Tara Fredenburgh

Hometown: Amherst, MA

Educational Background: Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts 

Host Site: River Region Human Services

What is your role at your host site?

I assist clients with obtaining outside resources such as Medicaid, food stamps, job applications, affordable housing, and other health-related services. I will also be displaying a monthly health education board and handing out information to clients on that specific topic. There is also a possibility I will be facilitating an HIV/AIDS class to the River Region clients.

Why did you join AmeriCorps/National Health Corps?

When I graduated from UMass Amherst, I knew I wanted to experience a new part of the country while also growing in the public/mental health field. When I found out about the NHC I knew it was the perfect opportunity to pursue both of those. By joining the NFHC I’m able to directly serve clients and interact with professionals in the public health field in order to expand my network while also learning how non-profits operate in the community. Being a part of a program such as this allows for a unique type of growth that is different from an academic or regular employment position.

What are you hoping to gain from your year of service?

I’m hoping to grow as a professional while also learning to appreciate the value of service that will hopefully follow me for the rest of my life. By having experience in the public health field, specifically at a host site dealing with mental health/substance abuse I hope to gain a better understanding of the career I want to explore in the future. 

What are your plans for after AmeriCorps service?

As of right now I plan on finding a job in the mental health field that focuses on a different population than the clients I’ll be interacting with this year. Before jumping into a specialty in the mental health field, I want to get a feel for all of the different areas that this field has to offer. Once I feel confident that I know what I’m passionate about, I will go back to school to either pursue my Master's or PhD in psychology.

Where do you envision yourself in 5 years?

It’s difficult to envision where I will in 5 years because of how often I change my mind about career goals and how unpredictable life is. If I had to predict right now, I would imagine I would have at least received my Master's degree and will be working towards a higher degree to hopefully one day open or be apart of a mental health private practice where I have developed my own approach to clinical psychology.