SOP Sample for MS Clinical Psychology in Canada

Statement of Interest

As human beings, we collectively share an admirable range of common attributes. Be that as it may, mankind's biggest thought-provoking facet of being sui generis with every individual from the 7.9 billion population, having their own idiosyncratic features, personality, ideas, etc. has always stimulated me. But the spark that ignited my curiosity for psychology was the movie "Exorcism of Emily Rose". I was spellbound watching the amalgamation of psychology, spirituality, religious beliefs and beyond science explanations, all of whose claims were tried out in a court. What caught my attention was the role of the parapsychologist. The manner in which she explained the impact of thoughts/perceptions on personality and behaviour, and how some people are different from others, was absolutely astounding. The die was cast, and I decided that my calling is the study of psychology.

My years of growing up have been unusual, coming from a divorced household, the reality of being reared by a single mother is plain-spoken—an arduous journey, but the gift of learning and my mother's valuable teachings made me adept and prepared towards life's challenges. On top of that, studying in different schools due to unavoidable circumstances, in addition to beginning college at 18, whilst simultaneously moving alone miles away from home calls upon perpetual work for adjustment. Shedding a positive light on such circumstances, having studied in different schools taught me the significance of cultural diversity, allowing room for the birth of innovative ideas and learning techniques to optimize resources using lateral thinking in conjunction with being a fairly adaptive learner with particular analytical skills, when it comes to dealing with complex reasoning problems.

Belonging from a family of doctors, it was expected of me to carry on the tradition. Subsequently, my intermediate education focused majorly on learning the fundamental principles of science, with biology being my strong suit. Nonetheless, my passion lies in understanding the behaviour of people in varied situations under diverse circumstances. When I enrolled in a B.A. (Honours) Psychology program during college, I realized that I had made the right choice as I found the curriculum of the course eminently interesting and engrossing. Moreover, I discerned that Clinical Psychology is not restricted to merely the disorders as a common man would perceive, relatively, it can be phrased as a big umbrella term for each and every individual's struggle, unique identity, attitude, beliefs, etc. and imagining the sole fact that 7.9 billion individuals take shelter under this umbrella is as fascinating as it can get.

I gained research experience in the laboratory setting under the supervision of a professor of the psychology department. I got to encounter great opportunities to work on as many surveys, subjects and events related to my academic subjects. In the final year, I completed a dissertation titled "Effect of Family and Peers on Morality", an accomplished effort of 6 months of vigorous hard-work and intensive research as well as practical application of research designs and statistical methods. A research paper of the same has been sent under publication. My dissertation entailed the ideality of adolescent's morality being affected by differing relations with family and peers. A crucial conclusion from working on this paper was that it laid the groundwork for understanding juvenile crimes and sexual disorders.

My thirst for knowledge was not bounded within the halls of my undergraduate university. I strived to seek knowledge through internships such as forensic psychology (wherein I was able to analyse case studies based on real-life incidents and develop questionnaires using forensic psychology tools such as Polygraph, Layered Voice Analysis and BEOS), industrial-organizational psychology and neuropsychology. I enrolled myself in a Storytelling and Writing Workshop to become versed about creative writing as it helped me to keep in touch with my hobby as a poet and writer. The course helped me to explore my inner flair in a newer concept. I got to showcase my talent through content writing (psychology related articles) for a website by the name '[ORGANIZATION_NAME]', and to restructure the homepage of company's website, '[COMPANY_NAME].'

Being a student of in-depth learning, I would say inevitably that there are gaps in my psychological knowledge that need to be filled. I believe that a master's program is an appropriate next step as I further narrow down my interest and skill set for what awaits me. It's no surprise that a master's degree in clinical psychology will give me more credibility, freedom and expertise within the field. It will allow me to seek valuable connections, master professional skills and foster personal development. I see myself spending my career primarily in research and teaching. Clinical practice with well-grounded research is an essential building block to ensure that under-served areas gain the narrowed attention as focus of study and practical assistance. I'd like to develop prevention programs and interventions to help address bio-psychosocial issues pertaining to sexual dysfunction, suicidal tendencies and behavioural issues with peers, among adolescents and a position as a teaching assistant and subsequently a university professor would be the ideal way to achieve this goal. Further, I wish to establish my own health centre offering hospital services by psychologist professionals or a school that will teach and nurture young individuals to tackle problems of their age.

To progress in my field I aspire to pursue masters in clinical psychology from [UNIVERSITY_NAME]. With the university's strong emphasis on research and clinical training, particularly, [PROFESSOR_NAME]'s state of art work in designing strong preventive, focus of identifying risk and protective behaviours contributing to individual's sexual health and well-being is one that meshes well with what I am looking for in research speciality, for which I wish to be trained under her supervision. In addition to, I am also interested in Behavioural Neuroscience, wherein I wish to work with [PROFESSOR_NAME] as my research interest lies with the professor's research speciality of impact of sex hormones across lifespan.

The Clinical Psychology program at [UNIVERSITY_NAME] has everything I am looking for in a program, just as I feel I have what the university should be looking for in an incoming student. I believe I am well prepared to enter graduate studies, and my unyielding motivation and career goals are a good match for what your prestigious university has to offer.