I can still recall the reaction of my family and friends when I mentioned that I was developing an interest in psychology. It was always the same, “So, you want to treat people who are mad?” This prejudice served to excite my curiosity about the subject. Unfortunately, I was limited in my exposure due to a series of medical problems and on one occasion had to undergo a surgery. Additionally, I had to confront personal issues such as the death of a loved one. However, my interest in the subject continued to grow with time. While my medical conditions prevented me from directly participating in any research outside of traditional classes, I actively pursued my clinical interests.
One of my most memorable internships was as a teaching assistant at Manovikas Kendra. It gave me the opportunity to work with children who had special needs. I taught in the early intervention and autism unit. My focus areas were cognitive skills, socialization and motor skills. I helped the students with projects and taught them art and craft. My time there showed me that labeling is one of the foremost problems with our society. However, we can either accept these labels blindly or try to understand the people who have to live with the consequences of such labels. Thus, I learnt that people are not as different as we think, and they can often teach us more about ourselves than we expect. Therefore, we often have to confront and reexamine our own emotions and reactions as a result of these interactions.
For example, sometimes I instantly like or dislike people and smells that seem unfamiliar. Upon investigating, I usually find that they were a part of my childhood. At Manovikas, I realized that for some children associations are their only way of pe...
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...s program I hope to return to my hometown and provide the patients with an option where they can receive adequate care. Based on my personal experience I would like to focus on autism in children. My other area of interest is adults who have experienced a significant amount of psychological trauma, leading to conditions such as PTSD. Like my own interest in Psychology, I feel that such people face an uphill battle in trying to gain acceptance among their loved ones. They also have to cope with enormous amounts of social stigma in the Indian society. I hope to accomplish this goal by working with hospitals such as Vision Care as well as smaller NGOs like Manovikas. This will ensure that I do not limit the care that I provide to the affluent and the lucky. Despite the enormity of my goal, I hope that I will be able to contribute to this society in a positive manner.
Previous experience of working in the care industry, with adults with a wide range of needs and disabilities, has given me the experience of working with a diverse range of people. I am currently an administrator for a charity whose service users are adults with learning disabilities. Being caring and compassionate has helped build up a strong relationship with the service users, which in turn has helped me gain their trust. This has helped me to be able to develop a better relationship
The practice of researching human behavior, which dates back to most ancient civilizations, has become better understood and more effective over time. This research led to modern psychology and has become increasingly broad since the first notion that one person could observe and measure the reasoning behind another person’s actions. Researchers in the field can study psychology as a whole or one of the various sub-disciplines that psychology breaks down into. These sub-disciplines range from the psychology of learning to fringe theoretical psychology. The men and women who conduct studies in the psychological field, referred to as psychologists, continue research in their sub-disciplines to add to the knowledge of the community. Psychologists focus on the study of the mind while clinicians treat individuals that suffer from psychological disorders. Now that I have covered psychology’s growth, I will move on to the ways that psychology currently impacts the world.
I observe people around me and try to as well understand their actions and why they react the way they do in certain situations. The more I realized that I like to help people with their problems, the more I realized that I was in the right field to help people understand their own life better. I don’t always have the answers but, I do what it takes to understand a situation more so that I am able to get the answers. I believe that my purpose is to help people understand their life a little better and speak great over their lives. I would mostly like to help children out so that I am able to help them understand their feelings. Children are usually more vulnerable than anyone else in the world. Becoming a practitioner scholar in this field means learning about different mental illness so that I am better prepared when I encounter different patients. I took and abnormal psychology class where we briefly went over each mental disorder but I would like to be able to go more in depth. During my time in this class we did several case studies, where I learned to diagnose different clients and give possible treatments. I would like to go beyond this method and learn more as I get more into clinical psychology. Also I would like to indulge more in
Ever since I was a child, I was entranced with psychology, but only saw it as a hobby. Now, my interest is in behavior and forensic psychology. The way people behave is fascinating for me to learn about, and any classes that I can take now that would help me in the future are always welcome. Psychology has always interesting to me, but I did not know what exactly it was until seventh grade when one of my friends told me how they had a therapist for her depression. At first, I thought that therapists only listened to people’s problems and then magically solved them, but I soon learned that that wasn’t the case. There were ups and downs with my friend, and she never really got ‘better’ in the sense of her being back to her old self, but therapy did help. When I saw her process, I was intrigued. I always knew that I wanted to help people, but knew no other way than community service. It was through my friend that I finally figured out the answer to what I wanted to do with my
Education is the key; however, learning the whole of psychology is no walk in the park. Information comes flooding in and the information learned evolves on a daily basis. To learn to exercise one’s clinical judgments to the best of their ability requires extensive research and practice which will be a lifelong endeavor. As a child, I became obsessed with dance and wanted to be the absolute best. I took classes every chance I could, read about the physical mechanics of dance and watched hundreds of videos on dance competitions. I may have grown up and no longer wish to be a star dancer but the principles I use are still the same. By devoted study and extensive practice, my goal is to become a psychologist who bases my work on evidence. One who receives knowledge through a clear understanding of an individual’s history, gives a thorough psychological and physical evaluation, and without bias, picks apart my own findings before subjecting an individual to any unneeded tests or treatments.
Counseling psychology is one of the most interesting career choices in the field of psychology. However, this career fits my personality in several aspects. A person in counseling psychology will generally use personality tests, interviews, case histories, and observation methods to evaluate a patients' problems, needs, and goals. Counseling psychologists will evaluate data and, create an action plan or treatment plan to counsel the patient with. The goal in this career is to help each patient work toward developing and adjusting social, educational, personal, and vocational skills. I’ve always had an interest in listening to people. Throughout my adult years, people of
Molitior Nancy “The 411 on Clinical Psychologists: Here’s the Truth” Your mind your body. 20 Nov 2009. Web. 14 Feb 2014
When I was a high school student I was deciding on potential career paths, there were three areas that sparked interest to me. Them being psychology, social work, and nursing. The results on many career aptitude tests suggested similar fields as well. Upon discussion about career choices in a class, a few of my colleagues, and teachers had discouraged me from entering the field of psychology as they stated that it was frightening to interact with individuals who were suffering, and that consequently I would develop a mental illness as well. The beliefs and attitudes surrounding mental health are very stigmatizing for individuals who have mental health disorders, this effects their accessibility and quality to receive help. The purpose of
Wegenek, Amira & Buskist, William 2010 The Insiders Guide To The Psychology Major: Everything You Need To Know About The Degree And The Profession APA
I was in a remote village in the Peruvian Andes conducting art therapy with prisoners when I realized this was the most meaningful experience of my life, and it should not be. The study and practice of psychology are the place where my humanitarian and intellectual interests align. I am applying to the clinical psychology program to fulfil the training I need to continue to make meaningful contributions to society and also contribute to the field of psychology through research. A family illness that is now happily behind me delayed me from doing so sooner.
This tension between an emphasis on a positivist science base and an emphasis on therapy and professional issues runs through many debates in clinical psy...
My first semester in college, I took a Psychology 101 course and immediately knew I wanted to work in this field. I was drawn into different theories and how individual’s minds work. I always believed I was born to help others and guide them to success in life. I desire to help others because of my own personal struggles with mental illness. My unique perspective on mental illness allows me to empathize on a different level with individuals. I desire to give back and support to the community the way it was there for me during my dark times. I was lucky to have known from the start that psychology was my interest. I am excited to continue my education in the counseling field and become a future Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
The definition of psychology is as follows: “The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.”(Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, 1828) There are many fields of psychology an individual can go into, whether its clinical, forensic, or otherwise Psychology is a very broad field of scientific study that affects many aspects of our lives. There are people who study this science in schools, hospitals, private practices and more. This science also interests me as well. I have already taken psychology in my junior year, and I am currently taking AP psychology in order to gain some credits for college. The study fascinates me; the reason being that it explains our behavior and what makes us different from any other species on this planet. It goes in-depth of the analysis of humans’ greatest accomplishments and lowest behaviors. It turns our
Psychology has big role in my future career because I will be working with patients every day and I need to understand them and help them. Things I learned in this class are the most important things that helps me achieve my goals. If I understand basics of human behavior, I will better able to understand and treat patients. I want to understand my patient’s emotional needs and reactions in order to communicate with them. Most of all, I need them to trust me because patients who trust their doctors are more likely to open up with their symptoms and problems. For example: young patients may be more afraid than adults. They may have difficulties in understanding their illness. Doctor can apply his/her knowledge of child development and psychology and relate to the young patients in a way that is helpful for both of them. Moreover, it also helps me see how patients are describing their illnesses. Most of the patients describe their illness in a negative way and only few are optimistic. So psychology plays really big role in medical
The complexities of the human mind, how it works, why it works, and why it deviates sometimes, were the factors that drew me towards the field of psychology. I was born in India and as I was growing up I realized that psychological problems were not discussed in public. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the disorders further instilled in me the need to understand them in detail. As I continue my academic journey I wish to delve into the depths of Clinical Psychology in order to understand psychopathology better and use my knowledge and skills to create customized intervention plans and to facilitate a harmonious living environment.