Student Scholarship Award Recipients 2024-2025

MSP is committed to contributing annually to assist in student scholarships and aid. Scholarship and financial assistance funding is supported by gifts from alumni, family, and friends.

This academic year we are pleased to announce the following recipients. Ray Kaidbay (PsyD 3) was awarded the Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship. Jane Halpert (current MA) and Robert Flewelling (MA ’09, PsyD 3) were awarded the Sidney Berkowitz Scholarship for Clinical Excellence. The honorees have written acceptance statements for their scholarship awards.

Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship (JBHPS)

This scholarship honors Jill Benton, former MSP librarian and alum, and her commitment to humanistic psychology. The JBHPS supports a PsyD student who is committed to advancing the science and practice of humanistic psychology as demonstrated by excellence in scholarship.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship. This award holds profound meaning for me not only as a student of humanistic psychology but as someone striving to embody its principles in every facet of life.

To be recognized for aligning with the values of empathy, authenticity, and respect for the whole person is both humbling and inspiring. The scholarship will support my continued education and growth as a humanistic therapist, allowing me to engage more fully with my clients and community.

As I look ahead to my practicum and future clinical work, I carry with me the spirit of Jill Benton’s legacy of compassion, inquiry, and dedication to human potential. I am committed to contributing to the field with the same openness, courage, and heart.”

Sidney Berkowitz Scholarship for Clinical Excellence (SBSCE)

The SBSCE was established in Fall 2022 to honor Dr. Sidney Berkowitz, a beloved former faculty member who was an esteemed clinical and long-time supporter of MSP. This award is presented to master and doctoral students who demonstrate excellence in clinical work and show a commitment to clinical practice using humanistic value/principles.

“Pursuing clinical psychology is a career change for me, and receiving the Sidney Berkowitz Scholarship for Clinical Excellence feels like meaningful affirmation that I’m on the right path. I am honored and grateful to be recognized with this award. [Dr.] Sidney Berkowitz’s emphasis on thoughtful, client-centered care aligns with the values I hold in my own work. I came to MSP drawn to a form of therapy grounded in relationality and shaped by human questions of meaning, grief, loss, and recovery. I’ve been deeply influenced by the exploratory nature of my classes, as well as the compassion and insight of both my peers and the school’s outstanding faculty.

In my current work as a student therapist, it is a privilege to build relationships with clients and accompany them as they explore what matters most. After graduation, I hope to join a welcoming, inclusive group practice where I can support people facing a range of struggles. Entering the field and dedicating myself to this work will be a dream fulfilled. This award strengthens my commitment to that goal and serves as a personal reminder of the importance of humanistic psychology in a world that too often seems intent on stripping away our shared humanity.”

“To be one of the recipients of the Sidney Berkowitz Scholarship for Clinical Excellence is a great honor and one of the most meaningful accomplishments of my professional life. Being recognized by the Michigan School of Psychology’s esteemed doctoral program faculty as a student who is both engaged in outstanding clinical work and embodies humanistic values is a distinguished privilege and affirmation that I am developing into the clinician I have long desired to become. Being a part of the larger Michigan School of Psychology community has been a prominent part of my professional identity since my time in the Master’s program in 2008. During my first tenure at MSP, I had the distinct pleasure of interacting with Dr. Berkowitz on a couple of occasions. I remember him for his engaging, caring, and warm persona, and from him, I learned the importance of how our personal presence with a client in the therapeutic space is of the utmost importance, and this notion has been foundational to my efforts towards becoming a humanistic psychologist ever since. To be recognized by my teachers as the standard-bearer for this sort of clinical work amongst my many wonderful and skilled peers at MSP is incredible. Receiving this scholarship is further motivation for me to continue modeling humanistic values as a person and a professional, and as I move into my career in private practice in the near future, I intend to continue to exemplify these principles and carry on the legacy of both Dr. Berkowitz and the Michigan School of Psychology.”