Brandy Wood, visiting lecturer of psychology, has more clinical experience in psychology than most traditional IUS students have years on earth.
Wood has worked at several psychiatric hospitals in Louisville including Seven Counties where she worked,while getting her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Spaulding,with people of all ages who had severe mental disabilities.
Wood said her task was to help her patients work around their disabilities and find something productive to do.
“I thought it was amazing when people with an illness found something meaningful they could do,” Wood said.
Wood said it was difficult at times to work with people who couldn’t understand everything you were saying, but part of her job was to reach those individuals.
“Every one of them had strengths, it was my job to help them discover what they were,” Wood said.
Wood credits her time in the clinical side of psychology to making her a more effective educator.
“Having spent so many years doing clinical psychology, I have more first-hand knowledge to fall back on,” Wood said.
“I can tell my students stories to get their attention, and I don’t have to rely solely on theories in the classroom,” Wood said.
Wood began her career in secondary education when her supervisor at Jefferson Community College suggested she try lecturing part-time.
Wood has been a visiting lecturer at IU Southeast for almost eight years.
Wood is originally from Maryland, her parents moved to Louisville when she was 11, and she graduated from Eastern High School in Middletown, Ky.
After high school, Wood received her bachelor’s degree from Sweetbriar College in Amherst, Va.
During her time at Sweetbriar, Wood participated in an exchange student program sending her to St. Andrews College in Scotland for her junior year.
“They did things differently in Scotland, instead of taking five semester classes, you only take three and their teaching style has more of an emphases on individual instruction,” Wood said.
Wood said her time overseas was something that she cherished and she encouraged all students who have the opportunity to go.
Outside of the classroom, Wood continues her work in clinical psychology where she specializes in group and family therapy.
Wood said it is more difficult dealing with families than individuals, because, instead of one person’s problems, you have maybe three-to-seven people–depending on the size of the family–looking for help.
“If something happens to one member of a family, it affects everyone in the family, but you have to meet people where they are and help them work through the situation or problem,” Wood said.
For fun, Wood enjoys making her own jewelry and working in her flower garden.
She also has four adopted dogs: a miniature schnauzer, beagle, toy poodle and a standard poodle she got for free when a breeder abandoned it because of a bladder problem.
Wood took the animal to a veterinarian and got the problem fixed.
Pure-bred Standard Poodle puppies cost from $500-$1,200.
By MICHAEL MARCELL
Staff Writer
mdmarcel@ius.edu