We’re Psyching the Vote for APAGS Member-at-Large, Diversity Focus! During the month of April, APAGS members can submit an elections ballot for elections for APAGS chair-elect and four members at large (link contains position descriptions and official bios). Members will get an email with voting instructions on April 1. This post is the fifth in a series of six ending tomorrow in which candidates voluntarily answer our questions in 200 words or less, to give voters some insight into what they will bring to their prospective positions.

Our question for APAGS Member-at-Large, Diversity Focus: 

Creating a graduate school experience where students of historically marginalized backgrounds can feel safe is very important for multiple stakeholders — and is receiving a lot of national attention. What do you think is APAGS’s specific role in promoting safety, and what should be our top priorities in the next few years?

Mona Elgohail responds: 

A quick Google search of my name will show one of several instances throughout my life when I was discriminated against by those who were supposedly there to help me excel academically. I know first-hand that discrimination against students of historically marginalized backgrounds is still grossly pervasive and tolerated within some university settings. I believe that APAGS is uniquely positioned to address these injustices top-down through policy, and bottom-up by providing minority students with resources to advocate for themselves and create change in their departments.

I aspire to establish policies that encourage graduate programs to more explicitly commit to inclusiveness and diversity. These efforts would involve surveying students to determine how new policies can best reflect the needs of marginalized students nationwide and create meaningful change in their graduate programs.

Solutions can take a number of forms, including periodic trainings on diversity issues; innovative approaches to recruitment of minority students and faculty; the formation of advisory committees within departments that focus on diversity and inclusion; and courses that provide effective understandings of privilege, policy, and social justice. Ultimately, creating a culture where marginalized students feel safe should be a priority for graduate programs and aligns perfectly with APAGS’s mission.

Jamal Hailey responds:

APAGS is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in addressing issues concerning safety on a national level through student engagement activities. Over the next few years, APAGS’s top priority should be developing and implementing a strategic plan, which includes having conversations with students across the county, to address issues related to gender based violence and sexual assaults; transphobia, structural level oppression, and the safety of Black students as anti-Black propaganda continues to increase across the country. Elevating the voices of students across campuses provides them with an opportunity to voice their concerns and recommendation regarding safety at their respective campuses. While students at colleges may not have the same experiences, providing an opportunity for students to engage in a national dialogue could yield important information, which APAGS could use to develop a national strategy to address and promote safety for students, particularly those from marginalized and/or underrepresented groups.

Fanny Ng responds:

Graduate students from historically marginalized backgrounds should not just feel safe in their programs but feel valued and respected as developing professionals who bring unique experiences and perspectives to understandings and applications of psychology in research, practice and teaching to diverse peoples. We should aim not only to establish safety for minority students but welcome diversity across all dimensions at every program as diverse viewpoints enrich teaching and learning for all students and faculty. Diverse viewpoints produce more cognizant and culturally competent psychologists from all backgrounds to effectively address the needs of changing communities currently and in the future.

Therefore, I believe APAGS’s top priorities for the coming years should be to establish practical guidelines for graduate programs on the 1) regular assessment of program diversity climate and 2) strategies for developing effective action plans to cultivate greater safety and inclusion for all students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. I have seen the ways that student feedback can drive lasting change in graduate program policies and structures. I believe that APAGS can and should lead graduate programs to provide safe, non-evaluative avenues for student feedback that redouble the effort to create more welcoming student environments for psychology’s diverse future leaders.

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Be on the lookout tomorrow for our final post in this series and be sure to vote when you receive your APAGS electronic ballot on Friday! — APAGS Staff.

We’re Psyching the Vote for APAGS Member-at-Large, Research/Academic Focus! During the month of April, APAGS members can submit an elections ballot for elections for APAGS chair-elect and four members at large (link contains position descriptions and official bios). Members will get an email with voting instructions on April 1. This post is the fourth in a series of six between now and Thursday in which candidates voluntarily answer our questions in 200 words or less, to give voters some insight into what they will bring to their prospective positions. Jacklynn Fitzgerald is the sole candidate for today’s featured role.

Our question for APAGS Member-at-Large, Research/Academic Focus: 

Right now APAGS is concerned about adjunctification; that is, the movement of many tenure track positions in the academy to adjunct positions.  What advice would you offer student scientists, and what practical solutions would you ask the APAGS committee to focus on in the near and long terms to examine or address this issue?

Jacklynn Fitzgerald responds: 

With the rise in adjunct faculty, students should be increasingly strategic in choosing positions that advance them professionally. One common misconception is that accepting an adjunct position will lead to a tenure-track faculty opportunity within the same institution. While this is sometimes the case, it is not the norm owing to the fact that while adjunct professors are distinguished educators; their achieved skills may be dissimilar from those of a tenured-track research position. That is, while teaching as an adjunct professor can be fulfilling and creates unique opportunity, students should consciously consider ways in which these positions facilitate their ultimate career goals.

Additionally, as institutions rely on adjunct professors for different reasons, sometimes to expose undergraduates to experts with unique perspective and sometimes to free up finances, students should be aware that each rationale holds different consequences for an institution’s climate. Because of this reality, I believe that the APAGS committee should work long-term to create resources in order to help students choose an academic institution as a home and employer. Ideally, these resources critically assess the impact of adjunctification on the financial and intellectual health of institutions so that emerging scientists may better educate themselves on employment options.

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Be on the lookout tomorrow for our next post in this series and be sure to vote when you receive your APAGS electronic ballot on Friday! — APAGS Staff.

We’re Psyching the Vote for APAGS Member-at-Large, Membership Recruitment and Retention Focus! During the month of April, APAGS members can submit an elections ballot for elections for APAGS chair-elect and four members at large (link contains position descriptions and official bios). Members will get an email with voting instructions on April 1. This post is the third in a series of six between now and March 31 in which candidates voluntarily answer our questions in 200 words or less, to give voters some insight into what they will bring to their prospective positions.

Our question for APAGS Member-at-Large, Membership Recruitment and Retention Focus: 

What is the value of staying a student member of a large umbrella organization like APA, especially when there are many niche organizations one can be part of, and when APA makes many of its member resources freely available to the public?

Roseann Fish Getchell responds: 

Each graduate student has the potential to find value in the unique benefits of becoming an APAGS member.  I want to share my own motivations for joining the APA as a graduate student focused on investing in my future as a professional psychologist to reflect how we can all find our own niche.  1. Connection: I have had the opportunity of meeting amazing students who are truly making a difference in their communities across the country. We have shared common interests, goals, and passions within groups like the Advocacy Coordinating Team–I admire them and am encouraged by them every day. 2. Mentorship: The number of students, staff members and psychologists who genuinely care about building the future of our profession is overwhelming. Whether I am meeting a psychologist at a convention/conference, reading an article in an APAGS blog, or connecting with a committee member, the opportunities for mentoring are endless. 3. Leadership: With the help of incredibly supportive APA staff, the majority of APAGS is organized and run by student volunteers who are engaging in dynamic leadership. There are so many ways to get involved! Visit my website, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages for more information!

Keri Frantell responds: 

While I think it is incredibly valuable to be involved with niche organizations, being a part of the larger APA organization allows a few unparalleled opportunities: specifically for networking, emphasizing a well-rounded understanding of the field, and offering a chance to learn and share with diverse perspectives. Due to costs, both financially and with time, we often have to choose divisions that support our interest areas carefully. I have many interests outside of my specific division areas that are vital to my identity as a psychologist. Being a part of APA allows me the opportunity to connect with other professionals beyond my few selected niche areas, and to find connections and similarities with people who I otherwise might not ever meet. When conceptualizing ideas, research areas, and even clients, I know that I find it can be easy to become entrenched in a single, familiar area. APA offers a chance to connect with diverse perspectives, increasing my understanding of important issues. I love to connect with others to learn and grow as a professional. Membership in APA allows us to become well-rounded professionals while offering support in connecting to those with similar or dissimilar interests.

Whitney Stubbs responds:

I was a student member of APA long before becoming active in any real sense. It was not until my first APA conference in 2014 that I truly felt a part of the APA community. I have vivid memories of this conference, particularly my interactions with members of the Division 40 student affiliate organization, ANST. Not only did I feel welcomed and accepted into this new community, I felt inspired and supported. In retrospect, this point marks when my professional identity truly began to develop, and I began to seek out mentorship and professional opportunities to meet my training needs. Being a part of a community of bright, motivated, and passionate individuals has pushed me to grow, both personally and professionally, and has helped me realize that I could truly make a difference within our field. When I reflect on the benefits of membership, particularly active membership, I think about supportive community, personal growth, professional development, and networking. I also think about the diversity of opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals and pursue common goals that aren’t always offered by smaller professional organizations. For me, it is the relational piece, beyond the intellectual, that makes active membership so beneficial.

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Be on the lookout Tuesday, March 29th for our next post in this series and be sure to vote when you receive your APAGS electronic ballot on April 1! — APAGS Staff.

We’re Psyching the Vote for APAGS Member-at-Large, Practice Focus! During the month of April, APAGS members can submit an elections ballot for elections for APAGS chair-elect and four members at large (link contains position descriptions and official bios). Members will get an email with voting instructions on April 1. This post is the second in a series of six between now and March 31 in which candidates voluntarily answer our questions in 200 words or less, to give voters some insight into what they will bring to their prospective positions.

Our question for APAGS Member-at-Large, Practice Focus: 

Right now, APAGS is focused on ending the internship crisis for health service psychology students. What questions or concerns related to psychological practice would you have the committee focus on so that we’re prepared to meet the demands of the field for future generations of trainees?

Stephen Lupe responds: 

Currently, the field of health service psychology is in a state of transition.  It is expanding in to new and exciting areas such as integrated care.  It is imperative we as an organization plan for this transition.  It should be a priority we develop more training opportunities with a focus on interprofessional collaboration.  The future of psychological practice is going to rely on psychologists’ ability to work collaboratively with professionals from other disciplines.  I will lobby for more grant opportunities for site development.  In addition, it is time we as an organization empower graduate students to advocate for themselves in the areas of expanding practice.  We need to shed many of the past ideas of what practicing psychologist do and empower students to use their skills in new and exciting ways.   APA/APAGS should continue to develop initiatives to expand practice and support the efforts of the next generation of psychologists.  I will push for APA/APAGS to continue to explore emerging areas of practice, develop initiatives to highlight the need for interprofessional collaboration, and develop training opportunities and support funding for these opportunities.

Jerrold Yeo responds:

A couple of questions always on the mind of every health service psychology student: “Will I match?”, “Can I afford it?”. The state of the internship crisis has been improving over the years, but statistics may not mean so much when we are the ones who do not match. As someone who has been unsuccessful in the application process this past year, it has been particularly salient to me. Some of the things we should focus on for students would be ending the internship crisis AND ensuring internships provide affordable stipends. It pains me whenever I see training sites in very expensive locations offering stipends under $25k, which is not affordable for the debt-ridden student. This can be exponentially more difficult for students who are less financially well-off, having to take out substantially more loans to train at an expensive city, or internationally (Canada). I also think that students in health service psychology should have sufficient access to training in integrative healthcare, as collaboration and consultation with healthcare professions are an essential part of today’s practice. Another area to address would be cross-border access (Canada) to internship positions, and the logistics involved in applying for and matching across the countries.

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Be on the look out tomorrow for our next post in this series and be sure to vote when you receive your APAGS electronic ballot on April 1! — APAGS Staff.

We’re Psyching the Vote for APAGS Chair-Elect! During the month of April, APAGS members can submit an elections ballot for elections for APAGS Chair-Elect and four members at large (link contains position descriptions and official bios). Members will get an email with voting instructions on April 1. This post is the first in a series of six between now and March 31 in which candidates voluntarily answer our questions in 200 words or less, to give voters some insight into what they will bring to their prospective positions.

Our first question for APAGS Chair-Elect: 

 What competencies should be expected of all psychology graduate students in the areas of leadership and advocacy, if any, by the time they graduate? Why?

Justin Karr responds: 

The collective voice of psychologists has never been more important, considering healthcare reform, cuts to behavioral science funding, and the international need for evidence-based mental healthcare services. With these issues ongoing, I feel that all psychology students deserve training in advocacy, helping them build competency on how to enact change at local, state, and national levels. Only then can we advocate together in a way that strengthens our profession, serves the public, and ensures social justice. Psychologists are well-equipped to make meaningful change in the world, but we can only actualize that change with effective leadership. While all students have a role in advocacy, not all students will choose to serve in positions of leadership; however, all students deserve an equal opportunity to pursue leadership training. A culture of leadership has been growing within psychology, as psychologists today lead integrated healthcare teams, head academic institutions, and even serve in Congress. APAGS aims to strengthen this culture of leadership; and as your APAGS Chair-elect, I will advocate for the funding and development of more student leadership training opportunities, ensuring future generations of psychologists are well-prepared to serve as leaders within both our field and the many settings in which they serve.

Blaire Schembari responds:

The development of leadership and advocacy competencies among graduate students is often ignored. Graduate programs should emphasize the cultivation of these skills. Leadership and advocacy abilities enable students to contribute to the field of psychology and enhance their individual careers, as these roles are a part of many psychology career paths (i.e., therapists advocate for their patients, researchers lead projects and utilize results to advocate for sameness or change, teachers lead and advocate for their students).

There are several competencies I believe psychology graduate students should develop. First, an open-mind is critical to being an effective leader and advocate. Change is more likely to occur if you’re willing to listen to others and make them feel heard, even if they challenge your beliefs. Effective communication is foundational. This includes actively listening and providing constructive feedback to others’. A successful leader and advocate also has the courage to challenge the rules when they are more harmful than helpful. Moreover, being passionate and dedicated to your team and work ensures during difficult times you remain focused. Finally, knowing your limits, setting boundaries, knowing when to delegate, ask for help, and practice self-care are vital to the longevity of a leader and advocate.

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Be on the look out tomorrow for our next post in this series and be sure to vote when you receive your APAGS electronic ballot on April 1! — APAGS Staff.