I spent the summer of 2023 working at the Center for Psychological Services. Center for Psychological Services is a psychology practice owned and operated by my grandparents, located in Jasper, Indiana. Throughout my experience working for both Dr. Holsworth and Sandra Pankey, a social worker. I have gained a much greater understanding of the field of clinical psychology and social work; hence I now understand the ways in which psychologists work to improve the lives of their patients. Clinical psychology has always been something that has piqued my interest, but now even more so. Due to particular aspects of the profession like flexibility. A clinical psychologist can choose to do therapy with his/her patients, or he can perform different series of tests. These tests evaluate things such as personality type/disorders, intelligence, and other diagnostic categories such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety… etc. Every day is another opportunity for a clinical psychologist to help someone cope with a loss or to better their life in some form or fashion through imparting their expertise. On a more interpersonal level, every day I have been afforded the opportunity to meet new people and further expand my worldview. Every new patient I meet during this internship has had their own unique story, some are rather fascinating, and some are well… less fascinating. I meet chatty, garrulous people and I meet more reserved people. Working in a psychology practice has shown me the different extremes in personality and quality of life. This experience overall has served to increase my cognizance of the challenges and troubles that other people face. We can all learn to be more empathetic and understanding of other people. And that is one thing that I think I have learned how to do very well throughout the course of this summer, be empathetic and try to understand the lives and experiences of other people. I am very grateful for this opportunity which has led me to be more adept at recognizing and understanding the emotions of others.
