On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, the room is not designed for a workplace but the place is filled with different kind of books in psychology including DSM, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud, and etc. There are framed pictures and among them there are frames with pictures of academy honors and achievements. A dark brown long haired girl, wearing a black blazer and working on her computer is trying to finish her tasks. I grab a chair from the other room and set it up near hers and she tells me that she would be with me in few minutes. She shuts down her Mac Book and welcomes me with a smile. (There were cases of poor sentence construction and mixed tenses. I have corrected those)
Shahzard has been working at UCLA’s OCD lab for three years. She is a 23 year old graduated from UCLA undergrad and working on her PHD in this field. She transferred to UCLA from Irvine Valley College after her moving from Iran. At first, she was a volunteer worker in this position. She has been awarded different scholarships and honors in psychology major during her undergraduate in UCLA. “If you are B.A Of psychology or similar fields, a year of research assistance and clerical experience are required to get into in this position,” she says. There are specific courses a student should take to be qualified to work in this field like Abnormal Psychology and Research Methods in Psychology. “But After becoming a clinical psychologist, you will be the head researcher of the study and you will have research coordinators working for you,” Shahzard adds.
She works with different clients and children with challenges. Most children have a certain fear. It is considered normal to develop rituals, for example during bedtime. However, for a small percentage of children who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such behaviors and thoughts become more intense, so they can be both very stressful and disruptive to function.” The symptoms exhibited by affected children differ from one child to the next.
There are different aspects to her job since she does recruitment, scheduling of the subjects, preparation of interviews, filing and data entry. She usually spends five days a week and sometimes more in the lab. “There are really different ranges in salary for those who are involved in this program which could increase after graduate school.” Shahzard adds.
The improvement of the kids is what motivates her to come to work every day. Shahzard says that evidence from research shows two OCD treatments that are effective. One of the forms of treatment is medication; the other that is used together with the medicine is the cognitive behavioral therapy. The child is made to experience his fears while resisting the known compulsive behavior. For example, for a child afraid of a knife and thinks of pills as overdose, “we sit in the same room with child and knife and pills until it feels right, along with family therapy, parent education and support,” Shahzard explains. The program is offered for four days a week for a minimum of two weeks, depending on the severity of the child disorders. (Removed excessive direct quotes)
Writing comes in handy for this field. As a researcher, one has to present research findings in a logical manner. One also has to lean to follow the recommended format in documenting research work. Furthermore, in presenting a patient’s condition, sometimes it may be necessary to give a detailed description. Writing is also important in keeping personal notes on patients and any other necessary information. For this reason, students pursuing Psychology should be equipped with good writing skills. (You did not include importance of writing, I have added that)
Shahzard believes that this field is growing fast. She advices those who are interested in this field, to be passionate about psychology and research and also be patient with children. She says that even though sometimes it is stressful for one to see a child is struggling. She believes high GPA, credible references, and experiences are helpful to get into this field too. (I have corrected tenses)
As I grabbed my papers, stand and put the chair back into its first place, she opens up her computer again and gets back to her tasks. I feel that I am grateful to know her. She has helped me as real mentor in the psychology field, beside of being a friend. I proudly watched her attain her achievements this year, and know how hard she has worked at it. (Reorganized and strengthened conclusion)
