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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Julie LewisPSY492 Advanced General Psychology

Psychology/Counseling 2011

Personal Statement

I have been interested in human behavior and emotions as long as I can remember. As a child I analyzed the behavior of family and friends and tried to figure out why people did what they did. I was very aware of the undercurrent of unspoken emotions. It was a natural path for me to pursue psychology. Friends have often accused me of being too analytical. My education has only honed my analytical and critical thinking skills. Psychology offers me the opportunity to utilize my natural abilities, work with people, and be a part of emotional healing and growth. I have spent my life developing my personal and professional abilities so that I can be a caring, competent, and effective counselor. I am finishing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology/Substance Abuse Counseling. I plan to do an internship to accumulate hours toward state certification. While gaining experience in the substance abuse counseling field, I plan to attend graduate school to obtain a Master’s degree in Counseling. I can then be licensed as a professional counselor. I received a 3-year diploma as a Registered Nurse many years ago and worked as an R.N. for approximately 15 years. During my experience as an R.N., I worked in an inpatient detoxification and rehabilitation treatment center for 3 years. I co-facilitated group therapy and conducted individual therapy sessions, extensive psychosocial intake interviews, and taught informational sessions on many topics related to alcohol and drug addiction. I have keen insight into the struggles of those battling alcoholism and drug addiction. Empathy, patience, and a nonjudgmental demeanor helps me create a trusting relationship with clients. Healing emotional wounds, developing interpersonal skills, improving self-esteem and self-defeating behaviors, and reconnecting with life has given me a personal understanding of the process of recovery that cannot be learned from a book.One of my most challenging positions was working as an R.N. in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit. Being calm under intense pressure, paying attention to minute detail, being alert to subtle changes, and being able to keep many balls in the air at the same time are some of the skills I developed in the position. This position gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence in my interpersonal and counseling skills that was an important part of my becoming a professional counselor.

I have either been in school or have been taking seminars, workshops, retreats, and intensives on many subjects related to personal and spiritual growth for most of my adult life. I returned to school later in life to pursue my interest in Substance Abuse Counseling. I have gotten A’s for most of my course work. I was in the top 5% of my high school graduating class and was in the 98th percentile on my nursing aptitude exam. I bring wisdom, creative ideas, a passion for learning to any avenue I pursue.

 

Resume

Julie S. Lewis 1710 W. Luther Rd. Janesville, WI 53545

jslewis57@aol.com (608) 751-4637

HIGHLIGHT OF ATTRIBUTESExcellent interpersonal and counseling skillsAble to prioritize workload and manage multiple projectsEfficient time management and organizational skillsProficient in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, InternetEffective customer service and supervisory skills

EDUCATION AND TRAINING Argosy University, graduate August 20, 2011 Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling/Psychology GPA 4.0 Lakeland College Inc., MATC, Madison, WI Microsoft Office Skills, computer software programs Herzing College, Madison , WI – 2000A+ Computer Technician Certification  Center for Creative Learning – 1996Professional Excellence Program (public speaking, group facilitation, project coordination) Madison General Hospital School of Nursing Registered Nurse  

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University of Wisconsin, Madison Letters & Science WORK EXPERIENCE Home Care Coordinator, Wayne Gunness, Janesville, WI – 10/07 – 07/11Coordinated scheduling of personal care workers, medical care, social servicesPersonal care Office Assistant, Salvation Army, Madison, WI – 10/05 – 2/06Assisted Volunteer Coordinator with administrative dutiesCompleted data entry and scanning assignmentsAssisted with production of Toys 4 Tots  Administrative Coordinator, Nicolet Instrument Corp, Madison, WI – 1999 to 2001Created Access database systems to generate monthly and quarterly reports for multiple departmentsCoordinated and maintained Material Safety Data Sheets, ordered supplies, computer projects Donor Coordinator, American Red Cross, Madison, WI – 1994 to 1996Assisted with Blood Drives throughout Wisconsin 

Resume cont.

Reflection

I will soon graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on substance

abuse counseling. Getting a degree has been a goal of mine for a very long time. Being in school as an

older student is a completely different experience than it was as a teenager. Having life experience,

wisdom, discipline, and focus made the experience more enjoyable and rewarding. Knowing what I want

and persevering through difficult times to reach my goals has been a positive and fulfilling experience.

I am pleased to say I have developed and improved my writing skills, critical thinking and

analytical skills, and ability to evaluate complex issues from multiple perspectives. I have taken on many

challenges throughout my education. Tackling difficult assignments, challenging old ideas, writing

research papers, creating PowerPoint presentations, and having lively discussions on many psychological

issues has been an ongoing experience. I have had a great deal of practice researching different topics,

integrating information from many sources, organizing topics, summarizing findings, and coming up

with my own conclusions. I have learned to develop, apply, and defend a point of view or perspective on

any psychological concept and communicated that stance in a concise way using APA formatting.

I incorporated theoretical perspectives, major concepts, empirical findings, and historical

trends in psychology into my burgeoning wealth of knowledge as I progressed through my courses.

Advancing technology continues to provide new ways of learning and new methods of communication. I

appreciate all the guidance, assistance, feedback, and constructive criticism of all my instructors and

fellow classmates. I look forward to applying what I have learned into my personal and professional life.

Table of Contents

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

Research Skills

Communication Skills: Oral and Written

Ethics and Diversity Awareness

Foundations of Psychology

Applied Psychology

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Critical Thinking

For an example of my work in each area, click on the following hyperlinks:

Applied PsychologyCognitive AbilityCommunication SkillsEthics & DiversityFoundations of PsychologyInterpersonal EffectivenessResearch Skills

My Future in Learning

My mother was a lifelong learner so I got an early start witnessing the rewards

of pursuing interests, challenging ideas, and expanding one’s horizons. I grew up in a family

of bookworms, which instilled in me a love of reading, learning new things, and exploring

other worlds. I am always either taking academic courses, personal and spiritual growth

workshops, retreats, seminars, or intensives, acquiring new hobbies, or reading a new book.

I have an inquiring mind that thirsts for knowledge. Being a lifelong learner is what makes

life interesting. I consider myself a professional student.

I plan to take a break to work for a while but I am sure I will return to school

before too long. I would like to go to graduate school for a master’s degree in counseling. A

nearby university has a great program that provides hands on counseling experience and an

internship incorporated into the curriculum. At some point, I plan to get state certification

as a substance abuse counselor. My long-term goal is to work either in a treatment center or

an outpatient clinic as a professional counselor. I will reassess and re-evaluate my plans as I

go along.

Contact Me

Thank you for viewing my ePortfolio.

For further information, please contact me at the e-

mail address below. jslewis57@aol.com