Informational Interview Research Paper

Words: 832
Pages: 4

Informational Interview for Careers in Psychology
To me, the field of psychology will always remain an interesting area of study that involves social, cognitive, and developmental work. Personally, I am more interested in the social/health aspects of psychology, focusing on how thoughts and behaviors are influenced and the implications of these qualities. For the informational interview, I conducted a phone call with my mother’s coworker, Steven Warren. Mr. Warren works as County Administrator for the York/Adams Mental Health-Intellectual Developmental Disabilities Program (MH-IDD), located on 100 West Market Street, York PA 17401. I recognized the importance of this opportunity and took the time to research a bit more into the field of social
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Prior to becoming Administrator in York County, he worked as a caseworker, casework supervisor, and Director of Case Management in York and Chester Counties. Mr. Warren has held his current position since 1984. I asked him about what made him choose a career relating to human services, and he stated that he cares about the overall well being of the general populace and wants to ensure the best possible treatment for those impacted by mental disorders and illnesses. He mentioned that the best part of his job is working with staff and clientele on providing the best community services to citizens that are the most vulnerable. “Watching people succeed in their everyday lives is a humbling experience, and I am humbled to be a part of it.” To follow, I asked what aspects of Mr. Warren’s career are the …show more content…
He said that overseeing the emergency hospitalization procedures for individuals in psychiatric crisis is his least favorite aspect of his job. For example, someone that has a severe mental illness might need to be emitted to a medical location promptly, for maximum benefit of the individual and those that surround him/her. Also, Mr. Warren stated that, “reviewing cases that result in inpatient hospitalization continues to be a wakeup call; I’ve come to the understanding that people in my community can be very fragile, and there are many people in need of urgent assistance.” With all of these issues that negatively impact communities, I asked him how he is able to manage stressful situations, while overseeing a staff. He relayed to me, “I use my counseling experience every day to manage over 180 staff members. Managing different types of people can be very challenging at times; there are a variety of personalities and work styles that constantly need tweaking in order to make the whole system work.” He has to do everything from sending out updates, going off site to residential facilities, and consulting with senior leadership staff. I asked him what a typical day might look like, and he stated that, “a day can be entirely unpredictable. What is scheduled can be