Bronwyn Williams
- Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2024)
Bronwyn earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2024. Since graduating, she has begun pursuing a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counselling Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Alongside her graduate studies, she works as an Administrative Assistant at , a Research Assistant in 杏吧原创 University’s Social Identity & Health Lab, and a Physiotherapy Aid at the and Sports Medicine Clinics.
“Don’t get caught up in following the crowds and feeling rushed to make decisions or do what other people are doing/want you to do. It can feel overwhelming and daunting to try and figure out what to do with your life but it’s also your life so you should live it in accordance to your values! I took 3 gap years between high school and starting post-secondary. During which I took a HUGE range of courses including fashion design, calculus, woodworking, and intro to sculpture (and of course psychology) in order to explore all my interests. It then took me 6 years to do my 4 year undergraduate degree because I skied on the varsity team and wanted to do both school and athletics well (doing full courses and and skiing would have been too much for me to perform well at both). After my undergraduate degree I struggled to decide what route to take and the only reason I chose a counselling psychology masters is because it was the only program I was accepted into (I applied to 8 different places and only got accepted to one!). That said, I am still happy to finish this program and work for a couple years, while continuing to ski competitively, before deciding whether I want to go back to school for clinical psychology or psychiatry. Then again, maybe I won’t want to go back to school or will hate working as a psychotherapist so will choose to move into the country and start a hobby farm!”
Brief description of what I do!
I am a Student-Athlete at the University of Ottawa going into my second year of the Counselling Psychology M.Ed. program to become a registered psychotherapist. In addition to my studies I have been a competitive cross country skier for many year and have recently been pre-selected to represent Canada at the World University Games in Chungcheong, China this coming Winter which will be the third time I have been named to Team Canada for this event. Outside of skiing and school I spend a lot of time working to fund my skiing and school. When I have free time (which isn’t often) I like to hangout with friends and family, video edit, sew, crochet, and watch reality tv (horrible I know
What inspired your career path after graduation?
Coming out of my undergraduate degree at 杏吧原创 I was pretty set on applying for graduate school. I kept flip-flopping between psychotherapy (Masters only) clinical psychology (Masters+Ph.D.) and MED School and ended up applying to all three. As an athlete I have had my fair share of injuries and mental health trials which has given me the motivation and passion to help others who have dealt with similar things. As a result, moving into a helping profession, especially one related to working with athletes, became a goal my goal.
How did your experience in the psychology program shape your journey?
During my time in the Psychology program I only took 2 courses in person and the other 38 were online because of covid in addition to choosing online courses in order to avoid missing classes while traveling for competitions. As a result, I had to work hard to stay on top of class material because it would have been easy to fall behind, especially with asynchronous courses where there was no scheduled meeting time.
What skills or experiences were most valuable after graduation?
After graduating from my undergrad I started working at a mental health clinic as an administrator. Working for clinical psychologists and registered psychotherapist helped me learn about what working as a clinician would entail. Furthermore, I kept working at my undergraduate thesis supervisor’s lab post graduation which led to additional opportunities for me including presenting at the in Birmingham UK, in addition to the in Montreal and the Canadian Psychological Association in Ottawa. Building a strong clinical and research experiential base during my gap year between my undergrad and Master’s was paramount for me receiving admissions into my current graduate program.
Do you have a favourite memory from your program at 杏吧原创?
Within the Psychology department I learned the most from taking courses with Cheryl Harasymchuk, Kim Lassiter, Matthew Sorley, Deepthi Kamawar. I love the neuroscience profs as well so strongly recommend taking courses with Kim Hellemans, Chris Rudyk, and Matthew Holahan.
What has been a highlight or proud moment in your career so far?
My younger self struggled with self-confidence and didn’t think I would be good enough to participate in University. As a result, my proudest moment was probably graduating from my undergraduate degree with a senate medal for outstanding academic achievement, not because I am an intellectual but because I worked my butt off to get the degree!