Julie Klaber earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in U.S. Latina/o Studies from the University of Maryland in May 2014. The PSYC Blog interviewed Julie to learn more about her career with AmeriCorps.
What is your title or position with AmeriCorps?
I am the AmeriCorps member and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Coordinator and Instructor at Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS).
How did you decide on AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is a highly respected and well known national and community service corporation that is supported by federal, state and local governments. The various programs that AmeriCorps supports for mental health were appealing to me as a recent college graduate with a BA in psychology. AmeriCorps has provided me with an opportunity to make a short-term commitment to serve my community while also supporting my continuing education goals.
What are your functions and responsibilities?
Youth Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour certification course that informs teachers, parents, and other community members regarding assisting a youth who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. As a an instructor of the course I train participants to appropriately identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders, while also teaching participants the prevalence of mental illness for youth in the United States, signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and pertinent risk factors and protective factors. As the coordinator of the program, I assist with grant writing and participant outreach within the community.
What psychology knowledge and/or skills have you utilized with AmeriCorps?
The knowledge I gained at the University of Maryland has made the curriculum of the YMHFA more comprehensive and provided me with a solid background of knowledge of mental health. The goals of the course include reducing mental health stigma, increasing mental health literacy and stressing the importance of early intervention. The knowledge that I gained from the psychology program at UMD has helped me understand these goals and has provided me with the knowledge of research that supports these goals. Furthermore, a significant part of my work with AmeriCorps includes interacting with participants and presenting in front of groups, which I was able to learn while presenting research material through my psychology courses at the University of Maryland.
How has your psychology coursework and background been helpful with this experience?
Since my position with AmeriCorps relies on knowledge of mental health concerns with youth, I use my psychology coursework and background on a daily basis. Without this prior knowledge, I would probably be unable to grasp the concepts and reasoning behind the importance of instructing this course. Writing throughout my psychology courses has also enabled me to organize my grant writing in a productive manner.
What tips might you offer to any current students looking to apply to AmeriCorps?
The more experiences you have within the psychology field the better. Outside of my psychology coursework I was a member of Psi Chi, the international honors society in psychology, and worked in a developmental lab on campus as a research assistant in the Lab for Early Social Cognition. These experiences, along with working in various clinical settings during school breaks and volunteering my time to community organizations, has greatly improved my knowledge of the psychology field and the applicability of the psychological concepts I learned in class to the work I do with AmeriCorps in the real world. AmeriCorps also offers a diverse array of opportunities within the mental health field across the country. Make sure you do your research and apply to programs that are the most interesting to you!
How do you see this experience impacting your future?
I am currently applying to Clinical Psy.D programs with a focus on children and adolescents. I hope to become a child psychologist and work in clinical settings after receiving my degree. The experience of working with AmeriCorps on the Youth Mental Health First Aid program is a productive stepping-stone for my future studies. AmeriCorps is extremely supportive of my professional goals.
For more information and questions you may contact Julie at julierklaber@gmail.com
What is your title or position with AmeriCorps?
I am the AmeriCorps member and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Coordinator and Instructor at Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS).
How did you decide on AmeriCorps? AmeriCorps is a highly respected and well known national and community service corporation that is supported by federal, state and local governments. The various programs that AmeriCorps supports for mental health were appealing to me as a recent college graduate with a BA in psychology. AmeriCorps has provided me with an opportunity to make a short-term commitment to serve my community while also supporting my continuing education goals.
What are your functions and responsibilities?
Youth Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour certification course that informs teachers, parents, and other community members regarding assisting a youth who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. As a an instructor of the course I train participants to appropriately identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders, while also teaching participants the prevalence of mental illness for youth in the United States, signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and pertinent risk factors and protective factors. As the coordinator of the program, I assist with grant writing and participant outreach within the community.
What psychology knowledge and/or skills have you utilized with AmeriCorps?
The knowledge I gained at the University of Maryland has made the curriculum of the YMHFA more comprehensive and provided me with a solid background of knowledge of mental health. The goals of the course include reducing mental health stigma, increasing mental health literacy and stressing the importance of early intervention. The knowledge that I gained from the psychology program at UMD has helped me understand these goals and has provided me with the knowledge of research that supports these goals. Furthermore, a significant part of my work with AmeriCorps includes interacting with participants and presenting in front of groups, which I was able to learn while presenting research material through my psychology courses at the University of Maryland.
How has your psychology coursework and background been helpful with this experience?
Since my position with AmeriCorps relies on knowledge of mental health concerns with youth, I use my psychology coursework and background on a daily basis. Without this prior knowledge, I would probably be unable to grasp the concepts and reasoning behind the importance of instructing this course. Writing throughout my psychology courses has also enabled me to organize my grant writing in a productive manner.
What tips might you offer to any current students looking to apply to AmeriCorps?
The more experiences you have within the psychology field the better. Outside of my psychology coursework I was a member of Psi Chi, the international honors society in psychology, and worked in a developmental lab on campus as a research assistant in the Lab for Early Social Cognition. These experiences, along with working in various clinical settings during school breaks and volunteering my time to community organizations, has greatly improved my knowledge of the psychology field and the applicability of the psychological concepts I learned in class to the work I do with AmeriCorps in the real world. AmeriCorps also offers a diverse array of opportunities within the mental health field across the country. Make sure you do your research and apply to programs that are the most interesting to you!
How do you see this experience impacting your future?
I am currently applying to Clinical Psy.D programs with a focus on children and adolescents. I hope to become a child psychologist and work in clinical settings after receiving my degree. The experience of working with AmeriCorps on the Youth Mental Health First Aid program is a productive stepping-stone for my future studies. AmeriCorps is extremely supportive of my professional goals.
For more information and questions you may contact Julie at julierklaber@gmail.com
