PHD Clinical Psychology Statement of Purpose

A Saudi Arabian man building his career in Psychology in the international arena, I take pride in my compassion and internationalism, and have long felt drawn to the noble cause of caring for migrants and refugees, especially as I have watched their numbers increase drastically over the years. A large and disproportionate number of them are Arab so we share a native tongue. Hence, studying how to best help Arab speakers in the Netherlands to navigate these difficult times represents my ideal, what I should be doing in preparation for undertaking a doctoral program.  I meet the selection criteria insofar as my academic areas of greatest interest revolve around migrants and other vulnerable or marginalized populations. I study how self-harm and suicidal behavior often result in or exacerbate personality disorders. I have also been fully immersed for years in the subject of how digital intervention might be able to ameliorate some of the suffering. An Intervention for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Depression at the University of Amsterdam.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and a master’s in clinical psychology from California Lutheran University. My research emphasis throughout my higher education has been heavily concentrated in three areas: dialectical behavioral therapy, borderline personality disorder, and suicide risk assessment and management. My master’s thesis examined social perceptions and emotional dysregulation as predictors of binge-eating disorders. I am presently involved in a grant-funded research project at King Faisal Specialist Hospital – Dammam, examining the psychological impact of quarantine measures: psychological distress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and stigma experienced by those individuals who were quarantined in Saudi Arabia. I am also engaged in a systematic review of the use of social media as it related to the dietary habits and food preferences of adolescents from Arab Gulf countries. I examine the effects of social media use on adolescents as related to their sleep patterns, consumption of takeout food, physical activity, and obesity. I also served as a rater for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in a study to determine the effects of certain medications on cognition, emotional reaction, and memory in patients with multiple sclerosis.

My clinical experience began in 2015 at Destination Hope in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida when I served as an Assistant Therapist, working with patients that had a dual diagnosis. In 2018 I began serving as an assistant clinical psychologist at King Fahad specialist hospital in Dammam, working with multidisciplinary teams focused primarily on oncology, transplant, neurology, and rehabilitation. I have also served as a part-time psychologist at Elite Specialist Clinics providing therapy to address mood and personality disorders. During my master’s program, I focused on dialectical behavioral therapy and suicide risk assessment and management.

I have earned certifications in “Counseling and Access to Lethal Means,” “Locating and Understanding Data for Suicide Prevention,” and “Clinical Trials Involving Investigational Drugs.” At King Fahad Specialist Hospital, I began serving as assistant psychologist in 2018 and was soon promoted to senior psychologist and given the marvelous opportunity to serve as the chairperson of the department for one year in 2022. I was successful at updating protocols that enable us to utilize more advanced technologies for neuropsychological tests, such as the digital Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. During the pandemic, I created a protocol for virtual therapy sessions that was in use throughout COVID-19. I have also been serving as a lecturer at Umm al Qura University since 2023, teaching psychiatry, introduction to research, community health, etc. I especially enjoy supervising my students during the practicums that they complete in hospitals.

I am highly motivated to learn Dutch because I see it as an integral part of living in Holland and will be of enormous assistance not only to me but also to those Arabic speakers of Dutch Moroccan ancestry who will be the subjects of my investigation. Subtlety is needed in Arabic, my first language, since culturally the subject of self-harm is a tabu topic in Arab societies. I adapt to new environments easily because I am well practiced, with a long history of moving around to attend university or fulfill professional responsibilities. I am familiar with a variety of research methods and experienced with several of the foremost methods or resources used for surveys and interviews.

I served as a rater in a double-blind experiment for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in a study to determine medication’s effects on cognition, emotional reaction, and memory in patients with multiple sclerosis, completed an online survey for my MA Thesis, and gained experience with quantitative research and data analysis. I am tech savvy and believe that it is important for those of us in the field of psychology to make the most of developing technology, harnessing its power for the benefit of our profession and those we serve. Migrants that have fled their countries of origin in search of a place to rebuild their lives are in greater need than most people of mental health counseling and support. This is why I hope that my application is looked upon with favor, to have the enormous privilege of serving migrants, those with the greatest need of assistance.

By the time I finished my MA Degree, I had performed 200 hours of volunteer service. Since that time, I have spent more than 300 hours volunteering mostly in hospitals and in animal care. I see the completion of your program to be excellent preparation for my application to a doctoral program in psychology. This will enable me to achieve my long-term goals as a therapy provider, university professor, and someone most keen about my central goal of opening a private clinic in Saudi Arabia that provides world-class therapeutic support to our patients. I look forward to teaching at the university level, helping to begin a program in psychiatric nursing at Um Al-Qura University, and publishing articles in my field about critical developments and challenges in the implementation of new initiatives in psychology in Saudi Arabia. As a result of my diligence and dedication to my studies, I have a full scholarship that will cover all my expenses related to the completion of your program.

Thank you for considering my application.