Preface to the Professional Work Samples
Preface to the Professional Work Samples
The purpose of this professional work sample is to show the performance and mastery of the program outcomes and competencies for the psychology major. The work samples illustrate the mastery of various program outcomes. I have had to acquire knowledge of the learning outcomes through first hand experiences I have obtained in creating my professional portfolio and also in completing the previous course and going through an undergraduate student.
From the assignments and projects, I have worked on before, I can attest that I am a critical thinker and I do posses information literacy. The cover letter required a critical thinking and also possession of information literacy. The cover letter required some well articulation of experiences and skills, as well as the excellent flow of information. Such details help to pass crucial information to the employer or the interview panel.
The research skills evident in the work samples involve learning, debating, practical and also analytical. The samples depict the fact that, I have the ability to learn quite quickly and also grasp some new concepts. The research done in the previous course entailed identifying resources, as well as collection and analysis of the data, doing experiments among others. The discussion that involved the research done did articulate ideas, peer group discussion, and also involved supporting a single position with logic.
The work samples also depict excellent communication skills. The writing of the cover letter did demonstrate that the person can also replicate the same in oral communication. Research projects also depict excellent communication skills. This is quite crucial in psychology and professional portfolio, as it presents knowledge in presenting a topic paper, a PowerPoint, presentation outline among others. Communication skills are quite crucial in interpersonal relations, and this is especially when handling instances that need psychological intervention. It is crucial for supervisory, counseling, negotiating and also teamwork. The psychologist is able to explain and advise, as well as establish work schedules that permit the victims to meet the requirements. Counseling will involve supporting, listening and facilitation, and hence it requires vast communication skills. Communication skills also help in collaboration with other researchers among others. My communication skills are quite excellent.
The “use of Internet Intervention” assignment can attest the understanding of the ethical issues in psychology. The work showed ethical issues of using the internet or computer-based applications in solving issues arising in psychology. One of the ethical issues is privacy and this is because confidentiality of data cannot be guaranteed in the internet or computer-based applications. The problem I do have is the diversity awareness, and this is an area that needs improvement in the future psychology works.
The assignments, projects and papers in the previous course have had to demonstrate the understanding of various theories, basic concepts, and also the empirical findings in some domains of psychology. For instance, the critical thinking and information literacy depicted in research papers is a clear indication of the understanding of the cognitive theory, social theory, and personality theory among others. Having knowledge of foundations of the psychology field enable me to acquire skills and knowledge that I was able to write a cover letter for an employment as a psychology expert. In as much as I have the knowledge of foundations of the psychology field, I need to improve on this. There is a need to have all the concepts, theories and domains of psychology in fingertips, such that it would be quite easy and efficient to carry out or apply psychology work.
The cover letter that I wrote for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Therapist was a clear indication that I was ready to apply psychology. The assignment was a clear demonstration of the solid experience in rehabilitation and drug addiction counseling, which provided me with the ability to apply psychology to personal, social and also organizational problems. This is also an area that needs some improvement, as it needs more than five years to have experience in the application of psychology.
In terms of interpersonal effectiveness, I have an experience in PowerPoint presentations. The only difficulty is the video presentations. However, the PowerPoint presentations demonstrate my ability to communicate quite effectively and also appreciate the awareness of the impact on others. The knowledge of the video presentation should be improved, and this is to also ensure appreciation of diversity and cultural sensitivity.
All the above strengths and competencies will be strengthen further, and this is by gaining more knowledge, skills and experiences in psychology. There are also sectors that need to be improved, and this is as stated above. I will focus most on the knowledge of foundations of the field, and this is because without basic concepts, theories and domains of psychology, it can be difficult to efficiently deliver in the field. The psychology program is the best in equipping all the above program outcomes. There is a need to do more assignments, research and gain field experiences in order to develop the strengths and overcome weaknesses in the future.
Work Samples
Cover Letter
Andre Justice
1 Main Street, Birmingham, AL
Home: (888) 344-8560
November 21, 2016
Grace Owens
Western Mental Health Center,
530 Beacon Pkwy,
Birmingham, Al 35209,
+12057887770
RE: Drug Addiction Counselor Position
Dear Mrs. Owen,
I am writing to apply for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Therapist with Western Mental Health Center. I am a certified Mental Health Therapist. As stated in my resume, I have many years of professional experience in counseling adolescents and young adults who are mentally ill. In addition, I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Having the solid experience in teaching the mentally ill and serving God, as well as volunteering, I possess the comprehensive skill set as well as the hands-on understanding required to affect some positive and overreaching results for the victims at your institution.
My former position at one of the mentally ill center and doing my own business under the banner of House of Mercy enabled me to provide counseling on various issues to mentally ill youth and also attend to them to communicate with officers and maintain paperwork. I organize myself very well and manage numerous tasks in a timely manner. I have excellent communication skills, which allows me to write thorough progress notes and keep center staff families and probation personnel quite regularly updated. I am quite a compassionate and competent counselor that has a strong grasp of counseling theory. It would be quite an honor to share such attributes with your institution and the community within as the newest drug addiction counselor.
I look forward to learn more about this opportunity and to discuss how I can contribute my strength at the Western Mental Health Center. I appreciate your taking the time to review my credentials and experience.
Sincerely,
Andre Justice
The Use of Internet Intervention
The Use of an Internet Intervention
Social anxiety disorder is a psychological issue that can benefit from the use of internet intervention. The old method of intervention to this disorder has been weekly appointments with psychologists for some months, or years to engage about fears or doing the cognitive-behavioral therapy at home. Currently, researchers have began applying the internet as a way to impact patient behaviors, and this is by reducing negative physical and psychological symptoms (Ritterband, Et al, 527)
The internet based intervention to this disorder involves creating a Challenger App. The app involves the gamified platform, in which case it provides for the victims to engage in the task of exposure therapy. In essence, the app will entail some entertaining, social, and also customized settings to the victim’s fears and worries. In addition, the app will permit the victims to observe progress as they come close to their goals of completing increasingly challenging exposures with the assistance of psycho-educational lessons and awards. This is possible as the app has a centerpiece called gameboard, which plays the role of home screen. Tracking and observing progress is the effective way of testing the intervention. The Challenger App should have some benefits that include encouraging the persons to reflect on their experience. The app encourages participation.
The legal issues for the Challenger App includes compliance with laws, regulations and agreements, app development, selecting the platform for the app (for instance, the android, windows phone, blackberry), and determining the underlying arrangements with the client. One of the ethical issues is the asynchronous, which implies no in real-time. It allows the victims to communicate at their own ease. Privacy is the other ethical issue. Sometimes patients suffering from such disorders inadvertently or purposely disclose private details about themselves to peers or online groups (Taylor & Luce, 2003). In this case, the victims should be aware that confidentiality of records cannot be guaranteed in such apps.
References:
Taylor, B & Luce, K. (2003). Computers- and Internet-Based Psychotherapy Interventions. Currents directions in Psychological Sciences, 12, 18-22
Ritterband, L. M., Gonder-Frederick, L., Cox, D. J., Clifton, A. D., West, R. W., & Borowitz, S. M. (2003). Internet interventions: In review, in use, and into the future. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34(5), 527-534.
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