Psychiatry Personal Statement

I am applying to your Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. I have earned my undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. During my time earning my undergraduate degree I also minored in psychology. I am motivated to earn this degree because of the experiences that I have had while growing up in a home with a workaholic father and a bed ridden mother. This childhood has inspired me to work with those who are struggling emotionally and are in need of guidance and assistance.

I feel that I would gain the most and also be most passionate about the mental health challenge. For a long time the functions and processes of the human mind have fascinated me as I have learned about them not only in the classroom but from first hand experience. Psychology was my favorite course that I took in high school and although it is known to be difficult, I did not struggle with it because it is easy to learn something that captures your interest so deeply. And personally, since I was young I have struggled with and worked through clinical depression, working with therapists and psychiatrists to understand the inner workings of my own mind, and I learned how to cope with and overcome my own mental disorder. Learning about other disorders

I have chosen to enter the field of Mental Health Counseling at this particular time in my life because I would like to learn the skills needed to help people with their life and mental health issues. While attending the University of Saint Joseph during my undergraduate years I took various courses that have led me to making my decision. The courses I took focused on business, biology, social work, and psychology. After graduation I decided to take a year off and gain work experience in customer service and health care. I wanted to experience working with the people in my community. I was hired as a pharmacy technician at a Walgreens in Vernon. Working as a pharmacy technician has been a very rewarding experience for me and I learned a lot about people and their unique needs. I also learned about patient care and how to be pacient and understanding under stressful situations.

My passion and determination to undertake study within the mental health sector dwells from the insight I have been privileged to gain in my current role as a link care coordinator, working with people who suffer from a range of ailments within the mental health spectrum; from learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, OCD, Autism to name but a few.

Thank you for the opportunity to apply to work as a research assistant at The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Please accept this humble letter and accompanying application as an indication of my interest in applying to work as a research assistance-Psychiatry.

Through my research, work experience, and my studies, I learned that I am best suited for a career that requires me to think creatively and critically and that fulfills my desire to help at-risk populations. The Clinical Psychology program at the University of Massachusetts will provide me with the challenges and opportunities to work in diverse settings and with diverse populations. As demonstrated by my practical experience, my research experience, and my academic record, I possess the passion, grit, and intellectual ability to excel in this program. A passion to help individuals living with mental illness has pervaded my life throughout the past several years.

I am honored to apply to Montana State University, Mental Health Counseling program. As an alumnus, I feel not only connected to the University, but to Montana itself. My experiences as a student, volunteer and intern at MSU has solidified my decision to pursue my life long aspiration of becoming a licensed counselor. Why have you chosen this career path?

Consequently, mentally ill patients as well as those placed in psychiatric facilities are often branded as zombies (Hochwälder, 2013). Therefore, the recovery process of such people is often difficult because they face humiliation verbally or physically from others. As such, this website is very useful to people who are trying to liberate themselves from the stigma that comes with being a psychiatric patient. The design of the “Antipsychiatry Coalition” website is such that it makes use of links to provide information on various issues that revolve around mental illness and psychiatry (Antipsychiatry, 2015). For instance, the link on “myth of psychiatric diagnosis” enables the reader to read and learn about the things that people believe about psychiatry yet they are false.

I am writing to express my interest in the Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Walden University. I have completed my application with all of the necessary information included.

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.

The paradox that mental illness can be so intangible draws me to the intellectual challenges inherent in this specialty. My experience while working as a resident in Psychiatry department at the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences, one of the top Neuro-psychiatry institutes in India, brought me closer to this dream and made me realize my passion for this field. I have been involved in the management of a diverse population of patients both in the long-stay unit and as

In medical school I was fortunate to discover that, in addition to my passion for helping people by utilizing medical knowledge, technology and practical application, I also have a strong passion for administration. I graduated with a medical degree and also pursued graduate studies in Health Care Organization and Hospital Management. I was privileged to volunteer in the National Campaign of Poliomyelitis Eradication in Egypt during my undergraduate studies in medical school. The role of team lead was offered to me and I readily accepted. As the lead I successfully managed available resources and provided administrative and practical support for each team member.

When I first set out to propose a project, I wasn’t sure what topic I wanted to conquer. Therefore, I quickly jumped when the professor suggested reading the memoir, “Darkness Visible” by William Styron. I have enjoyed all the class readings so far, I even did my last project on another memoir, and thought that reading a fresh perspective regarding mental illness would be engaging and inspiring.

If we reach that far back in psychiatric history it would appear as though mainstream psychiatry has actually come a long way. To gain insight in to all disciplines of study it’s critical to venture back in time to get a glimpse of its history. It’s necessary to study the roots in an effort to accurately extrapolate where things have been, where things are, and where the vision is directed for the future. Advancements in health care have unfolded through trial and error. These progressive improvements in patient care are profoundly swayed by public attitudes and medical theories. Since we have had such difficulty in finding our way out of the stigma mental illness maintains on today’s society, it is not surprising that psychiatry continues to lag behind other fields of medicine in terms of advancements.

The care for people with mental illness has a long and interesting history. Prior to the 19th century the care of the mentally challenged were in the hands of “mad doctors” and non-medical administrators who were running large asylums. The challenge this emerging field was faced with has to do with taking over the control of these asylums from these lay administrators and creating a credible medical foundation upon which mental health interventions will be built. One of the strategies used to achieve this is the rhetorical justification of the “professional project of psychiatry” the essence of which was captured by the following statements published in the Journal of Mental Science in 1858: “Insanity is purely disease of the brain. The