My Vision as a Practitioner Scholar

Abstract

The Practitioner Scholar concept is a learning model used in many higher education programs that focuses on scientific practices (McClintock, 2003). It was developed first and foremost for those in the Psychology field but has been accepted by other areas of expertise. This concept states that a scholar is an avid learner for research, and an expert practitioner uses data and methodologies to problem solve for potential clients (McClintock, 2003). This paper will discuss the concept of the Practitioner-Scholar. It is very important to understand the meanings of a scholar, practitioner and practitioner-scholar. Merriam Webster defines a scholar as a notable academic and defines a practitioner as a person that practices in their profession. My specific area of study is Counseling Psychology. Counseling Psychology is a specialty within professional psychology that focuses on counseling personal and social problems that occur in life. By learning and defining what these words mean allowed me to understand what was being asked in the assignment. A Practitioner-Scholar is someone who practices in an area which they are an expert in (McClintock, 2003). In my case I am considered to be a Practitioner of General Psychology and a Scholar in Counseling.

Introduction

As a young child I was very active and as any normal child when given chocolate and any products containing caffeine I would become very active. To make a long story short my mother took me to a therapist and I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). After receiving the diagnoses I had to go see a therapist once a month and was put on Ritalin. In my personal opinion I do not believe that I suffered from ADHD because I hardly ever took the medicine and I was fine. I never had any problems academically as a student and I never had a problem paying attention in the classroom.

I personally believe that I was misdiagnosed and this realization did not come to me until I took my first psychology class in undergrad. As I journeyed through undergrad I found that my passion includes working with families and children. I wanted to make sure that no child was ever misdiagnosed again. As I got older I realized that my passion changed. I currently work at Barton College where I work in the Division of Student Affairs

Vision

I really enjoy working in the Division of Student Affair. I never have the same day twice working with college students. One thing that I have noticed with this new generation of students is that a lot of them are lost and really were not t prepared for the world of college. Many of them were allowed to do whatever they wanted in high school just because they played a sport and was good at it. Many of them only came to college just to play a sport. Very few understand