Introduction to a Clinical Psychologist Specializing in Eating Disorders

Hello! My name is Madeleine Patovisti, and I am a senior at the University of Oklahoma studying to be a Clinical Psychologist and hoping to go to grad school.  With these high aspirations, my majors are Psychology and Nutrition, in order to learn about both aspects of the wellness scale, mentally and physically.  The coolest part of my major is that I will eventually be able to help people through whatever problems they may be dealing with; I have always been the "therapist" of the friend group because I greatly enjoy helping people talk through what's bothering them. I would consider myself a great listener, and this major will only enhance my listening skills.

(Psychology major representation; Photo from Pixabay) 

The best class I took last semester was Clinical Psychology with Carol Terry.  This was my favorite class because it was the one class that was most closely related to my major.  This also includes my biggest accomplishment because at the end of the semester we had to give a 10-15 minute speech.  I have the worst speech anxiety, and I avoid public speaking at all costs. I talked to my teacher about this and she made me feel very comfortable about the project, comfortable enough to even make it through a whole 12 minute speech. This was a huge accomplishment for me because I overcame one of my biggest fears that day, and public speaking doesn't seem AS bad anymore.  

Another thing I want to mention is the exciting internship I had this previous summer break.  I had an internship at Destiny Wellness Center in Tulsa, OK.  Destiny Wellness Center is a mental health clinic that focuses on the eight dimensions of wellness.  It has a therapy side of the building, along with a gym on the other side of the building.  Over the summer I got to create several nutritional PowerPoints for the clients as well as sit in on some therapy sessions for people that had eating disorders or other types of disorders including depression, anxiety, etc.  This was my favorite part of my summer because it gave me such a good insight into what my future career could include.  More than anything, I think it made me excited about my future and what I am currently studying as well.