WEBVTT

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Well, welcome this evening to our master's in psychology webinar.

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I'm Maria Lee's Dunlap.

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I am the admissions advisor for Divine Mercy University, our master's in psychology program.

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It is offered a 100% online, and there is no GRE required for this master's degree.

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I am so excited this evening to have one of our alumna, Alma Campos, with us here to share with us her experience as a student, to share with you, what she loved about the program, what it was really like as a student.

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So if you do have any questions specifically for Alma and her student experience, please feel free to put them in the chat.

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If you have questions about anything I'm presenting, please feel free to put that in the chat.

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I will try as best I can to answer those questions as we're going along.

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I my goal for this evening is that we end this webinar and you have as many questions that you have coming into it answered so that you know if the MSP is the right next step for you and you want to make a one on one appointment with me.

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We can talk more in-depth about what that looks like and the next steps to get you into our program.

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So, Alma, I would love if you would just take a couple minutes and just share with us who you are, and when you graduated and maybe just briefly what drew you to the MSP program.

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Yes.

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Certainly.

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So as she said, my name is Alma Campos.

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I am a stay at home mother to three young children.

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They're seven, six, and two.

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And I actually just recently finished my degree a year ago in December, and I went to the commencement this past spring.

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And one of the reasons that I was really drawn to the program was the integration of the Catholic faith into it.

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Just because I've grown up Catholic, I noticed that in my jobs that I used to hold, I would always integrate this kind of sense of knowing that the person as a whole, is valuable.

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And that's something that I always put into my work.

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I have an undergraduate in psychology, so it was something that I really wanted to integrate even more.

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And learning about this, program at Divine Mercy is really what drew me to it because it really is a holistic program that captures everything from the faith and also from, psychology.

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That's awesome.

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Thank you so much for sharing that, and we're so grateful that you're here tonight to share with us.

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So Alma will be, interjecting here and there, and I'll be asking your questions.

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And, again, if you have any specific questions, please add them into the chat, and we'd love to get those answered for you.

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Alright.

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So just a little road map of where we're going here tonight.

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I'm gonna share with you a little bit about DMU.

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We're gonna learn more about the master's program.

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I'll introduce you to our faculty, go through some acceptance requirements, next steps, and then of course the scholarship opportunities through DMU.

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So Divine Mercy University began in 1999 as the Institute for the Psychological Sciences and in 2014 launched the online master's in psychology program.

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And in 2015, the school of counseling, and at that point decided to rebrand ourselves to Divine Mercy University.

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We are, of course, a Catholic graduate university.

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DMU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges or SACS to award master's and doctorate degrees.

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Now for those of you who are wondering maybe what other schools are in that accreditation, maybe some names like Duke and Georgia Tech and Florida State ring bells for you.

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So we're in that same group of other universities that you may have heard of.

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DMU is also established chartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1998.

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So how is our master's in psychology degree different than other degrees?

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Well there's four main things that set DMU apart.

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The first one is our distributed learning.

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We have an asynchronous learning style which allows our studies to be flexible for you.

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So asynchronous meaning that you're not required to be on the computer at Thursday at 9AM or whatever time.

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You'll receive your assignments and the reading materials on Wednesday, and you'll use your time management skills to fit your study into your schedule, making sure that all of it is completed by the following Tuesday.

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This allows you to remain engaged in your life while your heart and your head are being changed for the better to not only transform yourself but the others that you'll be in contact with.

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We have many experienced professionals.

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Our core faculty are experienced not just working in this like psychological realm, but they're also well published, they're well educated, and they're living a life of learning so that they're able to better themselves for you so that you're able to be the transformational leader that this program creates you to be.

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What you learn is going to be directly related to what you're gonna be using in your field.

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One of the other students, our alumna, who have been on these webinars with Nyside, one of the coolest things about this program was every single class, she was learning a skill set that she could utilize in real time.

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So it wasn't that the classes were building upon each other to then have this degree that she's able to use once she graduates.

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It was actually in every single course that was giving her a new skill set to begin to use as she was going through the program.

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And then, of course, Alma even touched on this.

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DMU's masters in psychology program is informed and infused with our unique Catholic Christian meta model of the human person.

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It's taking this very strong science of psychology and looking at it through the lens of faith, really making sure that we're upholding the dignity that every human being is is given being created by God.

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Umma, is there anything that you would say from your perspective that really sets DMU's masters in psychology program apart from other colleges that you looked at or anything that really stuck with you that was really important, for you through your program?

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For me, the whole being able to kind of set my own schedule, being able to be on my own time was really what set it apart.

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I mean, as I said, I have young children, and I mentioned I have a two year old.

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I got pregnant right when I started the program, and then the pandemic happened.

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So I was stuck at home with littles with a newborn.

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And the way that it's set up, it allowed me to still be able to participate with my cohort.

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The faculty were very responsive at all times, both for academic things and for, you know, real life events that maybe I needed some extensions.

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Maybe I needed to work something out with them that I was having trouble in an assignment, and they were always very open.

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And I feel like a few of the other programs that I looked at, kind of had these more structured schedules that I knew wouldn't be able to fit my lifestyle.

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And even though it seems so flexible, it still has very rich content.

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It's not like, oh, it's so easy.

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You can just do it really quickly.

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No.

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You have to put the time into it, but you're able to really work with your own time to meet the deadlines that are given.

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That's great.

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Thank you so much for sharing that.

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I love I also appreciate that flexibility aspect.

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I think that really draws a lot of people into it knowing that they that they're able to put the study time.

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They're able to prioritize it based on their schedule.

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So I'm really glad that you affirm that.

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Alright.

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We're gonna move into now some of the benefits of our master's in psychology program.

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I'm not gonna read all of these for you.

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I'm just gonna pick out some that are, I think key to this program.

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The first one, of course, is analyzing the major concepts, theories, and methodologies in psychology, being able to evaluate critically your own biases, assumptions, attitudes, and how they affect your own decision making, planning, communication, working in teams, how we're able to apply diversity principles and leadership activities informed by that Catholic Christian vision of the human person, and evaluating attitude, skill sets, and strategies for being a transformational leader in a service delivery setting.

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And then some of those advanced skills, the ability to recognize and respond to mental health challenges, how how to effectively communicate, negotiate, and also fostering increased cultural awareness.

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Umma, are there specific skills that you walk away with from the masters in psychology and you say, wow.

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Like, these are things that I definitely wanna put on my resume.

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These are definitely things that I want people to know that I learned through this program.

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Honestly, for me, the biggest one was the leadership skills because I personally because I'm such a timid person, I never saw myself as being able to be a leader.

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But the classes all focus on that leadership skills, that can be used, in the workplace, not necessarily to be, someone that's at the forefront kind of managing people and telling them what to do, but just having that emotional intelligence to be able to read people, to be able to be empathetic with them.

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And I feel like that was really one of the core things that I walked away with kind of noticing, like, well, I could be a leader.

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I do have leadership qualities.

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And many times, it's it's harder to kind of see the bigger picture.

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At least when I was working in nonprofit, you kinda focus in on, like, one specific item, but it also helped me to be able to see, how when you're working with other people, you have to kind of look at the whole person.

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It's not just, well, this person is experiencing this at this moment, so let's focus on that thing.

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It's, okay, let's look around her.

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Let's look around that person.

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What else is impacting them?

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And so I feel like I really was able to connect all of the dots with all the things that I learned to be able to have those skills to better serve people, to better help other people.

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That is such a great response, and I love that you, made that connection of leadership doesn't mean you're out in front of everybody.

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Each of us have an opportunity to be a leader in the way that god created us to, and that's such a great just truth to be able to recognize and realize and utilize in your life.

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Alright.

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So our online masters in psychology overview.

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So we do offer five concentrations through the master's in psychology.

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They are marriage and family, human services, leadership, pre PhD, and self design, and we're going to go into some of those in the next few slides.

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But a few other key points, about our online master's in psychology is that it is a 100% online as I shared earlier as we've talked about a little bit up to this point.

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There is no GRE required, and this is not a licensure track degree.

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So it is focusing on educating working professional from all different backgrounds so that you're able to have a solid practical human toolbox that you would need in psychology to utilize as you work with others and among others.

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Father Gary says he's, he works at the VA hospital, and he's also on the crisis intervention team and serves as liaison with the suicide prevention and chaplain services.

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That is so needed.

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I'm so grateful that you're doing that.

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That's a very heavy topic and have very heavy place to be, I'm sure.

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But we need really strong people in this position.

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So thank you for being there, and I'm sure this degree will help give you more skills to be able to work with the people that you, have in your path.

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Now, Alma, you did you go through the program when the concentrations had already started, or did they begin when you were done with the program?

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They they began right as I was finishing.

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I really wish I could have done marriage and family.

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No.

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It they started, later on, but Okay.

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I still feel like what I got was was really good.

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Well, I think what's really cool about the concentrations, to be honest, just even to that point, is the concentration the concentrations were built based on alum's feedback.

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So I think that says a lot about the program and the faculty, and our deans that are that are creating the program.

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They wanna make sure that it really fits the needs of the people that are coming through it.

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So just, you know, as we go through these slides, you'll see that those core courses are on every slide.

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So regardless of which concentration you decide to go into, the core courses that you take are going to be the same.

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That first class that every person is going to take is that Psychology five fifty, Helping A Catholic Christian Approach to Psychology.

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Now I have heard so many amazing things about this course.

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Alma, I don't know if there's a certain course that meant more to you than one of the others or if if there's helping people flourish, if there's anything in that first course that really set the tone for how you went through your program.

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Honestly, that word flourish is what set myself up for what was to come because I honestly never kind of put into thought that the word, you know, flourishing really meant something that could be in the person's psychology in how we live our lives as, human beings.

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And that really set the tone because each class was set out to give us the skills to help not just ourselves as we were taking the class, but other people around us flourish.

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And, basically, essentially, what it means is no matter how maybe down in the dumps somebody can be, there are ways to help those people to be able to find their potential to have a better life, to have a life with dignity.

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And so, really, honestly, that class really set the tone for everything else because even when we were doing statistics or even when we were doing, research, it was always, you know, zoning in on how is this going to help me in the coursework that I'm doing to apply everything to help someone to flourish.

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How is this going to help me to help someone come out of whatever it is that, you know, the scenarios that we were given?

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It was always of thinking of how to empower those people and not just help them out, but also give them those tools that they needed for themselves in their lives.

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Mhmm.

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I'm sure that was very empowering for you to have this Yes.

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It real it really was.

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Because one of the reasons that I even began to pursue my master's, which was something that was just kind of sitting on my to do list of whenever I get to it is that and I openly share is that I had a miscarriage right before I started the program.

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And many people would always tell me, do something that keeps your mind busy to help you with the grief.

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And it was almost like I felt like God was telling me, okay.

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This is the time to pursue your masters.

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And it truly was, something that was both healing and also just very encouraging to me.

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It's like if I felt at that moment that I had gone through something that I never thought I would go through, and in a way, like, I made it out and I was okay and I could praise God, then why not jump into something that I thought wasn't possible, which was to get my master's program done already?

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Oh, that's and what what a legacy that child is living through you.

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That's amazing.

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Yes.

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Yes.

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That's a beautiful story.

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Thank you for sharing it.

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I such a great, great testimony to out of the ashes, such beautiful things come.

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Right?

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That's just so painful.

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Yes.

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Oh, thank you for sharing that.

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That's amazing.

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And now every time I'm sure every day when you're using the skills that you've learned, you just think of that sweet baby and how they're interceding for you you and Yes.

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Fighting you and protecting you and your family and all the great things that Yes.

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No.

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It it really is like that every day.

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That's amazing.

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That's amazing.

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Well, in our marriage and family concentration, and as you'll see in these slides that we go through, these next couple slides, that the concentration is built out of the electives that align with that concentration.

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So with marriage and family, the electives are marriage and family systems theory, flourishing relationships, and marriage and family interventions.

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Human sexuality is no longer, offered by itself.

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It's in, integrated to the flourishing of relationships.

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Our human services concentration, again, those same core courses, and then the electives are relationship and intervention skills theory and application, personality, individual differences and intelligence, and group counseling and group work.

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Our leadership psychology concentration, transformational leadership, leading people programs and organizations, and applied leadership skills are the electives that create that concentration.

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Our pre PhD is actually really exciting.

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It's going to be new for our spring cohort which begins January 11.

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Instead of these, three electives, you'll actually take six one hour research electives and work one on one with an academic advisor to build out a thesis with the goal of you being published or presenting at a conference, which will make you more competitive if you choose to pursue your PhD and also just give you that experience.

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And then lastly, our self designed concentration, which again we have that same core.

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But what's unique about this concentration is that you do choose one elective for marriage and family, one from human services, and one from leadership to create that concentration.

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So it's for the individual maybe is working in ministry or maybe is coming into the masters because they know this is the next right step, but they are wanting a totally different career and they aren't sure exactly what that is.

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Or, you know, they're working in a school and they know that they're, you know, going to be working with a very diverse population with parents and kids and, you know, working with faculty as well.

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So the self design, you know, fits some different molds.

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So now we're gonna go into some career opportunities that the MSP offers.

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And I would love to know for those of you who have joined us, welcome.

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I see we have a few more individuals who have joined us.

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I would love to know from those of you in attendance, if you are looking to enhance your current career or if you're looking to begin a new one when you graduate with your MSP, kind of where where you're at.

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And I know father Gary has shared with us that he's looking to enhance his and add more tools to his toolbox, and I'd love to hear from anyone else.

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I'll give you just another minute because I know Alma needs to leave here in a few minutes, and I know there's so much more good stuff coming up that she has to share with us.

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Alright.

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We'll keep going.

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So you'll see in these next few slides, there are a plethora of career opportunities for individuals with that graduate with the MSP.

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It really trickles into all different fields, of job opportunities.

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Because if psychology is really working with a human person, you know, you're gonna interact with people in many different ways and many different career opportunities.

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So just in that social mental health service positions, executive coaches, psychological associates, caseworker, a care coordinator, industrial and organizational positions, human resource manager, market resource analysis, government and law enforcement, criminal profiling, drug and alcohol specialist, social service manager, many ministry positions, parish ministries, faith formation, marriage prep, and an education community college psychology instructor, admissions rep, career counselor.

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And you're gonna see as we go through these next slides that there's many, many more, in these areas as well.

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So we'll continue on the health and mental health services, behavior counseling specifically for autism, ADD, ADHD, and trauma, health care, grief and loss counselor, case management for domestic violence, substance abuse, pregnancy, or maternity.

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Karen has a question.

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In the mental health area, is this degree accredited for psych psychology positions?

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So, Karen, hi.

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Welcome.

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It's great to have you with us tonight.

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This is a non licensure track degree.

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So when you graduate, you will not be a licensed clinical mental health counselor, but there are, as you see, many opportunities to be able to use this degree in health care positions.

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So I hope that answers your question.

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So even more opportunities in business, sales and marketing, human resources as we said, employee trainer, advertising agent, sales rep.

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In our parishes and diocese, again, diocesan office of marriage and family, youth minister, community colleges and universities, instructors at community colleges, academic recruiting or advising, child and family service organizations, family services worker, child protection worker, and nonprofit agencies, research assistant, organization consultant, intervention advocate.

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I, I founded and was the executive director for a nonprofit for eight years.

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And I will tell you that this is an amazing opportunity, the masters in psychology, if you are looking for really doing work in nonprofit, the nonprofit arena.

00:22:21.545 --> 00:22:25.645
This is a great masters to have that will really excel you forward.

00:22:27.065 --> 00:22:33.245
Local state and federal government, vocational rehab provider, a counselor, employment counselor, again, parole officer.

00:22:34.110 --> 00:22:38.130
I have someone that's starting in the spring cohort that is a criminal profiler.

00:22:38.270 --> 00:22:40.110
I thought that was so interesting.

00:22:40.110 --> 00:22:41.230
It makes so much sense.

00:22:41.230 --> 00:22:44.190
But, again, not something that I would think of right away.

00:22:44.190 --> 00:22:52.215
And I think that's what is one of the very cool things with the masters in psychology is that it really infiltrates in so many different areas.

00:22:52.515 --> 00:23:01.560
And then, in ministry, of course, leaders for churches and other houses of worship, youth pastors, RCIA directors, directors, and workers at crisis pregnancy centers.

00:23:02.840 --> 00:23:08.760
So we're gonna switch gears here a little bit to go into information about our online classroom.

00:23:08.760 --> 00:23:13.260
So with this being an online program, again, I share with you the asynchronous learning.

00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:27.235
So it is flexible to your time you will receive your assignments on your student platform Canvas on a Wednesday, and use your time management skills to fit your study into your schedule to complete it by the following Tuesday.

00:23:27.775 --> 00:23:43.860
Now, Alma, one of the questions that I get very often, and you have already touched on some of these things, you said how available the faculty members were, not just educationally, but even personally, that they really, you know, cared and responded to the things going on in your life.

00:23:44.645 --> 00:23:51.385
One of the things that I've been asked a few times is really how does this build a community with it being online?

00:23:51.525 --> 00:23:57.705
Like, you know, we go to school and we meet other people and we interact and we learn from each other.

00:23:57.830 --> 00:24:03.450
You know, can you tell us a little bit about your experience of of how that was built in this program?

00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:04.470
Yes.

00:24:04.470 --> 00:24:04.970
Certainly.

00:24:05.030 --> 00:24:15.595
So I think that was also one of the things that made me nervous about a 100% online, course was that I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to meet other people or interact with them.

00:24:15.735 --> 00:24:36.920
And the way that it's set up on the Canvas, platform is once we kind of get to know the cohort, on there, we're able to communicate with one another not only through the discussions that are part of the coursework, but, actually, a tight knit group of us, about six or eight of us actually created a chat outside of Canvas.

00:24:37.565 --> 00:24:39.245
To this day, we still keep in touch.

00:24:39.245 --> 00:24:49.505
I was actually chatting with them yesterday, and that's, really how we kind of came together after, the introduction, you know, and the first course where we kind of got to know each other.

00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:55.400
We're able to connect with one another depending on the work that we did or our families, things like that.

00:24:55.400 --> 00:25:00.040
So then it was easy to be able to, you know, pinpoint, oh, well, I need help.

00:25:00.040 --> 00:25:03.980
I can reach out to my classmates, and we would help each other out.

00:25:04.445 --> 00:25:12.365
Or if one of them kind of said, oh, I heard from the professor and he answered me and this was, you know, the answer that we all had, they would share as well.

00:25:12.365 --> 00:25:20.130
And so it was really, it was really a a good experience because once we got to graduation, it's like we already knew each other.

00:25:20.130 --> 00:25:21.810
We just hadn't seen each other for a while.

00:25:21.810 --> 00:25:26.530
And so it was it was really not as daunting as I thought it was going to be.

00:25:26.530 --> 00:25:31.910
It was it was we were able to create a community where we were able to help one another and keep in touch.

00:25:32.945 --> 00:25:33.665
I love that.

00:25:33.665 --> 00:25:42.485
And I think what's so awesome about that is literally every single person I talk to that's either in the program or has graduated from the program says almost the same thing.

00:25:42.625 --> 00:25:59.220
So I think that that is just such a tried and true answer, and it it's just the testimony to you make connections with people when you have the opportunity to share, about yourself and your have a common goal of learning how to promote flourishing in other people.

00:25:59.220 --> 00:25:59.540
Right?

00:25:59.540 --> 00:26:03.985
Like, it just naturally happens, in some way.

00:26:03.985 --> 00:26:04.145
No.

00:26:04.145 --> 00:26:04.545
Exactly.

00:26:04.545 --> 00:26:14.545
And even even the few that for life reasons had to kind of skip a class or, had to stop the program for whatever reason, we would still kind of keep in touch with them.

00:26:14.545 --> 00:26:23.020
But it truly is, somewhere somewhere where you really get to know and even practice the empathy that we learn with other people as we're moving through the program.

00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:24.300
Oh, that's awesome.

00:26:24.360 --> 00:26:25.340
That's so great.

00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:26.680
I love that.

00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:27.160
I love that.

00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:31.100
And I'm sure when you guys saw each other, I some of them, I'm sure, went to the commencement.

00:26:32.015 --> 00:26:32.495
And Yes.

00:26:32.735 --> 00:26:35.935
Like you said, like, how do we so awesome to be like, oh my gosh.

00:26:35.935 --> 00:26:36.775
Like Yes.

00:26:36.975 --> 00:26:38.175
Here you are in real life.

00:26:38.175 --> 00:26:39.135
I guess Yes.

00:26:39.135 --> 00:26:40.335
That is very true.

00:26:40.335 --> 00:26:40.835
Yes.

00:26:41.055 --> 00:26:41.795
So cool.

00:26:41.855 --> 00:26:56.510
Well, is there anything from your perspective that you would love a student to know going into the program that maybe has hesitancies on the online classroom or, like, something that you maybe didn't anticipate as far as, like, what the coursework was going to look like?

00:26:56.890 --> 00:27:02.225
One of the other big questions is people really wanna know, like, what is the time commitment for for this?

00:27:02.225 --> 00:27:05.665
Like, just like the real real, like, student that's gone through it.

00:27:05.665 --> 00:27:11.685
Like, what what would you say would be realistically your time, commitment?

00:27:12.545 --> 00:27:17.310
What, was something that was really helpful for you in this online classroom?

00:27:18.010 --> 00:27:26.430
And, you know, maybe, you know, what was something that you didn't anticipate but you really appreciated in this, learning model?

00:27:28.215 --> 00:27:36.315
I really want to say that key, the key thing is to have good time management because I was a person that did not have good time management.

00:27:37.095 --> 00:27:42.155
And it I think the first class, I kind of took it as a trial and error to kind of set myself up.

00:27:42.750 --> 00:27:55.935
But, realistically, I would try to put in one to two hours a day, especially if I knew I had some other commitment coming up either with family or we do my husband and I do church ministry at our parish.

00:27:55.995 --> 00:28:00.495
So if I knew we had some things going on, I would try to tackle as much as I could of my coursework.

00:28:01.595 --> 00:28:10.170
Of course, I feel like after a while, I I could kind of tell, like, depending on the homework, what I needed to focus on more.

00:28:10.170 --> 00:28:19.050
So, for example, did I need to focus more on the textbook text than maybe another, reading material that was given, things like that.

00:28:19.050 --> 00:28:30.385
I kind of learned to read the material, what was most important that I had to prioritize, and what was, something that I could probably finish reading once I finished, the homework that was due.

00:28:31.165 --> 00:28:38.320
I realistically feel like one to two hours was really good for me when bigger assignments came around.

00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:40.780
I did put a little bit more time into it.

00:28:40.780 --> 00:28:44.720
I am a night owl, so I would stay up sometimes writing papers.

00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:51.695
But the really neat thing is, as I said before, is that the professors are always there to help.

00:28:51.755 --> 00:28:55.275
If I ever got stuck, I would get emails in the middle of the night.

00:28:55.275 --> 00:28:58.795
Sometimes I was like, they should be asleep, but they would send me emails like, hey, Alma.

00:28:58.795 --> 00:29:08.630
I found this research that would help you for the paper that you're writing, or I know you were stuck on this, subject from school, that we're talking about, you know, during the coursework.

00:29:08.850 --> 00:29:11.910
Here's something to kind of help you out to understand it a little better.

00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:16.870
So I never felt like I was alone in trying to figure all out myself.

00:29:17.655 --> 00:29:27.255
The one thing that I did because everything was online is and it might be a good tip for people is I invested on an iPad, and I put Canvas on there.

00:29:27.255 --> 00:29:29.220
I put the textbook app on there.

00:29:29.780 --> 00:29:33.880
And so I carried my iPad everywhere, especially since I'm a mom of little ones.

00:29:34.100 --> 00:29:39.320
The iPad was with me everywhere because if I had a spare moment, I would open up the textbook and start reading.

00:29:39.540 --> 00:29:46.405
Or if something came to me that I knew I needed for the paper or for the homework, I would jot it down or I would type it up in the moment.

00:29:46.785 --> 00:29:57.445
And that for me as a busy mom is really what helped me to get through it and not kind of waste a minute of the time that I was able to invest into it.

00:29:58.410 --> 00:30:00.830
And it honestly is a very doable program.

00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:02.750
I feel like it's not overburdening.

00:30:03.610 --> 00:30:06.590
Even at the times, like I said, I was pregnant throughout the program.

00:30:06.650 --> 00:30:08.030
The pandemic happened.

00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:16.965
My professors were very accommodating to help me and my colleagues wherever it was that we needed maybe a little extra time, a little extra attention.

00:30:18.545 --> 00:30:23.205
I always felt supported by people at DMU, both the professors and my colleagues.

00:30:24.510 --> 00:30:25.250
That's awesome.

00:30:25.390 --> 00:30:26.530
That's a great tip.

00:30:26.670 --> 00:30:27.630
I agree with that.

00:30:27.630 --> 00:30:28.910
You always have to be prepared.

00:30:28.910 --> 00:30:29.150
Right?

00:30:29.150 --> 00:30:32.350
You gotta have all the things you need with you, and it's so easy with it being online.

00:30:32.350 --> 00:30:38.530
You know, if you can't have that that iPad with you at all times, you never know when you're gonna have an inspiration or a moment.

00:30:38.935 --> 00:30:41.675
You can, use that time wisely.

00:30:42.295 --> 00:30:43.115
That's great.

00:30:44.775 --> 00:30:49.915
Here is a, brief introduction to our psychology professors.

00:30:50.295 --> 00:30:51.975
Up here is doctor Julia Clousely.

00:30:51.975 --> 00:31:07.610
She is the MSP program director, And I love this quote from her mostly because one of the other amazing aspects of this program is that because it is virtual and a 100% online, we have students that come from all over the world that go through this program.

00:31:07.865 --> 00:31:15.565
And it adds so much depth and richness to, to the coursework and to the discussions, having those different perspectives.

00:31:16.345 --> 00:31:25.850
And she even really touches on this and saying, like, students come from all walks of life, from the stay at home mom like Alma to business executives to priests or missionaries.

00:31:25.910 --> 00:31:33.530
So there's just such a wealth of knowledge and experience that all come together, that you can learn from as well in this program.

00:31:37.725 --> 00:31:38.545
We oops.

00:31:38.685 --> 00:31:39.645
Sorry about that.

00:31:39.645 --> 00:31:40.145
Skip.

00:31:41.645 --> 00:31:41.885
Alright.

00:31:41.885 --> 00:31:43.405
Let's go to our track options.

00:31:43.405 --> 00:31:46.385
So we have two tracks that we offer for the MSP.

00:31:47.005 --> 00:31:49.485
The first is our typical twenty six month.

00:31:49.485 --> 00:31:52.380
So that is taking one eight week course per term.

00:31:52.760 --> 00:31:58.460
And that's kind of as Alma said, like that one to three hours a day of study time for the program.

00:31:58.920 --> 00:32:08.835
We have our sixteen month fast track, which is actually two eight week courses per term, and that time commitment is about four to five hours a day for the study time.

00:32:09.535 --> 00:32:18.495
If you chose to take the sixteen month fast track, you would pay full price for your first course, and your second course would come at a 50% discount.

00:32:18.495 --> 00:32:26.500
So So if you follow-up that sixteen month throughout the entire program, it ends up being about a 20% tuition discount at the end of the program.

00:32:28.320 --> 00:32:30.500
So now we're on to our acceptance requirements.

00:32:30.560 --> 00:32:36.655
So the first and most important is that you do have a bachelor's degree or the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree.

00:32:37.355 --> 00:32:43.535
The second is that you must have a 2.5 GPA to be admitted into the program.

00:32:44.155 --> 00:32:49.810
We do require two letters of recommendation, and people get very tripped up on this.

00:32:49.870 --> 00:33:04.205
The letters of recommendation are actually a Google form that you'll send to a recommender, whether it be, someone from your church, a pastor or a priest or a spiritual director or a professor or a supervisor.

00:33:04.665 --> 00:33:08.745
You'll send them a Google form link that will take them ten to fifteen minutes to fill out the form.

00:33:08.745 --> 00:33:11.005
It's very straightforward, very easy to fill out.

00:33:11.065 --> 00:33:16.950
They're not writing a letter from scratch, so that should take away some of the anxiety of asking someone to do that for you.

00:33:17.430 --> 00:33:31.370
We also ask for a resume that includes employment, education, and any significant volunteer history, a written statement, which is 300 to 500 words expressing how the goals of the MSP align with your personal professional goals.

00:33:31.515 --> 00:33:39.215
And then if you are an international student where, English is not your first language, we do require the TOEFL exam as well.

00:33:39.835 --> 00:33:42.395
And those are all things we can talk one on one on.

00:33:42.395 --> 00:33:43.835
I can direct you through the process.

00:33:43.835 --> 00:33:51.970
I'm here to support you every step of the way to make sure that you have all the things that you need to complete your student file and begin your program successfully.

00:33:53.710 --> 00:33:57.890
So then the big question that everyone wants to know, is this grad school affordable?

00:33:58.395 --> 00:34:04.975
DMU has our own in house financial aid department that is very committed to making sure that grad school is affordable for you.

00:34:05.035 --> 00:34:11.695
We do not offer any full ride scholarships, so every student is responsible for paying for part of their education.

00:34:12.180 --> 00:34:16.360
We do have multiple scholarship opportunities that can be found on our website.

00:34:16.660 --> 00:34:33.015
And as soon as you submit your application, the first person I connect with you is financial aid to begin that process of making sure that you understand what you need to do to make sure that you're able to be given the most generous financial aid package that we can offer from the university.

00:34:35.635 --> 00:34:44.310
As you can see on this next slide that the MSP program is thirty three credit hours and each credit hour is $826.

00:34:44.530 --> 00:34:50.175
And then that's broken up into 11 courses, and those 11 courses each have a $50 technology fee.

00:34:50.495 --> 00:34:52.655
And the not on this chart is new.

00:34:52.655 --> 00:35:00.835
We do have a virtual residency that happens, once during your Helping The Catholic Christian Approach to Psychology.

00:35:02.680 --> 00:35:09.160
For this coming cohort, it'll be February twenty fourth and twenty fifth, and there is a $250 fee for that.

00:35:09.160 --> 00:35:12.540
So it's just over $28,000 for the entire program.

00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:20.575
For the summer and the fall, I don't have those dates off the top of my head, but I'll be able to share those with you if if that those are the types that you're looking to start.

00:35:20.575 --> 00:35:38.680
But for right now, for our January start, which is the start that I'm accepting applications for at this point, there is that residency on February twenty fourth and twenty fifth, and it'll be the only time that you'll be required to be at your computer for discussions, live lectures, and time to interact with your fellow cohort members.

00:35:39.060 --> 00:35:46.600
If you do schedule a one on one with me from this webinar, I would be able to give you a application fee waiver code to use.

00:35:48.005 --> 00:36:00.165
So as we're concluding the program right now or this webinar right now, these are some questions to help guide you to decide if the master's in psychology is the right step for you or or one that you think, hey.

00:36:00.165 --> 00:36:01.285
This could be the right thing.

00:36:01.285 --> 00:36:06.220
I wanna have a one on one with Maria to ask some more specific questions or learn a little bit more about it.

00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:09.900
So will the completion of this program help you attain your goals?

00:36:10.440 --> 00:36:15.580
Is the scheduling and the requirements for successful completion, is it workable within your schedule?

00:36:16.515 --> 00:36:25.255
Do the financial aid options discussed along with support from the financial aid department, does it make the program seem like it could be affordable for you?

00:36:25.795 --> 00:36:29.975
And can you commit to the successful completion of the program if you are accepted?

00:36:31.470 --> 00:36:45.970
So, Alma, as we prepare to close this webinar, are there any parting words or thoughts or words of wisdom from a recent graduate that you would like to give the people that are with us here tonight on the webinar?

00:36:47.765 --> 00:36:55.445
I would just really encourage anyone that's really thinking about it that's, like, already really thinking, like, this could be it.

00:36:55.445 --> 00:36:57.625
This could be it to really go for it.

00:36:58.340 --> 00:37:04.740
As I mentioned, I, you know, I had the miscarriage, and I was talking to a priest that was visiting our parish.

00:37:04.740 --> 00:37:11.080
And, actually, he's the one that pointed me in the direction of divine mercy when I mentioned that I wanted to get my master's in psychology.

00:37:11.895 --> 00:37:19.995
And it's almost like I feel like that was that little nudge that I needed to go forth, with, looking into the program.

00:37:20.535 --> 00:37:25.035
I feel like no matter what career you are in, this would be very beneficial.

00:37:25.415 --> 00:37:49.645
Before being a stay at home mom, I did a lot of work with family services and in the early childhood, realm because for me, just early childhood learning and teaching them and just the benefits of giving young children all the tools that they need to flourish during those first years of life, you know, can be the building blocks for later on.

00:37:49.705 --> 00:37:53.645
I feel like everything I received in the program will really help me to do that.

00:37:53.865 --> 00:38:07.800
And many people from my cohort that worked in nonprofit or in life coaching or that also did ministry work, they all were able to really take so many good things with them to help them in the careers that they already have.

00:38:08.180 --> 00:38:35.990
And even right now that I'm, fully involved in my parish and doing ministry with youth and with faith formation, I really see how even there, I'm taking a lot of these skills, not just in the faith aspect, but the psychological aspect of, being able to have group discussions with them, being able to one on one somebody needs to talk about anything that they may be struggling with or having a hard time with.

00:38:35.990 --> 00:38:39.670
It's I now feel like I have all the tools to say, okay.

00:38:39.670 --> 00:38:45.325
We can talk about this or, you know, let me find you the right help that you would need for this particular thing.

00:38:45.325 --> 00:38:48.705
And so I really feel like this program is so wholesome.

00:38:49.485 --> 00:38:55.745
The professors are just, you know, life giving in their job and the passion that they have for the topics.

00:38:55.805 --> 00:39:06.310
I mean, all the professors really truly, marked my life in one way or another, and just the program in general is really something that I applaud.

00:39:06.370 --> 00:39:14.825
And I would encourage anyone if you're thinking that this might be the right thing for you that you should go ahead and do it because you will not regret it.

00:39:15.845 --> 00:39:16.645
I love that.

00:39:16.645 --> 00:39:22.165
Thank you so much for sharing that last the information and your heart with us.

00:39:22.165 --> 00:39:23.065
I love that.

00:39:23.445 --> 00:39:26.825
And I appreciate all of you being here so much tonight.

00:39:27.080 --> 00:39:33.240
I feel like Gary even, just left a comment and said how beneficial it is to hear from a student's experience.

00:39:33.240 --> 00:39:41.125
You know, it's one thing for me as the admissions adviser to share, but, actually, here in the real real, as I like to call it, you know, it it makes a difference.

00:39:41.125 --> 00:39:53.170
It really makes it seem more doable and, you know, you know, authentic and real, and more tangible when we have a real person here that's gone through the program and is is living it and using it.

00:39:53.170 --> 00:39:58.390
So thank you again so much for taking time out of your night and away from your family to be here and share.

00:39:58.610 --> 00:40:05.990
And I know that the things that you shared are a blessing to the people who are here and the people who are well, will view this afterwards.

00:40:06.050 --> 00:40:07.785
So thank you so much for being here.

00:40:08.345 --> 00:40:08.585
No.

00:40:08.585 --> 00:40:09.085
Absolutely.

00:40:09.225 --> 00:40:10.045
And thank you.

00:40:10.345 --> 00:40:10.845
Absolutely.

00:40:11.145 --> 00:40:12.025
And I know you gotta run.

00:40:12.025 --> 00:40:14.125
So if you gotta hop off, feel free.

00:40:14.745 --> 00:40:16.285
I appreciate you so much.

00:40:16.825 --> 00:40:17.305
No.

00:40:17.305 --> 00:40:18.605
Thank you for this opportunity.

00:40:18.985 --> 00:40:19.485
Absolutely.

00:40:19.785 --> 00:40:20.525
Thank you.

00:40:21.140 --> 00:40:25.880
And for all of you that are here, I thank you so much for being here this evening and for joining us.

00:40:26.020 --> 00:40:37.035
I will reach out to all of you, to see if you'd be interested in scheduling a one on one answering any additional questions that you may have and seeing if this really is the next step for you, and I'm hopeful that it will be.

00:40:37.835 --> 00:40:44.335
Again, I'm Maria, Lise Dunlap, the admissions advisor for the master's in psychology program.

00:40:44.715 --> 00:40:45.855
This is my information.

00:40:45.915 --> 00:40:49.515
You can reach me, via my email or that phone number.

00:40:49.515 --> 00:40:51.615
You can call or text me on that number.

00:40:52.280 --> 00:41:04.460
I would be happy again, as I said, to meet with you one on one, and I look forward to the opportunity to talk with you in more depth about the program, answer more in-depth your questions, and get you in our next cohort.

00:41:05.391 --> 00:41:06.831
Have a great night, everyone.

00:41:06.831 --> 00:41:08.371
Thanks so much for being here.
