Public Health Personal Statement

Hoggard, L. S., Byrd, C. M., & Sellers, R. M. (2012). Comparison of African American college students coping with racially and nonracially stressful events. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18(4), 329-339.

The client weight is 70 kg and has maintain same weight for past 10 years and is 5 years

The need to provide mental health services to culturally diverse clients has increased over the past couple of years due to the increase in racial and ethnic diversity in the United Sates. Consequently, there is a need for mental health professionals to offer effective interventions that address social issues that accompany racial and ethnic diversity (Constantine, Hage, Kindaichi, & Bryant, 2007). Research shows that efforts are being made to implement social justice advocacy strategies and interventions into counseling practices. This growing movement calls for counselors to be agents and advocates for social justice, oppression, and discrimination (Ratts & Hutchins, 2009). Social justice counseling approaches focus on empowering the individual by actively confronting injustices and inequalities that affects clients in their systemic frameworks (Pedersen, Lonner, Draguns, Trimble, & Rio, 2015).

To effectively lessen the effects of lifelong racism and discrimination, Hays & Erford (2014) recommends a strength-based approach, with the counselor focusing on the individual and family capacities. Focusing on the client’s positive attributes and favorable cultural norms can encourage one to become more resilient (Vaterlaus, Skogrand, & Chaney, 2015). Furthermore, applying counseling skills such as unconditional positive regard, empathy, consistency, focusing on the client, and providing a supportive environment can all help the therapeutic relationship (Hays & Erford, 2014). Additionally, making the counselor/client relationship equal will also allow the client to feel more comfortable, may dispel the mistrust of counseling prominent in African American culture (Hays & Erford, 2014). Finally, acknowledging the racial differences with the client could encourage them to discuss the racism and discrimination they may have experienced (Hays & Erford, 2014).

Along with that, racial identity is another big contributor to the degradation of African American’s youth mental health, as a weak racial identity results in poorly mishandled ways of coping with racism and stress. African American students as early as middle school engage in introspection of their racial identity, where they begin to discover who they are and the negative stereotypes surrounding their identity (Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, 2007, p.256). The results of a study of 297 African American adolescents by McCreary, Slavin, and Berry found that a strong pride in racial identity was important in handling stress in a positive manner and decreasing poor mental health (Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, 2007, p.256). Students were less likely to internalize negative racial stereotypes that devalue their worth and build resistance towards it. If not, students were more susceptible to succumbing to stereotype threat, racial bias, and a negative self-fulfilling prophecy that could alter their well-being and threaten their mental health. Chronic exposure to this can severely damage African Americans adolescents’ mental health, which is evident by their mental withdrawal in school and loss of interest or motivation to achieve academic success.

Ever since I was a freshman in high school i always wanted to persue a career in the medical field.

I was intrigued by the profession of a Nurse at a young age. However, what truly sparked my interest in this thriving career was when a close friend of mine was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Ever since she was diagnosed I wanted to help to create an encouraging, loving and supporting environment around in her time of need and sorrow. Since then I have always been fascinated and interested by the scientific and academic side of nursing along with the caregiving duties of the profession. Because of this, it has lead me to study Level 3 Health and Social Care programme. I am particularly enjoying my Level 3 Health and Social Care programme as it allowed me to carry out the theoretical side of my course in a real life environment as I have a work placement with a care agency. Now I am striving to further my knowledge and proficiencies through taking a university level course in Nursing.

In the words of C.J. Heck, “We are all products of our environments.” An individual’s behavior is largely influenced by the world in which they find themselves immersed in. This dictum is exemplified in “Identity-Based Motivation: Implications for Health and Health Disparities” by Daphna Oyserman, George C. Smith and Kristen Elmore and “Stress-Related Externalizing Behavior among African American Youth: How Could Policy and Practice Transform Risk into Resilience?” by Sonya S. Brady, Willie Winston III, and Sonia E. Gockley. Both of these readings explore how people’s daily choices are influenced by the society in which they find themselves in. “Identity-Based Motivation: Implications for Health and Health Disparities” delves into the social determinants and identify-based motivation and how it relates to identity-congruence. “Stress-Related Externalizing Behavior among African American Youth: How Could Policy and Practice Transform Risk into Resilience?” investigates how externalizing behaviors are largely influenced by factors that children find in their homes and communities. Both articles make the key argument that human beings are influenced by their surroundings. This conclusion comes based on the extrapolations they have made from their research. Overall, both articles explore the key theme of the impact of external influences by exploring identity, analyzing race, and scrutinizing what needs to be done by larger influences to mitigate these issues.

Personal health and wellness are important factors towards life because without health, our quality of life would suffer greatly. There are many factors that contribute to health and wellness; some can be managed, but many are out of our control. Below are four main topic that caught my attention throughout the course.

The purpose of the current study was to examine “whether racial discrimination and any of the coping strategies were related to depressive symptoms” (Seaton, et al., 2014, p. 885) in Black American youth. The authors mention that there have been studies which indicate “perceptions of racial discrimination have been linked to lower life satisfaction levels, decreased

It is through the field of psychology that I have become concerned about the societal issues that surround the African American community. Psychology has intrigued me extraordinarily that it has become one of my many objectives to dismiss the stigmatization of mental health within the African American community. It Is my objective to develop approaches for those who are affected by mental health to find it easier to stand up and speak out about their mental health concerns. With this, it will be less of a struggle for them to receive the psychological assistance they may need. Furthermore, it is my objective to advance social change within the communities of ethnic

Overarching research on women of color (African American, Native American, Latina/Hispanic, Pacific Islander American, and Asian American) and the impact of racism and sexism as interrelated constructs on their academic aspirations is limited. A few scholarly pieces that explore racism and sexism as intersecting constructs, primarily focus on understanding the relationship between these isms and the mental health of women of color (DeBlaere & Bertsch, 2013; DeBlaere, Brewster, Bertsch, DeCarlo, Kegel, & Presseau, 2013;Martin, Boadi, Fernandes,Watt, & Robinson-Wood, 2013).More specifically, extant literature suggests one of the major consequences women of color experience in relation to racist and sexist events is psychological distress,

The MAPP Steering Committee convened to hear the CHNA results. The assessment identified ten potential health issues that needed to be reviewed and evaluated. The committee voted on each area to determine which would be the central issue when drafting the CHIP. I assisted with signing individuals and distributing the materials and the voting clickers. I discussed results from the health data which guided the ranked these indicators. Adjustments occurred during voting to the scoring rubric and technology system. After the prioritization meeting, my host site supervisor explained the impact from the changes and challenges that will influence the upcoming CHIP and potential alternative methods to integrate and address the health issues.

My interest for public health stems from the need to aid numerous people in disease and injury prevention, health protection, and strategies for health promotion. I hope to earn a Master of Public Health with a focus in the area of health care management as well as hospital administration in relation to public health policy development and education. I aspire to develop enhanced intervention policies that can provide the population with direct access to primary health care due to public health preparedness education and strategic planning.

Early experiences like these not only helped shape me into the person I am today, but has also led in part to my interests in public health and pursuing a career in Internal Medicine. With a keen interest in the biological sciences and an aspiration for a career in the field of Medicine, I earned a BSc in Physiology and B.A in Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. During my university years I juggled many tasks including working a part time job, volunteering at the Royal University Hospital, and being involved in associations such as the Animal Research and Ethics Board at the University of Saskatchewan, and the Biochemistry Student Association. While my early environment and experiences instilled in me an interest in serving more