An Accidental Psychologist: Abandoning One Career for Another

Abstract

In this autobiographical sketch, a former journalist describes the trajectory of her decade-long career in the publishing industry to graduate study in clinical psychology and eventual specialization in leadership development, and the coaching of senior business executives representing every global sector and a wide range of industries. Emphasis is placed on early career breaks, the influence of mentors, the importance of maintaining high quality client relationships, and impactful ways to leverage psychology in the workplace—including factors that can influence the development of the next generation of psychologist-managers and external consulting psychologists.