Informational Interview

After nearly a month of contacting people and getting no response and running in to schedule conflicts, I finally found someone to interview! The good news is that I have found several people that I can now use for future reference to my questions about the career path. Even though I have already finished my interview with one person, I have another one scheduled for next week. I am excited about this. I expected to receive the answers I did from this interview. I wish I would have asked questions that were a little more foreign to me. Most likely questions regarding specific education paths, internship advice, advancement, regrets, and so forth. Overall, it was worth the wait, because I have now established a closer relationship with Kim Bright, who will be very helpful to me in the years to come.


Informational Interview Questions

Name: Kim Bright, IDAHO
Job title: PhD Psychology, CHt, OM
Education: College Graduate

1.What do you like most about your job and why?
No two days are ever the same and you never get bored because you never know what will happen next

2.What do you like least?
I am not sure you ever get used to the emotional side of things. Some days it is really hard to separate yourself from what your clients are going through...especially when it is a child.

3.What suggestions do you have for an individual wishing to enter this field of employment?
It's great to learn about the styles used by the masters in this field, but allow yourself to develop your own style and use what works best for your teaching and your clients learning styles.

As far as your specializing, that usually comes after you have gotten your Bachelors in Psych. Or, you could always get your Bachelors and then go to work for a drug and alcohol counseling facility. What I did was when I did my practicum, I chose to work at a girls home in Emmett. I only needed 120 hours and ended up staying for 4 years until they closed the facility due to lack of federal funding. It gave me great experience and made me realize that I wanted to work with teens. How far into your education are you? I am sure that whatever you do you will be great at!

4.What are the tasks you perform in a typical workday?
Lots of listening and mirroring back to client what they have said, so that they can better understand their own feelings and many times come to great conclusions about their own behaviors. Lots of note keeping and of course the learning never stops just because you are out of school.

5.What types of stress do you experience on the job?
Mental fatigue mostly.

6.What does it take to survive and do well in this field?
Taking time for yourself and your family and learning not to bring your work home with you.

7.Is there flexibility related to work hours, dress, vacation time, place of residence, etc?
Yes, I have flexibility in all of these areas, however you never know when an emergency situation will arise and one of your clients may desperately need you so there has to also be flexibility within oneself as well.

8. What did you have to do to get where you are today? Education path? How long did it take you?
Education is key and long hard hours of study and research pay off. I earned my degree through Liberty University in 6 years. I did many intensive courses which enabled me to earn my degrees faster than I would have if I had done the traditional college semesters. Intensive courses are 8 weeks long and every three weeks a new semester begins.