Every gift received between October 1, 2021, and May 1, 2022, will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $20,000 by Byron and Joyce Miller.
“Two people very dear to me were abused as young children and the collateral damage done to them has impacted my life. Part of their struggle was getting acceptance and getting deeper understanding. The impetus behind this is to try to help other people not have to go through the consternations that they did in order to find relief, help, and healing. We want to create better path forward for educators so that people who are interested in the field are better prepared to deal with the issues that their clients will face.” -Byron Miller
The Leslie Matlen and Christine Miller Andersen Fund in the Department of Psychology was established to help people whose lives have been affected by trauma through enhancing research opportunities and clinical training in the assessment and treatment of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and related mental health conditions. Gifts to this fund will bring the best minds in the field to campus for workshops and panel discussions to educate students and faculty, across disciplines, alongside practitioners from the larger community; and provide resources for other trauma-related programs developed by the Department of Psychology.
Leslie Matlen’82 MA,’88 Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist whose graduate research brought attention to the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. In 1988, Christine Andersen’96 MA Counseling Psychology was a young mother beset by symptoms she didn’t understand. She began therapy with Leslie and that alliance ultimately saved her life. Christine set up this fund in 2015 to honor Leslie and promote the kind of clinical treatment that she found helpful in healing from extreme trauma.
By contributing to this mission, you will support educators, therapists and students in training, and countless others whose lives will be transformed.
