Sample Autobiographical Statement for the PsyD Degree

My Dad lost both of his legs in WW2

For more than 20 years I have enjoyed being an EMT, a private investigator and security consultant, as well as an Internet entrepreneur and organizer. Now entering middle age, I seek further career advancement, and I plan to earn the terminal degree in my chosen field, the PSYD - maintaining an engagement with literature and practice in multiple areas of Psychology and Mental Health, including but not limited to School and Clinical Psychology. I read widely in my spare time about a variety of areas of Psychology that include counseling for the terminally ill and their families as they transition, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and group therapy for the victims. My father was in WW2, first losing one leg, then the other: PTSD, suicidal tendencies, depression. I spent my adult life watching the VA do almost nothing to help him. This story is also close to the bone. The area that I know best, however, is law enforcement and security; thus, I may find myself continuing to labor in this area as well after completing the PSYD Degree.

I have 20 years of experience, training, certifications (100+), and continuing coursework in a broad variety of areas related to security services. Currently the Deputy Director and Chief Investigator, for the ____, in Riverdale, GA, I manage and supervise approximately fifty security and protection officers and investigators engaged in multiple, simultaneous projects. I also designed and implemented the company’s first website and marketing plan as well as primary B to B and B to C liaisons. Our group’s four largest clients together account for $500,000 in annual revenue. I personally designed and implemented their security and emergency response plans based on risk and threat assessments - liaising with local Law Enforcement Agencies, Emergency Services, and the Department of Homeland Security.

My recent accomplishments include the budgeting, supervising, and coordinating of the High Holidays for the second largest Jewish community in Georgia. Over the course of five days, congregants, and students from multiple continents, speaking a variety of languages, converged on my site. I successfully coordinated the deployment of dozens of security personnel, law enforcement, emergency services, traffic control, transportation to satellite parking facilities, and managed dignitary visits from foreign consulates along with politicians and interfaith representatives. On any given day, the crowd would approach 5,000 individuals

Since July of 2000, I have also been the Founder of ____, in Elizabeth, NJ, focused on development in such areas as XML, HTML, WAP, and other standardized published content, in support of security, military and law enforcement communications and networking. I was responsible, for example, for getting an Amber Alert built into existing cellular networks for instant notification to the local public and law enforcement for any information concerning the whereabouts of a stolen child. 

I appreciate the fact that the cohorts in your PsyD program at ____ University are small - with only approximately twelve students admitted every September - with equal emphasis placed on research and clinical applications. I look forward to a full and sustained immersion experience in research. I have been extremely fortunate throughout my life, able to travel, see the world, meet wonderful people, and even manage to help a few people in the process. I am a good fit with the PSYD Program at ____ because it is dual track, focused on School as well as Clinical Psychology. I could see myself in charge of a juvenile detention facility at some point; in such a capacity, the PSYD could prove to be a real lifesaver, for me as well as the residents.

Collecting and analyzing information and data has been a major part of my professional life for many years. I’ve also been writing professionally for years, and I am not intimidated by the prospect of authoring a dissertation. Very committed and determined, I do not quit when things get difficult. An effective leader, I have led people in hostile situations with remarkable success. An effective and dedicated team player and a great listener, I remain calm under extreme duress.  One of my original research projects, for a class in Experimental Psychology, measured the extent to which police officer parents influenced their children’s decision to pursue a professional position in the justice system, law enforcement, or a related field. I found NO correlation between parental career choice and their children’s choice of major or career. Even though my hypothesis was a total flop, I enjoyed the subject matter, the process, and presenting my outcome to the class. 

I am also well read in adoption and foster care, and the way that, sadly, many young people who are adopted are misdiagnosed with various emotional conditions. It would also be a great honor to continue to learn from ____’s Health Psychology and Trauma Studies research team. My father who lost both legs in WW2 to an enemy mortar attack, until his death in 2009, suffered from PTSD. The Veterans Administration was useless. I am now back in the house in which I was raised, having inherited it, making me more financially secure, another reason I decided to return to school. Living here with his memory all around me, I cannot help but reflect upon veterans' affairs and the egregious injustice to which so many have been subjected because of inferior-to-non-existent care for our traumatized veterans.

I have also been involved intermittently in the music publishing industry, which has given me the opportunity to work not only with inner-city children and their families but also the US military. We worked with military bases across the United States, bringing free entertainment to our nation’s service men and women. We also worked with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to bring entertainment to Walter Reed Medical Center.

Thank you for your consideration of my application to the PsyD program in Psychology at ____ University.

Sample Autobiographical Statement for the PsyD Degree