My Decade Awaits by Haleigh

My Decade Awaits by Haleigh - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

It's funny, 10 years ago I certainly wouldn't have seen myself where I am now. The last ten years has brought so many changes to my life that I never anticipated or even pondered. College was not even something I seriously considered until well into my Junior year of high school. People around me always talked about it and my family seemed sure it was something I would want, certainly it was something they wanted for me. Then somewhere along the way that year I decided why not? Learning had always appealed to me and although there are options for people who haven’t gone to college, those options are fairly minimal and honestly they require a ton of work with very little free time. I feel like I am the type of person who would wither eventually without an opportunity of free time because I overbook so much of my schedule already with volunteering, family, odd jobs, and other activities. So I went to college.

Currently I have a bachelor's degree in social work from St. Edward’s University and I work as a Teaching Assistant at an elementary school in Austin. In the next year I will be going back to school to work toward a master's degree in social work. During the course of earning that degree I hope to intern with an organization specializing in group counseling. From there I hope to continue in the general counseling realm to gain experience for a couple years before moving into more specific work with personality disorders and other genetically influenced psychiatric disorders like bipolar, major depression, or schizophrenia. I am interested in personality disorders and what results, if any, group therapy would have in progressing individuals with personality disorders toward more meaningful social and professional interactions.

The nature of personality disorders is such that individuals who have them tend to steer away from counseling and helping professions in general because they tend not to recognize within themselves any deviation from the norm. Additionally many of these individuals have high intellectual levels, maintain an outwardly normal life, and become successful in their pursuits. Among those who realize they may have a psychiatric disorders there are generally two reactions; either the individual believes they can solve every problem on their own without confronting any internal issues, or they recognize that having a medical label, such as antisocial personality disorder, could be a deterrent in their professional and even personal lives. For these reasons, as well as others, individuals with personality disorders rarely seek psychiatric assistance which means there is a discouraging lack of research out there for effective practice with personality disorders. Conclusive or even basic studies cannot be conducted without a greater number of participants so there is little knowledge on the subject of effective practice for treating personality disorders. Delving into this nearly untapped wealth of information by seeking out participants and compiling research throughout studies designed to examine various treatments forms can help find best practice methods for working with and treating personality disorders. More public information could even help to dispel the stigma surrounding these disorders, hopefully resulting in an influx of people seeking treatment that could improve their lives drastically.

I would love to be a part of this process. First I’ll need to become better acquainted with service systems in place wherever I’m living and seek out an organization with similar goals that is willing to support the effort. We would then need to apply for funding and collect preliminary data. I would estimate the studies to take anywhere from two to five years. After finding enough people to participate, groups would be randomly selected and treatment would begin. In order for the data collected to be determined useful and accurate, numerous studies would need to be conducted using various treatment techniques, each lasting four months at the very least. Afterward there is the data analysis process, write-ups describing results, and finally the information could be published and reviewed. Eventually I hope to help find a form of treatment for personality disorders that works for majority of individuals and can be implemented nationally.

In addition to this lofty goal, I would like to travel and experience more of the world's cultures. Maybe live abroad for a while, assuming my aforementioned goal is met, and perhaps even have a family of sorts. My feelings about marriage and reproduction are mixed at this point. I am still evaluating the pros and cons of it all, but perchance one day those decisions will be determined by emotions instead of contemplated rationally.

To summarize, my expectations for the next ten years of my life include earning an M.S.W., working in individual and group counseling for at least two years, finding a means to study personality disorders more closely and developing adequate treatment methods, travelling, and whatever else dances absently into my life or is grasped by my desires and determination.