Expanding the field of Child Psychology by Mary

Expanding the field of Child Psychology by Mary - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

When you're a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a fairly common question to be asked by an adult. One might've given responses such as dancer, police officer, farmer, teacher, and the list goes on. Personally, mine was a marine biologist, and in time shifted. Now, this question is repeated as we age. Adults want a clear answer by the time you are in high-school, and when graduation rolls around, you're expected to be making plans for post-secondary education in the upcoming fall. It's difficult to realize what you want to do for the rest of your life, but when you do find that ideal career, it's exciting to continue studying and working towards that passion. Currently, I am a preschool teacher with an A.A. in Early Childhood Education and working on a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development. My intended career field will be working as a Child Psychologist.
As a child psychologist you will evaluate and treat children who are experiencing emotional difficulties. These difficulties could stem from depression, mental illness, and/or extreme tragedy. I hope to encourage change within the field of child psychology by advocating for incorporating one or more mandatory child psychologists within each county, per state, across the country. Currently, there is limited access to emotional help for children, especially within school systems. This variable can change depending on the geographical location, and/or the socioeconomic status of the neighborhoods in question. Not all schools have a child psychologist readily available to provide emotional support and treatment for children grades k-12. This can lead to disturbances within the classroom, and can negatively impact the child's physical, mental, and social/emotional health. Based off of experience from my hometown located in Ohio, the closest child psychologist is roughly an hour's drive away.
According to the Center for Disease Control, last reviewed on March 30, 2020, 7.4% of children aged 3-17, or the equivalent of 4.5 million children within the United States, have been diagnosed with some form of behavior disorder. According to the same study, 1.9 million children age 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. Millions of children are in dire need of the treatment by a Child Psychologist, and this help is not easily accessible in some states, and/or counties. Whether this be because of physical location, or lack of funding by the state. According to an article published on June 15, 2020 by the 29th Edition Child Maltreatment Report, and there has been an increase in recent years of the numbers of children who have been reported as being victims of child abuse and neglect. In 2018, there were 3,534,000 investigations of abuse, and 60% were found to be neglected, and 17.7% were found to have been either physically, or sexually abused. Statistics such as these are undeniable evidence that these children need easy access to a qualified professional to treat the emotional effects of the injustices that they have endured.
Lack of support can be detrimental to a child in all areas of their health, and there is plenty of evidence to showcase this. Untreated mental disturbances can lead to anxiety, depression, social disturbances, and extreme cases, suicide. Society needs to focus more on our children and ensure that we are raising healthy adults into the world. This includes placing trained responders who can provide care to children in need. It is not a question of money to fund this proposition, it is a responsibility that society has to itself. We can argue forever about tackling root causes for these events, but while we spend time doing these children in need are not receiving their necessary support to be healthy and thrive. This is a responsibility that each of us as innovative, intelligent, and decent individuals have to each other to ensure an equitable chance at success.