Morgan Barkus, continued.
I applied to the Psy D program at Argosy University in the fall of 2007. I was eventually accepted into the Psy D program, but when I went to the orientation something was not right. Before I threw up my hands and gave up all together the admissions counselor at Argosy University suggested that I look into the marriage & family program. I was under the impression that I had to have a doctorate degree to own my own practice, which was my eventual goal in life, but the admissions counselor informed me that I could do that and much more with a master's degree. I was accepted into the program, I went to orientation, and immediately I knew I was in the right place! Not only did I make some wonderful friends in the program, I learned much about myself and the kind of therapist I am. I find joining with clients the easiest part of the job, and after a year-long internship. I finally got the hang of incorporating theories into my sessions with clients. In August of 2010 I officially graduated with my master's degree in marriage & family therapy from Argosy University, and just last weekend I participated in the graduation ceremony. Marriage & family therapy was the path for me because I am fascinated by people's relationships, both intimate, friends, and family. My training allows me to take into account the individual in the context of a system. I also liked my training because if was somewhat "outside of the box". Marriage & family therapy is slowly becoming more popular as a profession under the psychology umbrella... and more recognized as an important mode of therapy.
So where am I going from here? Believe it or not I plan on NOT getting licensed in my field. I have every intention of using my training in the work that I do, but I do not have to be a licensed professional to do what it is I want to do. For the last 4 years while I was working a part-time night job and attending graduate school full-time I was also teaching dance and fitness at a women-only studio. It is called flex appeal studios in downtown Minneapolis: www.flexappealstudios.com. I absolutely LOVE my job. I have found out that I have a deep and sincere passion for teaching... probably because I like to lead, I am outgoing, and I feel so rewarded by the students who continue to take my classes and tell me how much better they feel about themselves inside and out because of what I have encouraged them to bring out in themselves. I happen to lean strongly on solution-focused therapy... believing that the strengths/resources we already have inside of us can be tapped into in order to heal, recover, grow, shine, and succeed in life. I facilitate this transformation through dance and fitness.
My plan is to combine my two passions...teaching exotic dance and fitness and therapy. I am in the process of creating a business plan, finding investors, and deciding where exactly I want to be located. For a few years now I have wanted to live in the LA area, so last month I spent a week out there looking at neighborhoods, learning the city and networking. I want to focus on women's health and wellness, both the physical and the emotional/mental health. Right now I am also working on the business cards! Labeling myself has been interesting... I am deciding on something like: morgan barkus...relationship and intimacy therapist, wellness coach, dance and fitness trainer. I get bored easily and have found that I am not a 9-5 kind of gal... so have always worked at least 2 different jobs in different industries at the same time. Besides teaching and therapy I have a very seasoned marriage & family therapist whom I met at a conference who would like to write a book with me... focusing on love and relationships. Defining love in people's lives and how it plays out in its many forms is another fascination of mine, so writing a book about it will be a wonderful outlet...hopefully opening even more doors.
P.S. I recently got a call from a first-year Gustie asking me for money for the College. She said she was a political science major, but was not sure if that was what she would stick with. I offered this first-year a bit of advice: I told her that I was a psych major and had no doubts that I wanted to major in anything else. I told her that Barbara Simpson had been my advisor and that she gave me a great piece of advice. Dr. Simpson told me to volunteer with AS MANY different populations as I could. She said that not only would it look great on my resume, but that I would soon discover what populations I enjoyed working with and which ones I did not. It was sound and valuable advice. I did what she told me, and I do believe it has aided me in my journey of experiencing/trying many different career paths and then recognizing the ones that I am truly passionate about.