Personal/Professional Statement by Shenelle Frederick

Personal/Professional Statement
Shenelle Frederick
September 5th, 2018
Stephen Covey once said “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am product of my
decisions.” To me, this particular quote is true for everyone and it is true in my own life. In my
past, I have experienced a lot of oppressive incidents which have led me to choose a career in
psychology. My choice of being a psychologist is completely based on my personal experience
and family situation. I first realized the blow of life when my sister ran away leaving my family
in a devastated situation. At that time, I was in seventh grade and I perceived the situation of my
family which compelled me to help my family under any circumstances. Since then I have been
helping others in distress or in any problem till my strength and ability permit. After this
situation, I have recognized my passion for helping others. I realized one most important thing
that the individuals most importantly want a listening ear and validation in their purpose, desires,
and goals. This is the most effective process of helping others as this build dependence and trust
with which individuals can easily overcome their situation. I want to be that medium that assists
others in developing their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. I want to help people alleviate
their psychological pain and I want to do this through counseling.
This willingness to help others have compelled me to enter the study of psychology and I
interned at Park Place Behavioral Healthcare which provides service to the individuals who
suffer from mental health disorders. As a psycho social rehabilitation therapist intern I have
worked with different types of patients suffering from severe mental health disorders. I provided
direct clinical services to my clients both individuals as well as in a group setting. This has
strengthened my willingness to help these people in distress. I have understood that many people
in this work have been suffering from similar situation which I once passed. This gives me the
opportunity to learn more about the severe mental health problems of different types affecting
the community. In my internship process, I have recognized that these people I am serving to
recover from severe mental illness need assistance so that they know to overcome their issues
and sustain in this society. This learning will help them to recognize and implement strategies to
overcome their mental disorder. Furthermore, this practical working experience with this
population, has furthered my interest in the field of psychology.
At the time when I was working in Help Now, I worked with women and children to face
domestic violence. I worked as a mental health counselor intern and a certified domestic violence
advocate. At Help Now, I interned at the Outreach Center, Shelter, and Osceola County
Corrections Department. These clients suffered from trauma which gave me a significant insight
about their lifestyles and problem-solving nature. I helped here to co-found a support group
which encompassed psychoeducational aspects that helped the women to deal with their anger,
motivation, hygiene, and trauma. In addition to this, I also co-founded a children’s group to help
them deal with their trauma originated from domestic violence. The aim of this group was to
recognize the children’s emotions and training them how to deal with problems in a healthy way
by coloring, drawing, and playing games.
I developed a support group for female inmates at Help Now for Osceola County
Corrections Department. Here I arranged psychoeducational classes about domestic violence and
counsel some women to help them with their trauma. In this process I have helped them to