Clinical Psychologist: Personal Statement

Having pursued employment opportunities that allowed me to make a positive difference on the lives of the less fortunate, the Counselling Psychology course at University of East London is an obvious field that will allow me to continue these desires. Ultimately, this course allows me to change the lives of people and obtain my goals.The course prepares me for employment as a professional clinician, and grants me the ability to continue the promotion of well-being.

Being academically more rigorous than my undergraduate, this degree refined my time management and critical analytical skills further, as the volume and quality of work were much higher. Further still, this degree gave me a historical account of psychology, introducing key movements that gave rise to the psychosocial model. The collaborative nature of assignments encouraged throughout my MSc, inspired creativity in my own work and proved to be extremely beneficial when designing multiple layered interventions. This made me aware of the benefits of working in a multidisciplinary team who can share a range of skills when obtaining a shared

Multiple years of research and field experience as well as my undergraduate coursework in Psychology, Counseling, and General Education has provided me with ample skills to be successful at the graduate level in the School Psychology program offered at Francis Marion University. Working within the school system with students with mental health needs and exceptionalities has been a dream of mine since I was in high school. I am confident the School Psychology program at Francis Marion University will provide me with the skill set needed to make my dream a reality and become the best School Psychologist I can be.

“It takes a village to raise a child.” I never quite understood that saying when I was growing up, but my experiences teaching and working in school settings have showed me how true it really is. Obtaining a degree in school psychology will allow me to give the support that students, families and educators need to ensure that every student will thrive.

​When I declared a psychology major during the second year of my undergraduate career, my objective was to attend medical school and eventually become a psychiatrist. I enjoyed the psychology classes in which I was enrolled and found them to compliment the premed curriculum I also wanted to study. I reasoned that a major in psychology would provide insight that could later be useful in my planned studies of psychiatry. Although I decided against going to medical school, psychology remained the primary area of focus of my studies with the ultimate career goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. While my long term professional plans include achieving a PhD and becoming a clinical psychologist. Pursuing a masters degree in

My search led me to common a question that many psychology students ask themselves; clinical psychology or counseling psychology? This question manages to remain unanswered for quite some time. Even after deciding that I wanted to go to graduate school, I still could not decide between the two. It was not until last March when I joined the Liberal Arts Mentor Program and met my mentor, that I began to understand which area of psychology I wanted to pursue into graduate school. I chose counseling

Freud introduced us to unconscious motivations and how they determine our behavior. The study of the unconscious mind became a base and paved the way for other therapists. Also, the psychosexual stages were introduced which explain the biological and instinctual drive of children. The structure of personality is the foundation of our impulses, behaviors, and our interactions in our mental life. These include the id, ego, and superego. The superego prevents actions the id wants to accomplish; which is important because we all have irrational impulses and the superego saves us from those. It is important to look at the weaknesses of psychoanalysis and Freud’s ideas. The psychosexual stages stop at the age of six when development happens throughout someone’s lifetime. These psychosexual stages are his main focus and there is not much of a focus on how important social factors are on our mental health and development. Psychoanalytical therapists can sometimes be seen as subjective. The therapist analyzes the dreams and that is subjective. There is no empirical research to support his psychodynamic model, although the theory does explain reasons for irregularities in development. A common criticism is he blamed for inadequate parenting on mothers while the father was not in the equation. The time

Lawrence fiddled with a toy while listening to the radio. After the broadcast was over, he softly mumbled something, though he generally kept to himself. I listened closely since his autism typically prevented Lawrence from stringing even two words together. He had recited the entire radio program, virtually word for word, even mimicking the tone of the broadcaster's voice. My jaw dropped. At that moment I knew that I wanted to learn more about Lawrence’s autism condition so that I could help him grow, but I also hoped to dedicate myself to studying the brain both from a physiological and psychological standpoint.

I knew I was most interested in my Clinical, Experimental, and Abnormal Psychology courses. Learning about the various mental disorders and working with the DSM is my passion.

Graduating the University of Texas with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology would be a dream come true. I strongly believe this program will give me the tools I need to become an excellent counselor and to launch me to the next level of my career and life. Counseling humans in trouble and curing my thirst for knowledge are my goals which I am sure this program will help me achieve. I can’t wait for my future to take off as I gain more knowledge and pave the way to becoming an excellent counselor for anyone that needs my help as I was helped when I was a young

It's fascinating that humankind has had an easier time entering outer space than trying to develop a complete understanding of the human brain; and this paucity of information is what drove me to pursue the field of psychology, the fact that resting in my head is one of the world's most ironic enigmas. How can we know so little about the thing that makes us who we are? On the first day of my AP psychology course, my teacher informed us that “In this class you may be left with more questions than answers, and if you can't handle that, this may not be the class for you.” And when he said that, it was clear to that I was in the right place. You see, a riddle is no fun if the solution is obvious.

To me psychology in itself is a beautiful mosaic piece hanging in museum and a Mozart’s symphony piece paying in the background. My interest in clinical psychology dates back to my years in high school, where I excelled in psychology. When I was a senior, I took a second-year course in psychology at my high school. This advanced-level AP psychology class was engaging and interesting, and earned an A. Since then all I can remember, I have been motivated to understand human thought, feeling, and behavior. It seemed only logical that I pursue a career in clinical psychology.

“So, do you know what you are doing yet after graduation?” This is a notorious question everybody gets asked at one point in their lifetime. Most people do not know the answer to this question, for there is a very broad range of things to do. I have known ever since I was little that I wanted to go to college for something along the lines of medical science, or health science. I just was not sure for what job exactly. It was not until this previous summer when it hit me that I wanted to become a physical therapist. One day my mother and I went to Vantage Physical Therapy because she had an appointment for her foot. As soon as I walked into the building, I looked around and was just blown away by the facility. There were tons of enjoyable, genial people everywhere. During the appointment, I had paid close attention to everything the therapist had done and was incredibly intrigued. Not to mention, I love anything that has to deal with science, the human body, and health. While I was observing at the appointment, everything piqued my interest. To give an illustration, the therapist had me help tape people’s legs and my mother’s foot. I immediately fell in love with physical therapy. When I had gotten home, I quickly ran to the computer to scrutinize the requirements such as education, degrees, licenses, background information, just about everything. I knew it was the job for me! Now when people ask me that renowned question I can finally answer, “Why yes, yes I do!”

It is my strong desire to attend Fielding Graduate University APA (American Psychological Association) accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology. I have always been intrigued by the human mind for as long as I can remember, specifically the psychopathology of it. I truly enjoy conducting psychological research, learning about psychopathology and how to treat it. While conducting research and learning, it is important to remember that the purpose of psychology isn’t to predict a person’s thoughts, actions, and behaviors, but to understand them. There are dozens of events that occurred in my twenty-five years of life that led me to this meaningful choice of pursuing a doctorate. The two most significant events were when I was in the

I have always been thrilled by what goes around in people’s minds, but it was at the age of fifteen that I was first attracted to the field of psychology and particularly to clinical psychology. It was mainly because I read my favorite book When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin Yalom. This novel had a personal impact on me, as someone I know was dealing with depression, migraines, insecurities and suicidal tendencies same as happens so in the book’s characters.