IPA Features

Featured Members

Pam Christy

Education: Psy.D., University of Indianapolis, 2000

Employer: Partner, Woodview Psychology Group, LLC

Business Address: 70 E. 91st Street, Suite 210, Indianapolis, IN 46240

Email: pchristy@woodviewgroup.com

Background: Dr. Christy has been practicing since 1992 in a variety of health care settings including local hospitals and residential care facilities. She has worked extensively with adults, adolescents and children in both inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.  Dr. Christy has served as an adjunct professor and as a guest speaker at local universities. She has also been a guest speaker for mental health agencies, hospitals, churches and schools on topics such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and marital communication.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your work?

It has been a privilege to work with families and children in the Indianapolis community over the past sixteen years. I practiced as a marriage and family therapist before applying to a clinical training program in psychology. My practice is a balance between assessment and therapy. I have partnered with many families to address educational and emotional needs. What I have found over the years is that these relationships extend beyond a single evaluation or therapeutic intervention to continued support at various junctures over time. I have had the pleasure of hearing from former patients as they call to share successes or need to touch base during a difficult time in their lives. It has been a privilege to partner with children and their families as they move through the joys and challenges of life.

Share something that you have learned as a psychologist that you never anticipated when you entered the field.

As I look back at my decision to pursue a career in the mental health field, I remember a conversation that I had with my mentor, who told me that to become a skilled therapist it would take many years. I thought that she was exaggerating, but she was absolutely right. There was little time for pleasure reading when I started practice. For many years, I spent my free time reading about assessment practices, psychopathology, and treatment. There were many nights when I would wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about patients and considering how to structure the next session. To be quite honest, I still find myself waking up at night and thinking about patients and considering how to negotiate a difficult situation. I pack one book to take along on vacation that might assist me in evaluating or treating current patients.  My point is this – being the psychologist that I want to be requires that I stay current with research practices and challenge myself to remain intellectually and emotionally competent for my patients.

What advice do you offer students considering psychology as a career?

My advice is simple. If you plan on practicing therapy, get therapy for yourself. Sitting in the seat of the patient as well as the psychologist is a tremendous experience that provides us with an opportunity to better understand ourselves and make changes that benefit ourselves as well as those that live and work with us. It has made me a better psychologist and a better human being.

If you were forced to retire from psychology what career would you take up next? Why?

Last year I had an opportunity to visit the IU-Moi hospital in Eldoret, Kenya and a Jesuit secondary school in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. It was a life changing experience witnessing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic first hand. This crisis extends beyond life of the patients into their families, community, and sub-Saharan Africa. I was afforded the opportunity to spend time with women who were hospitalized with HIV/AIDS and adolescents/children living in Kibera and Eldoret.  It is my hope and plan to return to spend extended time serving women and children whose lives have been dramatically altered by the HIV/AIDS crisis. In the meantime, I’m trying to find a tutor to learn Swahili. Any recommendations?

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