[ad_1]
Research changes everyone’s life for the better and that’s why on July 5, 2023, at MQ Mental Health Research, we celebrate Research Appreciation Day and we invite you to join us. It is time for us to take the time to see how much research is changing the world and the society in which we live. Research cannot be done without researchers. This is why we present to you our recent researchers.
Research Appreciation Day – Presentation by Dr. Marisa E. Marraccini
Name: Marisa E. Marraccini, MQ Fellow 2022, University of North Carolina
Professionnal career : Research and Psychology
Current research: promote the mental health of children and adolescents as part of their daily life in the school environment; currently in development and test an intervention in virtual reality to supplement inpatient treatment for adolescents hospitalized for suicide-related crises, and to conduct research that partners with young people to develop and spreading therapeutic skills through social media.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I was never the kid who had an idea for a job. I think I wanted to do it all. I always do.
My father is a jewelry designer, my mother is a photographer and my brother is an architect. So I always thought that I would eventually become creative. I studied art for a year in college, where I learned that creativity and art are not the same thing – and that I was neither a skilled artist nor an art enthusiast. ! Instead, I studied yoga and muscle therapy (massage), working in a plethora of customer service jobs (retail restaurants), and teaching yoga to children and adults.
When I went back to college to complete my bachelor’s degree, I thought I might become a teacher, but found holistic psychology instead (a good match for my passion for yoga and massage and my interest in personal services). Still, my favorite course during my degree was statistics. From there, I discovered my passion for research in the context of child and youth mental health, which eventually evolved into my focus on suicide prevention.
I trained as a school psychologist at the University of Rhode Island where I did my internship in a rural school district. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in suicide assessment research at Brown University Alpert School of Medicine. I am currently a faculty member of the School Psychology Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a licensed psychologist in North Carolina.
I always feel called to “do it all”, so I feel incredibly lucky to have landed in this job: I can study an infinite number of things (including creative processes) with the aim of helping children!
What’s your favorite part of a study?
My two favorite parts of a study are first, the beginning – imagining all the incredible possibilities for making positive changes – dreaming super big.
And second, connecting with teenagers chasing those dreams – learning what they think about the ideas, trying to understand their experiences, and collaborating to make the ideas better and more relevant.
What is the biggest challenge of working in research?
I think the biggest challenge is balancing the many moving parts of search. In a single day, my role can go from academic writing, to connecting with families (and sometimes suicide risk assessment), to presenting to a group of school professionals, writing a scenario for an intervention.
All of this involves supervision and training; quick and on-the-ground decisions; and ongoing mentorship and support. And the work is never done!
[ad_2]
Source link
