Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1453554
From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a practicing psychologist. When I went to college and graduate school, my passion and skill for clinical work were confirmed, while I also fell in love with teaching and research. So here I am today, dovetailing teaching, research, and clinical work into a wonderfully rewarding career, for which I feel privileged to be able to engage in every day. As for teaching, I am grateful to have the opportunity to teach a variety of graduate psychology classes at NCU, many of which are in the health psychology program. My research interests mainly revolve around serving as chair and second committee member for student dissertation studies. Some current studies I'm working on with students include mindfulness as a pathway to enhancing well-being, the importance of health literacy in physicians working with patients, understanding errors made by physicians using electronic health records, the role of exercise and navigating the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal narratives of female shift workers and their reproductive health concerns, exploring the personal narratives of African American law enforcement officers navigating their identities as African Americans and law enforcement officers, uncovering the role of financial stressors for African American college students, narratives of EMT workers after critical incidents, and a variety of other meaningful and cutting edge studies being done by doctoral-level students! Finally, in my clinical work, I have a private practice where I work with individuals, couples, and families to explore a variety of psychological issues, including but not limited to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, life transitions, grief, the aging process, behavioral medicine issues, and a multitude of other important clinical and life issues. I have several clinics engaging with other community providers, including an eating disorder clinic, transplant evaluation clinic, consultation liaison clinic, surgery preparation clinic, and a promoting health and wellness clinic. I get a tremendous amount of pleasure working with students in classrooms and on their research, as well as navigating through life's challenges and triumphs with clients in my clinical work. Graduate work is rewarding, but also challenging at times, and all I can say is every single challenge is worth the multitude of triumphs that I experience in my personal and professional endeavors on a daily basis, and much of these triumphs are possible due to the opportunities I have been able to give myself due to having a graduate degree in psychology! Here's hoping that your educational, career, and personal endeavors give you as much meaning and enjoyment as they have for me. Patti Barrows, PhD Faculty Profiles 9 Northcentral University Psychology Bulletin