News

RWC Alumna in PhD Program at UNLV, Corey Phillips, '13

Three weeks into the clinical psychology Ph. D program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), I am feeling the heat--and I don't mean the triple digit temperatures (only a slight climate change from North Chili). Though I thought the time management skills I learned playing volleyball at Roberts would serve me well in graduate school, each night when I get home I wonder why there are not a few more hours in the day. It is taking some time to adjust to the multiple pulls of the scientist-practitioner model, but the program does not wait. I am already working on multiple publications, doing clinical work on an RCT, and taking four classes. The workload is intense, and the expectations are so much different than in undergraduate coursework, but I am so happy to be in a program where I am able to integrate my passion for athletics into my clinical curriculum. I already have a great deal of support for my research ideas surrounding interventions with injured athletes and improving return-to-sport outcomes.

Despite the support, the shock of what the clinical Ph. D program demands is renewed each day. I find myself facing the constant creeping fear that someone will point at me one day and say, "What are you doing here, imposter?" I hear that those thoughts are pretty common amongst my fellow clinicians-in-training. Despite the stresses, each day I find that the foundation I learned in the psychology department at Roberts Wesleyan College provided me with all the stepping stones I need to begin this dimension of my professional training. Assessment with Dr. Repass gave me the basics of the WISC and other assessment tools (which I am already preparing to administer), counseling with Dr. Aube provided me with a valuable clinical foundation, Dr. Bassett passed on the essentials of research, and Dr. Grimm provided priceless guidance in the application and preparation process. I am very thankful for the lessons I learned and for the individuals who shaped my path.