Professional Interview: Professional

The major reason for conducting this interview

The major reason for conducting this interview was to learn more about clinical psychology from a clinical psychologist. The clinical psychologist knew enough about what they do on a daily basis, the professional training they received, the most exciting and dull aspects of the clinical psychology career, and how to help me understand my place and interest in clinical psychology. Furthermore, the interview will assist me in expanding my professional networks.

PHD Dr. Michael Posner, University of Oregon

Dr. Posner has worked as a clinical psychologist for almost three decades. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he joined the US army where he worked as the head of the clinical psychology department in the military. After retiring from the US army, he has worked for various health facilities as well as higher learning institutions. His deep understanding about clinical psychologist is based on his long time experience in various work environments and working as a lecturer at Oregon University and other colleges. Dr. Posner has been advancing his level of education by acquiring a PhD in clinical psychology while working as an assistant lecturer at the same institution he is working as a lecturer. Being a family man, he has been doing everything at the same time balancing his career and family obligations. The selection of Dr. Posner for this professional interview was influenced by his longtime experience working as a clinical psychologist, his high level of education, and his achievements in the career.

Interview

The interview was carried out during the morning hours of 15th December, 2017. We began the interview by asking questions that were aimed at understanding general information about clinical psychology. The questions sought to understand the history of clinical psychology, its importance in the population, in addition to some of the challenges the profession faced before becoming well established in the US. The questions that followed were about what the entire training in clinical psychology entailed. Dr. Posner discussed in details what the training covers by breaking down the units from the lowest level to the highest level. He mentioned the major units and what each unit was all about. I was very interested to understand what clinical psychologists do on their daily basis particularly when working within health facilities. Dr. Posner pointed out that what their work requires most is passion and abiding by the professional regulations. Being passionate about your work as a clinical psychologist is the backbone of succeeding in the career because the virtue helps to overcome the many challenges associated with the career.

Dr. Posner’s experience and challenges

Dr. Posner said that his choice for the profession was driven by his passion since his childhood. His dedication has helped him sail through hardship occurrences for instance, facing hostile clients, working in odd hours, and spending most of his time on the job instead of his family. Staying away from his family for long hours was one of the things that they do not enjoy in their line of duty. The most interesting part of the profession is enjoying meeting individuals of diverse backgrounds and challenges. Offering successful psychological therapy to a client is the most enjoyable thing for all clinical psychologists.

Dr. Posner’s communication and interpersonal skills

Dr. Posner’s success is attributed to his good communication and interpersonal skills. Having proper communication skills is fundamental in the career because the work is all about talking to people in order to diagnose their psychological problems. His communication skills include being a good listener, a fluent speaker, and a good analyzer. The ability to diagnose a psychological condition and its depth depend on the ability to communicate well. The profession’s success is also dependent on how you relate to other persons within the career. Dr. Posner says that good interpersonal skills have helped him create strong professional relationships with others.

Additional information

The interview with Dr. Posner presented a golden chance to inquire for more information related to clinical psychology. First, income is a major source of motivation and an important factor to consider when selecting careers. Dr. Posner said that clinical psychologists are among the best paid professionals within the department of health. According to salarywizard.com website, the starting salary ranges from $1000 to $2000 per month when working in government facilities. However, the salary is higher in private facilities and when working as a government employee but with additional tasks like in the army. The minimum educational requirements is a bachelor degree in clinical psychology. The salary also ranges depending on the level of education. Dr. Posner also clarified that clinical psychologists are not only limited to working in health facilities; any organization for example learning institutions also require such professionals to handle psychological challenges among workers and students. Extra training is necessary to handle isolated cases or serious psychological challenges (Kininger, et al., 2017).

Conclusion

The information acquired from the interviewee is very useful to me in relation to the career field that I want to choose. First, the information will help to understand what the training entails and how I should prepare for it plus the best institution to join. The information about the necessary skills required for success in the career will enable me to train to develop the skills before I join the field. In addition, the interview was important because I am now prepared and motivated to become a clinical psychologist.

References

Kininger, R., Schultz, B. K., & Harrison, J. R. (2017). Who Are the School Mental Health Professionals? Oxford Clinical Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.salaryrwizard.com.hypestat.com/