My Research Interests in Psychology

During and immediately after my undergraduate course, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the American Counseling Association and as a houseparent for an institution that houses mentally ill individuals. The association welcomes students and encourages them to offer voluntary services while they have an opportunity. My experience at the association, as a houseparent, and currently as a paraprofessional for mentally ill adults and children with behavioral problems provided me with a solid footing as well as the necessary resources to prepare for my career in counseling. The experiences gave me an opportunity to attend several conferences and workshops where I had the chance to meet and interact with other professional counselors. These opportunities opened me up and exposed me to numerous challenging situations that helped me to grow both personally and professionally. Interacting with more qualified and experienced people in the association, institution for the mentally ill, and agency that I currently work for has helped me to develop confidence in my work as I sought their assistance and guidance whenever I needed help. The experiences gained while working at the association was helpful to me as I could apply that knowledge and the skills learnt to help my church members. At my church, I was a youth leader and

When I was 18, I was involved in a car accident that almost took my life, this caused me to fall into depressive state while I attended college. The depression was due to not knowing who I was as a person without football. Before the accident every aspect of my life revolved around the sport, and I was highly scouted to come the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and play football. It was this whirlwind of emotions constantly plaguing my mind by being immersed in a place that reminded me of something that I could no longer experience. With the assistance of a counselor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, I was able to begin healing. This was a turning point in my life, and it was these sessions that sparked my interest in the field of psychology.

I’ve always loved the thrill of a challenge, and what’s more challenging than attempting to study the most mysterious thing known to mankind: the human brain? Dr Oliver Sacks said ‘If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a log or an eye; but if he has lost a self – himself – he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it.’ Without memory, what are we at all? Memory makes us the person that we are; we build from our past experiences and use them to adapt our personality, and the complexity of it all is what intrigues me to pursue psychology at university and into a career as a neuropsychologist. In 2009 a family member of mine was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. This was one of the first elements that sparked

In 2013, I graduated from Mount Olive College with a Bachelor of Science is Clinical Psychology. As an undergraduate I did my internship with the state of North Carolina – Vocational Rehabilitation at WorkSource East in Goldsboro, NC. I am currently in a counseling training program at East Carolina University where I am working on obtaining my Master’s in Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling.

This report goes over the issues in the field of psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. Many issues in Psychology can go in hand with Mental illness which affects a large amount of the world population, young and old. Mental Illness is a variety of conditions that affect, mood , behavior and mental process. These mental illness can be depression, ADHD and more. I then further explored how children being medicated for mental problems is an issue due to the lasting effects and alternative treatments. I also began further exploring mental Illnesses in the African American community, this is an issue because that racial group receives the least care and resources in mental health. Lastly, the overall use

In principle, psychopathology is the scientific study of mental disorders and their origin; in addition, this field of study examines the causes, development, and possible treatment for the disorders. Essentially, psychopathology encompasses three aspects that are considered as directly related to the mental disorders. These facets include the biological considerations, social issues, and psychological aspects of any mental condition. In fact, the initial perception of mental illness was associated with religious issues such

David Enwistle (2010) in Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity challenges the reader to look at the idea that psychology and Christianity are at odds with one another when it comes to the idea of psychology. He states that it may be impossible for both to coexist because of the differences seen within both. Psychology is based strictly on truth, and Christianity is based solely of a person’s faith. According to Enwistle, (p. 32), “a historical survey would suggest that they have been both at various times over the past centuries”. This would suggest that the church and man at different times have accepted both, but a various periods, the church has not accepted psychology as a viable method of dealing with emotional turmoil.

A comprehensive understanding of how these factors relate to pathways to crime and recidivism; prove to be an essential attribute when interconnecting with, and formulating effective rehabilitative strategies. My collegiate background will influence my success as a graduate student as this will be my second graduate program, and I am familiar with the dedication that is required when pursuing a Masters degree. I feel my previous academic achievements will serve as a wonderful springboard for this program as each learning opportunity provided something new and unique in relation to human interaction within society. My undergraduate experience was an opportunity to study from various disciplines, with a primary focus on sociological factors which gave me the opportunity to gain an understanding of how factors such as one’s environment impacts their lifestyle and creates possible barriers. As a graduate student, my area of study was more precise as it focused solely on aspects of the Criminal Justice system and the criminal mind.

Rutgers University students enroll in many different majors. Throughout the student’s four year education, they get the opportunity to participate in internships which are not a requirement for graduation for every major. An example is the Psychology major. The Department of Psychology at Rutgers does not require its students to participate in any fieldwork, research, co-ops, or internships. The person that will serve as a patron for this project will be from the Department of Psychology, Chairperson David Vicario. The department will benefit from making this “choice”, an essential part of the major’s curriculum. Because Rutgers University is considered one of the top 10 colleges that teach psychology as a major it is important that they not only have a good educational program, but also a program that successfully helps students work on their field of study after graduation (Cahill). Therefore, the department would find it very beneficial to support this program. The program will require students enrolled in any psychology major to participate in programs that will reinforce their real world experience in their field of study and consequently increase their chances of landing a job after graduation in their field.

For many millennia psychological disorders, also called mental disorders have been misunderstood. Used to, people suffering from such disorders were thought to be demonically possessed or they were accused of being a witch. Many of these unfortunate people were burned, tortured, or locked up away from society, which was torturous in itself due to the deprivation of life sustaining necessities such as food and air that patients were forced to endure (Morris and Maisto, 2002).

dea of pursuing a certification degree for advancements in employment. The skills that are most critical to the success in my psychology specialization would be education and experience. Experience working with children will be a benefit in this profession or any others that involve working with children. My experience with children and adolescents has helped me thus far career wise. Educational requirements as well as professional requirements helped me to clarify my vision and competencies for my success. Co-workers that are practitioners in the psychology field has served as a resource.

This ensued my passion for a profession in trauma treatment and intervention, as a mental health counselor. In my undergraduate I majored in Psychology, obtaining

In this paper, I will compare and contrast Group Therapy and Cognitive therapy, more specifically, dialectical behavioral therapy, and the differences between assessment types that clinicians use to determine a diagnosis and therapy that would best benefit their client. In the second part of my paper, I will discuss and address different considerations in which a therapist should make in order to provide a safe and effectively therapeutic environment. Though therapy is a largely utilized form of mental health treatment, the different theories, types, and approaches are not commonly known. Therapy itself holds a stigma, rendering its components widely unknown and avoided by a vast population. Throughout history and many different cultures, there have been many forms of psychological treatment, some more humane than others. The ancient view was generally found to be that abnormality usually had something to do with evil spirits and cursed individuals; “they viewed the human body as a battleground between external forces of good and evil . . . abnormal behavior was typically interpreted as a victory by evil spirits, and the cure was to force the demon from a victim’s body.” (pg. 8 of book) Later, in Greek and Roman times, it was widely believed that abnormal behavior was formed and caused by dysfunction of the human body itself. It is clear that therapy, and knowledge of psychology in general, has come a long way; from asylums to reformation and moral treatment, today’s

Throughout my life I have struggled to find balance between confessing my faith while being fully immersed within the world. These seems to correlate with the history of psychology as they are trying to become more scientific while holding onto Christian morals. During this essay I will explore the story of my life and the history of psychology and how they relate. We see a similar theme in both stories of the changing viewpoint of worldview and in the end hope that they will both become fully visible.

Psychology lies at the intersection of many other different disciplines, including biology, medicine, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, theology and other sciences. Like other social scientists, psychologists formulate theories, or hypotheses, which are possible explanations for what they observe. But unlike other social science disciplines, psychologists often concentrate on individual behavior and, specifically, in the beliefs and feelings that influence a person’s actions. If we compare theological and psychological explanations of human and animal behavior, we can see how different they are, but still interrelated. Explanations of why people behave the way they do and how they change have concerned philosophers, theologians, cultists, and occultists throughout the centuries. These explanations form the basis of modern psychology. Yet psychology deals with the very same areas of concern already dealt with in Scripture.