Faculty/Staff Members
Aloha Buenaventura - PsyD
Assistant Professor, Psychology AA Coordinator, Traditional Undergraduate (TUG) Psychology Clinical Coordinator, Psychology
PsyD, California School of Professional Psychology
MA, California School of Professional Psychology
BS, California State University-Northridge
Biography
I received my BA in psychology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and both my M.A. and Psy.D. at California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP).
My clinical experience involves having worked with young children and adults. I was a mental health practitioner for about nine years. I worked with varied populations from young children to adults and different psychological disorders (schizophrenia, disruptive disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, etc.). However, the bulk of my experience was in working with young children with a history of abuse. In this setting I worked extensively with children with a history of every types of abuse. After being a mental health practitioner, I switched to be an educator, and have been so here at MSMU.
In my personal life, I enjoy reading, knitting, crocheting, gardening, and spending time with my family and pets. Lately, I’ve been very interested in travelling and truly enjoy my time in the summer when I visit different countries and to be exposed to the varied types of people and their culture and food.
I truly love being a faculty member at the Mount. My students are my pride and joy and the source of my passion for teaching. I enjoy being a part of their growth and overcoming their academic challenges. I also enjoy working with my department and its faculty and staff. They encourage me to be my best version as a professor and learn from their own unique passion. As a university, the Mount truly exudes civility and community. Help can be gained anywhere if one just asks.
Research Topics of Interest
I’m interested in any topic related to mental health professionals and in any topic related in how they can be better in their profession.
Also, I’m also interested in topics related to any issues related to Filipino Americans.
Mainly, I prefer to mentor students in helping them explore topics they’re interested in delving into, and help them reach a finished product at the end of our time together.
Courses
These are some examples of courses I have taught at MSMU:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Careers in Psychology
- Gender Issues
- Theories of Personality
- Child Abuse and Family Violence
- Multicultural Psychology (Graduate Program)
- Psychopathology (Graduate Program)