Interview with ACBS member Kim Gushanas

Who are you?

Kim Gushanas, MA, Doctoral Candidate in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and currently an Intern in Integrated Pediatric Psychology with the Texas Child Study Center at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin, TX. When I was a child I desperately wanted to grow up to be a dolphin trainer... and in my first graduate school class, I knew I had made it when we read a book by Karen Pryor- a behavioral psychologist and former dolphin trainer!!

What got you started in the field? 

I actually always knew I would be in the field somehow. From a very young age, I was fascinated by what made people who they are- I read books about different cultures, religions, foods, folklore, evolution... and then I took my first psychology class in high school and knew that I had found where I was meant to be. Something about giving people a space to tell (and retell) their story felt like home to me.

How did you get connected to the ACBS community?

I had an amazing graduate professor in my clinical master's program at the University of Houston Clear Lake- Dub Norwood. He decided one semester to start teaching us about ACT and it blew me away! I had some practice in mindfulness but hadn't yet learned anything that felt as honest and truthful to the human experience. It was very inspiring, and although I didn't understand half of what we were learning, it stuck with me.

How has the ACBS community supported you as a student?

As a professional, it's really been a resource for me throughout my training and now with my current research and dissertation. I have relied on the website often to brainstorm when I get stuck with a client or to seek consultation/supervision when I feel out of touch. There aren't many who practice within the ACBS community in Austin, so it's really important to have such a great resource to draw from. As an individual, I have grown so much through my study and practice. I have never felt more connected to others than when I am attending to my values. It has really shaped my life in incredible ways to take what I have learned and apply it to myself and my career.

What would you like to see from ACBS as we move forward in working to reduce suffering in the world?

There are two things... As a pediatric psychology student working in primary and integrated care settings, I would love to see more research focusing on brief interventions with trauma populations, especially youth and their families. In Texas, the majority of individuals I work with are first-generation Americans or immigrants who have suffered significant trauma throughout their short lives. And unfortunately, this population is growing. I think this is definitely an area of growth for our community.

Second, I am a member of the Women's SIG, and I have seen so much beautiful honesty and stretching of the limits in that group in the last year. The women there are using our collective voice to show up for each other, and to help remind those who are listening what it means to truly value another for who and what they are. I hope that we can use that strength to disseminate the same level of compassion in a way that is accessible and inclusive to everyone.

What are the most important values that you bring to your work?

Self-awareness as a clinician and trying to remember to check myself during and between sessions. Respect- for myself, my clients, my colleagues, my community, and really humanity as a whole- especially when our values don't align. Everyone deserves to be heard.

What's next for you?

First, finish collecting data for my dissertation- I am looking at the transmission of anxiety from parent to child by studying parental experiential avoidance as a mediator in the accommodation of children with OCD. If anyone knows of parents who are interested in participating- please send them my way for a screening: rebrand.ly/ocdstudy

Then, Post-Doc, hopefully in a position where I am able to focus on pediatric trauma, maladjustment, and anxiety in an integrated setting.