The Careers in Psychology Student Interview Series features interviews conducted by Albizu University students of professionals currently working in the field of psychology. The interviews are part of the Careers in Psychology course taught by Professor Yamila Lezcano.
My name is Luis Sandoval and I am an undergraduate student at Albizu University. On November 29th, 2017, I conducted an informational interview of Mr. Gustavo Mejia, who recently graduated from AU and is now currently active and working as a Mental Health Therapist at Chrysalis Health. The interview begun by me asking Mr. Mejia how he decided to get into the mental health field. His response was, “I chose this field because I genuinely enjoy helping people get back on their feet and continuing with their goals.” Eventually, we began to speak about Mr. Mejia’s early leadership roles, which included president of the student body in his high school, leader of the troop of the Boy Scouts in the town of Palmira, Colombia, and much more.
When asked, “What training and credentials are needed for your current jobs,” Mr. Mejia answered, “Well, for everyone its different depending on work experience. In my case, I had to have experience in the field, a certain amount of volunteer hours at an internship, and of course a Master’s degree in Mental Health. I have helped develop programs to help others exceed in their ways of thinking and performing their given talents.” Then I asked, “Apart from what you’ve said, what other experience do you have working with people?” He explained how he had worked for the Archdiocese of Miami as a Youth Minister where he administered pastoral services to children, teenagers, young adults and even adults. He has created faith formation groups, which have rapidly increased in size over the past few years. Mr. Mejia also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from St. John Vianney College Seminary. This degree entitles him to teach religious education in public and private schools in the district. So much work and education experience had me going crazy. I had expressed this to Mr. Mejia and he said, “You’ll get there one day.”
Switching to less formal questions, I asked Mr. Mejia what a normal day of his looked like, to which he responded, “A typical day for me involves the gym of course. Since I was sixteen, I have never skipped a day at the gym in my entire life. That is essential to start my day. After that, I will usually see my first client. I see about 5-6 clients daily. I spend about an hour with each client. Some clients I see at the clinic, others I see during lunch break or recess in school and others I visit at their homes. After each client, I complete notes and develop treatment plans. I usually have lunch on the road or in my parked car. Sometimes, I stop to do my notes and treatment plans in a park or at a public place. Around 6:00pm or after I see my last client, I will head home to finish notes and have dinner before going to bed.” Then I commented, “What a day!”
I thanked Mr. Mejia for his patience and for sharing his valuable information with me. I then concluded the interview by asking, “What is the most valuable piece of information you can give to someone who is currently attending Albizu University and is also on the same career path as you?” Mr. Mejia answered, “My best advice is, keep up the good work. The field of mental health is in high demand. There are many people who truly need these services. This is a beautiful field and for the people who love doing this, it’s not a job; It’s a gift of selflessness. So keep it up, do not let anyone take you off track. There is a world of people who need your help to move on with their lives, people who require services to resolve past issues, traumas, abuses and violence. So keep it up.” After this, I thanked Mr. Mejia for his time and his valuable responses during this interview.
