YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 1 YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 6 Your Vision as a Practitioner Scholar Sandy Pennington Capella University Abstract My greatest vision is to help patients go through physical rehabilitation with respect and humaneness. In return, this exposure will give me a chance to practice psychology in a field that interests me greatly. I will also be able to make first hand observations in my area of specialization. These observations will continue to further my knowledge in my chose field and help me help other patients better. This field will also help me to meet likeminded colleagues with whom I can formulate better ways of assisting the patients who are now in wheelchairs. Assisting individuals who are confined to wheelchairs to get their lives back will not only help me achieve my professional goals but also enable me to contribute to the society positively. Introduction The practitioner-scholar theory exposes psychology students to the real world instead of only relying on the theoretical part of their studies. With this theory, students are able to practically apply what they have learnt in class or a real world setting. The theory therefore helps students to continuously use scholarly research so as to derive new questions and practical answers to psychological problems. It also pushes psychology students to question the assumptions that have been in use over the years and formulate new solutions for existing and emergent problems. The students are exposed to a wide range of practical activities that relate to their course, throughout. The use of this method in training therefore exposes the student to the nature of research studies and how to collect data, and compile it to produce valuable information. In return, the psychology student will be able to inform his practice in a meaningful way, and may even instigate changes within the profession through the hands on approach to their studies (Foley & McNeil, 2015). Vision My vision is to become the most successful psychologist in the area of physical rehabilitation. I envision being a psychologist who is well respected in my field and who is on the frontline of research into the issues regarding patients who are confined to wheelchairs. I want to be able to represent this fraction of patients in a manner that dignifies them and gives them hope to live one more day with the confidence and hope that they can get better not only physically but emotionally and socially. I also want to be able to champion for the allocation of more funds into the area of physical rehabilitation and the accompanying course of treatment. Goals My goal is to help as many patients as is humanely possible to be able to live comfortably without needing to use the wheelchair. For those patients who cannot entirely be weaned of the wheelchair, my goal is to help them accept themselves and show them the various ways through which they can still .

1. YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 1
YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 6
Your Vision as a Practitioner Scholar
Sandy Pennington
Capella University
Abstract
My greatest vision is to help patients go through physical
rehabilitation with respect and humaneness. In return, this
exposure will give me a chance to practice psychology in a field
that interests me greatly. I will also be able to make first hand
observations in my area of specialization. These observations
will continue to further my knowledge in my chose field and
help me help other patients better. This field will also help me
to meet likeminded colleagues with whom I can formulate better
ways of assisting the patients who are now in wheelchairs.
Assisting individuals who are confined to wheelchairs to get

2. their lives back will not only help me achieve my professional
goals but also enable me to contribute to the society positively.
Introduction
The practitioner-scholar theory exposes psychology students to
the real world instead of only relying on the theoretical part of
their studies. With this theory, students are able to practically
apply what they have learnt in class or a real world setting. The
theory therefore helps students to continuously use scholarly
research so as to derive new questions and practical answers to
psychological problems. It also pushes psychology students to
question the assumptions that have been in use over the years
and formulate new solutions for existing and emergent
problems. The students are exposed to a wide range of practical
activities that relate to their course, throughout. The use of this
method in training therefore exposes the student to the nature of
research studies and how to collect data, and compile it to
produce valuable information. In return, the psychology student
will be able to inform his practice in a meaningful way, and
may even instigate changes within the profession through the
hands on approach to their studies (Foley & McNeil, 2015).
Vision
My vision is to become the most successful psychologist in
the area of physical rehabilitation. I envision being a
psychologist who is well respected in my field and who is on
the frontline of research into the issues regarding patients who

3. are confined to wheelchairs. I want to be able to represent this
fraction of patients in a manner that dignifies them and gives
them hope to live one more day with the confidence and hope
that they can get better not only physically but emotionally and
socially. I also want to be able to champion for the allocation of
more funds into the area of physical rehabilitation and the
accompanying course of treatment.
Goals
My goal is to help as many patients as is humanely possible to
be able to live comfortably without needing to use the
wheelchair. For those patients who cannot entirely be weaned of
the wheelchair, my goal is to help them accept themselves and
show them the various ways through which they can still
contribute to the society without feeling like they are powerless.
I also intend to use my acquired knowledge and affiliations to
conduct studies that will help in the formation of new policies
in the field of rehabilitative counseling. Through the handling
of so many patients, my experience will grow and I will
therefore be more placed to help solve more complex cases of
individuals who have ended up in wheelchairs. My aim is to
also help the patients to get incorporated back to the society
with as little friction as possible. By being as close as possible
with their family members, the patient will have a better chance
of getting better because they have something to look forward
to, people to come back home to. I am also a great advocate for
short periods of stay in rehabilitation centers. Staying too long
in a rehab center can make the patient get too use to he life
without walking. It alienates them from the rest of the world.
I will be able to achieve these goals by attending numerous
workshops on the issue of counseling individuals who are
confined to wheelchairs as well as reading numerous
publications on the same topic. I will also seek to join my
colleagues who may be doing research projects and conducting
studies on issues related to counseling patients who are in
wheelchairs. This will help me to have a better insight of the
problems faced by individuals who are confined to the

4. wheelchair and how I can help them lead a decent life (Alger &
Luke, 2015).
Depending on what caused the patient to be in a
wheelchair in the first place and the hands on knowledge I have
acquired in the course of my training, I will formulate treatment
plans for these individuals. Working with them over time will
enable me gauge the areas in which they need more help and
therefore focus more on these areas.
Conclusion
There are not many very many psychologists who have ventured
into rehabilitation counseling. This means that the field is fresh
for me to question assumptions that have been made in previous
years as well as to formulate new questions that can challenge
the existing policies and practices. Additionally, this field has
access to tones of data through patient records that can be used
to formulate better treatment plans for incoming patients. This
is therefore a promising area for specialization. There is an
opportunity for career growth in this venture.
References
Alger, A., & Luke, M. (2015). The School Counselor
Perspective: Preparing Students to be College and Career Ready
within a Comprehensive School Counseling Program. The
Practitioner Scholar: Journal of Counseling and Professional
Psychology, 4(1).
Foley, K. P., & McNeil, C. B. (2015). Scholar–Practitioner

5. Model. The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology.
Heracleous, L. (2011). Introduction to the special issue on
bridging the scholar-practitioner divide. Journal of Applied
Behavioral Science, 47(1), 5.
YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 1
YOUR VISION AS A PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR 6
Your Vision as a Practitioner Scholar
Sandy Pennington
Capella University
Abstract
My greatest vision is to help patients go through physical
rehabilitation with respect and humaneness. In return, this
exposure will give me a chance to practice psychology in a field
that interests me greatly. I will also be able to make first hand
observations in my area of specialization. These observations
will continue to further my knowledge in my chose field and

6. help me help other patients better. This field will also help me
to meet likeminded colleagues with whom I can formulate better
ways of assisting the patients who are now in wheelchairs.
Assisting individuals who are confined to wheelchairs to get
their lives back will not only help me achieve my professional
goals but also enable me to contribute to the society positively.
Introduction
The practitioner-scholar theory exposes psychology students to
the real world instead of only relying on the theoretical part of
their studies. With this theory, students are able to practically
apply what they have learnt in class or a real world setting. The
theory therefore helps students to continuously use scholarly
research so as to derive new questions and practical answers to
psychological problems. It also pushes psychology students to
question the assumptions that have been in use over the years
and formulate new solutions for existing and emergent
problems. The students are exposed to a wide range of practical
activities that relate to their course, throughout. The use of this
method in training therefore exposes the student to the nature of
research studies and how to collect data, and compile it to
produce valuable information. In return, the psychology student
will be able to inform his practice in a meaningful way, and
may even instigate changes within the profession through the
hands on approach to their studies (Foley & McNeil, 2015).
Vision

7. My vision is to become the most successful psychologist in
the area of physical rehabilitation. I envision being a
psychologist who is well respected in my field and who is on
the frontline of research into the issues regarding patients who
are confined to wheelchairs. I want to be able to represent this
fraction of patients in a manner that dignifies them and gives
them hope to live one more day with the confidence and hope
that they can get better not only physically but emotionally and
socially. I also want to be able to champion for the allocation of
more funds into the area of physical rehabilitation and the
accompanying course of treatment.
Goals
My goal is to help as many patients as is humanely possible to
be able to live comfortably without needing to use the
wheelchair. For those patients who cannot entirely be weaned of
the wheelchair, my goal is to help them accept themselves and
show them the various ways through which they can still
contribute to the society without feeling like they are powerless.
I also intend to use my acquired knowledge and affiliations to
conduct studies that will help in the formation of new policies
in the field of rehabilitative counseling. Through the handling
of so many patients, my experience will grow and I will
therefore be more placed to help solve more complex cases of
individuals who have ended up in wheelchairs. My aim is to
also help the patients to get incorporated back to the society
with as little friction as possible. By being as close as possible
with their family members, the patient will have a better chance
of getting better because they have something to look forward
to, people to come back home to. I am also a great advocate for
short periods of stay in rehabilitation centers. Staying too long
in a rehab center can make the patient get too use to he life
without walking. It alienates them from the rest of the world.
I will be able to achieve these goals by attending numerous
workshops on the issue of counseling individuals who are
confined to wheelchairs as well as reading numerous
publications on the same topic. I will also seek to join my

8. colleagues who may be doing research projects and conducting
studies on issues related to counseling patients who are in
wheelchairs. This will help me to have a better insight of the
problems faced by individuals who are confined to the
wheelchair and how I can help them lead a decent life (Alger &
Luke, 2015).
Depending on what caused the patient to be in a
wheelchair in the first place and the hands on knowledge I have
acquired in the course of my training, I will formulate treatment
plans for these individuals. Working with them over time will
enable me gauge the areas in which they need more help and
therefore focus more on these areas.
Conclusion
There are not many very many psychologists who have ventured
into rehabilitation counseling. This means that the field is fresh
for me to question assumptions that have been made in previous
years as well as to formulate new questions that can challenge
the existing policies and practices. Additionally, this field has
access to tones of data through patient records that can be used
to formulate better treatment plans for incoming patients. This
is therefore a promising area for specialization. There is an
opportunity for career growth in this venture.
References
Alger, A., & Luke, M. (2015). The School Counselor
Perspective: Preparing Students to be College and Career Ready

9. within a Comprehensive School Counseling Program. The
Practitioner Scholar: Journal of Counseling and Professional
Psychology, 4(1).
Foley, K. P., & McNeil, C. B. (2015). Scholar–Practitioner
Model. The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology.
Heracleous, L. (2011). Introduction to the special issue on
bridging the scholar-practitioner divide. Journal of Applied
Behavioral Science, 47(1), 5.