MSPP Student Ambassador

Peter Korn
Massachusetts
Bates College
2nd year Counseling Psychology program
peter_korn@mspp.edu

Greetings all,

My name is Peter Korn. I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I am a second-year student in the Counseling Psychology MA program. I graduated from Bates College in 1995 with a BA in English. After living and working in Ireland for one year, I embarked on a career in finance in which I served in various legal, risk and compliance roles for large investment firms. In 2010, I found the courage to initiate a career change. After 15 years in the financial industry, I decided to pursue a more socially conscious and personally rewarding vocation.

Although I knew of MSPP by reputation, I felt an immediate connection to the school and its supporters upon visiting campus. The staff and faculty are dedicated, passionate, and deeply invested in the success of all of MSPP’s program offerings. MSPP proudly touts its reputation as being a tight knit community, and to a person, every individual affiliated with the school works diligently to uphold that reputation.

I chose to pursue counseling as a profession because of the positive impact counseling had on my life. Being an MSPP student has already provided me with opportunities to “give something back”. I feel that I have positively impacted the lives of my practicum and internship “clients” and “colleagues”. I look forward to professionally counseling others in need. As I develop core competencies and receive experiential model training, I continue to evolve into a helping professional who others can turn to for assistance with their problems. My goals include further enhancing accessibility to clinical assistance and helping to erase the negative stigma associated with talk therapy. These subjects will receive lots of attention across diverse cultures and socio-economic classes in years to come.

I strive to emulate those from whom I have learned by actively listening to, conveying empathy to, and being respectful and honest with clients. I am proud to have embodied MSPP’s professional student reputation at Waverley Place, a McLean Hospital affiliated community outpatient program for adults coping with serious mental illness, and now at the Lesley University Counseling Center. Additionally, as a member of MSPP’s Community Assisting Relief Efforts (C.A.R.E.), I travelled to New Orleans with other MSPP students to volunteer at non-profit organizations such as Hike for KaTREEna, St. Bernard Project, Green Light New Orleans, and others.

My advice is simple. Plan your time efficiently to avoid getting overwhelmed and caught up in the whirlwind that is graduate school. Identify activities that resonate deeply with you and use them to facilitate your self-care. Listen to both your body and your mind: recognize when it is time to slow down or take a break. Learn from others; every piece of advice you receive is worthy of consideration. And above all, respect your fellow MSPP students, professors and staff. Do so and you will have a support network to lean on for your entire career!

Take care. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Updated 12/13/12