Alumni-Faculty Forum: The Mental Health Crisis: Addressing the Need for Reform

Robertson Hall, 100 Arthur Lewis Auditorium

Sponsored by the Alumni Association of Princeton University

Moderator

Calvin R. Chin
Director, Counseling and Psychological Services, Princeton University

Panelists

Larry Arata ’82
Co-Founder, Opioid Crisis Action Network

Jennifer Larkey Balink ’87
Executive Director, Kindred Place Inc.

Oona Miller Hanson ’97
Family Mentor, Equip Health; and Parent Coach, Oona Hanson Parent Coaching

Neha Uberoi ’12
Psychotherapist, Valera Health

Carinthia Bank ’17
Therapist

Moderator

Calvin Chin
Director, Counseling and Psychological Services, Princeton University

Calvin Chin specializes in Asian American mental health, negotiating multiple identities, and college counseling center outreach and preventive work. Prior to coming to Princeton, he was director of counseling at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and also assistant director at Columbia’s Counseling Services. He did his doctoral work at New York University and completed his internship at Bellevue Hospital Center and postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.

Panelists 

Larry Arata ’82
Co-Founder, Opioid Crisis Action Network

Larry Arata co-founded the Opioid Crisis Action Network (OCAN) with his wife, Heather, following the 2018 overdose death of their son, Brendan, 23, after he had been sober for 96 days. OCAN advocates for reforms that remove barriers to best practices treatment and prevention of substance-use disorder, and the OCAN Recovery Fund provides grants for those in recovery to pay for recovery homes, medical bills, rent, transportation and other needs. OCAN has worked with representatives from both parties in the Pennsylvania State Senate on two bills that are currently under consideration in the Health and Human Services Committee. Arata began his career selling software applications and services before becoming a public high school English and history teacher, as well as a football, wrestling and baseball coach, in Philadelphia.

Jennifer Larkey Balink ’87
Executive Director, Kindred Place Inc.

Jennifer Balink has worked in child and family policy since returning to her hometown, Memphis, in 1999. Since 2016, she has been leading a turnaround at Kindred Place, a 40-year-old nonprofit that focuses on family dynamics, mental health and healthy relationships as part of a long-range strategy to prevent community violence. Balink also writes the blog, Jenny’s Lark, where she explores the intersection of relationships, creativity, cooking and motherhood. Balink’s background includes an eclectic mix of public and private sector experience, ranging from telecom to teaching middle school art, from community blood banking to private event catering. In partnership with former Memphis mayor A.C. Wharton, she co-founded Shelby County Books from Birth, the largest local Imagination Library program, and assisted in establishing the Memphis-Shelby County Office of Children and Youth. She has served on local boards, including the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Shelby County Humane Society and a faith-based childcare initiative, and was communications lead in the campaign that helped bring an NBA basketball team to Memphis. In 2015, Balink launched Larksome Goods, an online store featuring original artwork, bespoke stationery, and small-batch, handmade gifts. 

Oona Miller Hanson ’97
Family Mentor, Equip Health; and Parent Coach, Oona Hanson Parent Coaching

In education for 25 years, Oona Hanson is passionate about helping parents raise kids who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. In addition to her private practice as a parent coach, she also works as a family mentor at Equip, an eating-disorder treatment program. Hanson holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from California State University, Northridge, and a master’s degree in English from Middlebury College. Her work has been featured by numerous media outlets, including CNN, USA Today, “Good Morning America,” Parents, U.S. News & World Report, “Today,” and People. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Neha Uberoi ’12
Psychotherapist, Valera Health

Neha Uberoi is a mental health professional and former professional tennis player. She is currently a psychotherapist at Valera Health, working with adult and adolescent populations with a wide range of mental health challenges. Uberoi holds a master’s degree in clinical social work from Columbia University. In addition to serving the general population, Uberoi is passionate about working with current and former athletes to optimize their mental health, performance and transition out of sports. She is also the co-founder and CEO of South Asians in Sports, a non-profit organization that advocates for, educates and promotes South Asians working in sports globally.

Carinthia Bank ’17
Therapist

Carinthia Bank is a therapist in Philadelphia. Before coming to Princeton, Bank attended a ballet boarding school and danced in a professional ballet company in Ukraine. She retired from ballet six weeks before starting at Princeton. The simultaneous loss of ballet and delight of Princeton life prompted Bank’s entry into the field of mental health. She decided to become a therapist in order to use her experiences and make support more accessible to others. Bank obtained a master’s degree in social work at the University of Pennsylvania and then, as a Fulbright Scholar, earned a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Stirling in Scotland. Bank is now working towards clinical social work licensure. Her interests within therapy and the broader field of mental healthcare include identity, social support, dialectics, meaning-making and power dynamics. Bank has a dream of being part of an interdisciplinary group that provides a variety of services to transitioning dancers, athletes, artists and performers — one place to access physical therapy, nutrition, financial advice, career guidance, opportunities to give back, psychiatry, therapy, etc.