Barbora Kvapilova
Gratitude enables me to see the beauty in my life!
Hello,
my name is Barbora Kvapilova, I am 32 years old, I am married and I have a 10-month old son Petr. He and my husband are the light of my life.I was born in Czechoslovakia and when I was 8 years old, I witnessed the end of the communist regime. Thanks to that fact, I've been fortunate enough in my life to have experienced many different things and places. Throughout my childhood I played a team sport, called handball (not so well known in the USA, but widely played in Europe and other parts of the world) and I can fairly say that I was good at it and that it was the biggest passion of my life during those years. I traveled Europe and played tournaments in various countries, able to meet different people, cultures, etc. I loved this collective sport more than anything. It felt so good to be part of a team, working towards a common goal...TO WIN!!!! My mother moved to California when I was fifteen and I tried to follow her two years later but I didn't like living there at all. I couldn't speak the language very well, didn't have any friends, I felt as if I was a complete outsider which was a completely opposite picture of me (one of my selves :) back home where I was popular, member of the Czech junior national handball team, with a few very good friends and freedom to go wherever I wanted without having to be picked up by my mom in a car. I moved back home and didn't come to California until I was twenty years old. I loved studying at first, the community college in Santa Clarita Valley (College of the Canyons), then at California State University of Northridge (CSUN) where I got my Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I enjoyed most of my classes, the lecturers were inspiring, very often connecting the theoretical world with the practical implications.That I appreciated!!! After my B.A., I decided to take a break from studying and I found a job as a social worker in a private hospital for children and adults with severe respiratory and other problems. The ALLSaintsHealthCare hospital was a sad island. Especially to see severely ill children suffer in pain whose only joy were the activities times during the afternoons or visits by local volunteers who played the guitar, sang or put on a show for them. This work experience has definitely put things like my "issues, personal problems, etc" into a perspective. I spent 7 beautiful years living in California and then one day I decided to come back home to the Czech Republic. What a reversed cultural shock I received. It took me close to two years to feel like I was home, again...not feeling alienated anymore. If it was difficult to get acquainted and to understand and get used to the American culture and Americans' mentality, it was twice as difficult to come back to my old roots. But as it is said, people are resilient. Nowadays, I have two homes and I cherish and appreciate the positives that both countries with their people can offer to me.
I got my Master's in Psychology at the Palacky University in Olomouc,the Czech Republic. Since then, I've been trying to land a job as a psychologist/apprentice (so to speak) but the opportunities are scarce and I have had to earn my living as an English as a second language teacher for different business companies. I've also done many interpreting jobs for the non-profit organization, p-centrum, s.r.o. Olomouc that offers after-care programs for ex-drug and alcohol users. P-centrum is currently cooperating with the Hum London , another non-profit organization, based in London that focuses on the so called "life and community enrichment" for all the people who have chosen the path filled with drug addiciton but are now "clean" and ready to start their life again. I love their ideas of helping people find their way back to the society, to other people through playing music, making art (painting, performing, theater acting, etc). I would like to cooperate with these two non-profit organizations in the future and from a position of a psychologist. I've tried many different approaches to find the important aspects of living a good and enjoyable life. But it always come down to this: I love listening to people's life stories, I enjoy when I can help others with their problems and I feel so grateful when people feel they can come to me and confide in me. I absolutely cherish my family and so my dream is to be a family therapist and working with children in their teen age, to help them find the easiest way (transition) into their young adulthood. (By the way, i see a lot of "I", "I" and "me" comments..Czechs have definitely adopted the Western Individualistic style of being :) but none the less, my family, friends and keeping healthy relationships are equally important to...me :)
Thank you for taking time and reading my profile!
Primary Interests:
Education
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B.A., Psychology
California State University of Northridge
2006
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M.A., Psychology
Palacky University Olomouc, the Czech Republic
2010
Work Experience
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Social worker
Employer: The AllSaintsHealthCare
December 2006 - June 2007
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High school teacher
Employer: Gymnazium Sternberk, the Czech republic
February 2008 - June 2009
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ESL teacher
Employer: Self-employed
July 2009 - present
Languages Spoken
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Czech
Native speaker
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English
Advanced proficiency
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French
Intermediate proficiency
Psychology Mentors, Inspirations, and Influences
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Doc. Panajotis CakirpalogluDepartment of Psychology, Palacky University, OlomoucMy graduate advisor was very helpful, giving, patient and inspiring. it was very enjoyable to work with him. -
Michael RayProfessor Emeritus at Stanford UniversityI've been very much inspired by his worjk described in books: "Creativity in business", and "The path of the everyday hero"
Summary
Primary goal: To become a family therapist and also to teach social psychology as a part/time job
Will become available: January 6, 2014
Willing to relocate: No
Description
I would like to start working with families and youth at-risk, in a counseling position. I also enjoy very much teaching, especially social psychology.
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Barbora Kvapilova
Nedvědova 9
77900 Olomouc
Czech Republic