I have planned the last seven years of my academic career such that I would reach this point of furthering my education through the attainment of a doctoral degree. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and with a Master of Science degree in Clinical Health and Counseling, I believe that I have gained a solid foundation for obtaining a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision.
I am greatly passionate about the importance of mental health and how mental health issues are current societal problems that are not being given as much attention as they need. I gained this insight while obtaining my master’s degree and together with my experience in working with mentally challenged people, my conviction to aid in this cause has grown stronger. In particular, my work experiences have enabled me to interact and work with people with various mental conditions – from the simple cases that involve teaching patients about coping skills to the more complex cases that involve dealing with suicidal tendencies. In turn, this experience allowed me to gain a better understanding of the predicaments and struggles that these people go through, making me feel even more compassionate towards them.
At the same time, though, I also recognize and highly regard the value of education. I believe that the implementation of change is a collective effort and that a single person alone won’t be capable of making all the necessary changes. As such, I have great respect for the educators who tirelessly and enthusiastically share their knowledge with their students. This allows for the development of more of the competent experts that are needed, particularly in the field of mental health. With that, counselor education and knowledge transfer is another one of the areas that I would like to specialize in. I know that sharing my knowledge with future counselors will be the best way for me to replicate the good that I can do for the society. This will also ensure that the initiatives we start now with regards to the promotion of mental health will be continued by the future generations of counselors until such time that these initiatives truly bear fruit. As well, I am greatly interested in research as I know that with new technological developments, it will become possible for us to further improve the quality of the mental health care that we provide.
In this regard, I believe that your university’s PhD program is the best program that will enable me to reach my goals. The program’s focus on counselor education, counselor supervision competencies, research, and counseling and clinical skills perfectly mirror my values and my goals. With my outstanding academic performance and my various applied and research experiences, I am confident that I can make significant contributions to your program.
Completing this degree will certainly open many doors and opportunities for me. However, whichever area I decide to focus most on in the future – be it counselor education, counseling, research, or counselor supervision – the single thing that will guide me in my decisions is my desire to serve. I genuinely hope to make a difference in the psychological landscape of our society so that we may, in the future, have a mentally healthier population. The future truly excites me, but whichever path it would take me, I know that I have to start somewhere. For that, I would be greatly honored and privileged if you could allow me to start the next milestone of my career at your esteemed university.
