Psychology Personal Statement Example 62

My work experience in year 10 is what solidified my decision to work with children, particularly those with mental illness: I was inspired by a child who was suspected of having ADHD at the pre-school I worked at.

The illness fascinated me and my Psychology studies were where I could expand my knowledge on not only ADHD, but other mental illnesses and how children could develop them so young: cognitively, socially or biologically.

Within this, I focused attention to the development of children and adolescents; how different aspects of everyday life can affect young people.

I’ve been inspired to expand my studies outside of the classroom by researching other non-curriculum developmental theories such as Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, giving me a wider understanding and knowledge of how children progress for my future studies of psychology at university, hopefully progressing onto a Masters in Developmental Psychology.

Work experience for working with child psychologists and psychotherapists was not possible at my age, so I chose to help children progress and expand their own potential through experience at a pre-school, private day nursery and music tuition.

My work experience in 2008 at a pre-school is what decided that working with children was a definite career path for me.

My two weeks there helped me become actively involved with the children’s learning and development into a school routine and becoming capable of performing typical everyday tasks such as tidying, encouraging personal hygiene and social skills.

During my 2 day per week experience at Margery’s Private Day Care in 2011, I was able to achieve a lot more with the children as I was more mature than I was during my previous work experience. Through encouragement and patience, two children with particular difficulties participated in activities, successfully ate lunch without anxiety and were polite and kind to other children.

These simple tasks may seem minimal to an outside observer, however accomplishing one of these tasks was a great achievement for the children, who struggled to sit, concentrate and socialise appropriately.

I became a music teacher 2 years ago to 3 children: 2 learn violin and study music theory and all 3 took on the difficult task of learning the guitar.

My students, aged 3-8, were inspired by my attitude to their learning and ability to engage well with them to help them succeed. It was during this job that I understood how children were able to develop and expand their own minds, the joy and the confidence the child gained each time they achieved something they didn’t think they could.

This inspired my want to help children get the best out of their lives, regardless of their struggles.

In 2010, I was part of a programme through the college meeting adolescents of a similar age from Tower Hamlets. They shared experiences of living in a working-class, gang-filled area of London and the devastation that they are subjected to every day of their lives.

The culture shock and sympathy I felt to these adolescents is what chose me to change my focus solely from children, but to teenagers too; I wanted to help adolescents and understand what inspires them to fall into certain stereotypes and ‘gangs’ – a concept I applied to my study on Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.

This eye-opening experience helped me decide I wanted to devote my career to child and adolescent psychotherapy and how psychology was the only degree option I was truly passionate about.

My experiences and my part-time job as well as responsibilities at home have evolved me into a mature, focused woman who can handle tough tasks and situations with cultivation and drive. Balancing these has enabled to improve vital skills needed to succeed such as time management, diligence and responsibility.

I’ve also grown to understand that working with young people requires patience and cognizance, particularly those with special requirements and personal difficulties.