Around the age of 14, Paul Sheesley took a psychology course in high school. About the same time, his parents gave him a book on psychology for his birthday, “Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Inside the Minds of Killers” by Dorothy Otnow Lewis. After reading the book, especially the case examples and studies, he remembers “becoming fascinated with the field [of psychology].” In fact, during his senior year, he did a practicum at Spring Grove in Maryland which is the third oldest mental health facility in the nation. He became so interested in counseling and psychology that he attended McDaniel College in Westminster, MD for his BA in psychology and neuroscience. Since then, Paul has been focused, driven, and ambitious when it comes to self-development and sharpening his clinical skills and expanding his acumen. In this podcast, Paul shares his academic and professional journey in hopes that his experiences and advice will help those interested in the field of counseling and psychology. During our discussion, he shares some of the most important opportunities in his life which allowed him to expand his education, knowledge, and experience. He continued his education by attending The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for his MA in forensic psychology. During our discussion he shared his belief in applying and improving oneself by learning, and becoming proficient in, new types of therapy. He is a schema therapist and is part of the International Society of Schema Therapy. Paul is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. With almost 20 years of experience in the field of clinical psychology, Paul has his own practice in Washington, D.C. and Bel Air, MD. Through hard-work and dedication, he has built up his reputation as being one of the most notable transformational psychotherapists in the D.C. area specializing in helping politicians, C-suite executives, and other prominent people and couples to achieve balance in both their personal and professional lives. Throughout the podcast, Paul provides suggestions and advice to those interested in the field of psychology and those wanting to start their own practice. He is still fascinated with the brain and how it works and how the two hemispheres work and communicate with each other that he says a good therapist is “an amygdala whisperer.” Listen to the podcast for other advice and to find out what challenges are unique to his D.C. clients. Connect with Paul Sheesley: LinkedIn | Facebook | WebsiteConnect with the Show: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn https://vimeo.com/686592507 Interests and Specializations Paul Sheesley focuses on working with individuals, couples, and families and uses psychodynamic, emotionally-focused, cognitive behavioral theories and approaches to help people achieve balance in their personal and professional lives. His clinical work also draws on schema therapy and a variety of targeted and thoughtful interventions. Education Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Psychology/Neuroscience (2006); McDaniel College, Westminster, MD.Master of Arts (M.A.), Forensic Psychology (2010); The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL.Certificate of Advanced Study in Counseling/Clinical Psychology (2013); Towson University, Towson, MD.Certified Schema Therapist (2019): The Cognitive Therapy Institute of New Jersey, Lakewood, NJ. Other Sources and Links of Interest Paul Sheesley at PsychologyTodaySchema Therapy Training Institute Podcast Transcription 00:00:13 BradleyWelcome to the Master’s in Psychology podcast where psychology students can learn from psychologists, educators, and practitioners to better understand what they do, how they got there, and hear the advice they have for those interested in getting a graduate degree in psychology. I'm your host, Brad Schumacher, and today we welcome Paul Sheesley to the show.