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Stephanie Dutton
Psy.D. Program
PSTD Psychologist
Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System |
When Stephanie Dutton headed to Biloxi on the Mississippi coast late in the summer of 2005 for her psychology internship, she was thinking of patients. But while Dutton was still unpacking, one of the most devastating hurricanes in the history of the U.S. began forming over the Bahamas – Hurricane Katrina. Most think of New Orleans when recalling Katrina’s destruction, but Biloxi was among the areas worst hit.
For most students, an internship is a chance to put book knowledge to work in the field under expert supervision. Dutton’s clinical psychology internship at the Veterans Administration Gulf Coast Health Care System was all that and more. Her arrival in Biloxi corresponded with an event that would test grace under pressure, and Dutton passed that test.
The medical center’s chief of psychology service reports, “Despite the difficulties, Stephanie is an example of an exceptionally well-trained professional, ready to step in the most dire circumstances. I applaud Regent for providing that exceptional training.”
While Dutton was given the option of completing her internship elsewhere, she chose to stay. “I watched how people continued to suffer emotionally, and that’s not the time to retreat to more comfortable surroundings,” says Dutton. Her work didn’t go unnoticed. She was honored with a VA Secretary’s Hero Award and recognized by her colleagues with the Erwin L. Shatus Award, given to an outstanding intern in each class. After Dutton graduated from her internship, she was asked to stay and develop an intensive residential program to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dutton has found her calling. “I’ve been given an opportunity I never imagined having at this point in my career. The veterans I work with are amazing individuals who have gone through horrific experiences,” says Dutton. “We start to help them break down the walls and tell their stories – it can be very gratifying.
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