My journey at Prairie View A&M University has been long and difficult. Although no doctoral program is ever easy, adding the additional life’s difficulties made my journey even more arduous. I chose to pursue my Ph.D. at PVAMU because it was the only university in the region with an adolescent-focused clinical program. Yet my story begins with a focus on faith and family.
First, I am thankful that God has afforded me this opportunity to experience His grace and favor in the completion of my Ph.D. As a pastor, I am reminded of the former saints of my childhood with whom I must agree, “If it had not been for the Lord Jesus, who was on my side…I don’t know where I would be!” I give God the glory!
I was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and am a first-generation college student. I take pride with my sister Naomi Powell and cousins Alisha Martin and Courtney Rachel in representing our family’s first generation to attend college. Also, I am our family’s first person to earn a Ph.D.
This achievement feels even more amazing, considering I was raised in a single-parent household by my mother, Delores Turner, in a neighborhood that vacillated between drugs, gangs and crime waves. I can remember times when I was playing in our front yard and gunfights erupted in front of our home. My mother opened our front door, told me to run into the house, and we all would lie on the floor until the shooting ended.
I can relate to the various songwriters who penned the phrases, “Through dangers seen and unseen; dangers, toils and snares; I made it out!”
My Academic Journey and My “Why”
I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2007 from the University of Akron, and my master’s in clinical psychology from PVAMU in 2020.
I performed and completed my internship from January 2020 to May 2021. My internship at The Adolescent Center with Dr. Akalita Ross (a PVAMU alum) and Dr. Kimberly Demby was intensive and extensive, equipping me with a broad range of therapeutic and evaluation skillsets that I will need to practice independently.
I chose to pursue my Ph.D. in clinical adolescent psychology from PVAMU to help protect African American children, who appeared to be disproportionately diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
More personally, one of my family members was diagnosed with ADHD by their primary care physician, placed on psychotropic medication and had an adverse reaction to the medication that hospitalized them for weeks. Most of our family disagreed with the diagnosis that was asserted by their non-custodial mother.
This experience revealed the propensity of some medical professionals to disproportionately diagnose African American children with ADHD based solely upon the recommendation of a parent. Throughout the learning process associated with earning my Ph.D., I discovered that ADHD was just the beginning.
African American children are too often disproportionately represented in a variety of negative ways due to differences in family and parenting styles when contrasted by non-African American decision-makers. As I move forward with the goals of private practice and continuing my research in academia, my hopes are two-fold:
- I hope that I can continue to raise awareness of the disparate negative outcomes for many African American children while affecting change through policymaking at the state or local government levels.
- I hope to be a beacon to African American children, encouraging them that they also can push to achieve their dreams. Earning a doctorate is not easy, but it is more than possible.
Edgar Guest penned the phrase in the poem See It Through (a poem about navigating difficult times): “But remember, you are facing just what other men have met.” I want those coming behind me to see my journey and determine that if I could earn a Ph.D., then they can do the same and more.
Putting Psychology “First”
I was amazed to discover that I would be the first male graduate with a Ph.D. in the history of PVAMU’s clinical adolescent psychology program. I consider it an honor to represent the “First,” but I am definitely not the last.
I am excited to see the excellent work of Timothy Lawrence, who will be the next male graduate with a Ph.D. in our program. African American communities need to see more African American male clinical psychologists. They need to continue to see positive male role models that our young African American men can emulate and follow.
Currently, I have accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with West Houston Psychology. In preparation for practice within the postdoctoral experience, I am preparing to apply for the Texas Licensed Psychologist-Provisional Status while completing the clinic’s onboarding process.
Loss, Struggle and Victory
There were three significant people in my life that I had hoped would see me complete this journey, but sadly, all passed away during the process.
In my third year of the program, my mother passed away only months after coming to visit and meet the department’s administration. During that time, I felt both broken emotionally and driven academically. I felt I had to finish both for myself and for my mother.
Additionally, during my internship, I lost my “Granny,” Theresa Brooks, who was like a second mother to me. Also, I lost my “Godmother,” Ora Marvienne Keeton, who used music to help rescue and steer me away from the streets during my adolescence. Although they did not get to see the end of this journey, their love, support and guidance continues to resonate within me and fuel me forward.
While at PVAMU, I participated in the Texas Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), whose goals were to help underrepresented minorities complete their STEM Ph.D. and successfully transition to successful postdoctoral fellowships and faculty careers.
While participating with AGEP, I was able to present a paper at a conference in Dallas and a poster presentation at a conference in Miami. AGEP participation afforded me the opportunity to network with other scholars across the country and review research across disciplines.
I love that at PVAMU, research focused on benefitting African Americans remains an integral part of the university’s identity. Specific to psychology, PVAMU trains budding clinicians to critically evaluate “if and how” psychological assessments and evaluation processes are culturally relevant to practice with African Americans (and other minority groups).
Salim H. Salim Jr. ‘20
Due to the ideals and focus of the psychology program, our students enter the workforce prepared to serve as change agents within the psychology industry by raising awareness of the need for more culturally diverse paradigms of evaluation and treatment.
Although the Ph.D. journey at PVAMU required resilience and personal sacrifice, the end product remains consistent with its mantra: “PV Produces Productive People.”
Salim H. Salim Jr. ‘20 will receive a Ph.D. in clinical adolescent psychology from Prairie View A&M University this spring. Click here to view a complete listing of this semester’s notable graduates.