Guest Perspective: Exploring Psychological Pathways in Education, Military, and Justice Systems
Editor's Note: As we reach the end of the summer, we wanted to take the opportunity to share the experience of a young student who spent the summer observing CDP programs, interacting with our staff, and how that impacted their interest in the field of psychology.
By Harmony Hill
This summer I had the incredible opportunity to step into three different professional roles to gain insight into what it means to be a psychologist for the military. My name is Harmony and I am a high school senior from Oklahoma with a deep interest in Psychology. I hope to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, and after that, I want to focus on forensic psychology. Over the summer, I worked closely with the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP), served as a junior teaching assistant (TA) for Dr. Patrick DeLeon’s public policy class, and volunteered at the Verizon Youth summer program, all while touring colleges in preparation for fall applications.
During my time with the CDP, I participated in the Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP) Tier One and Two training events. These courses were developed to better prepare community behavioral health providers to work with service members, veterans, and their families. During the Tier One training, I gained another perspective on military culture. Although I have several family members who are currently active duty, it was interesting to see what it's like from an outside point of view. When I was observing the Tier Two training, it was fascinating to see how military psychologists differ from civilian psychologists in the way they treat and work with their patients.
I also had the chance to attend CDP's Summer Institute. This was an amazing experience. As with the SBHP sessions, learning about military culture from an outside perspective was a true eye-opener, even though members of the military surround me. I got to learn about the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) and other ways I could contribute to military psychology. It was fascinating learning about all of the different career paths a psychologist could pursue in the military. I was also introduced to several internships and fellowships within the military, which focused on forensic work, including several that emphasized forensic applications, such as psychological profiling, behavioral analysis, and legal competency evaluations, which are areas of great interest to me, as I explore psychology and how it relates to the justice system. Lastly, all of the speakers at the Summer Institute were genuinely excited to be there and shared valuable insight into what it means to be a military psychologist and how they navigated their career paths.
I also connected with CDP faculty members this summer. Dr. Heather Tompkins was the first faculty member I met with, and I learned that she also wanted to go the forensic route, but ultimately chose an alternative. When I met with Dr. Timothy Rogers, he gave me valuable insight into his role as a psychologist in the Air Force and explained how the responsibilities of psychologists can vary across different military branches.
Throughout my time with CDP, I had a wonderful mentor, Dr. Diana Dolan. She was so welcoming to me and set me up with all of these amazing programs and people this summer. Dr. Dolan also gave me great advice about what applying to undergrad and graduate school is like, which will be very helpful soon.
This summer, I also had the opportunity to TA for Professor Dr. DeLeon, the former APA president. His class was focused on public policy, specifically in the military and government sectors. My role was to support Dr. DeLeon and the students, which provided me with the knowledge on how policies affect different groups, how the government makes decisions, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of those policies.
A specific policy I thought was fascinating was DoD Instruction 6490.08; this policy governs how mental health evaluations are done for military service members. Learning how such evaluations impact both member well-being and overall military readiness deepened my interest in forensic psychology, where clinicians must make ethical and high-stakes decisions that often affect legal outcomes. In the end, working with Dr. DeLeon was an incredible experience- he was welcoming, encouraging, and generous with his knowledge.
Another highlight of my summer was volunteering with the Verizon Young Achievers STEM program. This summer initiative was developed to allow young students to expand their vision for the future. I participated in various activities alongside the students, each of which was designed to teach them the importance of STEM and how it can empower individuals with impairments. It opened my eyes to how an impairment can impact psychological functioning, which deepened my interest in psychology- especially forensic psychology, where understanding how impairments or trauma affect behavior can be essential in courtrooms, correctional facilities, and policy development.
This summer provided me with the opportunity to learn more about various aspects of psychology and reaffirmed my passion for the field. Learning about military culture through the CDP, helping kids in the Verizon STEM program, and supporting students in public policy broadened my understanding of how people are shaped by their surroundings. Having a family member who is a psychologist in the military made these experiences even more personal and meaningful. I have seen what she has been able to do to help people, which has inspired me to promote justice in the military. I want to learn why some members of the military feel as if they have to act with criminal intentions. I’m particularly drawn to the legal and psychological challenges of high-pressure settings, such as the military and the justice system. Now, I’m more excited than ever to study forensic psychology and pursue a career where I can make a real difference. This summer helped me grow, gain clarity, and move closer to the future I’ve been dreaming about.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Ms. Harmony Hill is a rising senior from Oklahoma who’s passionate about understanding people and helping them through the challenges of life. She plans to study clinical psychology in college and plans to specialize in forensic psychology while pursuing her degree.
Editor's Note: As we reach the end of the summer, we wanted to take the opportunity to share the experience of a young student who spent the summer observing CDP programs, interacting with our staff, and how that impacted their interest in the field of psychology.
By Harmony Hill
This summer I had the incredible opportunity to step into three different professional roles to gain insight into what it means to be a psychologist for the military. My name is Harmony and I am a high school senior from Oklahoma with a deep interest in Psychology. I hope to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, and after that, I want to focus on forensic psychology. Over the summer, I worked closely with the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP), served as a junior teaching assistant (TA) for Dr. Patrick DeLeon’s public policy class, and volunteered at the Verizon Youth summer program, all while touring colleges in preparation for fall applications.
During my time with the CDP, I participated in the Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP) Tier One and Two training events. These courses were developed to better prepare community behavioral health providers to work with service members, veterans, and their families. During the Tier One training, I gained another perspective on military culture. Although I have several family members who are currently active duty, it was interesting to see what it's like from an outside point of view. When I was observing the Tier Two training, it was fascinating to see how military psychologists differ from civilian psychologists in the way they treat and work with their patients.
I also had the chance to attend CDP's Summer Institute. This was an amazing experience. As with the SBHP sessions, learning about military culture from an outside perspective was a true eye-opener, even though members of the military surround me. I got to learn about the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) and other ways I could contribute to military psychology. It was fascinating learning about all of the different career paths a psychologist could pursue in the military. I was also introduced to several internships and fellowships within the military, which focused on forensic work, including several that emphasized forensic applications, such as psychological profiling, behavioral analysis, and legal competency evaluations, which are areas of great interest to me, as I explore psychology and how it relates to the justice system. Lastly, all of the speakers at the Summer Institute were genuinely excited to be there and shared valuable insight into what it means to be a military psychologist and how they navigated their career paths.
I also connected with CDP faculty members this summer. Dr. Heather Tompkins was the first faculty member I met with, and I learned that she also wanted to go the forensic route, but ultimately chose an alternative. When I met with Dr. Timothy Rogers, he gave me valuable insight into his role as a psychologist in the Air Force and explained how the responsibilities of psychologists can vary across different military branches.
Throughout my time with CDP, I had a wonderful mentor, Dr. Diana Dolan. She was so welcoming to me and set me up with all of these amazing programs and people this summer. Dr. Dolan also gave me great advice about what applying to undergrad and graduate school is like, which will be very helpful soon.
This summer, I also had the opportunity to TA for Professor Dr. DeLeon, the former APA president. His class was focused on public policy, specifically in the military and government sectors. My role was to support Dr. DeLeon and the students, which provided me with the knowledge on how policies affect different groups, how the government makes decisions, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of those policies.
A specific policy I thought was fascinating was DoD Instruction 6490.08; this policy governs how mental health evaluations are done for military service members. Learning how such evaluations impact both member well-being and overall military readiness deepened my interest in forensic psychology, where clinicians must make ethical and high-stakes decisions that often affect legal outcomes. In the end, working with Dr. DeLeon was an incredible experience- he was welcoming, encouraging, and generous with his knowledge.
Another highlight of my summer was volunteering with the Verizon Young Achievers STEM program. This summer initiative was developed to allow young students to expand their vision for the future. I participated in various activities alongside the students, each of which was designed to teach them the importance of STEM and how it can empower individuals with impairments. It opened my eyes to how an impairment can impact psychological functioning, which deepened my interest in psychology- especially forensic psychology, where understanding how impairments or trauma affect behavior can be essential in courtrooms, correctional facilities, and policy development.
This summer provided me with the opportunity to learn more about various aspects of psychology and reaffirmed my passion for the field. Learning about military culture through the CDP, helping kids in the Verizon STEM program, and supporting students in public policy broadened my understanding of how people are shaped by their surroundings. Having a family member who is a psychologist in the military made these experiences even more personal and meaningful. I have seen what she has been able to do to help people, which has inspired me to promote justice in the military. I want to learn why some members of the military feel as if they have to act with criminal intentions. I’m particularly drawn to the legal and psychological challenges of high-pressure settings, such as the military and the justice system. Now, I’m more excited than ever to study forensic psychology and pursue a career where I can make a real difference. This summer helped me grow, gain clarity, and move closer to the future I’ve been dreaming about.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Ms. Harmony Hill is a rising senior from Oklahoma who’s passionate about understanding people and helping them through the challenges of life. She plans to study clinical psychology in college and plans to specialize in forensic psychology while pursuing her degree.