This year, approximately 400 students will receive their master’s or doctoral degrees from Adler University. As they prepare to walk across the commencement stage, many of them are reflecting on their time at Adler while looking ahead to what’s next. Meet four members of the Class of 2022 to learn what the future has in store.
Samantha Jones, Master of Arts in Couple and Family Therapy, Chicago
Reaching graduation has been my goal for the last three years. As exciting as it is to be here, it also leaves the foreseeable future unclear as I adjust to life without school. My professional focus at this moment is building my client list and finding trainings that I am personally excited to learn about and incorporate into my Practise as a socially responsible clinician. Being a student at Adler gave me the opportunity to challenge the populations I thought I wanted to work with and has given me a clear vision for what I want my Practise to look like as I learn to network. Personally, I love being able to spend time with all the people I love and who have been so patient with me over the last three years. I don’t know what I would have done without my support system, and I feel I can give them my full self back.
Veronica Li, Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology, Vancouver
My journey at Adler began when I started my master’s in counselling psychology several years ago. Afterward, I decided to pursue my doctor of psychology degree. as I felt that I wanted to continue my education and learn more about providing evidence-based assessment and treatment. Throughout my journey at Adler and in my clinical training, I had many opportunities to work with diverse populations, skilled professors and supervisors, and strengthen my clinical skills. My next step is registering with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and supporting clients through private Practise. I am also starting a multidisciplinary health clinic focused on serving women, gender-diverse persons, and racialized people — women, racialized people, and individuals in the 2SLGBTQ+ community experience an overall lower quality of health care, less access to services, and worse health outcomes than the general population. “2S” refers to “Two Spirit,” which acknowledges that Two Spirit Indigenous people were the first sexual and gender minority people in North America to demonstrate solidarity with them. My business partner and I hope to fill this gap by offering services tailored to these populations. The University’s values in social justice have absolutely influenced how I Practise and the work I will continue to do moving forward.
Seth Taylor, Master of Arts (M.A.) in Couple and Family Therapy, Chicago
I have started working at a private Practise in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood called Embrace Sexual Wellness. I am working towards a licensed marriage and family therapist licensure and American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) certification to become a certified sex therapist. Adler has prepared me for these next steps by helping me find a robust practicum internship placement that prepared me well for post-grad professional work. Adler also created a sex therapy certification Programme to which I had the Honour of being a part of the first-ever cohort to complete the Programme, which jumpstarted the work required to Fulfil my goal of becoming a certified sex therapist.
Samantha VanDeman, Master of Arts (M.A.) in Counselling: Art Therapy, Chicago
While at Adler, I interned at Journey Care, which provides supportive, palliative, and hospice care in Illinois. After graduation, I received a full-time position as a bereavement coordinator there. Part of my job is managing bereavement groups and providing individual Counselling to grieving individuals who lost a loved one or friend in hospice. The master’s Programme prepared me for my current job by teaching me to create my own art directives and learning to run a therapy group. The two classes I learned the most from were assessment and trauma; both provided me with the skills and knowledge to work at my internship and get hired upon completing my 700 hours.
In August, I also started the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Art Therapy Programme as a part-time student at Adler. I hope to gain more experience working with individuals who have gone through trauma and become certified in dialectical Behaviour therapy training. A future goal of mine is to be able to work in a children’s hospital and use art therapy with children who are terminally ill and provide bereavement Counselling to families experiencing a loss.