Who am I?  Ms. Lemons’ sorority sister  Born and predominantly raised in Oakland, California  Briefly lived in Sacramento, Ca  Raised by a single-father  Only girl of a sib ship of 3 brothers  Moved to SoCal in 2004 for college  Full-time student  Work as Life Solutions Resource Counselor  Part-time Office Manager  Just Terminated  Counselor for Elementary and Middle School Students  Fall 2014  Substance Abuse Therapist for Adults

Journey in Education  Let’s be real…  Oakland Technical High School  Graduated with 3.8  California State University, Fullerton  The Struggle was real…and so was the distractions  Graduated in 2008 with 2.7  University of La Verne  Graduated in 2011 with 3.7  California School of Professional Psychology  Current GPA 3.8  3 rd year this Fall  Expected Graduation 2017

CSU-Fullerton  Obtained BA in Psychology (2008)  Minor in Afro Ethnic Studies  Completed the degree in 4 years  Joined a sorority  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc  Career goal: Clinical Psychologist  Requires a PhD  Necessary steps to obtain the degree  Doctorate degree  My GPA effected the quicker path to reach my goal

Work Experience with BA  Worked at Seneca Center  Word at a Non-Public School  Level 14 with Severely Emotionally Disturbed Children  Ages 5-19  Westcoast Children’s Clinic  Assessment Center for Foster Children in Oakland and Hayward CA  Ages Birth-22

University of La Verne  Obtained my Masters of Science in Marriage Family Therapy  Became a MFT  Worked with adolescent & families  Used this GPA to apply for PhD programs

CSPP-Los Angeles at Alliant International University

Alliant International University, CSPP-Los Angeles  5 year+ program  Research and Clinical Based  Completed my second year in May  Program is rigorous and requires full-time commitment  Research on:  Mindfulness Meditation  Work Life Balance  Family Cohesiveness with Incarcerated Loved ones  Attend conferences and present research  Counsel children and adults  Community Outreach  Last Fall presented in:  San Diego  Los Angeles  Sacramento  This Fall presenting  San Diego (Sept)  Boston (Oct)

Late Nights…Early Mornings

Career Paths in Psychology

What can you do?  Volunteer  Shadow a position of interest  Network  People know people  Always show your best you, you never know who is watching you  Patience is key…

Keys to Success  Maintain a GPA  Work smarter, not harder  Study groups  Have a social life  Study hard, but take breathers and relax  Network  Realize who and what are possible distractions  Avoid  Re-evaluate  Realize you will have a set back…that’s life just bounce back

My Contact Information: Dominique N. Lawson