Casey Farrissey is a student psychologist focused on helping students find which types of learning are useful for them and how they can use that information to reach their goals. Raised in Westport, Mass., Farrissey enjoyed skiing in high school, and now, outside of school, she likes to shop and cook.

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is getting to work one-on-one with students because most of the time, they’re in a class, or at least in a room with multiple people. It’s nice to have an opportunity to meet with [them].

How did you decide you wanted to be a psychologist?

I’ve always been interested in psychology. I took a lot of psych classes in high school, and when I went to college, I majored in psychology and minored in education, [as] I thought that I would like to work in a school setting someday. Through different internships and fieldwork, I discovered that I really liked working with high schoolers, specifically.

Is it different working with students than with adults?

I work a lot with adults. I’d say I work almost equally with adults and with students here, which is nice. With students, I do one-on-one work, whereas with colleagues, I’m brainstorming ideas for ways to do things better here.

What does your typical workday look like?

For me, it’s a lot of time spent in [an] office, so I’ll meet [students] for counseling to talk things through and work on goals that they have set for themselves. I [also] do something called cognitive testing, which is similar to an IQ test, to figure out their strengths and challenges in the way that they learn.

What is your favorite high school memory?

My favorite high school memory was when I was part of the ski club, and we went to Smugglers’ Notch Mountain in Vermont. We went for a weekend trip, and I remember it being so fun, and all of the chaperones and teachers that went were super fun, too.

Do you still ski?
I don’t ski anymore, but I need to take it up again, and I can add that to my list of hobbies. It was just so fun and different—something fun to do that was out of my day-to-day [activities].

What are your hobbies?

I live in Boston, in the South End. I like to walk around and get coffee at different coffee shops. I love going out to eat, cooking, trying new recipes and reading magazines – I get subscriptions from a lot of different magazines. I also like to go shopping on Newbury Street. My favorite store is Zara. I love cooking soups of all different kinds; anything I can make in one pot is my go-to, so I’ll follow a lot of TikTok recipes or bloggers.

Is it different working with students than with adults?

I work a lot with adults. I’d say I work almost equally with adults and with students here, which is nice. With students, I do one-on-one work, whereas with colleagues, I’m brainstorming ideas for ways to do things better here.

What does your typical workday look like?

For me, it’s a lot of time spent in [an] office, so I’ll meet [students] for counseling to talk things through and work on goals that they have set for themselves. I [also] do something called cognitive testing, which is similar to an IQ test, to figure out their strengths and challenges in the way that they learn.

What is your favorite high school memory?

My favorite high school memory was when I was part of the ski club in my high school, and we went to Smugglers’ Notch Mountain in Vermont. We went for a weekend trip, and I remember it being so fun, and all of the chaperones and teachers that went were super fun, too.

Do you still ski?

I don’t ski anymore, but I need to take it up again, and I can add that to my list of hobbies. It was just so fun and different—something fun to do that was out of my day-to-day [activities].

What are your hobbies?

I live in Boston, in the South End. I like to walk around and get coffee at different coffee shops. I love going out to eat, cooking, trying new recipes and reading magazines – I get subscriptions from a lot of different magazines. I also like to go shopping on Newbury Street. My favorite store is Zara. I love cooking soups of all different kinds; anything I can make in one pot is my go-to, so I’ll follow a lot of TikTok recipes or bloggers.