The first time she had heard about Phillips, she was an undergraduate at CSUN, and had a friend who was considering attending the graduate school for an MFT degree. At the time, she says, it stuck with her as an interesting program, but as she was a sophomore, one that still felt far away. A full later seven years, Rosa describes how she happened to drive by the Phillips campus, lost in thought. She had just faced a professional disappointment when she saw the Phillips sign outside their old Chatsworth campus. Suddenly, she remembered her friend who had applied, and thought, “I can do this too.”
She attended an informational session shortly afterwards, and a Phillips Graduate Institute recruiter with whom she immediately connected. She knew then that she was going to become a psychotherapist.
Today, she’s in her second term at Phillips. “It’s the best thing that could have ever happened,” she says. “The staff is very supportive; the door is always open, and everyone is an email away. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
When asked about her favorite element of the program she does not hesitate. “The case conference program is my favorite. In most programs, you can’t see clients until after you graduate. With the case conference class at Phillips, you’re watching sessions and participating in some way immediately and applying what you’re learning.”
After graduation, Rosa says she’s most interested in pursuing a private practice helping clients resolve generational traumas, those that repeat over and over again without intervention. She advises anyone thinking about a Master’s Program in Marriage and Family Therapy program to consider Phillips for a hands on, rigorous academic experience.
As a teenager, Rosa recounts how she herself had a psychotherapist, one who helped her confront and overcome challenges she faced in her own life. She describes how much she loved the experience, and that she knew someday she wanted to become a therapist, too. Now, she says, she looks forward to being able to help others move forward on their journeys towards fulfillment. A circle finally closed, a sign on a street corner: for Rosa Gomez, a dream has been made real.
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