Vision Statement and Goals
From the earliest times of humankind, people have attempted to understand the human behavior and comprehend the behavioral disorders worldwide. Although the clinical psychology has a relatively short history, it made a significant contribution to the understanding of psychological health and problems.
The field continuously engages a large number of professionals and for support of their professional efficiency and high level of competency, the different training and education models are elaborated. The practitioner-scholar model is one of the most effective and recognized (Stoltenberg et al., 2000).
The model focuses on the “professional excellence grounded in theory and research, informed by experiential knowledge, and motivated by personal values, political commitments, and ethical conduct” (McClintock, 2004, p. 393). The practitioner-scholar methods provoke the building of the profound knowledge in the field that is grounded both in theory and practice. Therefore, the model supports professionalism.
As a practitioner-scholar in the field of psychology, I would like to make a contribution to the research in psychological health problems and their treatment and help the people with mental disorders. For the clinical psychology specialists “the discretionary capacity to draw on a multiple theoretical base, to devise an individually tailored strategy for a complicated presenting problem” is essential (Thomas-Peter, 2008, p. 30).
Therefore, I would like to obtain as much of knowledge as possible and to implement it in my educational practice. It will help to attain experience, flexibility, competence, and confidence needed to operate at the highest professional level in my future career.
The psychological research is multidimensional. There are multiple areas of study that are focused on the investigation of mental disorders, behavioral problems in children or criminals, various forms of anxiety, depressions, and phobias, etc. In my opinion, the comprehension of the psychological knowledge in its whole complexity is important for the professional growth as the practitioner-scholar.
However, in my practice, I would like to concentrate on the behavior therapy. “Behaviour therapy helps people change unwanted behaviours (such as phobias, obsessions, sexual problems) and to develop new skills (such as improving social interactions)” (Clinical psychology, 2015, par. 2).
This kind of therapy is appealing because it helps people to improve their life and daily interactions, to get rid of the psychological hindrances that stay on the way to their life goals and achievements. Seeing the positive outcomes of your work in the live examples of your patients gives a feeling of professional and personal content. Therefore, the efficient, effective, and result-oriented therapy and practice will be my purpose activities in the field of psychology.
The set of objectives and goals that will allow me to become a competent specialist include the development of the thorough and in-depth understanding of the psychological theories throughout the years of education, the constant practice and testing of the obtained knowledge, and, ultimately, obtaining the master’s degree.
The achievement of goals in education will lead to the professional achievements that include the elaboration of the effective strategies and techniques, development of the innovative and efficient approach both in research and practice. I intend to make a contribution to the research of the behavioral problems within three years. In the research, I consider of applying the methods of the previous literature analysis as well as the personal study of the sample that is to be established.
Practitioner-scholar training requires the commitment “both to practice and advancement of knowledge” (Stoltenberg et al., 2000, p. 625). Nevertheless, the professional development doesn’t stop with the degree earning. Practitioner-scholar career implies the constant self-discipline and self-education, and the years spent in the University will successfully contribute to the future career.
Psychology Writing Expectations and Models
According to Madigan, Johnson, and Linton (1995), APA style is regarded as a “well-developed system of writing conventions that includes information on how to organize empirical reports, how to reference published works, and how to solve dozens of other technical problems that arise in the preparation of a manuscript” (p. 428). I see the authors’ article, “The language of psychology: APA style as epistemology,” as a model for my professional writing.
The article is written in compliance with the APA norms, and it provides a unique perspective on the style. According to the authors, APA style doesn’t merely serve as a combination of the “writing conventions” but it also “encapsulates the core values and epistemology of the discipline” (Madigan, Johnson, & Linton, 1995, p. 428).
Following the APA writing norms makes the communication between writer and reader more effective. The paper written in compliance with the APA style formatting requirements has a clear and consistent structure, and it thus ensures the high level of the writing’s readability and understanding.
The APA writing style supports the professional development in the field of psychology. A research paper written in APA can easily be integrated into the psychological discourse. The referencing and citing of the other research papers provoke the indirect communication within the field.
It is important to mention that APA citing and quotations include the ethical and moral aspect. When one quotes, he/she pays attention and respect to the other authors’ efforts, ideas, and works. Therefore, APA writing genre can be regarded as the cohesive force within the discourse and the mean of the respectful and sound communication among the psychological community members.
APA style goals include both the development of critical thinking and writing skills, and it is important to be oriented towards these goals during the educational processes in psychology (Johnson, Tuskenis, Howell, & Jaroszewski, 2011). As it was mentioned above, the writing abilities, inclusive of skills in formatting and grammar, ensure the text’s readability and consistency while the capability of critical thinking is responsible for the semantic and logical content of the paper.
In psychology, the concept critical thinking involves the abilities to assess and analyze the arguments and claims so that they fit the scientific principles (Lawson, 1999). In this way, APA style supports and encourages the professional development by refining the skills of rationalization, analysis, and logical consideration of facts and ideas. This kind of approach induces success of the writing.
Based on the opinions and claims of the majority of researchers, scholars, and academics, the application, and understanding of APA model are important for the practitioner-scholar career. In my consideration, the practice of the writing genre norms and their implementation during the psychological training in the University contributes to the professional success as much as the acquisition of the theoretical knowledge.
While writing a research, one need to APA formatting regulations otherwise the paper will not be well-received and valued in the psychological science community. When a paper is written according to APA style, you show that you take your research seriously, and it represents you as a competent specialist (in case the content of the paper makes sense).
In my opinion, for the development of the scholarly communication skills, one needs to use the academic and other credible resources to retrieve the relevant information, such as American Psychological Association official site. It is essential to read and evaluate the multiple scholar articles and attempt to align to the high standards of writing in each work. Through reading and analysis, one learns a professional language and understands how and where to grow in the career.
References
Clinical psychology. (2015). The Hutchinson unabridged encyclopedia with atlas and weather guide. Web.
Johnson, E. J., Tuskenis, A. D., Howell, G. L., & Jaroszewski, K. (2011). Development and effects of a writing and thinking course in psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 38(4), 229-236. Web.
Lawson, T. J. (1999). Assessing psychological critical thinking as a learning outcome for psychology majors. Teaching of Psychology, 26, 207-209. Web.
Madigan, R., Johnson, S., & Linton, P. (1995). The language of psychology: APA style as epistemology. American Psychologist, 50(6), 428-436.
McClintock, C. (2004). Scholar practitioner model. In A. DiStefano, K. E. Rudestam, & R. J. Silverman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of distributed learning (pp. 393–397). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Stoltenberg, C. D., Pace, T., M., Kashubeck-West, S., Biever, J. L., Patterson, T., & Welch, I., D. (2000). Training models training models in counseling psychology: Scientist-practitioner versus practitioner-scholar. The Counseling Psychologist, 28(5), 622-640. Web.
Thomas-Peter, B. A. (2008). Clinical psychology. In G. Towl (Eds.), Dictionary of forensic psychology (pp. 30-31). Devon, United Kingdom: Willan Publishing.