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Alumni
The Psychologist-Artist: Founder of New York School of the Arts Betsy Lawrence '95, PsyD, Uniquely Merges Art and Helping Others
Betsy Lawrence 男女操逼视频软件95, PsyD, has had a hunger for learning ever since she was a child, a quality that would propel her throughout both her personal life and her extraordinary dual career as a psychologist and psychoanalyst, as well as founder and president of (NYSA), a not-for-profit arts school and cultural center in New York City.
In the early years of her education, classes in art and mathematics that interested Lawrence were not largely available. With college on the horizon, she also faced a lack of precedence in her family of women attending higher education, let alone earning a doctorate. However, Lawrence男女操逼视频软件檚 deep desire to learn男女操逼视频软件揳nd to help others with that knowledge男女操逼视频软件揷oupled with meeting supportive people along the way guided her to achieve an education that supported her dreams and passions.
Early training
Lawrence男女操逼视频软件檚 entry into the field of psychology was completely unexpected.
With an undergraduate degree in both Greek and Latin, and master男女操逼视频软件檚 in childhood special education, it was during her work teaching language and reading to children with special needs at St. Luke男女操逼视频软件檚 Hospital in Manhattan that she first encountered psychologists and psychiatrists. It was at a time during which terms such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder were relatively new, and many questions existed in the medical community on treatment. Lawrence was both concerned and curious; she saw young patients placed on medication and wanted to delve deeper, to know more. It was then that she decided to become a child psychoanalyst.
Lawrence attended evening classes as part of the School-Clinical Child Psychology PsyD program at Pace, one she was drawn to because of its flexibility and dual focus. Over the years, she would work closely with her faculty mentor, Barbara Mowder, PhD, leading to a dissertation on educators男女操逼视频软件 perceptions of parental roles, and put theory to practice in externships, most prominently at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, where she also did a post-graduate fellowship in neuropsychology. It was an exciting time and she felt that her mind could grow with the supportive foundation she found at Pace.
男女操逼视频软件淚 think that if you ask students, they will agree that Pace faculty are very, very open to ideas,男女操逼视频软件 said Lawrence. 男女操逼视频软件淪haring is encouraged, and people here tend to have a good heart, too. You didn't have to pretend you knew everything. There was help, and this was really quite special.男女操逼视频软件
She holds fond memories of students supporting each other based on their own strengths: for example, Lawrence would be approached by the more mathematically-inclined students for assistance with writing (a skill which she highly credits another New York Psychology department faculty mentor, , with helping her to develop), and they, in turn, would guide her on numbers-based research that was a key part of the program.
Creating opportunities
Although Lawrence would go on to a successful career as a psychologist and psychoanalyst, including in private practice guiding parents through their children男女操逼视频软件檚 developmental stages, she was ever an artist at heart. She enrolled in an intensive art program at the historic National Academy, an art school, museum, and association of professional artists in Manhattan near her work. A dark reality, however, had loomed: the school男女操逼视频软件檚 closure, and with it, job losses for the director and as many as 40 faculty.
It was a unifying neighborhood staple, and she could not simply stand by idly.
Lawrence knew both artists and individuals familiar with buildings in Manhattan. So, with a combination of drive, a can-do spirit, and a bit of luck, she worked quickly to open a new institution for the art community to continue, the . Through it, she has been able to provide others with what she always deeply wanted for herself: the chance to realize their unique artistic talent, something she feels everyone possesses and just needs to be nurtured.
She describes it as a 男女操逼视频软件渕agical place男女操逼视频软件 where one can palpably feel the creative process within which others are engaged and to be in this 男女操逼视频软件渆xtraordinary walk男女操逼视频软件 with them. (Some patrons have even shared with Lawrence that her school男女操逼视频软件檚 pivoting to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed not long after by a resumption of classes, had 男女操逼视频软件渟aved their life男女操逼视频软件).
Just as an expression of ideas was so openly encouraged in her days as a Pace student, at NYSA, the faculty, diverse and esteemed professionals in their own right, provide students with ideas on experimentation男女操逼视频软件攆or example, on how to work with materials男女操逼视频软件攖hen allow them the space to take that where they wish to. There is also another similarity to Pace: the small classroom sizes encourage a more social, collaborative environment.
男女操逼视频软件淚 was good at art. I just didn男女操逼视频软件檛 have the opportunity to do it. But it doesn男女操逼视频软件檛 mean that, because you haven男女操逼视频软件檛 done it, you can男女操逼视频软件檛,男女操逼视频软件 she said. 男女操逼视频软件淵ou never stop learning.男女操逼视频软件
The liberal arts in life
Today, Lawrence男女操逼视频软件檚 psychology practice is part-time, and so she has been able to devote more energy to her artistic endeavors. She now sees herself as, first, a watercolor artist, and second, a sculptor, working with terracotta to bronze. Thematically, she loves to incorporate the mythological as well as symbolism in her art, as she feels that stories in literature have as much relevance today as in the past.
She also credits her background in Greek and Latin as giving her a greater appreciation for these stories, as well as being able to read 男女操逼视频软件渁lmost anything男女操逼视频软件 due to the roots of words of ancient languages finding their way into more modern ones and modes of expression.
男女操逼视频软件淎ll these wonderful arts男女操逼视频软件攊ncluding languages男女操逼视频软件攋ust bring people together.男女操逼视频软件
Giving back
Today, we can also find Lawrence giving back to her community in another, unexpected way.
An award-winning sailor, she and her husband have found a way to help veterans of war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) heal from their trauma with the use of sound and movement from wind created by sails. Working with several foundations, it was simply an idea inspired by her psychological training at Pace that launched and has made a real difference in people男女操逼视频软件檚 lives.
Lawrence, who credits sailing as teaching both self-reliance and teamwork, takes the opportunity to use maritime language to similarly reflect on her days as a Pace student:
男女操逼视频软件淚'm a sailor. I got on the boat, and it was the right boat, and we sailed together.男女操逼视频软件