Pamela Ebstyne King
Executive Director, Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science
Pamela Ebstyne King, Ph.D. has worked with the Thrive Center for Human Development since its inception in 2011. In 2021, she was named executive director of the Thrive Center and continues to serve as the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science in Fuller’s School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy.
Her primary academic interests are applied research at the intersection of human thriving and spiritual development. She is passionate about understanding what individual strengths and environments enable humans to thrive and become all God created them to be. She holds particular interest in understanding the role of faith, spirituality, religion, virtues in this process.
Dr. King’s work combines theology, empirical research, and community engagement to further understand what contexts and settings enable people to thrive. She has conducted research funded by Biologos Foundation and John Templeton Foundation, among others.
Jilleen Westbrook
Senior Director of Content
Jilleen Westbrook, Ph.D. joined the staff of the Thrive Center for Human Development in 2022. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University and has taught at Temple University, University of Southern California (USC), and the Claremont Colleges.
Her academic work involved empirical investigations of psychological effects on markets that result from policy decisions. Before joining, the Thrive Center, she worked as a consultant. Dr. Westbrook has long been interested in issues of faith and well-being, particularly in the practices that encourage mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Lauren Kim
Operations and Project Manager
With over 10 years of operational & admin experience, Lauren Kim joined the Thrive Center in 2022 to utilize her passion for faith-based creativity and witnessing others’ ability to be joyously renewed. With an innate interest in different cultures and being born & raised in Seoul, Korea, Lauren hopes to connect a bridge between students of various backgrounds and their spirit’s capability to thrive as He intended. In her intimate pursuit of God while cultivating the artistic passions of her heart, Lauren takes pride in being part of a team that brings forth the fruit of encouragement and spiritual joy in all.
Abigail Schmidt
Thrive Fellow
Abby Schmidt is a fourth year Psy.D. student in Fuller’s Clinical Psychology Program, being advised by Dr. Eriksson. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University. Growing up overseas has shaped her passion for working with humanitarian workers, particularly those who have experienced traumatic or stressful events. She is particularly interested in researching the impact of these events on the family unit and the ways a family can learn to be resilient and thrive in these types of settings. When she is not working on school or clinical training, you can find Abby spending time with family and friends, thrifting, crafting, or cooking.
Alize Spencer
Thrive Fellow
Alize is the Progra, Assistant with Fuller Pannell Center, and can manages the Pannell Center Social Media and student engagement. Alize is pursuing her PsyD in SOPMFT at Fuller Theological Seminary, studying Clinical Psychology. She was also an Emerging Black Scholar at the William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies and is the Founder of the Pasadena Black Student Union Student Group here at Fuller Seminary.
Connor Stephenson
Thrive Fellow
Connor Stephenson is a second year PhD student in Fuller’s Clinical Psychology program. He is working with children through the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a practicum trainee. Connor received a BA in Theology with an emphasis in Leadership and Pastoral Ministry from Vanguard University. Prior to entering the psychology program, Connor spent the last seven years working with adults experiencing homelessness. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Human Services Data Consortium, and he previously worked as a research assistant through the Thrive Center on analyzing data from the Fetzer Institute’s study of Spirituality in the United States. When he is not working on research, school, or clinical training, you can find him walking his dog, baking sourdough, and spending quality time with his wife.
Rebecca Baer
Thrive Fellow
Rebecca Baer is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Fuller’s Clinical Psychology program. As a doctoral candidate, she is pursuing her dissertation, funded by the Travis Research Institute, that seeks to operationalize a definition of adult relationality called Reciprocating Love and a scale that measures this. Rebecca holds an M.A. in Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary and an M.A. in Systems Theory Counseling from the Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell, Germany. Rebecca’s passion lies in pursuing research and clinical work that focuses on the mechanisms of healing and empowering relationships – between diverse peoples and with God. When she is not reading, writing, or pursuing her clinical training, you can find Rebecca enjoying time out in nature with her husband and two beautiful little girls.
Shaya Aguilar
Thrive Fellow / Writer
Shaya Aguilar is a second year Psy.D. student in Fuller’s Clinical Psychology Program, being advised by Dr. David Wang. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in ministry from Pepperdine University. She is particularly interested in researching the impact of traumatic events on individuals from a psychological, theological, and neurobiological perspective. When she is not studying, writing, or in clinical training, you can find Shaya spending time with family and friends, running, or cooking.
Cynthia Eriksson
Dean of the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy ; PSYD Program Chair and Professor of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Department
Cynthia Eriksson has been a core member of Fuller Seminary’s psychology faculty since 2003 and was named dean of the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy as of September 1, 2023. Dr. Eriksson’s research and teaching expertise focus on trauma, posttraumatic stress, spirituality, culture, burnout, resilience, and diversity. Much of her work explores the needs of cross-cultural aid or mission workers and the interaction of trauma and spirituality. Through Fuller SoPMFT’s Headington Program, she has developed research and consultation partnerships in Cambodia, Guatemala, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, the Netherlands, Spain, Uganda, and elsewhere. Eriksson is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, and the National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology, and she has presented internationally at psychology and trauma conferences. In addition to authoring several book chapters, she has been published in The Journal of Traumatic Stress; Traumatology; Mental Health, Religion & Culture; Journal of Psychology and Theology; PLoS ONE, and many others.
Kenneth Wang
Professor of Psychology and PhD Program Chair, Clinical Psychology Department
Kenneth T. Wang is a Professor in Clinical Psychology at Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is also a practicing psychologist in the Los Angeles area, licensed in California & Illinois. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Penn State University. Prior to Fuller, Kenneth taught at University of Missouri and worked as a staff psychologist at the University of Illinois and a counselor at National Dong-Hwa University in Taiwan. Kenneth’s research focuses on perfectionism, psychological measurement, and cross-cultural psychological adjustment. Dr. Wang has published around 70 empirical research articles in SSCI journals on these topic areas. He also coauthored the textbook Research Design in Counseling 4th Edition. In 2023, Kenneth received the Excellent Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association in the International Section of the Society of Counseling Psychology.
Sung Kim
Professor of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
Sung H. (Seong-Hyeon) Kim, Ph.D. joined Fuller’s faculty in 2009, bringing his passion for psychological assessment and advanced statistics and psychometrics, such as topic modeling and structural equation modeling, to Fuller’s School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy.
As a faculty affiliate at the Thrive Center for Human Development, Dr. Kim has been providing statistical consulting and data analysis services to the Center’s research projects, including the Shades of Gratitude Project.