Student affiliate since:
2013
One study to another:
Van Hoven has just finished his first year as a graduate counseling psychology student at Ball State University. He's interested in health psychology — specifically, healing in relation to pain. Psychology wasn't Van Hoven's first academic love — as an undergraduate, he studied anthropology and Chinese at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He decided psychology was a better fit for his personality and better fulfilled his desire to help people. He earned a master's degree in counseling before applying to graduate school.
Career plans:
After he graduates, Van Hoven hopes to work as a health psychologist in a hospital setting because he likes the organization and structure, as well as the ability to work on an interdisciplinary team. "I'm a believer that we all have our small parts to play," he says.
Practicing what he learns:
Van Hoven enjoys the training environment of graduate school and the ability to apply what he learns, he says. The practicum courses are among his favorite classes, but they are also among the most difficult. He's found classes can get especially tough toward the end of the semesters when work begins to pile up, but he feels satisfied with himself after taking a challenging course.
Getting a life:
Although Van Hoven is swamped with classwork, he likes to cook, spend time with his wife and read, especially books by J.R.R. Tolkien. But his affinity for psychology follows him even when he's taking a break. His favorite Tolkien novel is "The Return of the King," which he enjoys reading for the psychological undertones that touch on the idea of living in the moment and not comparing one's life to another's. The book ends with character Samwise Gamgee sitting down and eating a meal after a long adventure, and Van Hoven sees it as a metaphor for appreciating life in general, he says. A friend once interpreted the ending and decided that life also has moments "where we just eat toast," and Van Hoven has adopted this idea.
— Heather Mongilio
Each month, "Random Sample" profiles an APA member. You may be next.