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The Aspects of My Life that Geared Me Toward Clinical Psychology

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Words: 1409 |

Pages: 3|

8 min read

Published: Jun 10, 2020

Words: 1409|Pages: 3|8 min read

Published: Jun 10, 2020

Had I been told four years ago that I would be graduating from college and furthering my education into graduate school, I would have thought of that idea as unattainable. Growing up, I never perceived myself to be good enough or smart enough to pursue a doctoral degree. I come from a divorced household with both of my parents having some college education under their belt, but no one in my family had a bachelor’s degree or a doctoral degree.

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When I was young, my father developed a substance abuse problem and that continued on in my life for fifteen years. This was one of the most impactful instances in my life that led to me to pursue an education in psychology. Also, I began working at a young age and it was those jobs, that shaped my work ethic and helped formulate my skills in the workforce. There have been many experiences in my life that steered me toward pursing an education in psychology.

It was not until I was an undergraduate and my course load was primarily Psychology courses, that I reflected on those experiences and how they shaped my life. Before taking those courses, I had perceived some of my experiences as abnormal, but I never knew how to conceptualize it or put it into terms that made sense. While I did experience traumatic events in my life, it was also the quality experiences that helped shaped my work ethic and my drive to pursue a career in the field of clinical psychology.

One aspect of my life that geared me toward clinical psychology, was growing up with a father who had substance abuse problems. My biological dad was addicted to pain killers for the majority of my life. When I was younger, I did not understand why my dad would sleep for hours at a time during the middle of the day, or why he would be falling asleep at the wheel while he drove me to school. I also never understand why I could never rely on him.

It was not until I started my studies in college that I realized he had a substance abuse problem. He came from a very harsh back ground, where he was physically and mentally abused by his parents. I think if he had the resources to get help and seek treatment early on from the mental and physical abuse he received, that he might not have become addicted to pain killers.

Growing up with a dad who was absent and that I could not rely on caused a lot of emotional distress in my life. I know first-hand how much our mental health as individuals can impact our everyday lives. This experience is what elevated my interests in clinical psychology. I want to actively be involved with people in the community who are seeking help for various mental health issues.

My goal is to effectively help and provide treatment for individuals who are experiencing distress in their life due to a mental illness. Since as far back as I can recall, I have been the person that my friends come to when seeking honest guidance, encouragement, comfort, or a voice of reason. It was not something I purposely sought, but rather a natural connection I made with my friends. I believe they gravitated towards me because they could sense my empathy and open-mindedness.

I am always willing to take the time with my friends and listen to them when they are struggling. When they seek my advice, I try my best to help them in the most effective way I can. I wanted emphasize on this quality of mine and seek a career in clinical psychology where I can be involved in my community and provide guidance and treatment to individuals who are suffering. As I entered into my teenage years, I obtained a job working as a cashier in a department store. I started working at a very young age.

The moment I turned sixteen I obtained my first job at a department store. This was the first time I got to interact with the community and gain professional work experience. Having that job helped me to develop my communication skills where I was able to effectively communicate with people across various backgrounds. Before I had my first job, I was more of a timid person and this aided in bringing me out of my comfort zone and I was able to communicate with strangers where before I would have never done that.

It was an enormous growing experience for me. After working at a department storeDuring high school and several summers during college, I worked at a got a job when I was seventeen at a fast food restaurant. Even though there is a lot of stigma around working in a fast food environment, it was a profound learning experience. It taught me how to effectively multi-task, time management skills, team dynamics, time management skills, and it advanced my communication skills to an even more insightfulprofound level. Mostly importantly, it taught me to maintain emotional stability in times of conflict.

I would often encounter angry customers and I learned to approach those situations in a calm manner and effectively solve a problem without having the situation escalate. I continued to work in customer services jobs through high school and college. Working in customer services jobs helped me develop my interest of working with people directly. Now that I knew I wanted to work with people directly, I chose to pursue my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology at California State University Channel Islands.

Another aspect of my life that geared me toward clinical psychology, was growing up with a father who had substance abuse problems. My biological dad was addicted to pain killers for fifteen years. When I was younger, I did not understand why my dad would sleep for hours at a time during the middle of the day, or why he would be falling asleep at the wheel while he drove me to school. I also never understand why I could not rely on him or why he would be MIA for weeks at a time.

It was not until I started my studies in college that I realized he had a substance abuse problem. He came from a very harsh back ground, where he was physically and mentally abused by his parents. I think if he had the resources to get help and seek treatment early on from the mental and physical abuse he received, that he might not have become addicted to pain killers. Growing up with a dad who was absent and that I could not rely on caused a lot of emotional distress in my life.

I know first-hand how much our mental health as individuals can impact our everyday lives. This experience is what elevated my interests in clinical psychology. I want to actively be involved with people in the community who are seeking help for various mental health issues. I want to effectively help and provide treatment for individuals who are experiencing distress in their life due to a mental illness. If I am able to help someone and change their lives for the better, then I know I have made an impact in this world.

Another experience that has helped shape my interest in clinical psychology was my developed interest in the effects of mental health on incarceration. I developed this interest because growing up, I was exposed to different careers in the criminal justice field. growing up with parents who worked in a criminal justice setting. My biological dad and my step-dad are retired police officers. Also, my step-dad worked for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Growing up around various careers in the criminal justice field, helped me to develop an interest in working with criminals who have mental illnesses. Ultimately, I want to work in a setting at a corrections facility where I am helping to relieve psychological-based distress or dysfunction in the incarcerated individuals who have a mental illness.

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I am a strong believer in rehabilitation and there is an alarming number of incarcerated individuals who have a mental disorder. I want to be able to provide the appropriate treatment to these individuals who are struggling with mental health difficulties while being incarcerated. If I am able to help someone and change their lives for the better, then I know I have made an impact in this world.

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The Aspects of My Life that Geared Me Toward Clinical Psychology. (2020, Jun 10). GradesFixer. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-autobiographical-sketch-the-aspects-of-my-life-that-have-geared-me-toward-clinical-psychology/
“The Aspects of My Life that Geared Me Toward Clinical Psychology.” GradesFixer, 10 Jun. 2020, gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-autobiographical-sketch-the-aspects-of-my-life-that-have-geared-me-toward-clinical-psychology/
The Aspects of My Life that Geared Me Toward Clinical Psychology. [online]. Available at: <https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-autobiographical-sketch-the-aspects-of-my-life-that-have-geared-me-toward-clinical-psychology/> [Accessed 29 Mar. 2024].
The Aspects of My Life that Geared Me Toward Clinical Psychology [Internet]. GradesFixer. 2020 Jun 10 [cited 2024 Mar 29]. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-autobiographical-sketch-the-aspects-of-my-life-that-have-geared-me-toward-clinical-psychology/
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