Department Alum Spotlight: Jesse M. Crosby, PhD
Dr. Jesse Crosby is a graduate of the Utah State University Combined Clinical/Counseling and School Psychology specializations. At the time of his enrollment, Jesse was interested in a career as a psychotherapist. He selected the USU Psychology program because of the breadth of training options available.
Why did you decide to pursue your degree? I was primarily interested in a career as a psychotherapist, but I also wanted to keep my options open in teaching, so I decided to pursue a doctorate in psychology.
What were your future goals when you started the program? How do those compare to your current aspirations? When I started the program, my goal was to find a position at a college counseling center and teach in a psychology department. I discovered an interest in clinical research and started to think about working in an academic medical center or a full-time academic faculty role. These interests lead to an internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the McLean Hospital.
What is the most important thing you learned at USU? The combined psychology doctoral program at Utah State University provided the breadth of training that I was looking for, and I had the chance to learn about and work in a variety of academic and clinical settings. This has served me well, even in more specialized settings. In my current role, I find myself drawing on insights from diversity coursework, the counseling center practicum, community clinic supervision, clinical research lab meetings, and ethics seminars that I attended at USU.
Where are you now? I currently own a full-time private practice in Boston where I do outpatient work with anxiety and depression with specialized focus on OCD and related disorders. I am also an assistant psychologist at McLean Hospital, where I work as a clinical consultant and supervise interns and postdoctoral fellows. I teach a seminar on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a member of the faculty of Harvard Medical School.
One of the best parts of being a faculty member is watching students become professionals. I feel immense pride and joy watching Jesse do his work.