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>> MY NAME IS CHRIS MILLER.
I'M A CURRENT STUDENT PURSUING
MY DOCTORATE OF PSYCHOLOGY
DEGREE AT CALIFORNIA
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY.
I CURRENTLY OPERATE A COUNSELING
PRACTICE HERE IN LOVELY
PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA.
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO
SOMETHING TO HELP PEOPLE.
IN FACT, GROWING UP, I OFTEN
THOUGHT THAT THAT I WOULD LIKE
TO BE A COUNSELOR.
I REALLY ENJOY PUBLIC SPEAKING.
I FOUND THAT I FELT INSPIRED
BY THAT.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS
VERY EXCITED ABOUT.
I PRACTICED IN THE RIVERSIDE
COUNTY AREA HERE IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA UNDER A CLINICAL
SUPERVISOR AS AN INTERN
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND THEN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
TOGETHER WITH THAT TO BE
A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER.
I DID THAT FOR ABOUT TWELVE
YEARS, AND THEN I ACTUALLY
EXPERIENCED SOME BURNOUT
IN MY CAREER.
I REALLY WASN'T SURE WHERE
I WANTED TO GO WITH MY CAREER.
I WAS KIND OF AT A PLACE WHERE
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT MY FUTURE
WAS IN THE FIELD OF COUNSELING,
AND IT WAS A VERY, KIND OF A
DISCOURAGING TIME FOR ME.
I WAS JUST, SORT OF MEANDERING
IN MY CAREER.
SO I ACTUALLY LEFT THE
COUNSELING PROFESSION AFTER
ABOUT 10 OR 12 YEARS.
I KNOW THAT SOMEWHERE BACK IN
MY MIND THAT I ALWAYS KNEW THAT
COUNSELING WAS MY LOVE AND
MY PASSION AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
AND HELPING PEOPLE.
AND IN THE PROCESS OF
SOUL-SEARCHING, REALIZED THAT I
WANTED TO RETURN TO COUNSELING.
I WANTED TO DIG - DIG DEEP ROOTS
AND I REALLY WANTED TO DEVELOP A
CAREER THAT WOULD SUSTAIN
OVER THE LONG HAUL.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT I COULD BE
PROUD OF, A LEGACY OF SORTS THAT
I COULD PASS ON TO MY CHILDREN.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
LOVE ABOUT COUNSELING, WHAT I
LOVE ABOUT THE PEOPLE HELPING
PROFESSION IS THAT IT REALLY
DRAWS FROM YOUR INNER CORE
AS A PERSON.
IT DEMANDS REALLY
THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE.
AND SO I KNEW THAT IF I WAS
GOING TO REIGNITE MY CAREER IN
THE AREA OF COUNSELING.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGING, YET VERY
EXCITING ASPECTS OF THAT
WAS THE FACT THAT I WOULD ALSO
HAVE TO DEVELOP AS A PERSON.
I'VE SPENT SEVERAL YEARS
TINKERING WITH THE IDEA OF GOING
BACK TO SCHOOL, AND HAVE ALWAYS
WANTED TO COMPLETE MY DOCTORATE,
BUT IT NEVER REALLY SEEMED LIKE
THERE WAS THAT RIGHT BALANCE
BETWEEN THE DEGREE PROGRAM
AND THE COST THAT WAS INVOLVED
FINANCIALLY.
MANY OF THE PROGRAMS THAT I
FOUND WERE VERY EXPENSIVE AND I
JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE FUNDS FOR
IT, COULDN'T JUSTIFY IT,
BUT I HEARD A COMMERCIAL ABOUT
CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY.
AND I FOUND THAT THE PRICE
WAS UNBEATABLE.
IT WASN'T JUST A GOOD PRICE,
BUT I ACTUALLY LOOKED
INTO THE PROGRAM.
IT REALLY STRUCK ME AS A VERY
QUALITY PROGRAM.
AND I KNEW AT THAT POINT,
THAT I FOUND THE SCHOOL
THAT I WAS TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE
MY DOCTORATE IN.
WHEN I CONSIDERED THIS Psy.D.
PROGRAM, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS THAT I HAD.
IN A TOUGH ECONOMY,
HOW COULD I
SPEND THIS MONEY?
YOU KNOW, SHOULDN'T I
BE SAVING IT?
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT I
RECOGNIZED IS THAT IT'S VERY
VERY IMPORTANT TO DIG DEEP.
IF YOU'RE COMMITTED AS A
PROFESSIONAL AND YOU REALLY WANT
TO BE SUCCESSFUL, SOMETIMES YOU
HAVE TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH;
YOU HAVE TO TAKE A STEP OUT.
IF YOU HAVE A VISION FOR
DOCTORATE DEGREE, AND THAT'S
SOMETHING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED,
DON'T LET TIME PASS BECAUSE YOU
DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO LOOK BACK
AND SAY, "GOSH, I WISH
I HAD DONE THAT."
STUDYING NOW AND THE THINGS THAT
I'M LEARNING IT'S OPENING UP
A WHOLE NEW WORLD AND I'M
UNDERSTANDING A LOT MORE THAN I
EVER DID BEFORE, AND IT HELPS
ME I THINK BE A MORE
WELL-ROUNDED PERSON.
WE JUST HAVE ONE SHOT AT THIS
LIFE AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET
THAT STAND IN THE WAY.
I'M GOING TO PUSH FORWARD ONE
DAY AT A TIME, ONE STEP AT A
TIME, JUST SHOW UP AND CONTINUE
TO DIG INTO WHAT I ENJOY DOING
AND WHAT MY VISION IS.
IT'S AMAZING THAT AS I'VE DONE
THAT, I'M SEEING THAT VISION
BECOME A REALITY AND THAT'S
A REALLY GREAT FEELING.