Matthew D. Fenn

Clinical Psychology PhD program, Los Angeles campus

Q: What made you decide to pursue your doctorate at Alliant?

A: All of my faculty at my master’s program went to Alliant. I’m in the clinical psychology PhD program and I've really enjoyed the emphasis on research and on creating professionals that work in spaces that other people don't normally want to touch. Seeing the shift into a space of helping these communities instead of creating—no shame to the academia world but—like a researcher in a cave somewhere in a pile of books. I'd love to be able to do both and I feel like it's a program that promotes that. To be able to create a system where I'm going to be able to do research and actively work in the communities that matter for me is important. Currently I'm at UCLA Health working in an OCD clinic but I spent the last year with the Los Angeles LGBT center, so it was a big value for me to be able to give back in that context.

Q: Do you have any highlights or professors that you want to talk about?

A: Oh, of course. I have found immense help and my co-author from Dr. Rebecca Bokoch. She's here presenting, and she has just always been a backbone of promoting us to do research and to function in this space and to be ready to come to spaces like this and represent not just ourselves but the university as a whole. I just entered my third year so I'm starting my dissertation. My focus is on couples so I'm researching the impact of mental health symptoms on couples.