Student Ambassador: Michelle Sidhom

My name is Michelle Sidhom and I am a third-year clinical PsyD student at William James College. I am from Long Island, New York and recently moved to Boston, MA in 2021. I attended Fairfield University in Connecticut for my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I took a gap year between attending undergrad and WJC in which I was an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist doing in-home therapy with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Getting my doctorate in clinical psychology has always been the path I wanted to take since I was young. Initially, I always wanted to work with children and families in underserved populations. WJC seemed like a great place for me to continue doing work with my areas of interest. As an Egyptian-American it was very important to me to find an institution that took culture diversity highly into consideration. WJC truly takes into consideration working with diverse populations which called my name. Throughout my time here, I’ve realized I wanted to work with adults as well. WJC provides ample opportunities to become a part of various groups/clubs, teaching assistant opportunities, and research assistant opportunities. Currently, I am a research assistant with Dr. Block working on a critical thinking project. All the staff here have been extremely supportive and understanding throughout my journey here and provided several opportunities to meet with them!

After receiving my doctorate degree, I hope to work with underserved populations from diverse communities. It is important for me to work with individuals from all age ranges including individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy. William James has provided me with ample opportunities to get involved and gain experience with different treatment approaches at different training sites.

The faculty have been extremely helpful and understanding of all individual needs including professors and advisors. They have all made me feel welcomed and open to ask any questions or concerns that I have. After moving, I was worried I wouldn’t find a sense of community, but WJC has made me feel that; whether it be getting involved with clubs, clerkships, work-study, TA positions, or just generally building great relationships with peers and faculty. I would love to provide the needed support and advice for first and second-year students. My advice to you is to get involved early as much as you can. Build good relationships with supervisors and faculty as those are the individuals that will guide you through your current experience and all future experiences.