Article archive / February 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 6. Source pages: 6, 7.
Psychology could be considered a challenging career; it takes a lot of training, a lot of dedication, and a creative approach to balancing work and family. So, it might be a little surprising when a son or daughter chooses our field.
Dr. John Fanning told me he “wandered” into psychology, but always knew he wanted a career in human service. He didn’t fully discover which path he would take until a friend made the choice for psychology. The friend later changed his career, but John went on to finish his undergraduate at Texas Tech, then his masters at Stephen F. Austin, and his doctorate at the University of Memphis.
John currently holds Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology specialties and contributes to the world-class treatment team at Touro Infirmary. There he assists patients in brain injury rehabilitation. For the last decade he has helped patients with dementia assessment, neuropsychological testing, and outpatient therapy. He also provides group therapy in the spinal cord injury program.
His daughter Jennifer has decided on a doctorate in psychology as well, and he makes it clear, “She’s going to out perform her dad. She’s extremely talented.”
About Jennifer’s choice of psychology, he said, “I feel positively about it; I never said ‘you need to go into psychology.’ But she had people telling her all along, ‘you should be a psychologist.’ It just seemed to fit her naturally.” She had even presented a poster at LPA in her senior year of high school.
Jennifer told me that she also wandered around in her interests, after first being in classical studies and archeology, and then even considering political science and law. “It’s interesting,” she said. “I didn’t become a psych major until the last.” But as the decision time in her life came closer, she thought back and knew she enjoyed the field and especially enjoyed her courses in abnormal psychology.
Jennifer is pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and “really loves the program.” In her fourth year in clinical, she told me that the depth and intensity of the supervision she receives is extremely valuable to her. She feels that she is learning a great deal, a comment supported by John who insisted, “She knows more than I do.”
While enjoying her training in applications, Jennifer also has a love for research, the technical side, and the university setting. She is appreciative that USM has a very strong and vital research program, and she enjoys the range and opportunities available to her in research, which includes work in aggression, suicide and schizophrenia. Jennifer explained that the research is one of the reasons that she enjoys the field so much.
“Sometimes we talk shop,” she said about her relationship with her dad. “And, that’s fun. But mostly he gives me a lot of good advice like getting into a good program and how to deal with the stress that is normal for graduate school.”
“Sometimes I think it’s funny that we are in the same field. He’s been there.”
For now, Jennifer thinks that she might go into the academic track in her career. “I like research, I like the university setting. But I’d like to practice some as well.” Presently, she is flying around the country for internship interviews.
John and Jennifer share another interest, running. They both ran the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon. And this brings up another family member, Michael, son and brother. Michael recently excelled in a behavioral science project competition at the state level. Jennifer said, “He’d make a really good psychologist.” But both agreed that Michael, age 16, is headed in another direction. When I asked them what that was, they both concurred. “Oh, he’s going to be a professional skateboarder.”
Michael Fanning, doing what he loves most- skateboarding.
Dr. John Fanning and daughter Jennifer out for a run. They both ran the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.