The gate to the professionals...

Monday, October 19th, 2020 - Sunday, October 25th, 2020

My main focus this week was on making calls to professionals in my field, focusing on psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Due to the busy schedules of these occupations, I was constantly met with various receptionists, the gatekeepers on my quest to meet professionals in the area. The first couple calls were shaky, as I was nervous and still getting acquainted with the process of running through the script with the receptionists. However, once I got comfortable, I started to enjoy making the calls. Taking each call as a challenge, I tried to persuade the gatekeepers to give me a pass to the holy grail: a 10-15 minute conversation with the doctor I was interested in meeting. However, I was not having much luck as the current nature of the country with coronavirus has made it very difficult for professionals to take the time to meet with me.

I was finally able to get my first interview, a phone call with clinical psychologist Dr.Quinn. This was my first opportunity to peer into the world of a psychologist and was fascinated by the advice he gave me. The most important thing I took from my conversation with him was that I should get my own therapy with an older, experienced psychologist. For Dr. Quinn, his time going to therapy rewarded him with more knowledge than he got throughout his education, so I am hoping that following this advice will yield the same results.