According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), since 2002, more than 10,500 victims depicted in child pornography have been located and identified by law enforcement. This number can hardly capture the potential victims that may exist, as there have been millions of tips submitted in 2015 alone. The summer of 2017, I interned at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, stationed at the Tampa Field Office. During our orientation, we were introduced to the various divisions and squads in the office. One squad stood out to me – Violent Crimes Against Children (VCAC). Encompassing both Crimes Against Children and Innocent Images, VCAC. A squad avoided even by fellow FBI employees; VCAC rarely had interns willing to take …show more content…
As a psychology and sociology major, I have developed a foundational knowledge of the environmental, social, and psychological conditions that can contribute to mental health issues and dysfunctional behavior. My undergraduate coursework in abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, clinical/counseling psychology research lab, and a graduate course in evidence-based treatment has exposed me to theories of mental illness, the different types of psychological interventions, and proper research practices. In my Clinical/Counseling Psychology Research Lab we were responsible for developing experiments on stress and anxiety in students and what factors moderate the relationship between stress and negative mental health outcomes. In my evidence-based treatment seminar, I worked alongside 2nd-year PhD students to study different types of evidence-based interventions, learn techniques and skills to be implemented in therapy, and consider the current limitations and ways to improve our definitions of empirically-supported treatments and evidence-based practice. In addition to the above course-work, I have been a research assistant for professors in the sociology department and psychology department which has helped develop my critical thinking and data-analysis skills. I’ve also interned at the National Institute of Justice, working with couples who report high intimate partner violence (IPV) to determine whether new mediation techniques will be superior to court-ordered visitation terms in increasing satisfaction and reducing recurring