Abigail Gellene-Beaudoin ’13 was this year’s Psychology Graduate in Residence.
In a way, Abigail Gellene-Beaudoin’s Mary Washington path began to take shape back in middle school. That’s when her friend was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.
“Walking through her journey with her … led me to decide I wanted to pursue a career in a helping profession,” said Gellene-Beaudoin, a licensed clinical social worker and practicing psychotherapist. A 2013 UMW alumna, she also was this year’s Department of Psychological Science Graduate-in-Residence.
In that role, she presented a free public lecture titled “Talking about the Tough Stuff: Helping caregivers find the words to explain a loved one’s terminal illness or end-stage disease to children.” The talk took place on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m., in the Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium. While she was on campus, Gellene-Beaudoin also discussed her experience in the field of clinical social work in classes including developmental psychology, psychopathology and clinical psychology. And she had lunch with students interested in pursuing careers in related fields. Read more.