Personal Statement Example: Application to the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology

My interests include participating in public speaking engagements for children, adolescents, and adults in the tri-state area, El Salvador, and Haiti. I discuss how the adverse effects of abuse and neglect inside the home and how living in poverty can create dysfunctional families, low self-esteem, and depression. Recently, I gave a conference on how to protect families from anxiety and stressusing evidence-based research. Another interest that I have is teaching. I am part of the educational department at church, where I teach 6-to-11-year-olds. I prepare lesson plans, evaluate the development of the curriculum, follow the principles and procedures, and motivate the students to be attentive and participate in class. I love working with children and adolescents because theirs is a time of emotional and psychological development.

There are several reasons why I am want to study my Ph.D. program in clinical psychology at Montclair State University. The three faculty members that I would like to work with and have as a faculty mentor are Dr. Carrie Masia Warner, Dr. Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, and Dr. Sarah R. Lowe. I want to work with Dr. Carrie Masia Warner because she has research experience with school-based interventions to treat adolescents suffering from social anxiety disorder. I currently have adolescent patients who suffer from a variety of anxiety disorders who could significantly benefit from school-based interventions. Dr. Warners research sheds light on the importance of helping children and adolescents in schools overcome anxiety. I want to work with Dr. Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, who has research experience on how digital health technology helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents because I am interested in how technology has affected adolescents regarding how they relate to the world around them. I also want to work with Dr. Sarah R. Lowe for her research on mental consequences of traumatic life events, like mass shootings, where she discusses how there has been no empirical literature on mass shootings over the years.

As a clinical psychology Ph.D. applicant, I understand the need to work hand-in-hand with faculty members to acquire the knowledge and expertise needed through research with children and adolescents.