DIGNA VERA

6912 Hearthside Drive, Prince George, VA 23875

(80! 269"6726
dig#ir369$veri%on&net
Persona' (tate#ent
During my childhood, I knew that I wanted to be in a field where I could help others. Initially, I had
wanted to become a nurse, but then I heard horror stories of dealing with the death of patients, which gave
me a little scare. Despite the scare, I still wanted to help people in some way. My military service in the
dental field, as a supervisor, offered me the opportunity to respond to the special needs of employees,
customers and Soldiers. Working closely with a diverse population, enhanced my patience, listening
skills, and gave me the opportunity to provide the personalized care individuals needed. his e!perience
made me realize that I have great people skills and motivated me to pursue completion of a degree in the
areas of psychology and mental health.
"t the age of seven, I arrived in the #nited States without any prior knowledge of the $nglish language or
"merican culture. he wonderful students and faculty at %.S. &'& in (rooklyn, )ew *ork were more than
willing to help meet my need to feel like I belonged, since it was a lonely and scary place to be. hat
attentiveness and concern for my needs forged a lasting impression in the person I am today and the
manner in which I help others achieve positive results with their challenging situations. More knowledge
in the field of psychology and mental health will prepare me to be an effective counselor in applying the
necessary tools to assist individuals who may be afraid to seek help due to the stigma attached to mental
health patients, as are many in the military.
My intent is to continue learning in order to grow up to be a fully e+uipped mental health professional
armed with all available resources to provide the community with the very best care. I plan to observe
those who have been in the field for a long time and emulate their positive traits. I would like to have
enough knowledge about psychology and mental health in order to be confident in any clinical setting.
My commitment to work as a counselor in the future is fueled by the good I will be doing in helping
others achieve a positive state of mind. here also seems to be a high demand for counselors with all that
is going on around the world today and I would like to provide my contribution in helping citizens be the
best they can be in these times of consistent change.
he opportunity to have worked for two years as the Instructor of the %rovider ,esiliency %rogram at a
medical facility ignited my interest in counseling even more. "s the instructor, I provided instruction on
the different tools available for providers to apply to their daily routine in order to prevent provider
fatigue, burnout and stress. his e!posure to the different methods of care available in handling stress
management gave me an insight on what individuals were e!periencing because of the lack of
information and neglect of taking care of self. (y talking to individuals privately during follow-up
sessions to see how well they had applied what they learned, opened my eyes to the reality of the
emotional and mental stressors people were e!periencing. )ot being able to provide clinical assistance to
relieve the discomfort of individuals demonstrated to me even more that I didn.t /ust want to be the one
referring clients to behavioral health or the social worker for further assistance, I want to be the person
applying the medical attention and observing the results in the long run. (eing assigned to the (ehavioral
0ealth department and working closely with e!perienced mental health care providers solidified my goal
in becoming a mental health provider.
"s demonstrated in the accompanying resume, my +ualifications include significant military e!perience
and training as well as a (achelor of Science degree in %sychology through the #niversity of Maryland.
My e!cellent communication skills have consistently proven instrumental in my ability to work with a
diverse range of people in individual and group settings. In addition to my counseling people skills, I am
adept at creating an organized, productive atmosphere in a busy, constantly changing environment. "s a
mental health professional employee, I will be driven and committed to achieving your ob/ectives through
superior performance.
Sincerely,
Digna $. 1era