Career Path Of A Clinical Psychologist At UCLA
Reina's career path began early, with volunteer work at a camp for children with speech delays where they "fell in love with working with that population." This passion led to research roles, a PhD in Clinical Psychology specializing in intervention research at Virginia Tech, a UCLA internship, and Reina's current position as a Clinical Psychologist at UCLA and Spectrum Psych LA.
Clinical Psychology, Autism, Intervention Research, PhD Program, Career Path
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Reina Factor
Clinical Psychologist
UCLA and Spectrum Psych LA
Emory University 2012
Virginia Tech PhD Clinical Psychology
Psychology
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Medical
Honors Student, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Reina's early interest in working with children with autism, starting with volunteering in eighth grade, solidified her career path.
2. Her college experiences involved working in an autism research lab and completing an honors thesis in the field, which further confirmed her passion for psychology and working with this population.
3. Reina's graduate education included a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Tech, specializing in intervention research involving families, followed by an internship at UCLA's autism track, leading to her current positions at UCLA and Spectrum Psych LA.
Transcript
Can you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I became interested in this field before college. The summer after eighth grade, I started volunteering at a camp for children with speech delays.
Most of the children had an autism diagnosis, and I fell in love with working with this population. I returned to the camp summer after summer, and I had an "aha" moment where I realized this is what I wanted to do.
In college, I worked in an autism research lab, exploring how I wanted to work with this population. I landed on psychology and completed an honors thesis focusing on autism and early detection.
After college, I worked in an intervention research lab. That's where I solidified my interests, both clinically and research-wise. Then, I went to grad school for a PhD program at Virginia Tech.
There, I studied Clinical Psychology, specializing in intervention research involving families. I then completed my internship, which is like a residency where you match. I matched at UCLA in the autism track, and I've been there ever since.