2012 Psych Newsletter (Compressed) - Northwestern College

Reflections from a
2012 graduate,
(cont. from p. 1)
In what ways
did NWC prepare you
for life after college?
Any other advice?
Mariah: NWC really
taught me to have faith
in everything that I did. I
know there were many
times during school
where I said I didn't care
anymore and wanted to
quit because I was so
overwhelmed with the
amount of work I had to
do. But despite all the
papers, reports, and
presentations and the
constant feeling of running
around without a
purpose, I did find it.
From talking with other
Psychology majors from
different colleges, I feel
that NWC does a much
better job at preparing
you for life after college.
Whether that involves
going to grad school
right away, doing volunteer
work, or a full time
job. The chaos will be
worth it in the end. You
will feel accomplished
and proud about your
work.
V
ictoria Karssen says
the education she received
at Northwestern
College helped her to successfully
pursue her passion
for serving others as a hospital
chaplain.
Karssen, a wife and mother of
three, studied mostly part-time
at Northwestern for six years
before graduating with her
B.A. in psychology in 2006.
Karssen loved being a student,
and learning from devoted
teachers made a difference.
“My wonderful professors
told me I would be successful
when I did not know
that for myself,” Karssen says.
Through her classes Karssen
grew from a timid speaker to
someone who felt she had a
voice. She found her senior
thesis project to be
“challenging, exciting, and
incredibly rewarding.” Karssen
even had the pleasure of hosting
Dr. David Meyers as a
presenter for her final project.
While at Northwestern,
Karssen had an internship
working at the Mental Health
Institute in Cherokee, Iowa.
Through this experience,
Karssen was able to complete
a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education
(CPE).
After graduating, Karssen was
accepted into a second unit of
Victoria
Karssen
Part of the
Healing
Process
By Amanda Kirsch, 2014
CPE at St. Luke’s College in
Sioux City. Karssen’s career
as hospital chaplain began
shortly after completing training.
Karssen recalls, “Just
days after I finished my second
unit at St. Luke’s Hospital
one of the chaplains on
staff was hospitalized, and I
was asked to fill in for a
month or so. I have been at
St. Luke’s ever since.”
Hospital chaplaincy comes
with several responsibilities,
but Karssen explains that the
job essentially necessitates
compassion and a willingness
to listen. “As chaplains
we offer spiritual, emotional,
and prayerful support to patients
and their families, as
well as our staff.” Karssen’s
first priority is to respond
quickly to a number of critical
health situations, such as
when someone experiences
cessation of pulse or breathing.
“At these times we are
present with family, are a
liaison between them and
our doctors and nurses, answer
questions of what is
happening or what to expect,
and if necessary, help them
deal with a death.”
Karssen says her next priority
is meeting with patients
prior to surgery or high-risk
procedures. “We just listen.
We don’t walk in with an
agenda but offer ourselves
as a confidential person and
NWC Alumni Follow Their Passions
advocate for patients, family,
and friends to discuss concerns.”
Karssen describes how
chaplains at St. Luke’s are
expected to be nonjudgmental
of lifestyle or personal
beliefs. “As we meet
people from every culture
and religious background we
are deliberate to understand
their practices and needs,
and diligent to provide care
that is meaningful to them,
not strict to our personal
practices.”
Although many people assume
her job is a difficult
one, Karssen believes it is
truly an honor and privilege
to join patients and family
members in their holy space.
“We know that being a calm
and grounded presence is
often enough.”
Karssen’s own path to chaplaincy
has given her insight
she hopes to pass on to others.
“Do not waste energy
qualifying life as good or bad
because all of our lives include
both. Find ways to embrace
the haven and the
strength with which you have
been rewarded when you
see that you have made it
through a tough day or experience!
It might just be the
solid ground you stand on as
you take your next step.”
Life
afterLife
NWC
after
Exercising
Knowledge
of Psychology
P
aul Ryon is a 2010
graduate of Northwestern
College. While at
NWC, Ryon double majored in
psychology and physical education
and was a part of the
soccer team. Ryon recently
received a Master’s Degree in
the Psychology of Sport and
Exercise from Illinois State
University and is currently in
the process of gaining certification
in areas related to applied
sports psychology and
professional psychology associations.
Ryon spends time
consulting with various sports
programs, mainly with coaches
and former players, with the
goal of creating a “means of
increasing accessibility to
sports psychology research
and methodology.”
Ryon states that his interest in
sports psychology began in
high school. It is a field that
combines his interest in problem
solving, helping others,
and working in a sports exercise
environment. “Being able
to merge what I know about
sports from both a psychological
standpoint and being an
athlete made it easier to relate
and transfer ideas from research
into an applied science.”
Paul
Ryon
By Megan Ott, 2013
Ryon is currently in the process
of a finding an outlet to
apply his knowledge in sports
psychology, and is confident
he made the right choice of
study. “I really wanted to go
into something that I found
interesting and that I felt
called to. I think that, if used
correctly, sports psychology
can give individuals a platform
to learn all kinds of valuable
skills that they can use in all
areas of life.”
So what exactly does a sports
psychologist do? Ryon explained
that sports psychology
is similar to many other areas
of psychology, but with a focus
on topics related to exercise.
“For example, there is
quite a bit of current research
looking at motivation regarding
why or why not people
participate in exercise. Using a
theory like Self-Determination
Theory, researchers are trying
to figure out some of the intrinsic
reasons why people
participate in exercise. The
goal then is for educators
and/or practitioners in sports
psychology to teach people
how to embrace those intrinsic
areas and try to overcome
some of the barriers preventing
exercise.”
Sports psychology is a new
and growing field and as such
jobs are competitive. “At the
professional level there are a
limited number of teams and
also a high degree of standards
and experience required
when working with million
dollar investments. On a college
level, sports psychologists
are becoming more
prevalent.” The private market
is recognizing the value
of this field. “The U.S. Army
and Olympic Committee both
employ a large number of
sports psychologists to deal
with the pressures of high
level athletic or physical
training.” Professional licensing
is available for those desiring
to work with individuals,
rather than consulting
with a team. “But in order to
do sports psychology fulltime
one normally needs to
go into education or have a
bit of experience and networking
available.”
Finally, Ryon expressed gratitude
for his undergraduate
training. “I can’t really think
of many ways in which NWC
didn’t prepare me for graduate
school. I suppose the
only thing that Northwestern
didn’t prepare me for was
how often I was going to
say, ‘Wow, I already learned
this at NWC!’”
Reflections from
a 2012 graduate,
(cont. from previous
sidebar)
What did you do as a
student that you
would recommend to
current NWC psychology
majors?
Mariah: I would recommend
that you start
thinking about your
Senior Thesis yesterday.
You don't necessarily
have to be completely
pro-active and
get it all done before
your senior year, but it
will help you in the long
run if you get a jumpstart
and have a good
understanding of what
you want to study.
Also make sure it's
something that you are
passionate about or it
will be a really hard
semester. And never,
ever, save everything
for the last minute. You
will regret it!
2012 graduate, Mariah
Tappe, is a recovery
and admission counselor
at Thunder Road
Adolescent Treatment
Center in Oakland, CA.