memories with friends, pursues learning

Jessica Broussard Baudoin, 25, is a second-year Ph.D student studying Marriage and Family Therapy.

I am from a small, southern Louisiana town called Erath. My family lives along Bayou Tigue, which is much like Bayou DeSiard. The town is located in the Acadiana region, and it is heavily influenced by traditions and customs of the Cajun people.

I am the Assistant Director of Clinical Services for our Marriage and Family Therapy clinic, where I am also a therapist intern seeing clients with various presenting issues. In addition, I work at The Wellspring Family and Development Center as a therapist intern and a supervisor for the supervised visitation program.

I hope to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) before I graduate from the PhD program. After graduation, I plan to move back to south Louisiana to contribute as a professional. I desire to become a Clinical Director of a local agency, teach courses at UL Lafayette, conduct various workshops, write scholarly articles, write grants to fund projects and supervise other therapists. I would like to become involved with professional organizations, such as the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists.

My favorite spot on campus is the bayou behind the MFT house. I am able to look at the calming water and reflect in thought. The bayou also reminds me of home.

I have had great experiences with each of my professors. Each has contributed to my growing body of knowledge as I embark upon the tasks of learning systems theory and therapy.

My favorite memories at ULM thus far are the ones created with the great friends that I have made while studying here.

I have grown both as a professional and as a person while here at ULM. I have had great opportunities both within the programs and within the community. I have learned vast amounts of information from textbooks and from personal experiences. Many, many people have contributed to my ever-expanding understanding of life.

I chose to attend ULM because the master's program in Marriage and Family Therapy was dually accredited and the Ph.D program was in accreditation status. I began as a student in the master's program with aspirations of being accepted into the Ph.D program. I applied to many different programs while on my venture to pursue higher learning at the graduate level. With each day that I spend at ULM, I know that I made the right choice.