What it takes to be a Psychology Professor

What it takes to be a Psychology Professor

Jennifer Baker-Jones holds a Master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently teaching Psychology at Anoka Ramsey Community College for the first time.

Jennifer is a therapist at the Center for Grief, Loss and Transition. She has over ten years working with patients who are dealing with loss, grief, and abuse, trauma, and ambigious loss. She also teaches at Pine Techinical College in Pine City.

Growing up in Illinois, Jennifer always knew someday she’d do something to help people. “I wanted to be a psychologist when I was in 9th grade. Teaching found me, through my other job I started doing some presentations at conferences and I really liked it, and then my husband is a teacher, and so I though teaching on the side might be good, and then I found out I loved it.”

Her Monday evening class at the Blaine Sports Center seems an unlikely location to learn of the working’s of the human mind. She dresses very professionally, although she looks youthful enough to be a student herself. She is very direct and certain in her teaching method, although this has not always been the case, “My first day, my first class, I had 50 students, and they were all staring at me, I think I got through all my material in about half an hour.”

Jennifer feels that psychology is important, especially looking at the effects of stress by promoting positive mental health, in a good way versus thinking something is wrong with you, or thinking you have a label.

Her major goal as a psychologist and teacher is reducing the stigma. “I guess my personal bias is that I think psychology is really important. I like teaching psychology to people even if they’re not going in the field, so they can learn, hopefully, more about themselves and other people”