Brittany N. Barber
4th year doctoral student in counseling psychology
Brittany Barber has been dancing since she was 18 months old. These days, she’s got her hands full as a fourth year doctoral student in counseling psychology. But, she hasn’t put away her dancing shoes. Instead, she volunteers her time teaching tap dancing to youth in Milwaukee.
Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap (MHBT) is an educational dance program serving low-income schools in Milwaukee’s central city. During a time when so many arts programs are being cut from schools, MHBT focuses on helping kids to learn about artistic expression and creative outlets for their thoughts and feelings.
“Their mission really spoke to me because it gives children a means to express themselves, learn control, and value interpersonal respect,” says Brittany. “I’ve learned so much from my students about the strengths and difficulties that ethnic minority youth experience.”
Although she’s taking a break from the MHBT program this semester, Brittany isn’t taking a break from her work with children and adolescents. She is currently completing her pediatric psychology practicum at the Jane B. Pettit Pain and Palliative Care Center in Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She has also started preliminary work on her dissertation, which will focus on ethnic minority youth and their perceptions of familial relationships.
“While these all are very different experiences, they each have ultimately allowed me the opportunity to do what I feel that I am called to do,” Brittany remarks, “That is, to help young people to achieve their optimal level of functioning while providing a fun atmosphere and a supportive presence.”
Here are Brittany’s answers to our student spotlight questions:
Write a six-word memoir of your College of Education experiences so far.
Be caring for the whole person.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received or given?
As I reflected on the many different pieces of advice that I have been given over the years, I felt it was hard to choose just one piece as “the best.” Some of my favorite phrases to live by are to live in the moment, to follow what makes you happy, and to push yourself to be the best that you can. There is one quote that has been resonating with me recently though that I think is appropriate to share in this context. It comes from Marianne Williamson’s book: “A return to love: Reflections on the principles of a course in miracles.” In the book, she writes: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” I have found that this quote often inspires me to push through my own fears of self-doubt and insecurity to realize that I really can make a powerful, and hopefully positive, impact on those children and adolescents with whom I work and on all of the other human beings that I come into contact with every day.
What first sparked your passion for counseling?
My passion for psychology grew out of a few early experiences. First, when I was young, one of my siblings saw a psychologist for help overcoming anxiety related to fears for the safety of my family. I witnessed a profound behavioral change in my brother, which initiated in me a sincere respect for this profession as a child. As a teenager, my parents always encouraged volunteerism and taught by example the virtue of helping others when you can. Then, as an undergraduate, I was intrigued by the research work of psychologists whose goal was to understand human behavior. As I began to apply for graduate school, I learned that it was the field of counseling psychology that really allowed me to pursue my values within both academic and professional settings that were bursting with possibilities for inquiry and intervention.
What are your predictions for the future of counseling?
My main prediction for the future of psychology is that it will continue to be influenced by what is being learned in the areas of neurobehavioral sciences and genetics. It is my hope that we as psychologists use these advances to provide more comprehensive, research-supported, and useful therapies for our clients.
What is one question we should all be asking much more often about the current state or future of counseling?
How do we continue to bridge the gap between research and practice?
You wake up in ten years. Where are you and what are you doing?
My reason for enrolling in the doctoral program in counseling psychology was to learn how to help youth. I believe that my education at Marquette University has given me an excellent foundation of skills and knowledge that I will be able to use to help the children that I meet. Therefore, in ten years, I hope to be putting my skills to good use! I see myself practicing as a child counseling psychologist either in a private practice or in a children’s hospital clinic. To me, this means helping children and adolescents who need guidance, support, and empathy. I’ve always felt that if I could just help one child in some way, I will have achieved my purpose on this earth. I hope that by pursuing this training, I will be able to help many more than just one.
What does it mean to be a woman on Marquette’s campus in 2010?
To me, it is a huge honor to be a woman on Marquette’s campus in 2010. When I learned that Marquette had been admitting women since 1909, I must admit, I was as equally surprised as I was impressed. I never would have thought that this university, which is founded on the beliefs of the Catholic Church (a traditionally male-dominated institution), would have been a leader in co-education. I was very pleased to learn this about Marquette’s heritage and this knowledge made me very proud of the fact that I will be part of the distinguished lineage of Marquette alumnae.
“When the roses speak, I pay attention.”
The Marquette Educator 