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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Sunny BossenmaierAU PSY492, 2011

Personal Statement

I believe that each person’s story can be their gift. From tragedy to

triumph is the way of hero’s. In order to find that place of triumph,

one must learn to look at their life as self-truth and personal

understanding which cannot be gained in any other way than

from experience. The thing that sets apart a victim from a warrior is

the ability to get past the story and focus on the positive

potential that an experience presents. From this state of mind, a

new place of empathy and compassion is born. In the field of

counseling these skills of empathy and compassion are the

cornerstones of my ability to meet clients where they are at, and

open up a genuine and authentic dialogue that develops a

relationship of trust and support, two qualities that are so

necessary in a successful counseling experience.

Resume

Sunny Bossenmaier601 East 3rd StreetCortez, Colorado 81321 References available upon request

970-565-3117Email: sunglow87@hotmail.com

Position DesiredI am looking for a challenging position as a bereavement coordinator, in a dynamic organization, which will allow me to use my

wide range of experience and knowledge for the benefit of the organization.

Career Profile11 years of experience in the field of bereavement services, spiritual care, and life coaching

Qualifications Experience in palliative care and death and dying processes

Knowledgeable in both adult and child loss issuesExtensive understanding of the prominent theories in bereavement and their application Specialization in self-awareness coaching Qualified in social work case managementDirect experience in complicated grief and loss; including suicide and PTSDTrained in ethics, theology, coaching, elder care, dementia care, and pet bereavement

Professional ExperienceHospice of Montezuma Bereavement Counselor 2009 - CurrentLife Force Awareness Center Certified Life Coach 2001 - CurrentOrdained Minister Ordained Spiritual Counselor 2000 - CurrentErtel Funeral Home Community Grief Specialist 2006 - 2009

EducationUniversity of Oregon * Argosy University * BS Psychology * 2011 * GPA 3.89

SkillsCommunication (verbal and written)* Interpersonal* Objectivity*Awareness of Diversity*Organizational* Problem Solving* Creativity* Empathy and Understanding* Ethics and Values

Reflection

I was not satisfied to just have my certification in life coaching however,

and wanted to complete my formal education process, which I found

was possible through on-line education with the help of Argosy

University. On-line education allowed me to complete my educational

process as I continued my career.

I have in my lifetime always loved reading and learning and although I

have a learning disability, I have learned how to modify my studies to

be successful.

I became aware that I had strengths that if I focused on, such as artwork

and writing, that could help me in other areas I was weaker in. From

that experience and learning the process of how I learn best, I now

carry a grade point average of 3.88 and prioritize fully integrating my

educational experiences into my life experience. I find that the field of

Psychology is a great supportive venue to implement into my career

field, and that is why I have chosen it as my major. It integrates

perfectly into my experience of spiritual counseling, life coaching, and

bereavement work.

Table of Contents

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and

Information Literacy

Research Skills

Communication Skills: Oral and Written

Ethics and Diversity Awareness

Foundations of Psychology

Applied Psychology

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

“Final Analysis: I think this person sees himself as capable and responsible. I think others

see him the same way, although they might not see his stubbornness and his need to

control as positive attributes. I think he believes very much in their ability to change his

behavior based on the choices he makes. I think he may struggle in the future as his

physical abilities start to diminish, and he loses more control over his circumstances.”

Research Skills

“One of the best strategies for assessing clinical significance is to compare a

treatment effect size. Cohen’s d is computed by dividing the difference between

pretreatment and post treatment scores on a dependent measure by either the

pretreatment standard deviation, or the pooled standard deviation. A Cohen d of

.80 is considered to be a large effect size. An effect size of .50 is considered

average and an effect size of .20 is considered a small effect.”

Ethics and Diversity Awareness

I believe the way the women’s rights movement has affected the divorce rate is that,

before the movement, American men traditionally had been able to rely on their

wife's support for their careers, caring for their children, families, and marriages, and

work maintaining the household. Relying on their wives' support, men were then free

to sacrifice their children, their families, and their marriages for their careers (Kagan,

1997). In addition, society encourages men to be aggressive and bossy and women

to be submissive and sensitive (Argosy 2010).

Foundations of Psychology

Distinguish scientific behavior research from speculation and belief.

The main thing which differentiates between scientific behavior research and

speculation and belief is the awareness that our observations and reasoning are

error-prone, and that we must employ strategies that help us guard against

committing error. We do this by development of hypothesis, testing the theories,

control of the alternative explanations, and testing the observable evidence.

Applied Psychology

What is the ultimate criterion that any job evaluation is meant to measure?

The ultimate criterion that any job evaluation is meant to measure describes the

overall goal of performance but is actually a variable that is unable to be measured

completely, such as the level of job success. Job success is generally measured

through an actual criterion in trying to get to as close to a measurement as possible, in

this case, through the evaluation of job performance success and satisfaction of the

person doing the work (Argosy, 2010).

Interpersonal Effectiveness

When I grew up, I learned that the United States was the “Big Melting Pot.” We, the

United States, welcomed all immigrants to our country to become one wonderful “Soup” of

American Culture.

Over time, this popular metaphor for the relationship of immigrant cultures within a

larger nation or dominant culture has shifted from that melting pot image. Today the trend

is toward multiculturalism, not assimilation. One alternative way of thinking about the U.S.

culture is through the metaphor of a "salad bowl," where immigrant cultures maintain their

original integrity in the new national salad.

Communication Skills: Oral and Written

Dear Dr. Freud,

I have read a little of your works and although I am not an

expert on them by any means, and although the current

theories of modern psychology do not hold you in popular

esteem at the moment, I note that many of the basic

fundamentals of what you proposed do still exist in

contemporary form although they might have been modified

or renamed. Although I do not fully agree with your

psychosexual stages of oral, anal, etcetera as described later

in this letter, there is no doubt a similarity between what you

described as anal retentive personality of your day and what

is modernly designated as OCPD (Karr, 2010).

My Future in Learning

Learning is a lifelong process. How do you

envision your future as a lifelong learner?

Every moment in life, every experience, is a

learning process. As long as there is a breath

in me, I will be applying what I have learned

and yearning to learn more. It is in the

learning that brings our experiences meaning

and deepens that meaning so that we can

integrate them from thinking, to doing and

finally into being.

Contact Me

Thank you for viewing my

ePortfolio.

For further information, please

contact me at the e-mail address

below.

SunnyBos.1234@gmail.com