Sarah Nazmy

PsyD in Clinical Psychology
CSPP at Alliant International University, San Francisco

Q: What inspired you to go into the psychology field?

A: I was one of those students who had no idea what I wanted to do all through college. But the one thing I did know was that I wanted to help people, and I wanted to be in the healthcare field. I ended up switching from pre-med to doing more biopsychology when I was an undergrad. Through all those internships and experiences, I realized how much I loved helping people with mental health and being more vocal about it because there’s so much stigma around it. Especially when I was working at physical therapy clinics, there were older individuals who were experiencing so much physical pain, as well as mental and emotional pain. I felt like that was something that I could focus on and work with.

Q: What has been the most surprising thing for you in this program so far? 

A: Probably the relationships that I built. I didn't realize how much connection I would have through the program. It’s such a close-knit community within Alliant and not just with peers and colleagues, but with the professors too. They have been so supportive since day one. I was someone who was very shy in college, and I never really connected with professors but being in a smaller cohort and having direct access to everyone has been very meaningful.

Q: How has Alliant helped to support you during your program? 

A: The first thing that comes to mind is helping with the dissertation. I noticed that some of the other PsyD programs don't provide much mentorship around the dissertation and at Alliant, we have a built-in course that we have to take where we're engaging with our dissertation chair every single week. We also have accountability buddies and we're scheduled on this timeline to propose at a certain date so that's been very helpful.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who are considering going into the field? 

A: It’s definitely challenging work so being able to acknowledge that is important. But it's also so meaningful at the same time. The work that you do at your practicum with clients and when you're in the field can be hard days. But there are also really, really meaningful days. I think if it's something that you're passionate about, then go for it.