Psychologist and Author, Private Practice
About
What was your first step after undergraduate graduation & how did it impact your career path?
My undergraduate psychology degree gave me the background knowledge I needed, while committed, smart, excellent faculty stoked my desire to continue in the field. Even though I have shifted away from the primarily psychodynamic orientation that characterized the clinical program while I was a student, the rigor of the program and spirit of vigorous inquiry provided the underpinnings of my life as a scientifically informed practitioner and author.
What are you doing today?
I am a psychologist in private practice in Exeter, NH, treating children ages 12 and under, and their parents. I am also the author of the 6-book What to Do Guides for Kids series (over 700,000 copies sold) published by the APA’s Magination Press. I am often interviewed by the national media for pieces involving children and mental health, and last spring gave my first TED talk about learning to face fear.
What inspired you to enter that field/job/profession? What excites you most about the future of your profession?
I am inspired by the bravery I see in my office every day. I work almost exclusively with anxious children, living what most people would consider comfortable lives but for whom the world seems fraught with danger. Learning to treat anxiety as a ‘false alarm’ and to step into rather than away from uncertainty takes courage. I love teaching children skills, and seeing them muster the courage use them. At the same time, I periodically need to remind myself to ‘walk the walk’, using CBT and ACT tools myself!
What advice do you have for students getting a degree in the UM Psychology Department or considering your profession?
Get to know your professors; they are an amazing resource. Take a variety of classes – child, adult, clinical, organizational, developmental. Learn various theoretical orientations. Cultivate a way of thinking. Be a scientific practitioner with clear eyes and a warm, open heart. It is an honor to do this work, to have the ability to teach skills, foster understanding, and change lives.
What was your favorite experience while studying in the UM Psychology Department?
I have a distinct memory of walking across the quad shortly after declaring psychology as my major, seeing all the bustling students, different from me – different majors, different concerns, different skin colors and food preferences and backgrounds and friends – and yet all the same, smart, committed, passionate, united by our time at U of M. I remain connected to my U of M friends, and feel an immediate kinship when I happen upon others who have gone to U of M.
Follow these links to check out Dr. Huebner’s books, TED talk, or website.
