Jennifer Thomas-Sopekan
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Program: MA with ABA
Book I would recommend: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Favorite Quote: “Gossip dies when it hits a wise person’s ears” – Unknown
What would people be surprised to know about you?
People would be surprised to know that I am a retired dancer and tennis player.
Name a cause you are passionate about.
I am passionate about rectifying the treatment and reintegration of veterans back into civilian life after their military/paramilitary careers have ended.
Why did you choose MSP?
MSP focuses on a humanistic approach to psychology which aims to treat the whole person. This was my motivation for deciding to pursue a degree here.
What do you want to do with your degree?
I plan to use my degree, first, to work in public service to help close the gap between police and mentally ill citizens. Next, I plan to shift my focus to family and couples counseling or therapy with a focus on Black and Brown families. In the end, I plan to pursue the PsyD degree, open my own practice and offer a wide range of services for families, veterans and training for other psychologists.
How did you first get interested in the mental health profession?
I was always interested in why people do the things they do. “What led to that decision?” “Why didn’t they consider another route or option?” etc. Taking into account that some people have a neurological defect or rewiring after an incident or “defective” wiring from birth or any other reason to think in the way they do made me want to study psychology.
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