Ten Questions:

1.    What was your first real job?: 

My parents always tried to tell me that my first real job was being a student and going to school. If I could get paid to go to school – you better believe I would still be doing it! My first paid job was as a lifeguard and a swim instructor.

2.     What has been your favorite book and why?:

Had you asked me a year ago, I would have said Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. In the last year, I have read (an embarrassing number of times) a book called Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It has everything – astronomy, first contact plot-line, climate science, linguistics, and probably my favorite character ever written (and it’s not even the main character!). If you haven’t read it, and you like science fiction, do yourself a favor and check it out.

3.     How do you describe your sense of humor?:

5.      What kind of patient would you like to see more?:

Motivated ones. Don’t get me wrong – working to increase and improve on motivation is important, but when motivation is there from the beginning, the work just feels different.

6.       What would you like KAPA to provide in the future?:

Social opportunities! I’m tied to two little ones, so it might be tricky to attend, but it would be great to get together and network socially a little more.

7.       What guilty pleasure can you not live without?:

I couldn’t decide between Lindor Truffles and Reese’s peanut butter cups, so I’ll just put both.

8.       Name two people who have inspired you?:

This question really stumped me, and not because I’m not inspired by others, but because I’m inspired by so many others. I had a hard time choosing between someone historical who I’ve never met and have no chance of meeting, or someone I know well in my personal life, or those I’ve crossed paths with briefly but who have left a lasting impact. For the purposes of these questions, I guess I’ll focus on inspiration in my work life. I have been and continue to be most inspired by a supervisor I had on internship, Dr. Stephanie Lee. She taught me the ins and outs of behavior therapy with children and family. During hard moments either behaviorally with a child or with their parents, I still ask myself “How would Stephanie handle this?” Also in my work life, I think I’m pretty inspired by my husband, Dr. Caleb Corwin, who is a fierce defender of what is right and true. When I need to be a bulldog for my patients, or for the truth, I try to channel Caleb.

9.      What is a common point of frustration in your current work?:

Screens. Trying to convince parents to limit their children’s screen time, and that making this incredibly difficult change actually will have a positive impact on their child’s behavior, is a daily, never-ending battle. If I worked more with older children, I’m sure I would feel just as defeated about the battle against social media.

10.      What’s one thing - either psychology related or not - you learned in the last month?:

My daughter, who has been learning about holidays in school, taught me that Sara Josepha Hale was the “mother of Thanksgiving” recently. I had never heard that name before. Ms. Hale was a magazine editor and a prominent writer in the mid-1800s, and she was a supporter of female education. I’m glad my daughter is learning about her in school.