{"id":108550,"date":"2019-11-04T13:50:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T19:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=108550"},"modified":"2019-11-05T11:53:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:53:09","slug":"an-inclusive-thread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/from-the-magazine\/an-inclusive-thread\/","title":{"rendered":"An inclusive thread"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shirin Zarqa-Lederman sees past barriers\u2014whether they\u2019re ideas about what international psychology is, perceived differences between people, or thoughts about historical divides.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love learning about different people and the way they live all over the world,\u201d Zarqa-Lederman says. \u201cFor me, growing up as a child of \"\"immigrants, it was just that more poignant. We would go overseas to visit family and I was amazed that we had similar problems\u2014our approaches to them were just different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her range in perspective isn\u2019t just from her own firsthand experiences\u2014it is from how she was raised, the daughter of Palestinian refugees.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was exiled from Palestine in 1948\u2014his family ended up in Jordan. My mother\u2019s family went to Syria,\u201d Zarqa-Lederman explains. \u201cMy mother ended up migrating to Jordan with my father. And then the two of them ended up immigrating to the United States in the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite their experiences, Zarqa-Lederman\u2019s parents always emphasized that polarization wasn\u2019t the norm\u2014 and isn\u2019t the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents grew up pre-1948 in Palestine,\u201d Zarqa-Lederman says. \u201cGrowing up, my parents were very focused on making sure that we knew that the culture was not as polarized as it seemed. So they would teach us things: we would sit for Sukkot [a Jewish holiday], because that was something that my dad did pre-1948 with his friends. During the Feast of Ramadan, everybody came over. It wasn’t about being a Muslim or Jewish or Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

This perspective, born from both her upbringing and studies, has now informed the way she raises her family and lives her life. Stemming from this love of knowing and understanding people, Zarqa-Lederman solidified her path to psychology practice by getting her master\u2019s at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is currently studying for her Ph.D. in International Psychology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how The Chicago School incorporates diversity into its curriculum,\u201d Zarqa-Lederman says. \u201cWhen I was getting my master\u2019s in Child and Adolescent Psychology, I took a family genealogy class. We had to submit a genealogy report, and my professor took the time to count my first cousins\u2014and I have 49! Those are the little things that meant the most, that ability to celebrate who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appreciation for diversity and inclusion shapes the work that Zarqa-Lederman does in psychology and beyond. Her children\u2019s book, \u201cThe Trotters of Tweeville,\u201d focuses on this very idea\u2014a unique use of her psychological background to help children be more kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the core of every major religion is a message about being kind. Kindness is a universal language,\u201d Zarqa-Lederman says. \u201cAs a psychologist, I was hearing a lot about how people were having a really hard time teaching their kids social skills and how to utilize kindness. For me, the book was the answer to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inclusive thread in her life shapes the work that Zarqa-Lederman does\u2014whether it\u2019s her work as a psychologist, student, mother, author, or advocate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m big on gratitude and giving to others. I do believe that good things happen in service to others. So I really try to use that to guide everything that I do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To learn more about academic programs at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, fill out the information below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where others see differences, Shirin Zarqa-Lederman\u2014a Child and Adolescent Psychology alumna and International Psychology doctoral student\u2014sees understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191,118],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1036],"class_list":["post-108550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-from-the-magazine","insight_authors-rebecca-koch","insight_issues-fall-2019"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumna from The Chicago School is children's author and psychologist.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Her book, "The Trotters of Tweeville," focuses on the idea that kindness is important in having a greater appreciatoin for diversity and inclusion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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