Bailey Mead

***Pre-Professional and Professional Goals*** I am currently working towards earning my undergraduate degree in Psychology, with concurrent certification in Addictions Counseling. Upon graduation, I will be eligible to sit for examination and apply for licensing through the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board to become a Licensed Addiction Counselor in the State of Kansas. I am competing for consideration from several prestigious graduate programs across the country, as I hope to pursue my PhD with an emphasis in Clinical Neuropsychology. Prior to pursuing my current educational endeavors, I took time to explore many fields to decide how I might best utilize my strengths and experiences in the world around me. Among other things, I am a former Juvenile Correctional Officer and a former foster child, which has blessed me with some amazing insight into the unique needs and experiences of at-risk youth and their families. I have also dedicated substantial time and research to encouraging individuals within my peer groups as they worked to overcome major challenges associated with several serious and pervasive mental illnesses and chronic health conditions. My future professional goals are to make my own impact in the mental health community by developing better screening protocols, and more effective treatment modalities, for survivors of childhood trauma. I hope to develop a Standard of Care for this population that changes the way and pace that we heal from childhood trauma on a national scale. Additionally, it is my goal to continuously advocate for more comprehensive medical screenings of mental health consumers, who I am finding frequently suffer from undiagnosed medical conditions that may better explain their psychiatric symptoms and inhibit their recovery.