Your Vision as a Psychology Practitioner-Scholar

Your Vision as a Psychology Practitioner-Scholar

Renee I. Fetzer

Capella University

Abstract

I envision myself becoming a behavioral analyst, one that advocates for my clients and facilitates their own personal growth. I have always been passionate about the area of behaviors and now am at a place in my career that I can pursue my dream. I envision myself, gaining experience and knowledge in the field of behavioral analysis that will allow me to pursue my goals and passions. My short-term goal is to get my master of arts in behavioral analysis, while my long-term goal is to work in a private practice setting with other like-minded individuals. I see myself incorporating research and psychological theory into my personal and professional way of being.

Your Vision as a Psychology Practitioner-Scholar

Introduction

When I was a little girl I always had a passion for observing individuals and watching the behaviors they would display. Growing up I lived in a large family, mainly full of boys. I always thought my brothers were aggressive in nature, but they were boys; so I considered their behavior normal. As we grew up, I noticed that our behaviors started to change drastically. In school we learned about hormones, becoming young adults and the changes one might go through. Now, I question were those behaviors hormone related or was there more behind it? Later on in life, my brother was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, started medication, and therapy (Hansell & Damour, 2008). My brother’s behavior was extremely aggressive, and abnormal (Hansell & Damour, 2008). What do we call abnormal though when it comes to behaviors?   Therapy and medication did not appear to help my brother. He exhibited more frustration, and his aggression caused to him drop out of school. Eventually he would end up in and out of jail. This is where my passion for this field began at, to explore the idea of are individuals misdiagnosed or can there be more to the behavior which lies behind it (Hansell & Damour, 2008).

As I entered into my undergraduate years, I was not set on a particular degree; I knew I wanted to work with children and their families.  Eventually, I realized that I wanted to analyze behaviors and have the understanding of why individuals did what they did, leading me to pursue a baccalaureate degree in psychology.  Currently, I work for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) designing case plans around an individual’s behavior, but I want broaden my career by focusing more on the behavior aspect.  This would allow me to advocate in a positive manner for my clients, as opposed to what I do as a caseworker currently.    

Vision

The behaviors in my clients that I have experienced while working at DCFS have led me to realize that I can better facilitate my clients by pursuing my MA. With this in mind, my vision is to obtain the necessary education as a practitioner-scholar by finishing this program. By gaining knowledge about how behaviors have an affect on individuals, society, and integrating the current literature into my life both personally and professionally will allow me to contribute to both my clients, the agency I work and to the field of psychology (McClintock, 2003). Before starting this graduate program I did not understand as thoroughly what the practitioner-scholar model entailed. I am learning that as a behavioral analyst, I will have to incorporate psychological theories, research and techniques by keeping abreast of the current literature in the field and conducting my own research (McClintock, 2003). One area of research that I am interested in is whether or not the behaviors associated with Bipolar Disorder are genetic or can they be learned. The individuals I want to impact are those who struggle in our society, who are diagnosed with disorders, and individuals who display abnormal behaviors, I can accomplish this best by attending continuing education workshops and possibly conducting research both now as a graduate student and in the future as an independent practitioner (McClintock, 2003).