Category Archives: Graduate School

Who Has Authority to Write About an Ailing Body? Learning from Narrative Therapy and Medical Memoirs

In this post, I look at both narrative therapy and medical memoirs as forms of centering the patient’s experience of their own health. 

“Narrative therapy seeks to be a respectful, non-blaming approach to counselling and community work, which centres people as the experts in their own lives” reads the introduction to narrative therapy on the Dulwich Centre homepage, a great pitstop for anyone engaging in this style of treatment. 

Narrative therapy works on the basis of seeing people as distinct from their ‘problems’ or the issues that they bring to a psychologist or other psychotherapist. It works on the premise that people have identities that are multi-faceted, and the ailment that they face is only a part of who they are. Further, this school of thought favors the idea that “curious listening” to clients can give therapists a chance to facilitate healing through rich descriptions based on their clients’ stories. A rich description here can be understood as knowledge of the ailment as experienced by the patient with their own history of existence (and stories have a lot to contribute to a person’s existence). This emphasis on the patient’s agency to tell their story is common in narrative therapy and medical memoirs. 

A conventional definition of psychotherapy is a practice that helps someone “overcome their mental disorders and also aims for the betterment of the person”  (See Psychological Science). The definition is inverted when we understand psychotherapy to be more than merely solution-driven, as in narrative therapy. Here, the path of healing is travelled by both parties.  The facilitation of healing ceases from falling squarely on the therapist. 

We can now turn to medical memoirs for similar lessons. A first glance at this subgenre of life writings, gives one the impression that they are primarily physician narratives that speak of their experiences of an illness, or their patients’ experiences with illnesses. This, however, has been recently challenged.  Works like Amala Poli’s Writing the Self in Illness looks at the need for scholars and readers to look at memoirs with an experiential and caregiving lens. The writings go beyond a subservient purpose of offering physicians a stronger sense of the personhood/body in the state of illness. 

Poli writes: “The medical memoir is a counter narrative to medical discourses that takes the form of self-representation by foregrounding the experiential. The particular account of illness that the medical memoir articulates is indeed a way of reclaiming both the body and the self’s narrative of illness, but also one of expanding the understanding of health and illness in a language and form different from the one used in conventional medical discourse” (pg.  8). 

Poli’s ‘conventional’ here refers to the outlook that an ailing body or mind is the arena of the professionals. However, when the matter is of representation, the following question arises: Who has the authority to write about an ailing body? The current shifts in the field of medical humanities are expanding and rewriting the narrative to include the validity of memoirs by non-medical professionals and caregivers. The importance of self-tellings is marked by this shift in the meeting place of literature and medicine. 

The limited understanding of medical memoirs and use of narrative therapy restrict us from the plethora of knowledge that patient-narratives are bringing to the fore. By centering the experiential in our patients’ stories, medical memoirs and narrative therapy are both redefining how healthcare exists in and is perceived by the world. They offer the potential to highlight the patient at the center of interpersonal relationships, being in a relationship with their own ailing or aching body and mind. The centering of human stories leads to rich descriptions, collaborative healing, and a celebration of human agency. 

Dennis Wesley is an independent researcher and budding blogger. His interests include STEM and Humanities education, especially interdisciplinary practices and methods. He is equally passionate about the Sciences and the Arts, and mainly aims to present the pros of rigorous interdisciplinary training and processes. You can read more of his writing here.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness – Success!

There was no way for me to become a psychologist without taking out student loans, so my first day of graduate school was a blend of exhilaration about pursuing my vocational calling and dread over committing myself to loans that were much larger than any amount of money I had ever earned. Four years later I had a graduate degree, a network of inspiring colleagues, a postdoctoral fellowship, and six-figure debt.

I am now debt-free, thanks to successful completion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, and writing to share my story in case it helps others. PSLF is designed to provide debt relief to individuals who work in public service jobs, including many of the career paths that psychologists pursue. After making 120 qualifying payments, the remaining student loan balance is forgiven.

As a psychologist in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), my employment met the certification requirements for PSLF, and I paid into an income-driven repayment plan, picking the best option for me from among the PSLF repayment types. Since my payments were income-driven, the payments increased over time as my income increased. I started paying during my postdoctoral fellowship, when my income was lower, which was a wise decision.

The paperwork, in my experience, was straightforward. There was no need for a lawyer or financial adviser. I worked for the VA (at two different locations) the entire time, which meant my paperwork was simple. Once per year, I completed forms to verify my income level. I filed my employer certification paperwork twice during the 10 years (once with each VA location), and then submitted the application for loan forgiveness at the end. I believe that the current recommendation is to file employer certification paperwork every year. Please check the PSLF website for official guidance.

Because of Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) funding, I also received a refund of several thousand dollars. My first four student loan payments did not originally qualify for PSLF because I paid into the default loan repayment option, which was not a qualifying repayment type for PSLF. Thanks to TEPSLF, those initial payments were counted retroactively as qualifying payments, and thus my four final payments were refunded. When considering PSLF, make sure to check the official website for rules about which repayment plans qualify.

The monthly payments, though income-based, were significant and on par with my rent and monthly daycare bill. The amount I repaid came close to the amount that I borrowed, but because of interest, even after 120 payments, I had barely made a dent in the principal. Without PSLF, I was looking at another 15 years of paying back graduate school loans. PSLF has been life changing for me and my family. While the PSLF program honors the importance of public service rendered during the repayment period, the post-loan forgiveness stage allows even more freedom for values-driven career decisions.

My graduate education at The Wright Institute, focused on a clinician-to-society social justice model, has been invaluable and worth every penny. Because of the excellent instruction, empowerment, and role modeling I received in graduate school, I went on to develop a yearlong social cognition rehabilitation group for military Veterans with histories of traumatic brain injuries and psychological trauma that has been adopted at multiple VA medical centers nationwide and published in a peer-reviewed journal. I received funding for an Institutional Courage Initiative to study experiences of institutional betrayal and institutional courage among Veterans and VA health care providers, in an effort to improve the quality of care for Veterans and strengthen employee engagement. The PSLF is a gift of a lifetime that has allowed me a career focused on making the world a better place, while having the financial security to build my own life as well.

There are many reports in the media of the failures of the PSLF program, but for me it was a success. It worked for me, and it can work for you too.

Kelly McCarron, PsyD

Editor’s Note: For more information on repaying your student debt, check out the APA webinar: Public Service Loan Forgiveness: How You Can Get It and Why We’re Fighting to Preserve It or visit the Department of Educations’ page on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Second Editor’s Note (updated 2/27/20): We learned via the New York Times that some people who may have been misled or misinformed by their loan servicer in pursuit of PSLF have been successful in using a little-known recourse called the Federal Student Aid Feedback System.

Following up with Q&A from the APAGS Webinar on the EPPP

This blog post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity. This series will discuss current events and how these events relate to graduate students in psychology. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Aleesha Young.

Student leaders in APAGS are interested in understanding and quashing the apparent score discrepancies on the national licensing exam for psychologists. In October 2019, APAGS hosted the webinar EPPP Outcomes and Test Taking Strategies for Graduates of Color. As a follow up to the webinar, we asked the co-hosts and panelists to voluntarily answer questions we received during and after the air date. One panelist, a co-host, and two APA staff members responded to our requests. What follows are are Q&As, edited only for clarity, and divided into sections about the test, studying for it, and pass rate data.  

Questions About the Test

Where do we find the ASPPB’s test/practice materials? 

Eddy Ameen (EA), APAGS staff liaison: We suggest starting out at www.asppb.org to read all about the test. Some test/practice materials are available from ASPPB, whereas there are also independent test preparation companies that advertise online. Please note that APA does not list, endorse, or evaluate any test prep company. Neither does ASPPB. ASPPB states you must be approved by your jurisdiction’s licensing board to take the test before getting access to its study materials. 

What are the costs of taking the EPPP?

Brian A. Sharpless (BAS), licensed psychologist, research, panelist:  This will partially depend on which jurisdiction you take it in, but it will be at least $600 for the EPPP Part 1, plus $87.50 in test center fees. 

EA: For the EPPP Part 2, a skills-based exam, which will be administered in some jurisdictions starting November 1, 2020, the fees are as follows: $100.00 for initial beta testers, $300 through Dec. 31, 2020, and beginning January 2022, it will be $450.00 per administration. 

Are there scholarships or grants to provide financial support towards obtaining study material?

Continue reading →

An Almost-Win for Student Voting Privileges


The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Committee is disappointed that members did not pass the proposed bylaw amendment to grant graduate students voting privileges in APA. APAGS will, however, keep mobilizing to advance this issue and ensure increased representation for students. 

Here’s the background: In 2018, APAGS proposed a measure that would enable graduate students to vote on the same issues after one year that all full APA members, and associates after five years of membership, are eligible to vote for: Elections for APA President-Elect and Board Members-at-Large, bylaw amendments like this one, and apportionment ballots. The measure would have also aligned the voter-waiting period for associate members with that of graduate student members.

The Council of Representatives agreed to put the matter before the current voting bloc this fall. The ballot closed Dec. 16, 2019, resulting in 8,436 total votes, with 5,566 (65.98%) in favor. Because this item is a bylaw amendment, it requires not a simple majority but a two-thirds majority (66.67%) in favor to pass. Translation: The measure was 58 votes shy of passage.

This was an incredibly close outcome. Our committee is so glad that a groundswell of voters supported this measure, including many who otherwise would not have voted at all (in fact, the turnout for a bylaw amendment vote has not been this high since 2011). We recognize the support of the APA Board of Directors, the Council Leadership Team, the Council of Representatives, many APA presidential candidates, and a number of APA Divisions and State Psychological Associations that came out favoring the measure. 

Of course, our sincerest thanks are to our fellow students who could not vote, but encouraged their professors, supervisors, and colleagues to do so. We believe most members would agree with us that enfranchising graduate students is the right thing to do for APA. This is, in fact, reflected in today’s results. This outcome is not a verdict on our competency to vote, but on readiness for change. In my tenure as 2019 APAGS chair, I am reminded that everything takes the time that it takes. In less than one-and-a-half years, our committee moved an issue from idea into action, challenging traditional timelines, and falling a tiny bit short – 58 votes, to be exact. Stick with us as we regroup, because we’ll need you!

Our enthusiasm for APA’s future is undeterred. And our desire to strengthen APA through our voices is only increasing!

Yours in solidarity,
Roseann Fish Getchell, PsyD
2019 APAGS Chair 

APAGS Grants $12,000 to Advance Diversity in Doctoral Programs

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Committee has recently selected four grantees and dispersed $12,000 to support the recruitment, retention and leadership training of diverse psychology doctoral students.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

Now in its second year, the APAGS Student Diversity Initiative Award provides funding of up to $3,000 per institution to address “leaky pipelines” on the road to successfully completing a doctorate. Efforts will be directed to students and prospective students with traditionally underrepresented identities in race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, religion, language, socioeconomic status, and age.

We are pleased to present our distinguished awardees:

Howard University

HU’s Counseling Psychology Program will use its funding to address the goal of retaining and recruiting highly qualified diverse students through the creation of a Graduate Education & Training in Psychology Podcast.  The purpose of the podcast is to increase awareness of the doctoral program, provide networking, research, and professional development opportunities for grad students, and even fundraise.

San Diego State University

SDSU’s Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Clinical Psychology will use its funding to cultivate and maintain a diverse student body within the doctoral program and clinical psychology at large. The goals will be met via committee initiatives focused on recruitment, retention, mentorship and leadership – for example diversity aimed events, mentoring potential applicants, and hosting a diversity mixer during interviews.

Tennessee State University 

TSU’s Counseling Psychology Program will use its funding to expand the reach and understanding of the program’s Microaggressions Work Group (MWG), a collaboration between students and faculty to facilitate program-wide development concerning microaggressions. It does this through educational and experimental training, member support, and advocacy and awareness.

University of Virginia 

The Black Scholars in Education & Human Development Writing Group has created a space for black doctoral students and postdocs to develop and enhance their writing skills in a community of support. In addition to their monthly writing sessions, the group plans to use funding to convene once a semester for a retreat focused on writing skills and wellness.

APAGS encourages you to consider applying in our fall 2020 cycle.