Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1223451
Breaking Down Barriers 3 DISSERTATION STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Thomas Killian, MS As I near the end of my time as an NCU doctoral student with a concentration in mental health policies and procedures, my expanded skill set has strengthened my capacity to improve the accessibility of behavioral health treatment and break down barriers for individuals. During my time in NCU's program, I participated in the new revised Pre-Candidacy Course to build my skills with a course designed to help with my dissertation's first chapter. The course allowed me a significant amount of time to build my dissertation's foundation and permitted me to have a better academic relationship with my dissertation committee chair. With my jump start on Chapter 1, I could work ahead of schedule and continue my strong foundation start. This flexibility of NCU's doctoral program was the main appeal to my enrollment. Reflecting upon my time in the doctoral program, having an open and consistent schedule of working on my dissertation was key to my success in the program. As a father to a toddler, having a flexible schedule is key when managing life's unexpected events. With assistance from my committee chair, I was able to set realistic and achievable goals for myself — writing 2-3 pages a day or reading 2-3 articles per day. From my experience, I highly recommend other students keep an open and ongoing line of communication with their chairs and use the discussion feature within the courses — call, email, meetings — to their advantage. Many of the skills I learned from the program have followed me over to my professional life since my enrollment. As a current executive director of a psychiatric rehabilitation program, my learned skills from the doctoral process have allowed me to analyze and synthesize situations before making decisions. The Psychology Bulletin