January 25th, 2012
I am finding it surprisingly bittersweet to be in my last semester as a student at Loyola. By the time May arrives, I will have completed all of my academic coursework. While I will be very happy without homework assignments, I will miss the stimulating discussions and the warm atmosphere of the classrooms. Of course, I will be immersed in the work needed to write and defend the dissertation. If all goes well, perhaps I can claim the title of “Doctor Wilkins” by the end of this calendar year.
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November 26th, 2011
This is an exciting time for me. The semester is winding down, and I’m really grateful because it has been intense. In addition to my classes, I have had the opportunity to co-author some publications, and now I’m involved in some intriguing research. Because I’m studying pastoral counseling, spirituality and religiousness are part of the package when considering aspects of human functioning. The latest research will examine the association between business-related variables and spirituality/religiousness. I’m eager to see where this will lead.
If you are willing, please participate in the survey we are using to accrue the data:
https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=145365
It is a bit long, granted, but your willingness to contribute will help us to examine the relationships among all the variables. Thanks in advance!
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September 10th, 2011
September has begun and so has my school schedule. As I begin my final year of coursework, I am having some mixed feelings. While it is exciting to be nearing the end of my doctoral program, it is also a little scary. I am looking forward to interacting with my professors and classmates, but the thought of the huge pile of required readings is a bit overwhelming.
In addition to taking classes, I will continue to work at Key Point as a psychotherapist and to work at Loyola as a graduate/teaching assistant. Weekends will be spent with my nose in a book (or pdf file) or writing papers. My apologies to my family and friends, but the fall semester will be over in December. That’s the month (or perhaps January), when my newest grandchild will arrive!
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August 23rd, 2011
We felt a 5.8 earthquake here in the Baltimore area today. Most places were undamaged, although St. Patrick’s church in Fell’s Point has now been closed due to the quake. I was working at the Columbia campus of Loyola University. We felt the shaking, but other than the emotional impact, nothing bad seemed to happen.
I started thinking about what we take for granted. It is extremely rare for earthquakes to hit our part of the country. While we may have a hurricane coming this weekend, we are not usually in their paths. Other parts of the US as well as other countries deal pretty routinely with earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, brush fires, tsumanis, and other traumatic events.
One of my professors researches spirituality and trauma. I have been very interested to see how people have been commenting on social networking sites and how many have questioned whether God has intentionally sent some kind of message via this hurricane. Personally, my experience is of a loving God who does not have a vengeful agenda. What are your thoughts about this? Have you lived through a natural disaster, and if so, did it impact your image of God?
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July 24th, 2011
Spirituality is central to my studies as a pastoral counseling student. As I head toward the tail end of my doctoral studies, I intend to examine the spiritual aspects of social media. The most obvious, to me, is the connectedness of online communities, especially in the areas of grieving and of sharing joyous experiences. Because I am enrolled in a counselor education program, I would like to do my research in the area of social media as an educational tool. Does posting a video on YouTube help to enhance relationships with students? Do Facebook and Twitter have a place in the instructional arena? What are the boundary issues involved, especially with sites such as LinkedIn?
If you are an educator and have used social media to connect with your students, I would love to hear from you. What insights can you share with me?
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June 14th, 2011
Are you grateful for particular people or experiences or other blessings? One of my friends is fascinated by gratitude and is doing her doctoral research on that concept. If you would be willing to participate in her survey, click here. She will be very grateful, as will I.
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