Question: How many papers can a Jessica write in a weekend?

Answer: an 8 page paper, a 5 page paper, and brainstorming/1st draft of a 7 page paper. (Not to mention all the reading that needs to be done for her upcoming weekend in residence.)

Is that normal? I am not entirely sure. What I am sure of, however, is that if I can pull through this then the payoff will be HUGE!! (Once I finish my Masters I plan to go on to a doctoral program. I like the sound of “Dr. Garcia.”)

In other news, I have been anxiously waiting to hear back from a number of sites about interviews for internship next year. I am amazed that I am already going through that process because I feel like I just started my practicum! In reality it has been about 5 months but some days it seems like only yesterday.

I remember the feeling of sending off my application for practicum placement and wondering if I would ever get placed anywhere. Although I came to MSPP with a B.S. in psychology I started to feel like: “Maybe no one is going to want me. I have never worked in a clinical setting before.” I was glad to find that those thoughts could not have been farther from the truth. I was able to land three interviews and three offers.

Of course, there was one site that I could not wait to hear back from. When I got the phone call that Stevens Treatment Programs was offering me a position I could barely control myself. It took all of my strength to not blurt out “YES!” before my soon-to-be supervisor finished asking me if I was still interested.

The rest is pretty much history. I love my placement. However, it would have been a much different experience if I did not have the endless support of the entire Stevens team and a number of people at MSPP. Along the way I have dealt with Dr. Napolitano (the Associate Director of Field Education who aided me in my practicum search), Gretchen Nash (the “Jane of all trades” who helped me edit my CV and cover letter), Dr. Clark (my wonderful advisor), Dr. Schoeller (my awesome Practicum Seminar professor), and Dr. Orozco, Dr. Bianco, Dr. Larson,  and Dr. Alajarma (my wicked cool Forensic and Counseling Psych professors).

Stevens Treatment Programs campus

(I threw “wicked” in there because I heard it was a Boston thing.)

So… to everyone I mentioned… THANK YOU!