psych.pages.roanoke.eduRoanoke College Psychology Department

Primary Menu Home About Submissions LoginPress Search for: Alumni News ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT: PSYCHOLOGY & CREATIVITY PROFESSIONALS (PLUS ADDITIONAL BONUS FEATURES)! April 17, 2024 Heather Farnsworth Our final alumni highlight series will comprise of professionals on the career track of psychology & creativity, as well as some bonus highlights including alumni working as medical, education, research, or clinical and counseling professionals! Our bonus features intend to remind readers of a few of the many career tracks that we have shared throughout the series. As always, Roanoke students are encouraged to reach out for career advice. The Psychology Department is a great place to start — talk to your academic advisor, your course instructors, etc.! PLACE office also offers a range of resources, including career counseling, resume and cover letter assistance, job search strategies, and networking opportunities. In conjunction with PLACE, the Alumni Relations office can connect students with alumni mentors in their field of interest. Whether you’re exploring your options or preparing for your next steps after graduation, the Roanoke College community is here to support you on your journey. Check out some of the resources available to you on Roanoke’sPreparing for Life After Graduation ” webpage! Let’s now delve into the journeys of some professionals in the psychology field as we introduce our featured alumni for this week! PSYCHOLOGY & CREATIVITY PROFESSIONALS Kinsey Overfelt: Resident in Counseling at Family Services of Roanoke Valley How would Kinsey describe her role as a Resident in Counseling? I am a Resident in counseling which means I am working with clients every day to meet the direct hour requirements to become a licensed professional Counselor. I utilize Play Therapy to help children build self-confidence, understand their emotions, and resolve inner conflicts. I counsel all ages from 3 years old to 80 years old but my main focus is children.” Carly Schepacarter, MA, ATR-P, LGPC: Kids Like Us Counselor within the Behavioral Health Services Department under Frederick County Government, Maryland How did Carly become a Kids Like Us Counselor? I got my Master of Arts in Art Therapy from The George Washington University in 2023. While I was there, I interned as an art therapist with a residential substance abuse rehabilitation center in DC, Washington DC Public Schools, the GW Art Therapy Clinic, and worked for GW as an Academic Coach. All of these provided such valuable opportunities for me to work with clients, learn how to use art for healing, process traumatic and stressful experiences with clients, and provide ethical and competent services. Working with folks in recovery also provided me with a deeper compassion for the youth that I serve and the ones in their lives that they worry about. All of these surely nurtured my passion for the work as well. In order to get my job, I talked to as many art therapists and counselors as I could find to get advice and wisdom related to their job searching. My networking really helped, and landed me an interview, a kind recommendation, and my current position. Since graduating, I have been working towards obtaining licensure for Counseling and Art Therapy in the DMV, as well as national certification for Art Therapy. All of this has been super helpful for me to find my way in the field.” Victoria Winnard: Independent Fiction Author What has Victoria been working on most recently? I made great progress on a trilogy I’ve been working on for several years, the first two books of which can be found on Amazon under my pen name Victory Parsons – ‘The Forgotten Prince’ and ‘Forerunners.’ The final installment still needs a lot of work before it may be exposed to the public eye. The trilogy follows beings who can time travel and the tolls that such abilities can take on the mind, which basically means any major mental illness you can think of. Throughout the books, I play with other concepts like dreams, memory, consciousness, mortality, loss/grief, parenting and attachment styles, even drug abuse and some psychedelic ideas.” BONUS MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL Sophia Bolton Jennings: RN BSN RNC-OB in the Labor and Delivery Unit at UVA What does Sophia appreciate most about her current position? I’m a high risk Labor and Delivery nurse. I assist women during their labor and birth process… I love working with students and new nurses teaching and sharing the knowledge I have learned along the way. I have grown to appreciate working at a teaching hospital because of the collaboration with different members of the medical team (Residents, RTs, pharmacist) and using new products and research that enhance our patients’ experiences. I think birth is so fascinating and I don’t think I will ever stop being in awe of the human body! I also gave birth to my first child on the unit where I work so I have an all new appreciation for my coworkers!” BONUS EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL Ally Brothers: Associate Professor at Colorado State University What are some of Ally’s roles and responsibilities at Colorado State University? I am a fully-integrated member of our department with an 80% teaching load, 15% research and 5% service (not adjunct). I teach undergraduate and graduate courses related to adult development and aging and lifespan development, and maintain a small research program as well. I typically teach about 4 classes per semester (Fall and Spring) and 1-2 in summer. My main courses include HDFS 201 Perspectives in Gerontology, HDFS 312 Adult Development and Aging, HDFS 412 Mental, Physical Health in Adulthood, and HDFS 434 Risk and Resilience Across the Lifespan, and HDFS 613 Adult Development and Aging (graduate level)… My research focuses on the connection between the subjective experiences of aging (e.g., age stereotypes and self-perceptions of aging) and how they affect health, mental health, and longevity… I also collaborate with community partners and CSU Extension professionals to conduct community-engaged research. For instance, I am working with Extension partners on the program evaluation of a farmers’ market-based program, in which we are also developing intergenerational learning opportunities to connect college students with older adults around fresh produce and healthy aging.” BONUS RESEARCH PROFESSIONAL Bree Brodeur, MS, CCLS: Senior Multifamily Researcher at CoStar Group How did Bree become a Senior Multifamily Researcher? After earning her master’s degree from Nova Southeastern university in Program Development, she took a Child Life Exam during her clinical internship at Broward Health. She then worked as an Emergency Room Child Life Specialist at Inova Health System, and then at Bon Secours St Mary’s Hospital. She included, I created a sensory friendly program at the hospital and started analyzing data from the sensory friendly program to make a difference in children’s healthcare experience and loved seeing results from that study so I then decided to transition into higher paying research/analyst position at costar group / apartments.com but still have the opportunity to make a difference in investor and stakeholder decisions on multimillion dollar transactions, so while it is not child development centered it still allows me to feel rewarded knowing I’m making a difference through research!” BONUS CLINICAL AND COUNSELING PROFESSIONAL Maya Lamprinakos: Graduate student studying Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services at Virginia Tech, and hired as a School counselor for the 2024-2025 school year in Roanoke City Public Schools What professional journey has Maya followed following her time at Roanoke College? I attended Roanoke College and obtained an amazing background in psychology. I decided to attend graduate school to become a school counselor at Virginia Tech. I have become knowledgeable in group counseling, substance use, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, expressive arts,...