‘Got your six’; a military term used during missions to indicate support for fellow soldiers. However, this term is relevant for service members and civilians alike, and is a term that resonates with me. As a clinical psychologist it is necessary to support your clients, and it is a phrase to symbolize collaboration, a necessity when conducting research. Before and throughout my time at the University of Virginia, my personal history and my combination of volunteer opportunities, classwork, and labwork shaped my future career aspirations into pursuing a doctorate degree, joining the Army, and practicing and researching military psychology. As the daughter of a former U.S. Navy officer, I grew up a military brat. Although we only experienced
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As a volunteer for Helpline and Crisis Text Line, I have over 75 hours of crisis intervention training. As a volunteer for HelpLine, I worked in the call room, providing active empathetic listening for UVA students and the surrounding community. Currently I work with HelpLine as a member of their publicity team. Crisis Text Line is a crisis hotline, using texting as the main medium of communication. My experiences with both HelpLine and Crisis Text Line have taught me how to provide immediate crisis intervention through different mediums. I have learned how to stay calm during stressful situations, as I have used suicide prevention tactics on several occasions. As I continue to volunteer with these organizations, I continuously foster my love for clinical …show more content…
I quickly discovered my passion for clinical psychology. As I began to research careers within clinical psychology, it became clear I needed to decide if I wanted to pursue strictly the practice of clinical psychology or to include research in my endeavors. This decision was made once I began volunteering as a research assistant in Dr. Michael Kubovy’s lab investigating the interaction between auditory and visual perception. The main research project I was involved in tested how language interfered with the perception of musical rhythms. As a research assistant, I developed the necessary skills to carry out ethical research. Unique to my experience as a research assistant was the opportunity to complete a Distinguished Majors Project. As such, I gained extensive knowledge of the entire research process from start to finish. Under the advisement of Dr. Kubovy and graduate students in his lab, I initiated a novel research question on anxiety’s role in the interaction between music and language. I created experiment materials, recruited and scheduled participants, analyzed the data, presented my findings at two research symposiums, composed a full manuscript, and received the honor of high distinction upon graduation. My experience as a research assistant and as a primary investigator solidified my love of research, a passion I intend to carry into
As a volunteer for Helpline and Crisis Text Line, I have over 75 hours of crisis intervention training. As a volunteer for HelpLine, I worked in the call room, providing active empathetic listening for UVA students and the surrounding community. Currently I work with HelpLine as a member of their publicity team. Crisis Text Line is a crisis hotline, using texting as the main medium of communication. My experiences with both HelpLine and Crisis Text Line have taught me how to provide immediate crisis intervention through different mediums. I have learned how to stay calm during stressful situations, as I have used suicide prevention tactics on several occasions. As I continue to volunteer with these organizations, I continuously foster my love for clinical …show more content…
I quickly discovered my passion for clinical psychology. As I began to research careers within clinical psychology, it became clear I needed to decide if I wanted to pursue strictly the practice of clinical psychology or to include research in my endeavors. This decision was made once I began volunteering as a research assistant in Dr. Michael Kubovy’s lab investigating the interaction between auditory and visual perception. The main research project I was involved in tested how language interfered with the perception of musical rhythms. As a research assistant, I developed the necessary skills to carry out ethical research. Unique to my experience as a research assistant was the opportunity to complete a Distinguished Majors Project. As such, I gained extensive knowledge of the entire research process from start to finish. Under the advisement of Dr. Kubovy and graduate students in his lab, I initiated a novel research question on anxiety’s role in the interaction between music and language. I created experiment materials, recruited and scheduled participants, analyzed the data, presented my findings at two research symposiums, composed a full manuscript, and received the honor of high distinction upon graduation. My experience as a research assistant and as a primary investigator solidified my love of research, a passion I intend to carry into