"I love getting to train clinicians. Watching and helping them learn how to be effective counselors and clinicians is one of the coolest things. My goal is to train highly competent, ethical, and rigorously prepared mental health professionals," Said. Dr. Kelly.
When students enter UTPB's Master of Arts in Psychology program, they are preparing for more than a career. They are preparing to support individuals through some of life's most challenging moments. As demand for mental health services continues to grow across the Permian Basin, UTPB is strengthening its commitment to training future providers with the addition of a new faculty member whose experience and passion are helping shape the next generation of mental health professionals.
Meet Dr. Madison Kelly Ph.D.; she is both a licensed psychologist and licensed school psychologist. She joins the psychology department as an assistant professor for the M.A. in Psychology – Clinical Psychology track. She was previously in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where she worked in private practice and in various primary schools in the area.
Dr. Kelly decided to join the UTPB psychology department to help address the shortage of mental health providers in the Permian Basin and prepare for our students to effectively fill those gaps.
"I love getting to train clinicians," said Dr. Kelly. "Watching and helping them learn how to be effective counselors and clinicians is one of the coolest things. My goal is to train highly competent, ethical, and rigorously prepared mental health professionals."
Dr. Kelly grew up in a rural area and did her observation hours at a clinic in a rural area. She hopes to bring that previous knowledge and experience to help serve the Permian Basin effectively.
Her interest in teaching began while working in a private practice in the Dallas area and having an opportunity to supervise post-doctoral psychology graduates in their clinical hours. While working with them, she found that they were challenging her in ways she hadn't thought of in a while and opening her mind to other perspectives that encouraged her to learn more.
"They would ask me about things I may not have fully known about and bring questions that challenged me. I enjoyed working and collaborating with them and getting an opportunity to learn more," Dr. Kelly said.
In class, Dr. Kelly will prepare students with the diagnostic, therapeutic, and neuropsychological assessment skills to be successful. Then, in the new Mental Health Center at UTPB, students will complete their observation hours alongside Dr. Kelly as they train to become clinical psychologists.
