Brett Bock is applying to the Clinical Psychology MA program at The College at Brockport. He was inspired to pursue psychology after witnessing the effects of trauma on his mother. At Brockport, he has gained research experience studying goats' food preferences and the impact of stress and "grit" on cognition. He also volunteers with an organization assisting children with developmental disabilities. Bock aims to become a clinical psychologist to provide mental healthcare access to vulnerable populations and help reduce stigma around mental health issues.

1. Brett Bock
The College at Brockport, State University of New York
Psychology - Clinical with Applied Emphasis
Master of Arts
Fall 2016
1
Statement of Objectives
I was 14 years old when I realized two things: how important caring for one’s mental health truly
is, and that I wanted to enter the field of psychology. This realization came to me when I saw how the
many traumatic experiences in my mother’s life affected her, including the murder of her sister, long-term
verbal and physical abuse from partners, and raising three children while living in poverty. This impelled
me to enter the field of psychology to help those needing emotional and mental care. I thoroughly believe
that the Clinical Applied Psychology graduate program at the College at Brockport will provide me with
the tools to realize this dream, and develop my ability and knowledge to effectively care for others.
In May 2013, I obtained an A.S. in Music at Finger Lakes Community College, intending to
eventually become a Music Therapist. Although psychology courses did not satisfy any degree
requirements, I took many to prepare myself for my future degree and certification. I graduated as an
officer of the Alpha Epsilon Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international community college honor
society, with a 3.86 GPA.
I decided to pursue a broader educational track and entered the Psychology major and Art
Therapy minor at SUNY Plattsburgh in August 2014, but then decided to move to Rochester in June 2015
for personal reasons and continue my degree at the College of Brockport. The available psychology
courses, as well as the friendly and knowledgeable faculty, left a deep impression on me. Brockport has
provided me with many opportunities to gain hands-on experience with a variety of psychological
perspectives and research, and ultimately helped me grow as an academic. I will be graduating from the
College at Brockport in May 2016 with a B.S. in Psychology.
Here, I have been given the opportunity to be a research assistant in various studies. Under the
tutelage of Dr. Marcie Desrochers, my teammates and I examined goats’ preferences for invasive weed
species by observing their behavior in both structured and unstructured settings. We presented our
research at the 2015 Finger Lakes Research Conference, held at Hobart & William Smith College. We are
slated to present this research at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research in North Carolina
in April.
In addition, I have participated in four other studies: an assessment of how the most recent
economic recession affected the good deeds performed for others and how those deeds were perceived
(Dr. Janet Gillespie), the creation of a training program for college students to teach them how to better
connect with children with autism spectrum disorder (Dr. Marcie Desrochers), an analysis of how stress
and cognitive distortions are affected by a person’s level of “grit” (Catherine Accorso), and another
pending study involving Rochester school students (Liam Cerveny). All of the studies I am involved in
have helped me refine my skills, such as behavioral coding, data management, test administration, public
presentation, independent task management, and teamwork.

2. Brett Bock
The College at Brockport, State University of New York
Psychology - Clinical with Applied Emphasis
Master of Arts
Fall 2016
2
A beneficial experience outside of research was participation in the Family Autism Community
Together in Supports (FACTS), a non-profit organization that hosts a weekly program for children with
developmental disabilities. FACTS provides the children with student companions, developmental
activities, and emotional support. As a student companion, I am assigned a child each semester to
befriend, supervise, encourage good behavior with praise or other positive reinforcement, and, most
importantly, have fun with. My involvement with this program has given me insight on how to work with
children with developmental disabilities, which I consider very valuable in regards to my intended career
path. To further develop this knowledge and pursue my dream, I am currently looking for employment
with organizations who aid this population and their families.
My educational and personal experiences have given me clear sight of where I see myself
following graduate school. I discovered here at Brockport that I want to become a Clinical Psychologist,
as it would enable me to care for vulnerable populations, mainly children and adolescents, by providing
them with the emotional and mental health everyone deserves. The younger years of a person’s life are
often considered the most important; I believe if more careful attention were given to one’s psychological
well-being earlier in life, many hardships could be avoided later on.
During the past few years, my experiences have led me to establish three primary goals: (1) to
provide children and other disadvantaged populations with access to mental healthcare, (2) to help
eliminate the stigma of mental health in our culture and allow free discussion of it without fear of being
chastised, and (3) to encourage the implementation of integrated healthcare in which we seriously
consider all the parts of a person rather than just their physiology. Although psychological research and
practice have burgeoned in recent decades, we have many lifetimes worth of work ahead of us to further
strengthen the field. Many hurdles remain: mental health and its practitioners are still stigmatized, the
importance of psychological care is often neglected, various disorders are overdiagnosed, and cultural
insensitivity still exists in practice. I want to have a hand in correcting these issues as part of a
professional community; together we can keep our field heading in the right direction.
I hope to be accepted into the Applied Clinical Psychology program, as I wish to continue my
time at the College at Brockport, which I have greatly enjoyed. I know I will hone many abilities through
the program and will bring me closer to attaining my dream. I vow to apply what I learn to benefit our
community, locally and maybe even beyond. If accepted, not only will the faculty of the Psychology
department see a student grow into a professional they can be proud of, they will see someone use the
tools learned to help people overcome their mental and emotional struggles. I want to demonstrate to the
world the good I am capable of, and to proudly carry with me the fact that I had the opportunity to learn
with such outstanding faculty of an equally exceptional institution.
Thank you for your consideration,
Brett M. Bock