Random
SAMPLE
Patricia Stankovitch, PsyD
admires is a Kenyan woman who had
Stankovitch co-led the multidisciplinary
team that evaluated her for posttraumatic stress disorder and other
signs of psychological trauma, helped
her find housing and learn English,
and supported her in court when she
fought for — and won — asylum. Today,
Stankovitch says, the woman is living in a
safe place, is enrolled in school and “has a
hopeful future.”
The former human resources exec dropped her “fancy title” to work as a counseling psychologist. “My family thought I was crazy,” she says, “but they’re proud of me now.”
Maintaining her balance:
When Stankovitch first joined the
Interprofessional Center in 2007, it
Member since: 1997
says. But she was unhappy. “I remember
saw about 60 clients each year, but
What she does: Stankovitch is the
director of psychological services
at the University of St. Thomas’s
Interprofessional Center, a Minneapolis
clinic that offers free psychological, social
work and legal services to underserved
populations. She also sees patients and
is a full-time clinical faculty member
in the university’s Graduate School of
Professional Psychology.
reading a book about someone who had
worked his way to the top of the ladder
and then realized it was leaning against the
wrong wall,” she says. “That was me.”
After seeking guidance from a career
counselor, Stankovitch realized that her
strengths were in training employees
and helping them work out conflicts
with colleagues. “It was as if I’d been
doing counseling without having the
credentials,” she says. So, at age 43, she
its client base has grown rapidly ever
since. Last year, Stankovitch supervised
about a dozen graduate and doctoral
psychology students and interns who
served 252 people. Despite her increasing
responsibilities, Stankovitch finds time
to read “non-psychology” books, such as
mysteries by Janet Evanovich and Erica
Spindler, and to go to cultural events with
family and friends. “It’s really important
to spend time away from work and
The wrong wall: Twenty years ago,
Stankovitch held a high-powered job in
human resources with a great salary, good
benefits and “a fancy corporate title,” she
enrolled in St. Thomas’s Graduate School
of Professional Psychology, where she
earned her master’s degree in counseling
and a PsyD in counseling psychology.
engage in your own therapy,” she says.
—ANNA MILLER
Each month, “Random Sample” profiles
an APA member. You may be next.
