MSP Webinar and Q&A Session with Alumna Anne Vale

0:07So, again, I'm Michele Drennen, alumni association coordinator, and Anne Vail, who's an MSP, master's in psychology alumni. We'd like to kinda give you an overview of who Divine Mercy University is. First of all, we are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and that's very important. You always wanna look at a college that has all their accreditations, and we're able to award master's and a doctorate degree. We've been around since about 1998, and we are very excited with the growth that we're seeing throughout all of our programs. We also have local accreditation through, CHEV, and, those are some of the, Washington area because we are out of that's almost DC, but it's Sterling, Virginia.

0:52So you have to have state accreditations as well. That's funny, Anne, because you asked. There's doctor Clowes Lee and there's, father Charles presenting some degrees, not this past weekend, but, one not too long ago. So how are we different? Well, first of all, we do do masters in psychology and online very, very well. During COVID, many people came to us and really, really tried to give give advice as far as the way we do online masters. So the classes are synchronous. And what that means is is you have the opportunity to do the courses anytime of day that you are available. You do not have to be in class at a certain time. Now you will have meetings from time to time and lectures that you have to listen to.

1:37But how we do it is to make sure that we deliver courses, maximize flexibility, it's convenient, and it does change your heart and your head and your life for the better. You do have to find those hours, to be able to go through the degree, but people find their stride. So they really have an opportunity to make sure that they're getting their studies done and living their life and using that degree right away with what they're learning. All of our faculty are experts in their fields. They are PhDs. They are people who often are in practice of their counselors or perhaps their behavioral analysis people if they're, still working in the field. We find that our psychological training is applicable to a wide variety of professional and ministry settings.

2:21Does everybody know what they're gonna do when they come into the degree? Absolutely not. But many times, people are on a goal, and throughout the program, they know exactly what they wanna do. We are informed and infused by our unique Catholic Christian meta model. What does that mean? Many, many schools teach psychology, and they only teach the science of psychology. As I'll have let Anne say in just a few minutes, in our psychology, you learn the whole person. And that's very, very important because you're not just learning a science, you're learning how to assist people in their life. So what are the benefits? We gain a deeper understanding of self and others, the functioning behaviors.

3:08A lot of personal professional development goes on. We gain skills to aid individuals and groups in flourishing. We also help to evaluate critically one's own biases, assumptions, attitudes, and their effect on decision making planning and interpersonal communication and working in teams. So, Anne, take a second and tell this group of people who are listening to the webinar just a quick overview of how even in the beginning, you started to see the subjects really impacting your life. Yes. Well, thank you very much, Michelle. One of the the wonderful elements, in this program, as Michelle said, is that this is, a study of the entire person, mind, body, and soul. And, in today's secular society where there's a very relativistic view, you know, we look at, how we are made, you know, in the image and likeness of God and to have respect for everyone, regardless of their circumstances, to treat people with empathy to but at the same time, to also help to lead them to have a a better understanding of their lives and how they can flourish to help them develop their own plans.

4:30And what's great throughout the program is each one of us as students works on a flourishing development plan. And each each course that you take, you develop this plan. So you take a look at your own life and how you can grow spiritually, emotionally, as well as how you can help others in a variety of ways. Whether it's an actual career that you choose or whether it's something you're doing in your church, in your community, as a volunteer. There are many different ways to apply what you're learning in the program. And for me, it was really a very transformative experience. Thank you. I'll have you say some other things throughout this as my cohost. Interesting story. People in the in the cohorts do become very close.

5:22Anne is about to embark on a short vacation with one of the gals in her cohort, Bernadette, and Bernadette is actually a life coach. Is that correct? Yes. Yes. They become very close, and they're gonna spend some time together. Right. Okay. So how are these advanced skills, and what does it include? Again, the ability to recognize mental challenges, how to effectively communicate, negotiate, the importance of interpersonal relationship building, how to lead a team through crisis, get advanced training, strategies for program evaluation, fostering very increased cultural awareness. So something we have now, Anne, that we didn't have when you graduated, we have actually added through many people asking about this, what we call some concentrations.

6:11So that people might choose to go a specific direction in marriage and family, in human services, which can be in the industry. It can be in, the enforcement of law area, the the governmental system. Leadership is a big one right now. It's not always great to easy to find leaders leaders in companies. A pre PhD for those who think that somewhere down the line, they might be interested in that. And also a self design, which is also kind of very popular because many people, can pick and choose, and we'll look at those courses here in a minute. It is 100% online. What does that mean? It means that about fifteen to seventeen hours a week, you've got to find that time. Is that about right, Anne?

6:56Is that about what it took you? Yes. I would say so. Okay. Because I like to do that timeline. I will share with you that this is not for someone who wants to become a licensed counselor. You do not, go out and get a license to become, a counselor. However, I will tell you this. It's very important to note that the individuals who go through this program find that they're not called to counseling because counselors spend all their life fixing broken people. Whereas the master's in psychology helps you fix people before they get broken. That's about as simplistic as I could put it, but those are the skills that one does, procure. So one of the things to notice, you look at the one, two, three, four, five, six courses at the top.

7:44Everybody, no matter which of the programs they choose as far as a concentration, will take those courses. However, as you look at marriage and family concentration, we've added social psychology groups and diversity. Excuse me. The electives are the ones down at the bottom. I apologize. Marriage and family systems theory, flourishing and relationships, theology of the body, marriage and family interventions. And so the rest of those courses, everybody takes from the standpoint of whatever they choose as a concentration. So in human services, those electives would be relationship and intervention skills, personality, individual differences in intelligent, group counseling, and group work. And one of the things that priests have told me and students have told me, I start using everything that I'm learning in the first eight weeks, and I've become better priest or I've become a better wife or a better manager or a better husband.

8:45So I think that's the very wonderful reality about the way we're structured. I'm gonna stop just a second and see what the chat says. Just joined on my PC. I was logged in from my vehicle. Thank you. Jenny from Illinois. Michelle Pham to everyone, that was elegant. Great quote. I'm assuming she was talking about the difference between counseling and and MSP. Thank you all. I appreciate it. And put anything in the chat you want to, and I usually stop and talk about it. So the next one would be if somebody wanted to, choose the leadership psychology. And that would be, again, the same courses that everyone takes, eight weeks at a time, and transformational leadership, lean leading people programs and organizations and applying leadership skills.

9:31And Anne's going, wow. They didn't have that when I started the program. But a lot of it was because people were asking for those things, and we like to adapt according to what's going on in the world. And the PhD comp pre PhD is for that person who really is not really sure that they'd ever wanna pursue their PhD, but you do do a huge elective on scientific thesis, psychological research, and writing. So that's the, the different ones. And the self design has become very popular because there are those individuals who say, well, I'd like to have one out of that category and one out of that category and one out of that category. So as you look at all of them, you can choose that. We like to hope that you will start on what you want when you first start and take that pathway.

10:25There have been situations where people, you know, say, I'd really like to change over, but it is much, much better for you to go ahead and choose that on your own path. Alright. Career opportunities. I'm gonna have Anne. She does a diverse amount of things in what she has done with her degree. Could you share that a little bit before we go over some of these career opportunities, Anne? Certainly. And I just wanted to mention, I re I do recall taking couple of leadership classes at the end of our, program, which were wonderful. I actually have a PhD in organizational leadership from That's right. University. And so, I highly recommend, you know, the courses in leadership as well. At the time that I started the program, I was a retired elementary school teacher.

11:15I had also been an adjunct professor in leadership at Regent University, but I had retired. My my parents were aging and needed some assistance. So at the time, I lived in Sarasota, Florida, and I used my musical skills because I had been a music teacher to entertain various, assisted living, facilities and nursing homes. But I also saw a great need to to have a better understanding of the residents there, the various aspects of dementia and Alzheimer's and various things that happened. So I found that, this program helped me, to become more than just an entertainer, but I also, in fact, my capstone project focused on how I could, help these groups with reminiscence therapy, becoming a good listener, and trying to to really reach their emotions through music and these, little groups.

12:20But then what happened, of course, I ended up moving back to Rhode Island, my home state. COVID hit, and I really didn't have those opportunities to work with with the elderly. But, this is a flexible kind of a program. I had started, a women's group at my church. We focused mostly on writing, and that was a wonderful opportunity because through writing, we often reveal special parts of ourselves that we don't necessarily reveal in our daily conversation. And, you know, the women who came, some of them did have some emotional needs and so forth, and I felt this program really helped me, in that regard. Now, what's happening in near future, I I joined a musical group where we are going we're waiting for a grant to come to fruition, but we're hoping in the next few months as a group to go into, Alzheimer's units once again.

13:21I can That's beautiful. So that's basically what I wanted to say. That's great. So, you know, it it's really interesting because Anne is one of what I'd say we have five different kinds of students. One is a lifetime learner. You know? She just knows that she wants to continue reinventing herself. One is the person fresh out of a bachelor's degree. They've decided they wanna go forward. The other, we do have an awful lot of of people that are religious, deacons. We have nuns. We have priests because they'll say, I did not know that I was going to be dealing these kinds of things in the church that I wasn't trained to do twenty years ago. And then we just have the individual who just has a passion to go through this degree and make a choice of what direction they wanna go.

14:09And and Anne mentioned the capstone. We feel so strong about our graduates' capstones that we actually print the capstone title in the graduation program. And I just got back from graduation, so I'm still, you know, just on a high of the excitement of seeing all my students that I put in the program back when I was in master's two years ago. But you had some time to gaze at some of these psychology career opportunities that are on here, and it's just amazing what it opens up for you. I often tell people just go on a site and say, positions that, require a master's in psychology. It's a very diversified whether you wanna teach or you wanna do something for the church or you wanna be executive coach, you wanna be technicians and caseworkers.

14:56It's very exciting to see all the areas that are open. As as Anne just said, you know, a lot of people work in health care. There are many opportunities for individuals who are working in health care, whether it's, you know, grief management, working with the elderly, group homes. I just got a job lead the other day from in Cincinnati. I I live in Cincinnati. And, they are starting out, and they want people to actually live in the maternity home for about a year to help these young women who are with child to teach them all the kinds of opportunities are gonna help them and their child be successful. So what a altruistic wonderful thing that, you know, a person would actually live there and do it, and requirements were very related to some of the things we do.

15:42In the area of business, sales, marketing, advertising, as you can see, I'm not gonna read every one of those to you, but you can just see all the different areas that opens up, you know, public relations, project coordinators, sales representative. And because you are getting these leadership opportunities, you start a lot of times at a company and you go up very quickly because you know how to build teams and you know how to work in a very solid fashion of caring that you learn in the the masters in psychology. So, again, a lot of individuals in the health in the, diocesan area, many folks here in parishes and diocese, a lot of individuals that are working in all areas as far as colleges, university, high schools, so it does open that up for you as well.

16:29Let me look at this question up here. My career goals are to be an adoption specialist social worker. This may be a rather specific question, but do you think this program would help me be further equipped and qualified for such a vacation? So one of the things that I would say to you is if there's a specific area that's an adoption place in your area, whether it's working privately with, attorneys or it isn't a you know, there are many of those kinds of places. I oftentimes will say when you look at the course descriptions in this coursework, I would say you absolutely would be. It is not a social worker, but it is identified as a person who can really read parents, read the situations that are going on so that they could help this young person be put into a a qualified placement.

17:20I think that's fair to say. Don't you, Anne? Oh, absolutely. Another thing I I neglected to say is, I'm part of a, mentorship program at Regent University. I for the last two years, I was a mentor to a graduate student in leadership, and, it was, again, all online. And she just graduated down in Virginia Beach, and I finally had the wonderful opportunity to meet her in person. And, so it I would say, definitely, this would be a great program for you. Absolutely. And this this next screen actually kinda shares that with you that there are people in child protection, family services, individuals who are working in nonprofits. And there are, you know, Catholic Charities still is a very big, adoption center, and they have hired many of our graduates.

18:13And I have another chat or q and a. Thank you. K. Excellent. But, yes, I think because I I will want you at some point, we'll you know, I'll send you I send you the actual career just, just the the content so that you can kind of see exactly what is included in there, and you will see that you gain those skills that could make that happen. Another big area, not just because we're in the Washington DC era, but all over, local state and federal governments throughout, you know, many states are in fact hiring our individuals in the different thing ones that you see right here, from parole officers to psychology program manager to a social service manager. You know, you do not necessarily have to have social work.

19:04That is a different I worked in hospice for a year in education, and I was very interested to see the difference between the social worker and the person who was the, you know, the person who was more in a psychology role that helped the families decide for sure that their relative was ready for hospice, if that makes sense. So ministry, again, lots of youth pastors, RCIA directors, pregnancy centers, leaders in churches and houses of worship because, again, our our churches need those kind of individuals to lead and grow the people in their flock. So, again, just to reiterate, online classrooms, you have the ability to work anytime, anywhere as long as you have Internet and a computer. Can't do this on your iPad.

19:51You can't do it on your phone. So you do absolutely hope to have a computer. It is flexible. You do have the same atmosphere for student participation, and people go, how can that be? You're online. Well, because you do a lot of chats and posts and you learn to know these people. You'll have your favorites just like Anne's going to visit her good friend. You get responsiveness from her professors and your peers. Professors will say, my goodness. We have amazing students who sometimes we learn things from. So I if I'm doing an interview with you and some of you may actually set up a time, and I hope you do to go a little deeper into that, I always ask, what's your your best learning mode? And the nice thing about us is we cover them all.

20:35Video, audio, classroom, tutorials, anything that any kind of different person, the way they learn, it's very important. I often ask too, do you like to write? Because you do write small but meaningful papers. If you don't like to write, you're gonna become a better writer in this and find that you will express yourself and be able to share with those around you. For those of you who've taken any online classes, you may or may not be familiar with what the platform is. Some people use, well, we use Canvas. Some people use Blackboard, but we found that Canvas is especially good because some people come in and they've been away from school for a while. So they get an orientation on how to man that, woman that so that they really understand how to use it and put their stories in, work with the students or work with each other as far as what you need to know and talk with each other.

21:27And that's twenty four seven. You know? I'm a person who gets up at 05:00 in the morning, and that was, you know, time when I took a degree, courses before. That's my best time. Some people wanna do it at night after work. Some people do it on weekends. But, again, I say you find a stride because it's kinda like if you like audiobooks and you're listening to one in the car and you just can't wait to get back in the car and listen. That's what it is about the next assignment or the next course is that you're very excited about, again, being engaged. So who teaches us? Well, doctor Clowsely, as Anne asked, is in fact the program director. She's really brought the program sky high as far as opportunities and opened up job areas.

22:11Assistant professor and, Angela Williamson, Giovanni, most of these people are indeed PhDs. Usually, Robin Traptoe, very bright, very fun, is your first instructor. Anna Pecoraro, very interesting woman. She's not only very educated, but also an opera singer. And then Christopher Gross is hands down one of everybody's favorites. Gotta brings out the best in everybody. But I think what it does, it really puts you in touch with so many different kinds of people. You know? In a traditional college, you really wouldn't be going to, you know, to school with a priest or a missionary from another country. You wouldn't be working with business executives and stay at home moms. You're really, really getting a whole sense of perhaps in the future the kinds of people that you will work with.

23:01So I think that's a very crucial part of what we do. Okay. So this is another thing that wasn't around, Anne, when you started the program. We've decided that there are those people that are in such a hurry and have extra time that they can get through the program in sixteen months. There's a little, reduction on the tuition. However, from a time factor, you gotta find about twenty five to maybe twenty eight hours a week to do it that fast. You don't take two courses every single eight weeks, but in some of them, you do. And they lay that out for you so you know. But the normal program, like Anne graduated from, you take eight week courses, takes twenty six months. You also have several weeks of break, holiday breaks, holidays, that kind of thing.

23:46But some people, that's just the pace that they're able to take the degree. So what does it require? Well, you must have a baccalaureate. It does not have to be in psychology, can be in any field, but we do have to have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA, although most people come in with a 2.75 or a three. We do need if a person we don't require a GRE, by the way. But if a person is foreign born and they have not taken, English and courses in English, we do ask them to take a TOEFL test just to make sure we're not putting people in a program that's over their head that they can't manage. Two letters of recommendation from a priest, perhaps a previous, boss in your employment, a resume including your employment and other significant history, and then a written statement of intent.

24:38You know, how you look at this program and say, wow. This is a fit for me, and we want it to be a fit. You know? As I often say when I interview people, if this is the right fit for you, I wanna help you get through this and get through the acceptance process. But we're not for everybody because it's intense. But the outcomes are worth every bit of the journey. So how do I afford it? Well, one of the things about Divine Mercy is we are nonprofit. So we do have some donors, and you probably got some a few scholarships when you came on board. Almost everybody does. Like right now, because we only have one more class, and that starts in August. We give a $1,500 early application scholarship plus some of the others that you can actually write essays for.

25:26And some people are lucky enough to have employer tuition reimbursement. Some people are VA approved. And then we do want you to apply for many of the scholarships and grants to reduce your tuition. And although you can't get grants like you did with your bachelor's, you can in, fill out your FAFSA, and there are some unsubsidized Stafford loans and graduate plus loans to help you through it. When they work with you in financial aid, they do everything within their power to make sure it's affordable. You know, some of the priests are helped by private funds, agencies, and some people say, you know, I've been saving this for a long time. I'd like to pull up a cash plan with the balance and have it be interest free.

26:06So, again, we just work with everybody from that standpoint. And what is the tuition? We currently are excited about the fact that we are keeping it as low as we can. If you go the route of the, thirty three credit hours, which is your twenty six month program, it's $850 per credit, for a total of $28.00 $5.00. The technology fee is $50 per class, and that's for 11 courses and then five fifty. So, Joe, tell us, if they decide on the fast track, how does that tuition plan work? Well, the way that works is you pay a 100% for your first class and only 50% for your second class, which, you know, in aggregate, that's that's a 20 aggregate, that's a 25% reduction, which is huge. Yes. And so for the person who can do it fast, there is a savings for sure.

27:02This time of year when we have, the $1,500 additional upfront, you know, early admission scholarship, we will also weigh you your application fee. That just helps you to get your application in, to get started on the journey, to make sure that you're gonna go forward from that standpoint. So I think the final questions I'm I'm sure we ask Anne this. We'll ask you, and then I'll ask her to tell us if that did help. Will this degree help you attain your goals? You know, some of you sit here with really big goals. Some of you are not totally sure. One of the most important things is the program scheduling requirements for successful completion gonna be workable with your schedule. Are you a good time manager?

27:51Is it exciting enough that you feel like you can get to the point where you can make a a real track in doing it? Maybe you have to sacrifice something in your personal if you've got a support system, whether it's a wife, a husband, a girlfriend, a mom, or a dad, you know, have to say, I gotta get in a room and finish a paper tonight, so I need you to help me here. And and make sure you really look at the financial aid options and help make it more affordable for you for writing those essays for the scholarships. And can you start and finish? We're very blessed with a very high rate of completion. If people, you know, do have to go out for an eight week period, we try to be very understanding and get them right back in there.

28:34We don't recommended it because you kinda lose your your stroke there. And and I guess before I go into the very final stuff, did you look at these, Anne? Did all these work for you? Did all those categories work for you? Yes. I I have to be honest. As as you mentioned, I think you have to, commit yourself and and look to at your own schedule. Where are my strengths and weaknesses in terms of the, am I morning person or evening, whatever? And I found that the support I received from my fellow students as well as my professors always, helped me to continue. I hadn't I had received my PhD in 1999, so it was seventeen years since I've been to school. And I remember my first class I wrote to my professor.

29:26Oh, I think I think I made a mistake. I should've Turned out she was so supportive, and the programmer worked out beautifully. I was just a little overly, apprehensive. But everything worked out beautifully, and I made some very good friends, especially you mentioned my friend, Bernadette. And I met incredible people from all over the world from diverse backgrounds. So it was really a blessing. Thank you, Anne, and we can't thank you enough for your your gift of time tonight. So I I I Go ahead. I'm sorry. I was just saying my pleasure. I really was happy to do it, and, I thank you for for all of your wonderful Thank you. Patience, and I wish all the prospective students all the best. I hope everything works out for you.

30:17So I think the other thing is okay. I have spent all this time and money and and really buckled down for two years, like Anne said, when you're managing your time and your life. But what you do learn, these are some really strong skills to be able to listen empathetically as support. You don't diagnose mental illness. Like you say, that the counselor is a person who is fixing broken people. Listening to and assisting struggling persons, not as a counselor or psychotherapy. I think I often ask people, are you the kind of person that people come to you automatically because they trust you and they really believe that your advice is sound? And if that's already the kind of person you are, this is a very good degree for you to get into.

31:02A non licensed helper would be that referral if the person showed any signs of being a danger to self or others because we do have people in very many areas, whether it's health care or the court systems. But you do facilitate psychoeducational programs that would be like marriage seminars, parenting seminars, seminars that work to help people grow and flourish and become leaders in any kind of business. You do work alongside licensed mental health professionals. Again, she's going to see a a classmate who's in wellness and life coaching. Some people go out and get additional certifications depending on the state they live in. If maybe they wanted to help as a behavioral analyst or something like that, you can get some certifications for that or for life coachings.

31:46And, also, you would refer to a licensed mental health professional, and you would learn to know who those people are in your area, and they would value. That's one of the things that I've done in the alumni association. We now have a website that is everybody's where they are, if they have a website, what they're doing so we can all keep in touch and and then and the public can find help from them. And as we get close here, we also wanna know that you build trust so that people will follow you on suggestions, gather data about history, what's going on, offer new perspectives, seek input from other professionals, become more effective in lay ministries, cystic clergies, religious, and a deeper understanding of the interrelatedness of body and spirit, which Anne told us about.

32:36And, also, I think just the increased opportunity for job promotion, whether you're in military, human resources, educational settings, any of those things. Couple of our military graduates have said, I would have never got the promotion that I got had I not had this education. So, again, these are all the different, concentrations, and I will be, sending out course descriptions so that you can dive a little bit deeper into it. But I think it's important to know the different areas as you read through these that it can help you be very strong in. So I would love any more questions and answers. For the next week, I will be doing the applications and the interviews, and then after that, it will be Joe Drennen, my husband, who I dragged back into education.

33:27We met forty years ago in education, and I think he hears me upstairs talking to graduates. And he said, you know what? I think they wanna come back and do this. I like this place. And he just went to his first graduation over the weekend, so it was very, very fun. So I think that pretty much completes everything in a nutshell, but, I certainly will call you or you call me. I'm gonna do that tomorrow and just see if people want any additional information or if they have questions on financial aid or anything. Do anybody else have any questions this evening? Looks like we had 12 wonderful people on here. I know I had some pre questions that I'll answer tomorrow. But if that's it, God bless each one of you.

34:14Thanks again, Anne, for being a graduate on the program and My pleasure. You bet. And if this is the right direction for you to go, I see a chat there. Just lots of thank yous. So thank you so much, and I'll look forward to connecting with some of you and seeing if you would like to go forward. Lots of thank yous here. Thank you. And see if this might be something you wanna explore deeper. Again, August is the last class of the year, so wanna get in and get going so you don't have to wait. God bless to you everyone. Thank you. God bless you all. Uh-huh. Bye bye now. Bye now.