Author Archives: Heather Dade

About Heather Dade

Heather Dade is the Associate Director for Meetings and Communications in APA's Center for Education in Psychology. She is the Managing Editor of gradPSYCH Blog.

APAGS Funds Five Programmatic Grants to Boost Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Doctoral Students in Psychology

At the end of 2018, the APAGS Committee invested in a brand new award program to support institutional recruitment and retention of diverse doctoral students in psychology and closely related programs by engaging current graduate students in such efforts. The number of applications received for the “APAGS Student Diversity Initiative Award” surpassed expectations and made this APAGS award highly competitive. A team of committee members awarded five institutions approximately $3,000 each to help them implement new initiatives or support existing programs, committees, and resources. APAGS defined diversity to include identification by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, ability/disability, religion, language, socioeconomic status, and age.

The following five winners are to be congratulated for their efforts and wished every success as they move forward on proposed initiatives:

Authors from Emory University School of Medicine proposed a training and mentoring program for students of color pursuing graduate education in psychology. The funding will support a weekend workshop for undergraduate students of color interested in pursuing a career in psychology, materials for attendees, and follow-up evaluation of the program’s success. Faculty from across Atlanta will provide training to attendees on the graduate school application process and pertinent issues of discrimination and social justice, and attendees will be paired with graduate student mentors.

Old Dominion University and the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology, through the ODU Research Foundation, secured funds to repeat and expand a successful workshop to assist local minority students in developing and preparing a successful application to graduate programs in clinical psychology. Funding would support the workshop by providing attendees with transportation to and dinner at the workshop, GRE preparation materials, and other resources.

University of Houston’s School Psychology Program proposed an immersion program to cultivate culturally responsive service. Funding will go to students who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse to support their participation in training experiences associated with the multilingual training track, specifically an immersion trip to Mexico. This program has the potential to help the program’s reputation for its emphasis in supporting school psychology trainees who are fluent in languages other than English.

University of Massachusetts Boston’s Clinical Psychology Program secured funding for a Student Diversity Coordinator, a current graduate student who will be hired to update recruitment materials (including brochures and digital narratives), serve as a consultant to faculty members looking to share external funding opportunities with admitted students, and coordinate a greatly expanded peer mentoring program to ensure the successful transition into and through doctoral study.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Clinical Psychology Program secured funds to support various purposes aimed at recruitment and retention, including: An informal meeting between applicants and doctoral students from diverse backgrounds during admission interviews; providing applicants from diverse backgrounds with travel funds to facilitate their participation in this informal meeting; forming a group to foster the professional development and social support of underrepresented students; and bringing in a speaker to address the intersection of clinical work, cultural humility, and social justice to improve the inclusion of diverse perspectives in clinical training.

The APAGS Committee hopes to issue similar awards in future years.

Dear Me, Future Psychologist. Yours truly, Dr. Erlanger Turner

APAGS is thankful for all of the psychologists that participated in the Dear Me series for the gradPSYCH Blog. Considering the success of these posts, APAGS is expanding the series to include early career psychologists that have been doing amazing things since graduation.

We’ve asked early career psychologists to write a letter to their 16-year-old self. We hope you enjoy these letters and glean some wisdom and guidance as you decide whether to enter graduate school in psychology, as you navigate the challenges of graduate school, and as you make decisions about your career and life.

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Dr. Erlanger “Earl” Turner is a licensed psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown. He is also the Director of the Race and Cultural Experiences Research (R.A.C.E.) Lab, and often serves as a media psychologist. Dr. Turner writes a blog, The Race to Good Health, and has been quoted by numerous media sources on mental health, race relations, and cultural competency. Dr. Turner’s current research examines (1) correlates of ethnic minority health, (2) identifying mechanisms of help-seeking, and (3) developing interventions to improve utilization and adherence to psychological treatments. While in graduate school, he served as the APAGS Member-at-Large (Practice Focus) and was the first former APAGS member to be elected to an APA standing board. He was the 2017 Chair of the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest and is the first early career psychologist to serve as chair of BAPPI. Recently, he was elected as the first African American male to be president of the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice (APA Division 37).

. For more information, please visit Dr. Turner’s website.

DEAR-ME

FROM THE DESK OF Erlanger Turner:

Dear Earl,

You have always been an introverted person with a comedic personality that only those close to you (e.g., family and friends) truly have an opportunity to witness. Who is to say that you have to share with the entire world the person God made you to be?

In life, you will face great challenges and maybe not experience much success. However, self-doubt will not push you towards achieving any goal in life. I know that one of your biggest fears is failure. Let that be the driving force in your life to keep running over any obstacle that you may face either personally or in your career. Growing up in Louisiana should not be your final destination nor your highest aspiration. Seek guidance from those who motivate you and always keep your mind on the powers that be to lead you to accomplish “your goals”.

As a first generation college student, you will have the chance to set the mark for your siblings and other family members to step out on faith. Don’t allow your internal conflicts and doubts determine how you live or what career you will pursue. Remember that it is great to help others, but always remember to do what is best for yourself. Pursuing a career in medicine will not be an easy task and you will face challenges as a Black man from the outside world.

As you move forward in life and work towards being the 1^st in your family to graduate from high school, keep these things in mind:

You control your destiny and what you accomplish in life. Don’t hold yourself to others expectations and stay focused on what makes you happy. In the midst of difficult challenges do not doubt the decisions you make. Those decisions will be the lessons you learn and will help others to recognize how experiences shape who you are as a person.

Being Black is beautiful! Don’t get caught up in the stereotypes that exist in society. You should love all the aspects of who you are. Each person is uniquely created and you should value your individuality as a person that is embedded within a community that is often perceived as not good enough.
You can be great at whatever you do in life. Remember that greatness is not defined by the lack of struggles but how you overcome those obstacles that you face. Set a goal and keep working towards it until you are satisfied.

In closing, “setting a goal is only your starting point. It’s the hard work that determines your final destination”.

–Erlanger A. Turner, Ph.D.

Editor’s Note: Dear Me, Future Psychologist is inspired by the Dear Me book series by Joseph Galliano. Special thanks to David A. Meyerson, Ph.D. for creating this series for the gradPSYCH Blog. Please check out other letters in this series:

APA Responds to ASPPB about the EPPP Part 2 Exam

May 8, 2018

Dear peers,

In late 2017, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) released more details about the EPPP Part 2 examination related to content, timing, and costs (details of which can be found here, particularly under “What’s New.”)

While the committees at APA representing graduate students and early career psychologists (APAGS, and CECP, respectively) have been advocating intensely for its constituents within APA, to ASPPB and to other stakeholders since the first announcement of the EPPP Part 2 in Spring 2016, this new information prompted our groups to request APA at large prepare an official request letter to ASPPB. The APAGS committee and CECP thoroughly advised the APA Board of Directors, to which we directly report, on several matters that were raised by our members through listservs, phone calls, and meetings.

On behalf of thousands of graduate student affiliates and early career members, and the field of psychology as a whole, the APA Board of Directors (Board) issued a letter to ASPPB on April 6, 2018. The letter highlighted three areas: The cost of the examinations, the timing of these examinations in the sequence of training, and the potential for their misuse. We summarize the concerns here:

On cost, ASPPB announced that the EPPP Part 2 would cost an up-front fee of $600. The cost of the existing EPPP, which will become Part 1 when Part 2 is implemented, will remain $600, doubling the total examination fee to $1,200. APA in turn advocated for ASPPB to consider the financial burden the test would create for students, postdocs, and ECPs with limited resources. As well, ASPPB was asked to support state-by-state efforts to count pre-internship hours for licensure, which would allow graduates to get licensed and earn a licensed psychologist’s salary sooner.
On timing, ASPPB announced that when the EPPP Part 2 is released, doctoral students from accredited programs who had completed all necessary coursework (not inclusive of dissertation or internship) would be able to take the EPPP Part 1 (the existing examination) prior to graduating. APA in turn advocated that ASPPB develop more clear guidelines about course-completion requirements for taking the Part 1 early, and asked ASPPB to do its own review to determine student eligibility in the cases where doctoral institutions may not be keen to sign off on a student’s eligibility.
On validity and potential misuse of the exam, APA named four concerns. First, APA advocated against the EPPP Part 1 being used as a criterion on internship applications or as penalty for underperforming students by their doctoral programs; no decisions have been made about these issues so our advocacy is proactive. Second, APA advocated for the Part 2 not to be used in disciplinary proceedings. Third, APA advocated the need to ensure that already-licensed psychologists would be universally and indefinitely ‘grandfathered’ in to new states where they seek licensure, specifically by not needing to take the Part 2. Fourth, APA indicated that there may or could be possible bias in test scores worthy of attention. CECP and APAGS raised with APA’s Board our concerns about test pass-rate differences by demographic groups and would like to see a more systemic analysis of the tests by groups.

Please note, APAGS and CECP anticipate that the EPPP Part 2 will be implemented into the licensure process across North America. It is the culmination of years of movement in psychology to assess professional skill and competency. There also does not appear to be momentum to take a holistic review of the EPPP Part 1 in light of the new Part 2. We are doing what we feel has strategic possibility by raising the concerns above, and we are thankful that the APA Board of Directors is working hard on our behalf. We trust that ASPPB will respond in due time, and we endeavor to keep you abreast of any announcements that affect the tests and test-takers. APAGS and CECP openly welcomes your dialogue on these matters.

Sincerely,

Justin Karr, MS, APAGS Chair

Tyson Bailey, PsyD, CECP Chair

Editor’s Note – See previous gradPSYCH Blog posts about the EPPP Part 2:

Graduate Student Researchers for the Win

adult-attractive-beauty-255268 Have you ever wondered how to get financial support for your research? APA maintains a directory with hundreds of opportunities for funding psychological research. Today, we take a closer look at one particular grant for graduate students and the amazing projects that will be getting a $1,000 boost.

Every year, APAGS sponsors the Psychological Science Research Grant (PSRG) to provide support for several graduate students conducting psychology research, with additional funding reserved specifically for diversity-focused studies. This $1,000 grant is used to fund innovative psychological science research projects. Graduate students in all fields of psychology and neuroscience (who are also APA student affiliates) are eligible.

PSRG netted a very competitive applicant pool this year. After careful review, 14 applicants were selected to receive funding. These students span several universities and research areas, including social, cognitive, clinical, community, evolutionary, and moral psychology. Seven of these proposed research projects specifically related to diversity, as defined by APA’s 2017 Multicultural Guidelines.

Here’s a brief peek of the 2017 winning projects:

Steven Hobaica (Washington State University) will be studying transgender individuals in cisnormative sex education. Steven aims to understand how exclusive educational experiences may affect transgender individuals’ physical and mental health outcomes, self-conceptions, and relationships.
Laura Werner (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) will be studying the aging of working memory. Laura plans to investigate whether processing speed and inhibition account for different aspects of working memory performance and age-related decline in working memory.
Amanda Sanchez (Florida International University) will be studying whether cultural formulation improves satisfaction, treatment engagement, and clinical outcomes among traditionally underserved children. As part of a dissertation, Amanda plans to augment assessment procedures for child behavior problems with a brief cultural assessment, as well as assess the effects of barriers to care on this augmentation.
Alyssa De Vito (Louisiana State University) will be studying the predictive utility of intraindividual cognitive variability measures as an early marker of cognitive decline. Alyssa will be working with individuals with mild cognitive impairment and analyzing intraindividual variability in executive functioning, memory, and timed performance tasks.
Erica Page (University of Cincinnati) will be developing and testing a causal framework between microaggressions and negative health outcomes. Erica aims to determine if microaggressions elicit physiological stress responses and lead to declines in working memory performance.
Amy Wing-Lam Chong (Cornell University) will be examining the extent to which age-related performance differences on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) can be explained by reductions in exploration preferences and learning, and differences in risk preferences.
Julia Briskin (Wayne State University) will be studying the effect smartphone usage during in-person interactions with romantic partners has on romantic relationships. Julia’s research will provide and empirically test a theoretical framework to understand this effect, and identify potential ways to mitigate it.
Kyle Simon (University of Kentucky) will be developing a scale for conceptual future parenthood grief in LGBTQ+ individuals. Kyle plans to assess the reliability and validity of a newly created measure that gauges the level of grief that LGBTQ+ people experience about potentially never achieving a parenting identity.
Haley Bell (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) will be developing a multidimensional measure of gender dysphoria. Haley aims to develop, validate, and assess the reliability of the Gender Dysphoria Measure.
Megan Williams (University of Pennsylvania) will be studying body odors’ influence on mate quality estimation. Megan is interested in the mechanism by which body odors inform mate quality assessment, specifically sexual disgust and sexual attraction.
Megan Goldring (Columbia University) will be studying morality, social conformity, and blame attributions. Megan’s research on moral decision making will investigate the extent to which attributions of blame and praise depend on social conformity factors, agency, and intent, for judgements of commonplace and severe moral transgressions.
Sarah Arango (University of Texas at Austin) will be studying the ways that Syrian refugee youth living in Jordan develop resilience and cope with trauma and chronic stress. As a dissertation study, Sarah aims to examine the link between daily stressors, traumatic events, coping flexibility, well-being, and psychological distress in this population.
Hanan Hashem (University of Texas at Austin) will study solo status, religious identity, and ethnic identity as predictors of psychological distress and discrimination of American Muslim women.
Rachel Sweenie (University of Florida) will study the associations between stable and fluctuating psychosocial variables and inhaled corticosteroid treatment adherence, using ecological momentary assessment.

Congratulations to all our winners. We are excited to see whose name will be on the list next year. We hope it is yours! Be sure to send in your application before the deadline in early December for the 2018 PSRG.

The APAGS Science Committee would like to thank and acknowledge the help and support we received in reviewing applications this year. This includes members of the APAGS CARED and CSOGD Committees, as well as our Ad Hoc Reviewers: Emily Bernstein, Harvard University; Joshua Goodman , UC Santa Barbara; Danielle Krusemark, Florida State University; Brittany Lang, University of South Florida; and Danielle Taylor, Oklahoma State University.

Written by:

Brielle James (BS), Member, APAGS Science Committee Renee Cloutier (MS), Chair, APAGS Science Committee

Match Day 2018: The Forecast is Looking Good!

As your APAGS Chair, I wanted to reach you on one of the most important days of the year for the psychology training community. The 2018 Match Day is upon us, and the forecast is looking good for students. We continue to make advances toward resolving the internship crisis, and we are always excited to see students progressing in their training. For those that did not match, we continue to be your ally in this struggle, and aim to support you through our advocacy efforts to ensure everyone has access to the training opportunities they deserve.

Let’s Talk Data

Here is today’s APPIC data about applicants seeking a 2018 internship:

3,779 applicants participated in the Match, of which 3,727 were from accredited programs. A smaller student pool is likely because APPIC is now using stricter accreditation requirements for doctoral programs that send students into the Match.
3,163 applicants matched in Phase I: An 88% overall match rate.
85% of applicants who matched got one of their top three choices.
This is the first time there were fewer applicants than internship positions available (i.e., 3,906 positions available), which is a promising trend for future internship cohorts. For the 432 students that remain unmatched, 457 APA/CPA-accredited internship positions remain open.

Although many students are celebrating the opportunities that await them on internships, many today remain unmatched, and we hope that the number of APA/CPA-accredited sites available in Phase II provides ample opportunity to secure a quality training experience this summer. We also hope that the 184 students who did not submit a rank list or withdrew their applications for reasons related to site availability advocate for their best outcomes and fare well.

I know that the pains of not matching can be personally burdensome, and the uncertainty about the coming year can be equally as draining. Be reassured that, just as there are terrific training opportunities available in Phase II, there are many terrific applicants that sites will be ecstatic to recruit. I know many high-quality, well-trained colleagues who matched in Phase II to terrific training opportunities, and I wish you all the best of luck as you continue the application process for this cycle.

Change is on the Rise

The internship crisis has improved over the years, and many more stakeholders are beginning to call it an imbalance. In its advocacy efforts, the APAGS Committee is always mindful of the training opportunities available to students. In our 2013-2018 Strategic Plan, we aimed for an APA/CPA-accredited internship for every student from an APA/CPA-accredited program. We are close to reaching that goal.

My belief is that greater emphasis will need to be placed on specialty training opportunities in the coming years. The substantial increase in APA/CPA-accredited internships has helped to resolve the internship crisis, but many students miss out on specialty training opportunities when they match to sites that are not the best fit for their training goals. Certain fields such as school psychology have fewer APA/CPA-accredited programs. Although many sites offer neuropsychological training at the internship level, when applicants fail to match to a site with such training opportunities, they become less competitive when securing postdocs within that specialty. Rehabilitation, health, forensic, and more — specialty tracks and training opportunities at the internship level are becoming increasingly prevalent, and we as a field should be aware that the crisis is about both supply and fit.

Our Advocacy Efforts

For those in the student community concerned about advocacy, the APAGS Committee has been actively working with the internship crisis at the forefront of our minds. Our past advocacy efforts have pushed for a $3 million internship stimulus package approved by the APA Council of Representatives, which has been highly successful in the development of new training sites. Medicaid reimbursement for internship services has also helped to secure funding for additional training sites. We also produced an informative video and resource page on the internship crisis to spread awareness of the impact that not matching has on the lives of students. The APAGS Committee continues to focus on graduate and internship training opportunities for our constituents. If you have any perspectives on additional advocacy efforts, we are always appreciative of your input. Contact your APAGS Committee officers for additional information. Further, if you would like to have a place at the table, we encourage all APAGS members to consider applying for positions on the APAGS Committee. Students of all backgrounds, subfields, and interests are encouraged to apply. These positions are the most effective way to advocate for your student peers within APA, as we strive for the highest quality training experience for all psychology graduate students.

Sincerely,

Justin E. Karr, M.Sc.

2018 APAGS Chair