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Shanda Reynelli, MA '04
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
Department of Applied Psychology
Peer-to-Peer Interaction Proves Valuable for CMHC Student
After graduating from college with a visual and performing arts degree, Shanda Reynelli came across Antioch University New England while looking for drama therapy programs. “I was immediately attracted to Antioch because of how the admissions staff really cared about me as a person-it was obvious this was a community of people who cared about each other.”
The sense of community Shanda experienced during the admissions process carried through her degree program. “The process was phenomenal. One of the most valuable parts of my program was the peer-to-peer interaction. It was important to have dialogue across lines. We spent a lot of time processing the process, which was really important. The debate and banter and intense discussion resulted in a huge learning experience.”
Shanda also credits the diversity of her group for enriching the learning experience. “We were a diverse group, with a variety of ages and levels of experience represented, and we were all valued for our unique experiences, thought processes, and values systems. We realized there was a lot we could learn from each other.”
“The interactive nature of the program, all of the practice-based experience, prepared me for life after graduate school.” Currently Shanda manages a caseload of up to forty clients as a clinical case manager. She counsels children and adolescents and assists their immediate families in finding and working with different state and community agencies for support in the greater Manchester area.
Shanda is looking excitedly to the future, with goals of earning licensure and working with children with pervasive developmental disorder-combining her expressive arts and counseling backgrounds to help children function better in the world around them.
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