AP Psychology Interview

marshmallowstar, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2013

1. How did you get into this field? Were there any personal factors?

I started undergrad as a chemistry major but early on found myself bored with most of the content as I had taken many advanced classes in high school. One of my gen eds was in psychology and I became interested. After taken several more gen eds I changed my major to psychology. With an undergrad education in psych I started working as a mental health technician at a psychiatric hospital from there I worked as a sexual assault counselor at a rape crisis center. I loved my work dearly but the salary of psych professionals especially at the bachelors' level is very poor. So as I tell people, I like helping people but I also like getting paid. I decided to go to nursing school as I had worked with many nurses as a mental health technician and during forensic exams as a sexual assault counselor. Personally, my mother has mental health issues but if anything that was a deterrent to me entering psych and even now I have to be mindful of my countertransference and projection related to this.

2. What did you need to do for education and field experience in order to work in your present position?

I had a bachelors' to be a mental health tech on a children's unit which involves milieu management, crisis counseling and leading psychoed groups. My undergrad degree and experience as an MHT allowed me to work as the sexual assault counselor. I then attended nursing school and am now a staff nurse on an inpatient psychiatric unit specializing in trauma and dissociative disorders

3. What do you like best about your job?

Teaching patient's skills to manage intrusive symptoms.

4. What do you like least about your job?

Charting, there is a significant amount of documentation needed to help convey the patient's progress to treatment team members as well as support their need for treatment to insurance companies.

5. Please describe the most difficult or challenging case or situation that you have encountered.

When I was a MHT I worked on the children and preadolescent unit which involved pts 4-13 that would stay from 3-14 days. We would often have kids that were living in abusive or neglectful homes and would often return to those homes when discharged. That was extremely difficult. I came to a personal philosophy that we were not going to fix these kids' problems in 2 weeks but I could show them that not all grown ups act the way they do at home. That you can do something "wrong" and get a time out, not hit. That an adult can be upset and not yell but instead talk with you about what happened. That's what helped me survive.

6. What theory or theories do you use most often in your work?

Trauma informed cognitive therapies, psychodynamics, and DBT.

7. Working in this field can be very stressful. What do you do to manage your stress?

Give and receive support from coworkers during particularly difficult situations. Acknowledging and separating work life and home life, be present for and enjoy home life. Be mindful of stress's transiency.

8. What advice do you have for a psychology student who may enter the mental health field?

Explore as many populations and disorders as you can early on to find out who you enjoy working with. Prepare for education past undergrad.

9. Are you trained to use any evidence-based practices or approaches for the difficulties of your clients? If not, are you aware of effective treatments for their issues?

DBT. Treatment also used for trauma patients, ECT for intractable depression, EMDR for non complex PTSD.

schoolstudent · Aug 22, 2013

Thank you very much for responding! I was wondering if you could also tell me your name and credentials, only if you don't mind. My teacher also instructed to obtain the name of the person you interviewed, credentials, such as which school(s) you attended and got your degree from, etc. Once again, thank you so much.

marshmallowstar, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2013

I sent you a PM