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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Matthew A. BlackGeneral Psychology, 2011

Personal Statement

One day I will look back on my career path and say that my counseling career began in travel. At any given moment at work, I may have to calm an irate traveler over a cancelled flight or lost bag; I may have to book a flight for someone to visit a loved on in a hospital or to their funeral viewing. With all these scenarios, one thing I have learned is how to calmly walk each traveler through their situation to find a resolution to their problem much like in the field of counseling. Together, we identify the problem or issue then we seek out ways to fix it to bring us happiness and joy.

What first drew me to the field of psychology was the intention of becoming a grief counselor.

As a young child I learned early on how to handle and deal with trauma and the death of loved ones. When I was at the age of 5, my father passed away at a young age of 26 after a life-long battle with heart problems. At age 8, I lost my great grandmother to natural causes, and then in my mid to late teens within a few short years, I lost four family members to illness and one to suicide.

With each death, I learned how to best memorialize the lost loved one and to grieve in a manner that was healthy and beneficial to my own well-being. I have had the unfortunate opportunity to witness unhealthy grieving habits and the emotional destruction of survivors whom carry pain, guilt, and hurt with them years later after the passing of a loved one.

Resume

Reflection

My academic tenure at Argosy University has been the most life changing and rewarding endeavor I have every taken on. Thanks to a curriculum rich in critical thinking, research methods, communication skills, ethics, and diversity I can now comfortably demonstrate the following.

Ability to recognize and describe psychological theories.

Able to collect and arrange information from a variety of sources pertinent to a chosen topic.

Fully understands ethical guidelines and challenges in the field of psychology.

Ability to recognize and comprehend major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends within a specific area of study.

Where do I need to grow or further educate myself?

Upon completion of my bachelors degree in psychology I now recognize that I need to work on my communication skills in order to convey my opinion’s and thoughts effectively. This would include further educating myself in oral and written presentations.

My Future in Learning

I definitely feel that I will become a life long learner. Returning to Argosy University to pursue formal degree has been life altering. I now cannot imagine an evening without working on an assignment or diving into research on a given topic. My hunger to learn has grown and I do not want that to stop upon completion of my bachelors degree in psychology

At this time I have not finalized two things which are where I will be attending graduate school and what program I intend to complete.  In my home state of Pennsylvania, there are certifications and licensures that one needs to complete in order to practice in the field of psychology. Presently, I am in the process of researching to find online universities that are approved by my state of residence, Pennsylvania, so that upon my graduate degree graduation I will be able to actually practice.

In addition to finding an approved graduate school for my state, I am looking at the various degree options. Right now I am asking myself the question: Do I want a general degree or specialization?

Contact Me

Thank you for viewing my ePortfolio.

For further information, please contact me at the e-

mail address below. mattablack@verizon.net