Description
I am applying to various clinical positions. I have been in private practice for the past 10+ years. On the average, I have conducted 2 psychological evaluations and 17 therapy appointments per week. My experience ranges from working with to working for prisons, psychiatric hospitals, social services, public schools, adult and juvenile parole and/or probation, nursing homes and/or assisted living facilities, group homes, and county mental health. About 95% of my psychological evaluations have been with children/adolescents. However, I have also provided superb psychological assessments for federal courts on adult criminal charges. About 60% of therapy has consisted of children/adolescent clients and/or family services. Some of the issues that I have addressed include mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, sex and/or physical abuse, substance abuse, sexual addiction, ADHD, and anger management. I have assessed and/or treated a vast number or clients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. I also have training in Critical Incident Stress Management. I have provided treatment and assessments for sex offenders, most of whom have been juveniles or young adults. My professional work ethic and practice stem from a pragmatic and spiritual foundation. Although psychological services are not a platform to preach one’s morality, an understanding of one’s beliefs and world view is critical in maintaining a reputable and effective service to clients, referral sources, and community agencies. My spirituality fosters a recognition regarding the need to be connected to community, relationships, and personal integrity for one’s mental health. In the past and often still, psychology has focused on the self without acknowledging the impact relationships to others and to the environment has on personal development, confronting psychological problems, and improving life. Connection is both an inter and intra psychic experience. Most modern mental health professionals have lost sight of fact that spirituality was intimately integrated in many psychological theories. Whereas less than 30% of mental health providers are spiritually inclined, from 80% to 95% of the clientele severed do have personal faith and spirituality as part of their consciousness. If sex, money, and intimate deals are comfortable for a mental provider to talk about with a client, why not spirituality? Of interest, long before I started in private practice, I asked clients, “What are your sources of support and strength?” Without knowing my Christian faith, 80% of my clients identified a spiritual leader, the Bible, and/or prayer as their sources of strength and support. I often refer clients to their spiritual advisors and community resources to gain a connection that is missing in their daily lives. Thus, I am not trying to dictate dogma but to awaken a need for connection as a means for effective personal change. Appropriate accountability is critical for correcting behavior and maintaining a healthy emotional life. My pragmatism challenges clients, supervised practicum students, and collaborative professionals to review what they do know to gain a better understanding of what is before them. To many times, “I don’t know,” is the death to a person’s problem-solving abilities. Empowering a person has improved their circumstances by directing he/she to use what they know to fill in the gaps of ignorance and how to proceed into a more effective life approach. Kevin Schloneger, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
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