Category Archives: Advice

Getting a Tenure Track Position

While there are many jobs that psychologists can do well after graduation, tenure track professorships are among the positions that many students aspire to. Getting a tenure track faculty position right out of your doctoral program is not easy, but it can be done. Here, five new assistant professors in counseling psychology share tips on what they believe helped them be successful during the job application process last year. These (now) assistant professors were asked, “What made you competitive for a tenure track job?”

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Obtaining Clinical Experience Through an Undergraduate Applied Experience

If you are interested in applying to graduate school, obtaining clinical experience may be beneficial in creating a memorable graduate application, as well as preparing you for future graduate studies. Discussing your clinical experience both in your graduate applications and in interviews may provide the important hook that makes you stand out to admissions committees. Many universities offer variations of an “Applied Experience” or “Undergraduate Practicum.” This experience also allows you the opportunity to learn more about the population you are interested in working with and apply psychological principles in a multitude of settings or human services agencies.  It is important to realize that although doing an applied experience is a great opportunity to be exposed to specific populations experiencing a variety of psychological symptomatology, your role during an undergraduate applied experience or practicum is far different than that of the role you may expect in graduate school or as a clinician.

Steps to Obtaining an Applied Experience
1. Check your university’s course catalog that there is a practicum for course credit.
2. Identify your local human services agencies (referral agencies can be found on your County’s Human Services web page) and if applicable, faculty clinics.
3. Review the agencies and call the ones that serve the clients in whom you are interested.
4. Speak with your advisor and express your interest in a supervised volunteer experience for course credits.

Reflecting On My Experience
I opted to complete an Applied Experience with the Department of Child and Family Services in Corpus Christi, Texas.  At Child Protective Services (CPS), I had the unique opportunity of working with social workers and meeting with the licensed clinical psychologist who works with cases referred by CPS.  I was able to ask questions and understand the process of getting families the help and services that they need.  This was also my first opportunity to speak with a psychologist and learn about the day-to-day life of working with clients.  At CPS, I observed interviews between the caseworkers and children and shadowed caseworkers during home visits.  I attended court hearings and witnessed parents lose custody of their children and had the opportunity to provide guidance and modeling during parent- child supervised visits.  Each caseworker that I shadowed was such an inspiration to me and I was amazed at the training they received in self-care.  In a career that experiences so much burnout and stress, these social workers demonstrated the importance of mentally removing themselves from their jobs and “detaching from the office.”  This was one of the best pieces of advice that guides me as a graduate practicum student now working with my own clients.
This experience allowed me the opportunity to realize my interest in working with trauma cases and specifically survivors of childhood abuse.  When applying to graduate Clinical Psy.D. programs, I knew that I wanted to be in a program that would allow me the opportunity to develop specialized knowledge in the field of trauma psychology. If you are able to complete an applied experience, remember that it is what you take away from the experience that will help you to develop professionally and set you apart from other applicants!

Editor’s Note: Jenna Lyons is a third-year clinical PsyD student at Nova Southeastern University.

5 Tips to Help You Manage Your Public Speaking Anxiety

davisMiller3Many students dread making public presentations. Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking and speech anxiety, is one of the most common phobias, effecting as much as 75% of the population. Yet giving presentations and other forms of public speaking is an important part of developing professionally. Therefore it is important for students to overcome these fears and to find ways to excel at public speaking.

Here are 5 tips for students to help overcome a fear of public speaking:

1. Know your material. It is important to know the material you are presenting well and to be able to speak fluently about the subject matter. Having a firm grasp and understanding of what you are presenting will help you feel more comfortable during your presentation and will also project confidence to your audience. Be sure that you understand the material being presented inside and out. Come up with potential questions that the audience might ask and be prepared with your answers. Again, the better you know the subject matter, the more confident you’ll feel.

2. Think positively. We’ve all heard the benefits of positive thinking. These benefits can also apply to your presentation. Going into the presentation with a positive outlook will not only give you a boost of confidence, but that will also be projected to the audience. Thinking positively in general has been known to lower stress levels. Focusing on a positive reaction to your presentation and successful outcomes will help reduce your anxiety around public speaking. Do you remember the last time you achieved something amazing? How did that feel? Use those emotions to your advantage and make them your weapon on stage. Focus on these good emotions and try to avoid thinking of things that might go wrong during your presentation.

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. –Zig Ziglar

3. Learn from others. Public speeches come in a wealth of forms: Seminar series, conference talks, journal club meetings, student presentations and more. One can learn a lot of things from observing these talks. Make a point to observe others in public speaking roles and consider: Which speech did I enjoy and why? Which speaker was most appealing? What made one speech better than another? After assessing other speakers, think about your presentation style, and how you can imitate some of the characteristics of the speakers you preferred.

4. Be aware of your body language. Non-verbal communication is an important skill to master when giving presentations. Your body language may convey unintended messages to your audience. For example, excessive fidgeting shows nervousness and conveys a sense of anxiousness. When practicing your speech, do so in front of a mirror. Notice any repetitive movements you may be making. Make a concerted effort to avoid fidgeting, shuffling, or any other movements that may indicate to the audience that you are nervous. There are several tricks to help you avoid making these unconscious nervous movements  (e.g., mindfulness, holding a pen or paperclip firmly when speaking, and so forth). Avoiding these movements should help you as the presenter to feel a sense of calmness and ease during the presentation.

5. Practice. One of the most important things you can do to lessen anxiety before a big presentation is to practice. For one, this will allow you to find any hiccups in the presentation that you’d like to avoid. If there is a phrase or sentence that causes you to become tongue-tied, toss it or change it. Record yourself. Hear how the presentation sounds. Practice in front of a mirror and in front of friends. Allow others to give you honest feedback about the presentation. Determine what your strengths are in presenting and focus on those, and work on areas that need improvement.

 DavisMiller2You can do this!

Humans are often terrified that our deepest fears and emotions will be noticed by other people. We sometimes believe that they’ll uncover these fears through our tone of voice, sweaty faces, or accelerated breathing. Fortunately, we can give ourselves a boost of confidence by becoming comfortable with what we’re trying to convey.

It is common to be nervous when giving public speeches. Many people have this fear, so know that you are not alone! Public speaking is not a natural-born skill for anyone, nor is it even a miraculous talent for most people. Consider it a learned ability that can be mastered over time by trying some of these tips. Visit the London Speaker Bureau for more information about public speaking.

Editor’s note: Davis Miller is a student in psychology at the University of Alberta. 

What does the site you're applying to say about its LGBTQ training opportunities and affirmative environment? (Source: Kurious on Pixabay. Some rights reserved.)

Internship and Postdoc Sites Share LGBTQ Climate and Training Data

What does the site you're applying to say about its LGBTQ training opportunities and affirmative environment? (Source: Kurious on Pixabay. Some rights reserved.)

What does the site you’re applying to say about its LGBTQ training opportunities and affirmative environment? (Source: Kurious on Pixabay. Some rights reserved.)

Are you applying for internship?

Are you interested in finding out more about LGBTQ climate and training opportunities at internship and postdoctoral sites?

If so, check out our new resource created by the APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity and Division 44’s Student Representatives! (Special thanks go to Julia Benjamin, Skyler Jackson, Elizabeth Ollen, and Eric Samuels for their leadership on this project, and to willing training directors for their time and insight.)

We conducted a survey on APPIC-registered internship and postdoctoral sites this summer with the intent of collecting information about how friendly these sites were for people of diverse sexual orientations and genders, and about LGBTQ-focused internship training opportunities that the site might offer.

We received responses from 120 internship sites, 22 postdoctoral sites, and 45 combined internship and postdoctoral sites, from a total of 36 states as well as Washington DC, and three Canadian provinces.

Feel free to explore and manipulate the Excel file here! (last updated 10-1-2015) 

  1. You’ll be prompted to download an Excel file after clicking the link above.
  2. Please note that the file has two sheets; the first is introductory and the second is raw survey data.
  3. Note: If you can’t open .xlsx files, you can first download the file and then use a free online site (like this one) to convert the file to other formats, such as .csv or .pdf.

Data points are organized into broad categories including information on general site information, health insurance, staff diversity trainings, expression of identity, LGBTQ training focus, LGBTQ climate for clients, and overall area and site LGBTQ-friendliness. Additionally, for ease of reading, colors have been used to signify specific answer types.

In finding a site that is right for you, we encourage you to consider all sites in their totality, across domains presented here and in combination with other factors available in the APPIC directory and materials made available by each site. Further, we ask that you refrain from making conclusions about sites that did not or could not complete our survey by its deadline.

APAGS CSOGD and Division 44 plan to periodically update this database to provide the most up-to-date information for internship applicants. We hope you find it to be a helpful resource!

Editor’s note: Other APAGS tools that might help intern and postdoc applicants include webisodes on the APPIC application process, a climate guide (PDF) in workbook format for evaluating sites independently on LGBTQ criteria, a new resource guide for LGBTQ students, and  much more.

 

The author found himself interning here at Electronic Arts for 10 weeks one summer, thanks to a fateful TED-like video and a LinkedIn suggestion. (Source: nickstone333 on Flickr. Some rights reserved.)

A Cog Neuro Student Nabs an Industry Internship

The author found himself interning here at Electronic Arts for 10 weeks one summer, thanks to a fateful TED-like video and a LinkedIn suggestion. (Source: nickstone333 on Flickr. Some rights reserved.)

The author found himself interning at Electronic Arts for 10 weeks one summer, thanks to a fateful TED-like video and a LinkedIn suggestion. (Source: nickstone333 on Flickr. Some rights reserved.)

Editor’s note on the term “internship”:  Doctoral students in clinical, counseling, and school psychology may hear “internship” referenced in this post and immediately think of the yearlong field placement in a therapeutic setting that is required just prior to earning the doctorate. Here, author Stephen Gray refers to a different kind of internship–one that may interest students in science and research fields who are considering non-academic experience prior to graduation. 

A leg up 

Internship. It may be a strange word to weathered doctoral students who have done nothing but tirelessly toil away on research studies for years, but in a world where there are an increasing number of PhDs and a decreasing number of tenure track jobs, it may become something to consider as the job market continues to shift. And while the term may invoke images of demoralized undergraduates getting coffee for high level CEOs, rest assured that there are plenty of companies and organizations interested in taking advantage of the unique skills a graduate student in psychology has to offer.

Although giving up a summer of research may slightly delay the timing of your degree, an internship offers invaluable experience in knowing what research in the “real world” is like and may allow you to determine if it’s a good fit for you. Having an internship on the resume gives you a leg up compared to other industry-bound students when applying for jobs, and in some cases, may even result in a permanent job offer from the company at which you intern.

Finding my way into an internship

To be completely honest, I didn’t come into the summer before my fifth year as a doctoral student with intention of finding an internship – things just sort of worked out that way.

It started a few years ago, when I stumbled upon a TED-style online talk by Dr. Jeffrey Lin, the head of social systems at Riot Games. Dr. Lin, who has a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Washington, spoke of the research Riot Games was conducting to reduce negative player behavior in the game League of Legends. As a passionate online gamer myself, the idea that I could use my skills as a researcher to study how people interact with video games was enticing.

Per Dr. Lin’s recommendation, I joined a LinkedIn group called “Games User Research,” and came in contact with dozens of individuals with psychology degrees who were now using their skills for the gaming industry. Desperate to get some hands-on experience myself, I made a post introducing myself and asking about opportunities for freelance work.

To my surprise, I received quite a few responses, although the one that stood out to me was a Consumer Insights internship at Electronic Arts (EA) in which I would be working for an individual with a PhD in social psychology. After submitting my application and a series of interviews, I was soon headed to Los Angeles to begin my summer as a researcher at EA.

My favorite part of industry research is its blistering pace…I was also fortunate to receive a hiring recommendation

Turning an internship into a potential job

The experience I gained was invaluable. My favorite part of industry research is its blistering pace; I was able to dabble in six different projects while I was at EA in ten short weeks. I conducted literature searches, analyzed large sets of survey data, and presented my results to stakeholders and executives. I was also fortunate to receive a hiring recommendation, meaning that I have a potential job waiting for me when I finish my PhD next year.

The industry world is not for everyone – there are plenty of students (and advisors) who scoff at the idea of doing anything but academic research, and that’s okay. For the rest of you who are on the fence about what to do with your degree, I would highly recommend seeking out an internship that fits your passion. Even you dislike the experience, it will provide critical information about the right career path for you.

Editor’s note: Stephen Gray is a PhD student in experimental psychology, focusing on cognitive neuroscience, at the University of Chicago. Stephen is completing a two-year term on the APAGS Science Committee.