Personal Narrative: My Trip To Prison

. I applied to graduate school with the long term goal of working in a correctional facility. A childhood friend of mine was arrested and sent to prison in August 2007. I saw him four years after his incarceration. These four years definitely took a toll on his physical appearance and his way of thinking. He is 25 and has the looks of a young person whose youth has been wasted. As I sat with him, I had high hopes of being able to laugh out loud while reminiscing about the past. However, I became upset and tears of sadness trickled down my face. He confided to me thoughts of suicide. He explained to me in prison terminology or street talk, one must never drop the soap. I sobbed as he continued to talk about his sentence. At times, his words

lacked logic. He kept repeating to me that one day, this would all go away. I encouraged him to "stay strong". I left that prison’s visit shattered in pieces. My childhood friend was released in May 2013. He currently resides in Trinidad and Tobago.
I was unable to get an internship placement at a correctional facility during the last year of my graduate studies. I got an internship at my current job facility. As an intern, I provided play therapy to children ages 2 to 5. They presented with emotional and/or behavioral issues. Their diagnoses range from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Once, I completely my Masters in Mental Health Counseling (MHC). I was hired to be the agency’s MHC. I ecstatic because I worked hard with clients and their families to ensure they received the best treatment from the therapeutic services provided.
An opportunity to work at Rikers Island correctional facility became available to me. I was hired “on the spot”. A senior therapist at Rikers Island, told the newly hired that “We should not come in here, thinking we are going to make a difference, in these prisoners’ lives",” They are depressed and they going to remain that way". His statement crushed my zealous spirit. I did not take the job. There was a great likelihood that he would have been my supervisor. In addition, I did not want to work with someone who did not value their duty to help others experience a healthy, fulfilled life. In addition, I had grown fond of working with children and their families. In play therapy, the child is able to use toys as a symbolic language to convey the difficulties they are experiencing. Their progress was evident. In addition, I realized that the majority of my client’s parents have a mental health illness. Their illness range from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to Bipolar Disorder. In addition, my clients symptoms originated because of environmental and/or genetics. I would like to pursue a PsyD in Clinical Psychology so I can be a Clinical Child Psychologist. I will use psychological theories and techniques to help children and their families find new ways of thinking, acting and relating to each other in a way that hopefully alleviates the difficulties they are experiencing.
In my undergraduate studies at John Jay College, I collaborated with a few peers to conduct a research study on Double Standards and Gender. We focused primarily on the impact the media has promoting double standards in relation to gender and the impact it has on dating. A brief questionnaire was used to collect data. Findings showed that society’s perception of the ideal body image influences an individual’s need for body image perfection displayed by the media. Also, the way an individual date in relationships are based on gender appropriate behavior and attractiveness.
In my graduate studies, I had to present a research proposal about an issue that concern me in human services. I focused on the correlation of clinicians, who are burnout and the impact on their clients. I proposed to conduct my experiment at a Criminal Justice facility. My research proposed to study four staff member between the ages of 25 to sixty and twenty of their client ages nine to nineteen. To gather data, questionnaires and journals were proposed to be administered to staff members and clients. My hypothesis was that clinicians who are burnout will correlate with a negative impact on clients. Completing and proposing a research study of my interest helped expand my research experience. Also, I was able to work closely with members of faculty who were already experts in the field. In addition, these experiences have inspired me to further my research experience, so I can make a meaningful contribution to the field of Clinical Psychology.
I was born in Trinidad and Tobago.

I came to America at the age of 10. I vacation there often. A lot of my family members still live in Trinidad. My most recent visit was in September of 2015. A man who the community consider as “mad” burned down a local primary school. The individual with the Mental Health Illness was not penalized. The individual with The Mental Illness is known for walking around talking to himself and behaving erratically near the main streets. He is not in Treatment. My childhood has a Mental illness. He was diagnosed in the Correctional Facility. However, he is not in therapy or on any medication. Trinidad and Tobago lacks adequate Mental Health services. Mental Health issues are still taboo in many communities in Trinidad and Tobago. As a result, residents with a mental illness fail to seek help. In addition, they turn to religion for help. I would like to return to Trinidad and Tobago and assist them with implementing treatment and training programs to Mental Health professionals. Also, bring awareness to communities and address negative connotation’s associated with Mental Illness. In addition, I would like to have a private practice which helps the less fortunate in these communities who cannot afford Mental Health Services. In addition, I would be the first generation in my family to attend a doctoral program. I want to be a role model for my younger nephews and cousins. I want them to always strive for better and never settling for

less.
I strongly believe, my Personal and Professional experiences paired with my intrinsic desire to learn will make me a very promising candidate in the flied of Clinical Psychology. I would like to attend Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’ Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology because it is accredited by the American Psychological Association and Commission on Accreditation. In addition, I favor using a Holistic approach to treat clients. I look forward to learning from staff who my peers considers the best due to the school’s outstanding reputation in this field.