Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Carrie Gladstone spent time at the Holy Cross Adult Day Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, as part of her work with Dr. Sabat. (Courtesy Carrie Gladstone)

By Theodora Danylevich

Carrie Gladstone’s journey at Georgetown took a pivotal turn when, on advice from friends, she registered for Dr. Steven Sabat’s Intro to Psychology course.

“Even though it was a large lecture class,” Gladstone says, “Dr. Sabat did not let me slip through the cracks. Written in red on the bottom of my first test was a note from Dr. Sabat, commenting on how I’d done so well on one section but not on the other and offering to talk to me about what had gone wrong with the one. Dr. Sabat graded each and every exam himself, even though there were 60 or 70 of them, and cared enough about his students to write a personalized note to one who seemed to be struggling to perform.”

By the end of the course, Gladstone had decided to study psychology with Dr. Sabat as her advisor. In turn, he asked her to be the TA for his Ignatius Seminar course, “Brains, Persons, and ‘Otherness,’” where she “had the opportunity to view a course from eyes other than a student. Playing an observational role,” says Gladstone, “I saw how Dr. Sabat worked so hard to engage and teach each and every student in the class.”

While taking Dr. Sabat’s Clinical Neuropsychology course, Gladstone spent one day a week at the Holy Cross Adult Day Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she was able to interact with many adults who had experienced a brain injury.

Working with “people who, despite whatever deficits they might have, were able to add value to the dynamic of the room and to the people around them,” had a profound impact on Gladstone. “The people I saw at the day center were real people, with thoughts, feelings, reactions, and contributions to make to the group. They were much more than their diagnoses. They were living the experience of Alzheimer’s, of life after a stroke, of life after a serious accident, but they were living, and still capable of so many tasks. You often forget that they are so capable if you only look at the deficits.”

As the culmination of her experience in the Clinical Neuropsychology course and fieldwork, Gladstone submitted a case study on one of the participants at the day center with whom she had formed a rapport.

“Dr. Sabat worked closely with me on framing my experience and observations,” she says. “We may be working together in the next several months to get that paper published.”

Gladstone says her work with Dr. Sabat has made him a role model for her.

“Dr. Sabat looks at a situation and he sees the possibility of many underlying causes. He is not afraid to state the obvious, even when others might avoid it. He has taught me to give the deepest care and commitment to any work that I do.”

Having graduated magna cum laude this past May with a double major in Psychology and English, Gladstone feels her work with Dr. Sabat influenced her deeply.

“It really challenged me to examine the way I look at things, at people and situations,” she says. “Georgetown was a place that challenged me to question, reflect and grow. Graduating from Georgetown with strong friendships and a wider world view, I feel that I have a great deal of which I can be quite proud.”

Currently in the professional world, she has worked at Deloitte Consulting’s Federal Practice since July.

“I’m not sure where my path will take me, but I think that anything I do will in some way involve giving back, something my parents and Georgetown have instilled in me,” she says. “Though I haven’t entered the field of psychology professionally, the experiences I had working with Dr. Sabat will carry through all aspects of my life. He gives everything his best effort.”

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