Swedes ridiculing their Norwegian neighbors for bringing four full-time sports psychologists to these Games.

"There are only losers who use sports psychologists. My God, when athletes start to scream for psychologists is when we know that they have already lost," wrote columnist Lasse Anrell in the Aftonbladet newspaper, according to a translation on skierpost.com. "The Norwegians have a bit desperately called in an entire army of mumbo-jumbo talk."

Marcus Hellner, who won Sweden's first gold in men's cross-country skiing since 1988 on Saturday – beating Norwegian heavyweight Petter Northug – was quoted on skierpost.com before the race as saying that he didn't need a psychologist. "I have teammates to support me if times are difficult," he said.

Comedian Stephen Colbert also poked a bit of fun after being named assistant sports psychologist to the US speedskating team. In a live crash course with a real sports psychologist in which he learned that intimidating other athletes could be an effective tool, he suggested that a good tactic would be to tell the guy next to you that the stitching on the back seam of his speed skating suit had come out just before the race started.

Serious businessBut for most athletes, sports psychology is no joke. They rely on it to build their confidence, their belief in their training and their own capabilities, and to climb out of any ruts.

French biathlete Simon Fourcarde, who came into the Olympics as the overall World Cup leader – the biathlete with the most cumulative points in all the World Cups contested so far this season – credits a psychologist for helping him through a tough autumn.

"My mind was in a hole, so I asked [a psychologist] to help me," he explains, adding that each mental training session lasts about 20 minutes. "We find a program to do step by step, to find confidence again."

That includes breathing exercises – like yoga, but not, he says – and sessions both with the psychologist and alone.

"Also some visualizing," he adds. "I try to visualize every possible situation – with wind, with fog, with people around me. Sometimes it stresses me when people are around me, when they pass me very fast."

Unfortunately, that has been happening a lot at these Games, with Fourcade yet to medal – although his younger brother, Martin, won silver on Sunday.

But US skier Lindsey Vonn, who explained in a conference call before the Olympics that she usually spends an hour's preparation in visualizing her races, and then uses breathing exercises at the start gate to calm down, has had better success – gold and bronze, with more events to come.

Follow Christa on Facebook and as she tweets throughout the Games.

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