Pursuing research and refinement of my clinical community psychology acumen at XXXX University will enable me to bring my career goals and dreams to fruition. No other field has nor ever could bring me the same level of personal or professional satisfaction. Firstly, and most importantly, XXXX offers the unique option of examining clinical-community psychology, the chance to focus on multicultural psychology, ergo establish the specific mental health concerns facing culturally diverse populations. The specificity of this degree will allow me to approach - professionally - the community and different agencies specifically addressing mental health care disparities and under-representation of minority populations.
As a Vietnamese immigrant, I have walked more than a mile in the shoes of the immigrant and feel a profound sympathy for the assorted challenges. Having worked with the community since I was fifteen, and a volunteer tutor, I have seen the fruits of encouraging young immigrants to interact more with the greater community, and seen dramatic changes in the self-esteem, self-efficacy, and health lifestyle choices thereof. This is what I bring to my future as a psychologist, the innate understanding of the minority experience, that language and cultural barriers should not equate nor contribute to at-risk populations. When people start to seep through societal cracks, I will be there, their soft place to fall.
With the aid of XXXX’s quality faculty and access to resources, I will be able to assess appropriate clinical treatments for the community, develop newer innovative approaches, interventions and refine my ability to design prevention programs that cater to minorities. Moreover, I need to study the ways in which groups and systems in the community coalesce to influence individual mental health. I feel that my research experiences in XXXX’s Social, Personality and Health Lab, and Child Cognition Lab have laid the requisite background of research fundamentals, and that my research assistant work, the observations, and participation in psychological studies, has increased the breadth of my research interests.
Participation in the Clinical-Community, Psychology Psy.D. Program will bring credence to my clinical experiences as a biofeedback technician during my internship with XXXX’s counseling center. More than just a life-changing experience, it solidified my future in a more applied psychology setting. Having a firsthand awareness, patience, and passion for the demands of working with patients is to develop the raw rudiments, and the first step towards La Verne’s graduate program.
Post-graduation, I can begin building a fruitful career as a private practitioner, ideally in my own practice, increasing my involvement in the community, encouraging aspiring children to consider a future in psychology and promoting good mental health. As a practitioner and researcher, I will be involved in increasing the depth and relevance of the field, making valuable contributions to hospitals and clinics, focusing on a rich array of diverse groups of people in need. Indeed, future research is a necessity, as community needs are constantly changing, and effective programs, interactions, treatments, and preventions need development and implementation to accommodate evolving issues.
Clinical Community PsyD Personal Purpose Statement