Tag Archives: Advice

(Source: GotCredit on Flickr; some rights reserved)

Year-by-Year Self-Care for Graduate Students: Part 3 of 4

For Third-Year Students: This year is all about knowing when to plug in and when to unplug. With two years under your belt, you can not only identify your strengths but are also likely to be able to identify the people and places that make you stronger. Make this year about capitalizing on the connections you’ve made, and don’t forget to add a little something new along the way!

(Source: GotCredit on Flickr; some rights reserved)

(Source: GotCredit on Flickr; some rights reserved)

 

Develop support systems.

After two years in your doctoral program you are likely to have been exposed to both happy and more trying moments. In those moments you’ve probably taken note of who was with you during those easy and hard times, and how they contributed to your experiences. Remember those people, and keep in touch with those who make you the happiest. Some of these people might be in your own research lab or weekly seminar. Others might be friends of friends who are not in graduate school, but manage to force you out of your apartment on a Saturday night on a strict “no-thinking-about-your-research” policy. Whether in your cohort or off-campus, these are the people who get you through. Know who they are and make time to be with them.

Take a vacation! Or just temporarily vacate.

Take a seat, or get moving...either way find time to relax away from work (Source: Willemvdk on Flickr; some rights reserved)

Take a moment, or get moving…either way find time and space away from work (Source: Willemvdk on Flickr; some rights reserved)

Sometimes a great getaway is just a bike, ride rather than an expensive plane ticket, away! Remember to bring along your important people and hit the road. (Source: Kamal Zharif on Flickr; some rights reserved)

Sometimes a great getaway is just a bike ride rather than an expensive plane ticket, away! Remember to bring along your important people and hit the road. (Source: Kamal Zharif on Flickr; some rights reserved)

It is likely that limited finances and long hours of studying, teaching, data analysis, or conference preparation will all be viable reasons for not taking the breaks we would like to take. It is this writer’s opinion, however, that you don’t need to be 100% settled in life to take a 100% rest. When and however you can, build in time to get away from your program. Getting away does not necessarily need to look like everyone else’s vacation. There are, however two requirements: (1) no checking email (yes, I said it); and (2) leaving the vicinity that you currently live or go to school in. As long as your mind is not on work and you are off the grid, you are resting. For example, even if you do not have the option of going on a trip that requires spending money and a passport, you can still pool your options for going someplace new—even if it is only for a weekend.

Some doctoral students prefer to save for a one-to-two week trip. Others may benefit more from shorter weekend trips. Whichever way you travel, allow yourself the escape. The more able you are to take a break, the easier it will be to look forward to getting back to work with a clear head.

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of a 4-part series. View part 1, dedicated to the first-year graduate school experience, and part 2, dedicated to the second year.

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.  

APAGS-CSOGD Chair Julia Benjamin reacts to receiving "Proud and Prepared."

APAGS Releases a Brand New Guide for LGBT Graduate Students

“Proud and Prepared: A Guide for LGBT Students Navigating Graduate Training” was printed in limited release last month, and is now available to all members and affiliates of APA for free download!

APAGS-CSOGD Chair Julia Benjamin reacts to receiving "Proud and Prepared."

APAGS-CSOGD Chair Julia Benjamin reacts to receiving a copy of “Proud and Prepared,” which her committee worked on tirelessly for several months.

This exclusive resource guide was produced by the APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (CSOGD). Despite the popularity of the committee’s first edition — it had been downloaded and shared thousands of times — it was nine years old. The new guide places emphasis on more subgroups of the LGBT community and offers  broader discussion of this community’s modern training concerns. It also embeds dozens of in-depth quotes, pictures and candid perspectives from real students on a multitude of topics.

Authored by current graduate students from a diversity of backgrounds, training programs and viewpoints, “Proud and Prepared” aims to capture the energy and vitality of LGBT graduate students to the profession. Artistically, the guide was designed in-house by talented APA staff and showcases our dynamic content in a colorful 67-page package.

Go ahead and take a sneak peak! 

Check out some of Proud and Prepared’s awesome new sections:

  • Assessing Your Program’s Climate
  • Self-Disclosure in Graduate School
  • The Importance of Social Support
  • Mentorship and LGBT Students
  • Tips for Transgender or Gender Variant Students
  • Tips for Bisexual Graduate Students
  • LGBT Advocacy and Confronting Discrimination
  • Conducting LGBT Research
  • Resources for LGBT Students
  • APA’s Ethical Codes of Interest to LGBT Students

If you are looking for relevant information related to climate, mentorship, self-disclosure, research implications and much more, download the full guide (PDF, 3.3MB)  for further reading. Your APA Member login is required. If you are not a member, consider joining today.

A resolution for a new academic year

happy-new-year-scrabble-tilesApproaching a new academic year is a lot like New Year’s Eve: It offers much of the same excitement, anticipation and hopes of good fortune that a new calendar year has come to symbolize. It’s also a time when we develop resolutions, consciously or not. We want to do well in our programs, we want the best for our clients and students, we want successful (and publishable) research and we want to be part of a thriving profession.

There’s one resolution that I think could benefit all of us in graduate school, whether student or teacher: being more open to receiving and delivering thoughtful, meaningful and constructive feedback. I am continuously struck by the stories I hear in which feedback is simply omitted or is delivered in a way that hurts rather than helps students. But such feedback is critical to our individual growth and development. After all, we are in school to learn and what better way to learn than through constructive feedback?

How can we as graduate students foster a culture shift in how feedback is delivered and utilized within psychology graduate training? Here are a few suggestions:

Listen like you believe. Obviously, not everything that is said to us throughout our training is going to fit with personal goals, values, and the way we operate as individuals.  However, it is amazing what might be discovered when we are open to suggestions and areas of growth. You might just discover something that helps advance your career in incredible, unexpected ways! Listening as thought you believe, opens your mind to exploring alternatives and ultimately deciding what pieces fit for you and what does not. And on the flip side, when you provide feedback to others, whether they are peers, students or faculty members, deliver a message you believe. Be honest and genuine. If necessary, use the classic feedback sandwich structure: positive, constructive, positive.

Be concrete in your feedback and anchor it with behavior. We have all had experiences with vague feedback. For example, “You need to work on your professionalism.” There is no way to know what that means or how to improve it without concrete, actionable steps. So while providing your honest genuine feedback, be sure to anchor it. This also helps in delivering feedback in a constructive and digestible way. When you are receiving feedback, be sure to ask for and clarify the behavioral anchor so you know what to work on.

Set a timeline and check back in. Whether you are providing or receiving the feedback, it is important to evaluate your progress. Write down how you are going to incorporate feedback and set timelines where necessary to keep yourself on track. Enlist support and accountability from others if needed. Thinking over feedback and talking it over with those you’ve given it to is essential to continued professional growth and development.

Celebrate Accomplishments. When you have reached a goal of successfully incorporating feedback, go celebrate! Too often we keep our nose to the grind tackling one task after another chasing a moving cart. It is okay to stop, breathe and take a moment to embrace life through celebrating your accomplishments. Don’t forget to celebrate the accomplishments of others to whom you have given feedback! Some of my favorite ways to celebrate include taking a day off from working, reading a book for pleasure, going out to dinner or hosting a potluck with friends, going to the movies or indulging in a guilt-free Netflix binge!

I hope these steps help you to engage in the feedback process in a meaningful way. If you have more tips or an experience to share, we would love to hear about it! Sign up to be a guest contributor to the blog and share your story. Happy “New Year”!

Starting Your First Practicum/Externship

This is the year! You finally get to move out of the classroom into your first real clinical experience. Congratulations! As you are heading out to your first practicum or externship site, here are a few helpful hints or tricks that may aid you in starting out the semester right. (Disclaimer- this advice is for general consumption and should not be taken in lieu of the practicum site’s rules, policies, and regulations. Always consult your supervisor and/or training director if in doubt.)

 

Balance your roles– One of the most difficult tasks that new practicum students face is the multiple “hats” they must wear or the different roles they must play. As a new practicum student, you are now wearing the hat of therapist, supervisee, group co-facilitator, employee- and that’s just at that one site! As well, you are also juggling the roles of a student, researcher, and/or teaching assistant. While multitasking may seem tempting (and unfortunately, sometimes necessary), it is better to be in the present moment and fully engaged in the role you are working. If you are co-facilitating group, don’t think about your the client you just saw. If you have free time at your practicum site, consider reading therapy books or researching clinical problems rather than working on schoolwork. Your classwork, treatment plans, and clients will still be there when you return.

 

Manage your anxiety– I was nervous in starting out with my first practicum, and I think this is a common emotion for first time practicum students. You have made it through the necessary coursework and now it is time to start the next step! Starting anything new can seem daunting; just give yourself some time for practice. Also, processing your emotions regarding therapy is a great topic to broach with your supervisor.

 

Venture out of your comfort zone– A colleague once told me that in therapy, there are only a few things you can do wrong, but a whole lot of things you can do right. Most students know what the “wrong” things are- just peruse the ethics codes! But there are many interventions that you can do “right” with the client. So be adventurous: do an empty chair technique or try a paradoxical intervention. As long as you stay within the ethics codes and consult your supervisor, this is the time to develop those new skills.

 

Start developing your theoretical orientation– It will come back to haunt you during internship applications, so start early! Most students don’t have a formulated theoretical orientation starting out; therefore, this is the time to experiment and try different conceptualizations and interventions. You might find that you gravitate towards the same orientation again and again, or you may conceptualize with a different theoretical orientation than the intervention you choose. The main point is to explore and see what feels right for you.

 

Most important: utilize your supervisor– You will be working under your supervisor’s license, so it is wise to establish a positive professional relationship with them. They have years of clinical experience and will be able to guide you when you get “stuck.” Don’t be shy to start conversations with them about clients and other professional development issues; that’s why they are there!

 

In conclusion, this is a wonderful and exciting time in your professional development. Although the prospect of starting practicum may be daunting at first, I have typically found that things click quickly. Hang in there, be bold, and consult if necessary.

 

*Again, this is general advice and should not be taken ahead of the policies and procedures of the practicum site and/or your clinical supervisor.