Sarah Peritz, Psy.D. ’27, earn the honor for her paper titled “Preventing Suicide: Psychology’s Ethical Responsibility for Gun Reform.”  

Sarah Peritz, Psy.D. ’27, received statewide recognition for her work completed at La Salle. 

Peritz, a Philadelphia native, earned the Bricklin Student Ethics Award from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA), for her paper  “Preventing Suicide: Psychology’s Ethical Responsibility for Gun Reform.”  The award is “is given to a graduate student in psychology who is a resident of Pennsylvania or who is attending graduate school in psychology in Pennsylvania, who produces a meritorious work product dealing with ethics or law in psychology,” according to the PPA.  

She received the opportunity to publish a version of her paper in the Pennsylvania Psychologist, PPA’s monthly journal, and formally received the award at PPA’s annual convention in June. 

“La Salle’s program has offered me so much academically and personally, and I am so grateful to be here as a student,” she said.  

She shared more about her experience below.  

What led you to La Salle’s Psy.D. program? 

When I met with students in the program at the time of my application, they all had amazing things to say about La Salle’s Psy.D. program. On top of that, I met with faculty via Zoom before applying, specifically Randy Fingerhut, Ph.D., psychology professor, and loved his research, his personality, and the passion that he had for the field. Furthermore, seeing that La Salle had its own psychology clinic for students to practice in as well as having specialty tracks, I saw that I was getting the best of both worlds! After connecting with students and faculty, I connected with outside psychologists who have had the pleasure of training and working with La Salle students. Their words and compliments of La Salle and its training program solidified my commitment to applying to La Salle, and I knew this is where I was destined to be.  

What about the program have you enjoyed? 

The professors and faculty make this program. Their intelligence, compassion for their clients, and humanity is what keeps this program alive and feeds my passion for the field. They continue to inspire me and motivate me to create change within the world and within myself. I am so grateful for their leadership, teachings, and support.  

How is it preparing you for your career? 

I am feeling immensely prepared for my career as a child psychologist by being a student in La Salle’s Psy.D. program. This belief was solidified by attending PPA’s Convention this past June. I was able to engage in case conceptualization conferences, understand different theories and concepts, and network with psychologists who were much more advanced in their careers than me. Best of all, this program has taught me that I do not need to be 100% ready for this career, and in fact, I never will be and never should be. I should continue to practice humility as Dr. Fingerhut, Ja’Net Howard, Psy.D., ABPP, , Elizabeth Goetter, Ph.D., Kenneth Gold, Psy.D., and Jessara Bowenschulte, Ph.D., , have taught me. If at any point I consider myself the expert or the “know it all,” then that is when I need to take a step back and reevaluate my humility and values. I will always be a learner in this field, and for that I am very thankful.  

How did it feel to learn you won the Bricklin Student Ethics Award? 

I was happy that I won, not for me, but for the publicity of the paper and the topic. After Dr. Fingerhut and I worked endlessly for months until the submission of the paper, I was so pleased to see that it won. Being so passionate about the topic and the advocacy involved in firearm suicide, I was grateful that PPA chose the paper to showcase as the award winner. This is a topic that is heavy but needs more spotlight so that we can further support those apart of the firearm community and their loved ones.  

Was there a process to get it submitted? How did you hear about it and why did you submit it? 

Dr. Fingerhut and I worked very hard together to organize the paper, find research and resources, and write it. Without Dr. Fingerhut’s advice, edits, and support, I couldn’t have done this! He truly was such a staple in the process, and I am so grateful he helped to initiate the process. Additionally, without Dr. Fingerhut, I would not have known about this opportunity; so truly, all thanks to him. I wanted to submit for the award after Dr. Fingerhut introduced the award to our ethics class because he brought a topic to me that I was already so personally interested and involved in, which is firearm safety and related advocacy. It seemed like a perfect match to work on the project together with his idea and to help foster support for a community that is not seen in the media often.  

What was the conference experience like? 

The conference experience was incredibly fruitful. I learned so much from so many psychologists who are experts in the field, and it truly inspired me to continue to work harder to become like them one day. I couldn’t be more grateful that the PPA community was so welcoming of a young clinician like me coming to the convention.  

What is the next step with your research? 

The next step with my research is continuing the work on my dissertation, which is also related to the firearm epidemic in this country. The topic is a quasi-experimental study on the adverse psychological consequences of active shooter drills in PA suburban high schools. I aim to create an advocacy-based sentiment to my research, as creating societal and macrosystem based change is where my heart lies. Dr. Goetter and I hope to publish the paper once it is finalized, as research is immensely sparse in the area and will help to foster change to improve the lives of students in public schools and their reactions to firearm-related homicides and the drills used to protect against them.