application to psy.d program help

[stdyingpsych]

Currently I am writing a short letter of purpose/statement to my undergraduate professor who has agreed to write me a recommendation for the psy.d programs I am applying to this fall. This letter of statement basically helps him learn more about me so that it will help aid him in writing a recommendation for me.In it I mention why I want to become a clinical psychologist based own personal experience dealing with low self esteem/anxiety in the past and how I have overcame it by going to see a psychologist and how this experience motivated me to become a psychologist.

I was wondering if this appropriate to mention to my professor (he has a phd in clinical psychology fyi) because from what I have read around/heard, most people say not to mention anything about your own personal experience dealing with emotional/psychological difficulties in the application processes.
The reason I mention this is because this experience really inspired me to become a psychologist. Any advice? should I keep it or just leave it out entirely.

Thanks

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[psychmama]

You do need to be careful about self-disclosure in writing statements of purpose. I think you have two options here: one is leave this out altogether, which may be the safest option but may remove the most important aspects of why you're interested in entering the field. A second option is to briefly mention your self-esteem history and how psychology helped you, the move to focusing on how you've built on that experience through volunteer interests, study of psychology, and research. If you choose this approach I think you can make your case effectively without making the (potentially damaging) mistake of sounding like your choice of psychology is "all about me" or that you're emotionally insecure/unstable. It's not really fair, but professors and even clinicians in psychology can be as prone as anyone else to certain biases about mental health.

Bottom line: If your experiences are central to your story, you might be able to include them without making them the focus and raising potential red flags. It's a matter of making sure the emphasis is on the academic and clinical rather than the personal.

Good luck!

 

[2012PhD]

Currently I am writing a short letter of purpose/statement to my undergraduate professor who has agreed to write me a recommendation for the psy.d programs I am applying to this fall. This letter of statement basically helps him learn more about me so that it will help aid him in writing a recommendation for me.In it I mention why I want to become a clinical psychologist based own personal experience dealing with low self esteem/anxiety in the past and how I have overcame it by going to see a psychologist and how this experience motivated me to become a psychologist.

I was wondering if this appropriate to mention to my professor (he has a phd in clinical psychology fyi) because from what I have read around/heard, most people say not to mention anything about your own personal experience dealing with emotional/psychological difficulties in the application processes.
The reason I mention this is because this experience really inspired me to become a psychologist. Any advice? should I keep it or just leave it out entirely.

Thanks

This can be very risky to disclose--depending on the program. I think many programs don't want to hear that your motivation to become a psychologist stemmed from your own issues. I think it really depends on how you write it. I have seen many excellent personal statements that focused on cultural/familial issues that one overcame and what one learned from it or having a family member with a mental illness, but this is more appropriate and removed than disclosing your own issues. The personal statement can personal, but should focus on the actual clinical experiences and research experiences you had that solidified your passion in the field (e.g. what you learned from working with certain populations etc).

 

[deleted176373]

Any advice? should I keep it or just leave it out entirely.

Thanks

Linehan waited how long to disclose?

Leave it out. My 2 cents.

 

[jexa]

Yeah, I'd say leave it out, too. There's nothing wrong with having been through your own stuff, but grad programs want to know that you can be a serious colleague and are genuinely and professionally interested in the science of psychology. Lots in the field will tell you, once you get to know them, that they have struggled with some anxiety/depression or what have you, but disclosing it to people you haven't met might make them feel like you might struggle with good boundaries (like, would you say this to a stranger you met in a coffee shop the first time you met them? Would you say this at an interview for a non-psychology job?) and that you are not serious about the field in a professional way.

 

[stdyingpsych]

Thanks everyone for their replies. I was mindful that I didn't write about my past anxiety as the only and central topic in my short letter of purpose, but as psychmama said it's kind of central to what got me interested and motivated in clinical psychology in the first place ( it's just included in the section on how and why I got interested in this field). More exactly, I don't dwell on my past anxiety, rather I briefly mention it (did not mention anything from where it stemmed from) and focus on what I am doing presently and my desire to become go to grad school/become a psychologist. Keep in my this is to my undergrad professor as an aid to help him write his recommendation for me ( this is why I am a little hesitant because this is the person that's going to write about me). Would anyone be willing to take a look at my short letter of purpose-it's two pages?

thanks