Practitioner-Scholar Paper Description - Coursework Example

Practitioner-Scholar Paper Being a new psychology and trying to understand the concepts and important factors surrounding this field of study, I have been baffled with more questions than answers. However, my intention of furthering my knowledge in the field of psychology is so to use my accumulated knowledge to help other people and also gain answers to my many questions. In my view this is what it means to be a Practitioner-Scholar. A scholar on the other hand is a person who is studying or pursuing a certain course of study.

A practitioner is a person who practices what he or she has learned or the theories of a certain field of study. A Scholar-Practitioner however is a model of professional brilliance grounded in principle and study, knowledgeable in experimental facts, and inspired by individual ideals, political obligations, and ethical bearing. Many Psychology journals, publications, books, online sources and other sources have a similar definition of a Practitioner-Scholar whereby t refers to a learner who is studying the field of psychology and at the same time is practicing it.

The dictionary definition of this term however is slightly detailed whereby according to the dictionary a Practitioner-Scholar, “an ideal of professional excellence grounded in theory and research, informed by experimental knowledge, and motivated by ethical conduct” (McClintock, 2003).As a Graduate student in the university my primary focus should be to be a better Psychology practitioner by putting into practice the theories that I have learned in class. In becoming a good and effective practitioner I stand to helping a lot of people improve their relationships, have more positive thinking, boost their self-esteem and generally improve the quality of their life.

This model is in tune with my motive for wanting to pursue the field of psychology whereby I aimto improve the lifestyle of people and in turn improving the general quality of life. The Graduate School of Clinical Psychology at George Fox University which is an institution that has its roots from a Christian community have been of the opinion that the primary aim of people wanting to pursue this field has been to be able to help people. Therefore I believe that for one to excel in this field one should possess a philanthropic desire in him or her.

(Gathercoal, Adams, 2004). I believe in order to be a proper psychology practitioner I need to increase my knowledge base in this field that I can practice later. This knowledge base is the scholarly background from which I will be able to practice Psychology.I believe that by the time I have fulfilled the academic requirements for one to graduate in the field of Psychology I would have accumulated enough factual and theoretical knowledge in order to ensure that the recommendations and suggestions I present are trustworthy and reliable to the recipients of this information.

“The scholarship of application seeks out ways that research can solve problems and serve society.” (Gathercoal, Adams, 2004). The meaning to this quote is that our everyday encounters and experiences and relationships that engulf our lives should have a relationship with the practice and study of Psychology. According to these findings I have a better feel of how practicing psychology relates to being a scholar in the field of psychology. Hence, I have a better understanding of the term Practitioner-Scholar.

Conclusively In my pursuing of this course I believe my knowledge will go a long way in ensuring I help other people and at the same time better my understanding on this field and hence become an effective Practitioner-Scholar.Works CitedGathercoal, K. A., & Adams, W. V. (2004). The Graduate School of Clinical Psychology atGeorge Fox University: Learning to be a Practitioner-Scholar within a ChristianCommunity. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 23(4), 320-324. Retrieved fromEBSCOhost McClintock, Charles.

"Scholar Practitioner Model."Encyclopedia of Distributed Learning. 2003.SAGE Publications. 23 Mar. 2011. .Practitioner, (2011).In Merriam-Websters Dictionary. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com