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Autobiographical Statement, Masters MFT, Asian

 

I was hooked by my very first college class in psychology, most of all, learning how psychology related to me personally. As I learned more about myself, I came to better understand others as well, their emotions, sadness, anger, happiness, etc. I began to understand that human suffering is a universal problem and that those who suffer are far from alone. And I became keenly interested in continuing to explore the ways in which we are all alike, with similar sorts of problems, challenges, and responses to significant life events. Psychology led me to an interest in counseling, and counseling led me to an interest in marriage and family therapy.

I was brought up by Chinese parents who settled in America to escape poverty and to chase the American Dream. Growing up in California has been a constant journey of adaptation to the culture of my family and the numerous cultures that surround me. I relish analyzing my own saga, my predispositions in interaction with environmental challenges and resources, my strengths and weaknesses, and how all of this has resulted in my unique temperament and intellectuality. I think critically about how, as I grew up, I modeled the behavior of my peers, mimicking the role models that I admired.  As we all do, I became what I saw, heard, and felt; synchronizing salient facets of a group consciousness that I did not even recognize, much less knew how to break free from. I had my struggle with low self-esteem, a negative sense of self, times that I did not feel loved or understood. Slowly, however, I learned the value of determination, self-confidence, love and compassion.

During grade school, I was the quiet one, perhaps in part as a result of the brutal adjustment that my parents had to make to find their niche in the American rat race. My mother worked from home, making clothes for a local clothing factory and struggled to be a homemaker. My father was preoccupied with his education and building a business.  This led to a lot of quiet time alone for me, introspection.  By the time that I arrived at XXXX College, however, I was fortunate enough to meet people who saw potential in me.  I surrounded myself with positive people who showed genuine interest in my ideas.  I began to take my studies seriously and my grades improved. I discovered the great Greek aphorism, “Know Thyself,” and launching upon a quest of self discovery provided me with greatly rejuvenated meaning. Studying psychology gave me inspiration: hope, allowed me to overcome my introversion and to become more assertive.  It was like staring into my own reflection when I was introduced to some of the most salient psychological concepts, “Fear of Failure,” “Need for Achievement.” I was able to re-channel formerly negative ways of thinking into creative new paths.  When I transferred to XXXX to finish the remaining coursework for my BA in Psychology, a professor told me: “Be careful what you focus on because what you focus on becomes your reality!” 

 

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PHD Clinical, Child, Pediatric Neuropsychology

The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to improve the quality of life of children who have suffered brain damage. To this end I want to devote my professional life to research in the area of pediatric neuropsychology.  I knew immediately that neurophysiology was the right career path for me when I saw how it could be combined with pediatrics. And I have been fortunate to work with one of the most distinguished professors and authorities in the field, Dr. XXXX, from whom I have learned a great deal. As a pediatric neuropsychologist, I hope to make scientific advances in the field that will help to increase the quality of life of brain damaged children and their families, helping them to better understand and cope with neuropsychological disorders.  

 I find research to be tremendously exciting. As I stood in the operating room that day not long ago, for example, observing a Wada test, I felt the overwhelming urge to pinch myself to make sure that this was really happening. I observed a variety of important neuropsychological tests at the University of XXXX and this has set me on a professional course for the rest of my life, solidifying my desire to pursue a lifelong career in pediatric neuropsychology. Dr. XXXX helped me to gain broad exposure to the practice of neuropsychology in the hospital setting. And I especially enjoyed working on a research project with graduate student XXXX on the test-retest reliability and validity of various neuropsychological tests.

 This past summer, I was 1 of 25 students chosen from around the country to attend the XXXX Summer Neuroscience Institute at the University of XXXX. This opportunity enabled me to attend dozens of lectures by experts in related areas and to learn my way around the  many labs associated with neuroscience, especially the brain lab. I have also been heavily involved with the National Symposium on Child Abuse where I was honored for a paper that I wrote and was able to participate in various roundtable discussions.

 I have worked under the supervision of Dr. XXXX, at psychology professor at XXXX University who studies the Impact of Childhood Factors on Various Aspects of Neurological development. She serves me as a role model as I also want very much to specialize in the area of affects of parenting styles, abuse, etc.  Last year, in 2009, I had the opportunity to learn a great deal from XXXX, a physiotherapist with whom I performed an observership of multiple sessions lasting between 60 and 90 minutes and was exposed to the practice of pediatrics in the community setting assessment and discussion regarding normal development, neuro-developmental handling techniques, treatment planning, and goal setting. The University of XXXX is my first choice for graduate school since I hope to study under Dr. XXXX because I am also very much interested in pediatrics, learning, and leukemia are closely related to my own. I believe that my GPA suggest that I am capable of excelling in your program, despite my low GRE scores, since I am on track to graduate with honors in May with a B.S. in Counseling Psychology. My profound love for children is my perennial and most critical source of inspiration.

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PHD, Clinical, Community Counseling, Hispanic

It is said that education and learning opens new doors to progress; my life to date bears witness to this truth. Born and raised in Ecuador, my journey towards the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist in private practice in the United States has been anchored by life experiences and the steps I took in my academic career toward that goal. Currently enrolled in a Masters program in Community Counseling at XXXX University, having completed my core courses and awaiting internship, my decision to enroll in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology is motivated by a desire to build on my existing academic framework of psychological concepts to explore the link between neuropsychology, trauma and behavior. Ultimately, my aim is to establish a successful clinical psychology practice that specializes in the neuropsychological assessment and management of children and adolescents exposed to trauma.  

 During the Masters program, working in the classroom with colleagues who share the same passion I have and having access to academic staff that inspired us to strive for academic excellence has been a growth experience for me at both a personal and professional level. Despite the core knowledge base I have acquired in psychology applicable to community psychology and my years of practical experience in the field as a counselor, it is the complex facets of clinical psychology that I desire to develop competencies in, especially the latest advances in research in neurobiology that offer insight into the link between organic changes in the neurological make-up of the brain following traumatic insult and the alteration in behavior and personality that occurs, especially in the developmental years.

 Understanding the psychology of human behavior has been critical to my growth as an individual and as a counselor. The awareness of the internal and external factors that determine coping mechanisms and responses to life stressors have been a valuable learning curve for me. I have had the opportunity to view firsthand the impact of this knowledge acquired in my work as a counselor at Underdue Social Services in Atlanta, Georgia, a position I have held since November 2009. The skills I have been equipped with have allowed me to successfully integrate the theoretical knowledge with practical application in the cases of the families I have been entrusted with. I believe that these skills will be optimized during my internship.

 When I first embarked on this career path, I had come from Ecuador where the shifting socioeconomic and political landscape had significantly interfered with my ability to plan a future that held a positive outlook for me and my family. Psychological problems affecting children and adolescents generally have consequences for families and ultimately communities. My own experience as a parent in raising two beautiful, strong children has left me with an empathy for families that are overwhelmed by crises that affect their children. Leaving the known of my country of birth for the unknown of a foreign country was a leap of faith in my ability. I managed to overcome any odds to achieve the dream I had of being a professional counselor who would enable and empower people to cope with life’s challenges, especially children and families affected by complex trauma.

 Being Hispanic by birth, I had to prove this journey myself. Persevering past the language limitations, cultural differences and environmental challenges I faced when I first came to the United States, I managed to embrace my new country’s worldview. The yearning I had to pursue a career in clinical psychology did not abate even though I initially had to work in different sectors of the economy before working as a counselor. Being well travelled and bilingual allows me a unique opportunity to relate to people as a counselor without a language barrier and with a shared worldview, especially those families with children and adolescents who have had difficulty adjusting to the different cultural and linguistic environment in their new country.

 As a counselor, I have seen the impact of neglect and abuse on the development of children and the deep scars left in adolescents at a critical stage in their personality development by a traumatic event. As levels of stress caused by economic challenges and natural disasters escalate, there exists a growing need for clinical psychologists who are experts in their field to assess and manage trauma-related neuropsychological problems. The earlier these problems can be identified in children and adolescents, the better the life-time prognosis for them especially when they enter adulthood. Research in neurobiological changes following trauma have advanced to the point where it is now possible to visualize changes in the brain at a microscopic level that impact on human behavior.

 As a community counselor, I have had opportunity to explore the environmental influences that create chronic stressors in families and identify families with children and adolescents at risk. Rehabilitative efforts through counseling programs have been effective to a certain degree in resolving the consequences of trauma; the exciting prospect that I am desirous of exploring is the effectiveness of the clinical psychological approach to managing children and adolescents in these situations. Developing skills that will objectively document through neuropsychological assessment microscopic changes in areas in the brain affected by trauma that gross morphological imaging assessments fail to capture, would be an exciting research project to explore in child and adolescent psychology.

 The effectiveness of therapeutic options based on evidence–based research will enhance the place of clinical psychology in the management of children and adolescents impacted by complex trauma. The pervasive nature of the deficits sustained during complex trauma is well documented in the literature. Children and adolescents are referred at present for various behavioral and psychological interventions that are based on psychological techniques developed mainly in the adult population. Given the potential consequences for the developmental process in children and adolescents, it is imperative that research focuses on this subpopulation to collate data that is both reliable and valid. At this point in my career, I am motivated to pursue this interesting and innovative area as a research focus point.

 At a personal life stage now where I am comfortable with my home and family, I am committed to pursuing the Doctoral Program; I believe that my personal attributes that include critical thinking, excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills and a research focus in the neuropsychology of children and adolescents make me an excellent candidate for the course. The unique life experiences I have had from my background of cultural diversity are an added strength. I acknowledge that learning is a process and insight does not always result in change unless there is commitment to the duration of the journey.

 I believe that the Masters program was one leg on this journey towards self-awareness; it has helped me grow in understanding about myself and others; the Doctoral program will offer deeper insight, heighten my clinical acumen, expand my psychotherapeutic skill and provide an opportunity for me to explore adolescent and developmental psychology. This time would be invaluable: it would allow the academic staff to continue to offer their supervisory perspective which would be critical to both the discipline and psychotherapeutic growth I would need to ethically and successfully function in clinical practice in the community. Thank you for affording me this opportunity.

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All of the Statement samples on this web site were written more than 2 years ago and all are anonymous.

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