Malorie McLain, Youth Development Professional
Alma mater: Le Moyne College
Wondering whether to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology? Meet 13 graduates who landed great jobs thanks to their psychology degrees.
Why did you study psychology?
Back in 10th grade, my father began to encourage me to start planning my future and explore what I wanted to pursue in college. Being so young, my mind was unsure of what I wanted to do, but my heart knew that I needed to work in direct care, helping people with serious deficits in life. The primary person who unknowingly brought me to this realization was my mother because she was diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses around the same time. They ranged from depression to bipolar disorder to multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder. She was reexperiencing an abundance of repressed trauma from her childhood, and while I did my best to help her, I was also fascinated by her experiences. I was intrigued to learn more about her diagnoses and her symptoms, which ultimately led me to uncover a preliminary knowledge base of the field of psychology all on my own. Later on, I watched my brother, as well as my older cousin, pursue bachelor’s degrees in psychology for similar reasons. However, after much discussion and contemplation, I decided to pursue a degree in nursing with the intention of specializing in psychiatry/mental health.
Halfway through my junior year of college, I realized that nursing was no longer what I truly wanted for myself. So, after some debating and self-reflection, I successfully changed my major to psychology! I was incredibly thrilled to finally study my passion.
My most profound skill/ability was always that I was (and still am) an incredible listener. Being able to sit down with someone and give them that undivided attention has been so easy for me but has also been crucial in my personal character development. Additionally, I have been known as “the wise one” or “the advice-giver” because I have truly helped so many along the journey of life. I have always been intrigued with understanding, empathy, and comprehension of human beings.
What was your experience like at Le Moyne College? What did you enjoy most about getting your degree?
Le Moyne College is a small school, which is one of the main reasons why I chose to attend. However, I did not know that this would cause so many deep connections with my professors. It made classes and interactions much more personable! On the other hand, dorm life was not for me for multiple reasons. Additionally, there were always many opportunities affiliated with Le Moyne. Unfortunately, I could not always partake but they were always available.
For my BS in psychology degree, my professors and classes were collectively awesome, interesting, and fascinating experiences. My favorite classes were Abnormal Psychology, Counseling and Psychotherapy, Psychological Testing, Brain and Behavior, Pathophysiology, Detective Film, and The Qur’an. My psychology classes were phenomenal because the professors were so knowledgeable, and they all made the material easy to learn, which was often presented in intriguing, captivating ways. Additionally, within my psychology classes, it was effortless as a student to create a personable atmosphere that fostered many friendships and connections over the semesters. Some of the skills that I strengthened during my classes included cooperation and collaboration, public speaking, responsibility and accountability, leadership, time management, and how to question research and case studies. I am grateful that I was able to expand on these skills, especially as I entered the workforce.
Tell me about what you did during your time in school to start preparing for your career?
The Office of Academic and Career Advising easily became my best resource. Everyone was incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. They gave me advice, tips/ideas on writing my résumé, resources, and connected me to other great people. I also began interviewing psychology professionals in my internship, in the community, and at Le Moyne College. I was not afraid to reach out to people that I did not know, but I made sure that I did so professionally. Through this, I was able to meet a lot of awesome psychologists, and I learned much about the working field that I could not learn in a classroom. Additionally, working with my psychology adviser and other professors was extremely insightful. They were always willing to meet with me and help me in any way that they could!
I also secured a dual-semester undergraduate internship during my senior year at an alternative school called the McCarthy Comprehensive Program at Beard. I assisted the Child Care Team of Onondaga County by teaching students social and emotional skills to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. The Child Care Team taught from a brand new curriculum that included specific lessons, activities, and stories. Most of the students had traumatic or abusive histories, and were labeled as “severely emotionally disturbed.” I worked with students in kindergarten through eighth grade, although there were some high school classrooms in the building. Many students exhibited aggressive behaviors, which caused many physical restraints (performed only by the Syracuse City School District teachers and teacher’s assistants). I was very fortunate that I was able to build meaningful connections with many of the students, but my experience also led me to decide that working in a school was not my dream.
What are you doing now? Talk a little bit about the process of getting your job.
I applied for multiple positions in April 2018 since I knew that I was not immediately going to graduate school in the Fall of 2018. I applied to Elmcrest Children’s Center (ECC), Rescue Mission, and Liberty Resources all here in Syracuse, New York, hoping to pursue a job within the mental health field. I thankfully received immediate calls from ECC and Liberty Resources, but the latter asked me to apply again later since I could not start working full-time right away because I was finishing classes. Then, ECC set up an interview and offered me a full-time job in same week! I began my training at ECC in May 2018, while continuing my classes and exams, figuring out graduation, etc. Once my training was complete, I began to work full-time for the first time in my life.
ECC is a non-profit organization that serves multiple counties across New York. I have the privilege of working with critical care adolescent females, which are some of the toughest behavioral cases in the community. Our residents live on campus, typically for three months to one year. Some are admitted due to neglect, a PINS (person in need of supervision) status, JD (juvenile delinquent), etc. They all go to school on our campus, and most come from awful home lives. My title is a “Youth Development Professional,” which means that I help residents run through their routine in our cottage, engage in constant interactions, perform physical restraints, and often utilize deescalation techniques. It has been the most exhausting job I have ever had, but it has also been rewarding and an experience to grow!
How do you feel your degree in psychology has helped you with your job?
My degree and classes have helped me to understand better some of these girls, their backgrounds, their diagnoses, and their trauma; how to communicate more effectively (even though it does not always work); and how to hone my greatest skill of active listening. I think that my education taught me the fundamentals of psychology extremely well, but nothing could truly prepare me for the workforce. We can learn about disorders and theories in class, and we can even read detailed case studies, but none of that teaches you how to interact with individuals at the moment. Every day is a new learning process for me and I love that about my job!
