Flourish with Passion and Purpose

Hi! I have not posted in quite some time, although it wasn’t without good reason! I was finishing up my last two years of coursework, research, and clinical work while pursuing my PhD in counseling psychology. The past few years felt like a whirlwind and a lifetime all at once. Now, I find myself sitting in a small house in the Bay Area with my fiancé, coming close to defending my dissertation,…

I’ve been on an audiobook since the pandemic started. I have always loved reading, but since starting graduate school I’ve found it really difficult to sit down and read for pleasure. When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t move my body in ways I was used to (like going to the gym), so I started walking a LOT. Walking helped me get out of my head, get rid of anxious energy, and kept me feeling strong.…

I have talked about SMART goals on my blog in the past, but I think it is a topic worth revisiting! SMART goals have gotten relatively popular in the past few years. You might’ve heard of SMART goals before, but they are:⁣⁣🔹Specific ⁣🔹Measurable ⁣🔹Achievable ⁣🔹Reasonable ⁣🔹Time bound You can see in the graphic below that sometimes different words are used, but it generally has the same…

Part 6: The logistics of interviewing for graduate school

Ok, so the logistics of interviews were a nightmare for me. I know this year has looked very different due to Covid-19 so many programs are offering interviews virtually. This change has come with a lot of pros and cons. Pros: Cheaper, easier, safety of being behind a screen, access to notes or other resources, down time Cons: Unable to see campus, unable to spend time much with students, can’t…

Ted Talk Friday: How not to take things personally?

A friend and colleague of mine recommended this talk to me during a meeting about a week ago. I watched it and it has really stuck with me. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t take things personally; I think some of it is human nature, but some of this thinking can change. As a student clinician, I liked how the speaker discussed his own experience and how he provided easy ways we can begin to view…

Healthy Media Use During Stressful Times (Repost)

I had the opportunity to write a blog for the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) a few weeks ago on healthy media use and wanted to share it with you! Here is a snippet of the article:

Although social media and the 24/7 news cycle are not new, they have become much more pronounced as much of the U.S. has engaged in social distancing measures. In recent months, the role of the media has…

It has been a while since my last post! As you might guess, this semester is kicking my butt; between classes, clinical work, and research I’ve stayed pretty busy. I heard this Ted Talk in class the other day and thought it was quite beautiful; the message around asking questions thoughtfully and remaining curious really resonated with me. I hope you enjoy this talk!

Part 5: A look inside the interview process

I had no idea what to expect when starting graduate school interviews! First, I had not thought too hard about interviews because I didn’t want to get my hopes up that I would even get any interviews. I took a non-traditional path and worked at health-focused start-ups in the Bay Area rather than working as a research assistant in a lab or something that more clearly led to a PhD in psychology; I…

Part 4: The application timeline

I talked a little bit about the application timeline in my last post, but I think it is helpful to have a full post dedicated to managing all the components of grad school applications. Ideally you want to have the GRE done and out of the way as early as you can. The GRE is good for ~5 years so take it when it works well for you. Maybe you have a light class load if you’re in college or you are…

Part 3: The Elements of a Grad School Application

So by now you know how much work goes into submitting even one application for graduate school. Most people I know submit somewhere between 5 to 17 graduate school applications. That might seem excessive but I think it’s still fairly reasonable depending on your circumstances. It’s important to remember that graduate school applications are typically not free; when I was submitting for programs…

Part 2: How do you find the right graduate program?

I wish I could tell you that finding the right graduate program is straightforward and streamlined….but it’s definitely not. I remember sitting in a beautiful coffee shop in the Mission in San Francisco for hours just poring over faculty members at different Counseling Psychology programs. I found it most helpful to look at the list of all APA-accredited Counseling Psychology and weed out any…

Part 1: So You’re Applying to Graduate School

Congratulations! Deciding that you want to apply to graduate school is a pretty big deal. Now comes the scary part of deciding which schools to apply to and actually applying. My thought process for deciding to apply for Counseling Psychology PhD programs was long and sometimes felt circular. I landed on Counseling Psychology after eliminating most other program types. I considered all of the…

Interrupting Ted Talk Friday for a Special Reason…

I’ve released a podcast! Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve been working on this idea for the past eight months as part of the Kentucky Psychological Association Leadership Academy. This program is new and provides early career psychologists, including students, with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and complete a leadership-focused project.

My project stemmed from my love of…

Announcing a New Series: Applying to Graduate School

Hi all! I’ve been toying with a new idea for a while and I’ve decided to officially go through with it after speaking with some friends who are applying for graduate school this cycle. I remember starting my graduate school application process and feeling lost, overwhelmed, and worried. The process feels complicated and disorganized, and there are few helpful sources for guidance. So the purpose…