Tag Archives: Advice

Easy Cheap-y Grad School Recipes

chopping-vegetables1-600x420I love to cook. During graduate school it was one of my primary self-care strategies. But, let’s be honest, when you’re pulling together your pennies in line at the grocery store and trying to find time to brush your teeth, gourmet meals aren’t exactly high on the list of priorities.

Here are a few of my favorite go-to, quick, cheap meal ideas for those of you on a budget—with your time and money.

1. Cafe Rio Chicken – This crock pot delight is so easy and versatile. You can put this chicken in a salad, a soup base, tacos, burritos, a rice/veggie dish, or you can just eat it straight out of the crock pot!

2. Person-Pleasing Chicken – The author calls this Man-Pleasing Chicken. I just call it seriously delicious. Chicken thighs are a great way to save money when compared to chicken breasts. You can skip the rosemary to save extra cash, but I always keep it.

3. Baked Ravioli – How much easier and delicious can you get?

4. 5 Ingredient Black Bean Soup – This is one of my favorite quick and delicious soups. There are other 5 ingredient options on the site too.

5. 8 Can Taco Soup – Taco in a soup. Done.

6. Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers – So, this one takes a little more skill. But, you can do it! You can save extra cash here by omitting the cheese and using rice instead of quinoa.

Enjoy!

Meet Your APAGS Leaders!

Getting involved in APAGS governance is a great way to hone your leadership skills, network with other leaders in the field, and learn about and advocate for important issues affecting the field of psychology. Staff here at gradPSYCH Blog want all members to meet their appointed and elected leaders in our new series—Meet Your APAGS Leaders!

Our first introduction is Emily Voelkel, the current Chair of APAGS.

Tell us about yourself. committee-bio-voelkel_tcm7-158532

I grew up in a small town near Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m the oldest of three girls, and family has always been very important to me. Growing up, I always felt a strong desire to see the world. So, when I graduated high school I went to Chicago to attend Loyola University. Chicago is a wonderful, vibrant place, and I just loved my time there. I was especially appreciative of the opportunity to study abroad in Rome and travel some of Europe! I can’t wait to go back again. After college I actually joined Teach For America and spent two years teaching 6th grade in Houston before deciding to go to graduate school. It was a life-changing experience that changed my view of our education system and my role in social justice in our country. Currently, I am near the end (finally!) of my training and completing a clinical PTSD fellowship at the Boston VA. I’m married to theHadley Texan I met in Houston, Kolby, and we have an adorable 3 year old pup named Hadley. In my free time (yes, you do get some free time later in training) I love to walk with Hadley, cook, garden, and binge watch TV shows. I love food and traveling and am greatly looking forward to the days Kolby and I can experience more of the world together.

How did you get involved with APAGS?

I first got involved with APAGS very early in my doctoral career. I was at the 2011 National Multicultural Conference and Summit in Seattle when I saw the APAGS booth. I stopped by and talked to the person working there. I realized my program did not have a Campus Representative (CR) for advocacy, and I really wanted to bring that role to the University of Houston (UH). So, I sent in the materials and became the first UH Counseling Psychology department CR! I really loved being a part of the APAGS Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT) and was thrilled to be discussing key psychology advocacy issues with my peers. During my year as CR, I was promoted to Texas State Advocacy Coordinator (SAC). I was honored to be asked to attend the APA State Leadership Conference in D.C. during that time and attend the APAGS-ACT business meeting. From that point on I was definitely hooked on APAGS! I wanted to be involved with this inspiring group of leaders and work toward solving important student issues as much as possible. Eventually, I ran for Chair-Elect, won, and here I am today!

What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Awesome question! I’m sure many people will have poignant or funny responses to this. I can’t wait to read them. But, honestly, I am not that into pop culture, fame, or celebrities. The things that stand out to me the most over even the last few years are how many talented people have lost their lives…Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Robin Williams, Heath Ledger, only to name a few. Mental health concerns have, in my opinion, influenced the loss of many of these lives that were iconic in pop culture and the arts.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

My most recent Facebook post was in response to the heartbreaking events in Baltimore recently. I recommended a good piece on White Fragility by goodmenproject.com:

“One of the experiences I am most grateful for from my doctoral education was having courses that allowed me to explore my Whiteness. Discuss what it means to be White in our society and the ways in which I have benefitted from a societal system that continues to perpetuate and thrive on racism in many ways. What is happening in Baltimore is only one of many examples of the consequences of continuing to be unwilling to discuss and take responsibility for this system and make efforts toward change. My heart goes out to everyone involved. For those interested in a great article that explains why it is so difficult for many White people to talk about racism, I recommend this piece.”

If your life was a book, what would the title be?

Finding Peace Amidst the Chaos

What advice do you have for future leaders in the field of psychology?

I think the best advice I can give to psychology’s future leaders is to be innovative and forward-thinking. Psychology as our advisors knew it and as we know it is changing. If we are going to be true leaders in psychology, we need to start to look forward to what psychology could be and how it will fit into the changing healthcare, research, university, and other systems. If we continue to define psychology by current parameters, I worry we will spend much more time defending “our turf” and less time defining what a new psychology can and should be.

 

Talking to Clients about Their Sexual Histories and HIV Testing

Talking to Clients about Their Sexual Histories and HIV Testing

By David Martin, PhD, ABPP (Senior Director, APA Office on AIDS)

Talking to Clients about Their Sexual Histories and HIV Testing

It is important to talk with your clients about their sexual histories and about the importance of HIV testing. (Source: The Stigma Project on Flickr. Some rights reserved.)

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day.  Of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States, approximately 20% don’t even know they have HIV. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that everyone ages 15-65 be tested for HIV at least once as part of routine medical care.

Who else should get tested?

  • People who have vaginal or anal sex without using a condom or taking Truvada® (a medication that can prevent HIV infection if taken as prescribed) every day.
  • People who inject drugs and who share injection drug equipment.
  • Even people taking precautions while engaging in these behaviors should be tested periodically.

Aside from considering getting tested yourself, if you are a clinical, counseling, or school psychology student, you should seek ways of integrating information about HIV testing while assessing your clients.

Here’s why:

  • Many psychology practicum and internship sites are located in health facilities where the clients are poor and underserved.
  • Among people diagnosed with HIV, incidence is highest in regions where unemployment and poverty are most prevalent and educational levels are lowest.
  • Lack of socioeconomic resources and unstable housing are linked to riskier health behaviors (e.g., earlier initiation of sexual activity, less frequent condom use), which can lead to contracting HIV.
  • Ethnic minorities, notably African Americans and Latinos, are at disproportionate risk for HIV.

Here are 5 things you can do to address HIV testing with your clients:

1. Talk to your clients about HIV/AIDS.

When seeing a patient for the first time, or during initial assessment, a portion of the evaluation should always entail a health screening anyway. Integration of HIV-risk questions is not hard:  “Do you have a regular doctor? … Have you ever been tested to see if you have diabetes? … high blood pressure?  … problems with your thyroid?  … problems with your liver?  … been tested for HIV?”  Treating HIV as just another health issue to which the client should attend should help reduce any feelings of HIV-related stigma.  There are a number of medical history outlines available; here’s one (PDF).

2. Ask about their sexual history. 

I learned to take sexual histories on all my patients when I was in training.  Asking about different specific sexual activities (anal, oral, vaginal sex, insertive or receptive) as a routine part of the interview is critical in assessing risk for HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. You probably don’t want to start with these questions. The CDC’s Taking Routine Histories of Sexual Health:  A System-Wide Approach for Health Centers (PDF) outlines how to lead up to questions this specific. If you’re uncomfortable (and most people are at first), practice with fellow students or friends—and learn to use language that is familiar to and comfortable for your clients. This would not be the time to stutter in the interview—it would signal your discomfort to your client and make him/her more anxious.

3. Don’t leave out substance use.

It’s important to assess your client’s history of substance use because injection drug use is linked directly to HIV transmission and because alcohol and drug use are associated with increased sexual risk.  Use non-judgmental approaches when asking questions about drug/alcohol use.  One of my former patients admitted to injecting heroin after six months of being clean.  Instead of lecturing him on the dangers of injecting drugs (which he already understood) I put on my empathy hat and asked what had happened.  It was a great opening to talk about the various stressors in his life (which were numerous and profound)—we treated his heroin relapse like difficulty quitting smoking.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides a useful list of substance-abuse screening instruments.

4. Talk to your supervisor.

Different supervisors may have different approaches to discussing these issues.  Psychodynamically-oriented supervisors may want to emphasize feelings about being tested, whereas supervisors from CBT backgrounds may focus on skills and specific behaviors leading to testing.  Both approaches are important, and in approaching this topic with clients, the therapeutic relationship is always crucial.

5. Use the tools you have available.

There are several resources to help your clients determine their risk for HIV, including:

If your client tests positive, there are resources available, including informational websites and magazines specifically for people with HIV/AIDS like HIV Plus, Positively Aware, and POZ.

If you would like to know more about HIV and how APA is responding, I invite you to visit our webpage.

Standardized Reference Form: What Students Need to Know

The Fall 2015 round of applicants for internship will be greeted with a new feature that levels the playing field for everyone entering the pool: the Standardized Reference Form (SRF). Over the course of two years, a working group from the Council of Chairs of Training Councils (CCTC) collaborated to improve the process of evaluating applicants in a way that was meaningful to reviewers and equitable for students.

Instead of the sometimes vague letters students may have received in the past, this form asks for writers to speak to specific competencies that are relevant to training in a narrative format. This includes student strengths and areas for growth. We all have both, and now there won’t be a penalty for honest assessments of where students are in their skills and abilities before internship. It even allows for recommenders to indicate the years they trained you, so that the reviewers can see your developmental progression.

We don’t expect this letter to influence the match statistics, but the intention is that it results in a better fit for the intern and the site. CCTC will continue to work with The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) to evaluate the letter in the next year, allowing the form to evolve and improve over time. Students are welcomed to share feedback about it as well.

Most change requires adjustment and a little anxiety, but here are some “To Dos” to assist students with making this a smooth transition:

  1. Go to the AAPI and download the SRF for yourself to see how you will be evaluated. Write a letter on yourself to self-assess on the competencies being addressed.
  2. Tell all your cohort members to do the same. Spread the word.
  3. Give anyone who may be writing a letter for you a copy of the SRF well in advance, especially if they’ve written letters before. This allows them to have a heads up on the new format, in case they have not yet been introduced. Share the FAQs with them, to answer any questions.
  4. Talk with your recommenders about the SRF and how you see your strengths and areas for growth related to each competency. Make the process collaborative, especially if they have not seen the progression of your skills.

APAGS continues to work on the internship crisis and standardizing the way interns are evaluated is one piece of the larger puzzle. Check back here for any updates about the SRF along the way.

Keep Calm and Beagle On

My heart belongs to a beagle. And considering his desire for attention/affection, he will be delighted to know he’s the topic of discussion in this post.

My dog’s name is Beckett and my husband, Craig, and I rescued him three years ago this summer. As a graduate student in psychology, Beckett is a vital facet of my self-care. He is sweet, chill, and smart as heck. He loves belly rubs, long walks, and baby carrots. He also loves me unconditionally and serves as my unofficial therapy dog. I’m pretty much obsessed:

I should mention Beckett is spoiled. Spoiled. Rotten. I mean, his bed is nicer than ours. I dare say he’s unabashed by the steady stream of attention, grain-free treats, and seasonal collars. He comes by it honestly.

Being strong-willed/spoiled, Beckett can also be naughty as all get out. I’m serious. Within the last month, he has knocked over trash cans (thanks, dude), escaped from my parents backyard by climbing poultry wire (three times!), marked his territory on a girl’s backpack at the park (#mortified), and ate seven dyed Easter eggs.

“You’re welcome,” said the hound to the Mel.  

Currently (and until we are 80+ years old), my husband and I are both students in the counseling psychology doctoral program at WVU. Despite his #beaglemonster ways, Beckett is a constant source of joy for us. That said, and nothing personal to my baby boy, he’s an additional responsibility on top of our academics, research, clinical work, finances, and jobs. In this post, I wanted to provide my perspective on having a dog in graduate school. Frankly, my perspective is one of many but if you’re considering adopting a pet in graduate school, you may find the challenges/benefits below helpful.

Side note, they teach us in psychology to be aware of our biases. Therefore, I will own up front that my opinions about pets will always lean toward the benefits.

Challenges (“Growth Edges,” as we say in psychology) of Pet Ownership:

  • Time commitment – feeding, quality time/attention, taking them out, cleaning cages,  training, etc.
  • Financial responsibility – vet visits, annual exams, nails, baths, supplies, adoption fees, etc.
  • Pets, like humans, can sometimes be on “bad behaviors” (as Craig says) and need to lose some privileges (e.g. my dog)
  • Much more difficult to coordinate care of the animal if you don’t have someone to help you (= me during my first year when Craig and I lived 10 hours apart)
  • Can’t just pick up and leave, always need to arrange accommodations (which can be pricey)
  • Minor annoyances – dog takes forever to do his business, dog wants to sniff EVERYTHING, dog refuses to do his business in the rain/sleet/snow, dog fakes an injury when owner makes him go out in the rain/sleet/snow, etc. (not that Beckett would ever commit any of the aforementioned misdemeanors.)
  • The answer to, “Did I turn off the straightener?” becomes more important
  • Losing a pet is so hard, I know this from personal experience
  • Dog may pee on backpacks (ugh)

Benefits of Pet Ownership:

  • The feeling of unconditional positive regard (see what I did there?) you receive from loving a cuddly (or scaly, fishy, feathery, etc.) being
  • Promote self-care and wellness
  • Provide entertainment/laughter
  • Help you keep a routine
  • Have someone to binge-watch Unbreakable with Kimmy Schmidt and Workaholics with regardless of the time/day
  • Can motivate you to stay active if your pet enjoys walks
  • Companionship/loyalty
  • Keep your feet warm
  • Can assuage feelings of loneliness/isolation
  • Always have someone to talk to even if you’re just talking to yourself
  • Can promote better time management (though I still feel I’m always running from one thing to the next)
  • Can cause you to be less “me-focused” in graduate school
  • Great distraction for long paper writing (cough, dissertation, cough, cough)
  • Owning an animal can be a solid/go-to topic of conversation (e.g. this post)
  • Socially acceptable excuse to take/post lots of pictures on social media
  • Can connect you to a fun/supportive community of fellow helicopter parents (e.g. the dog park)
  • Potentially rehabilitate an animal (you wouldn’t believe it now, but Beckett was skittish, withdrawn, and anxious when we first got him)
  • Contribute to positive social change by demonstrating responsible pet ownership
  • And of course, the opportunity to rescue

Welp, those are some of my thoughts on pet ownership in graduate school. Above all else, if you’re considering adopting a pet, please make it a thoughtful and responsible decision. And to all my fellow animal lovers out there:

Keep calm and love animals on.

-Mel

Editor’s Note: Melissa Foster is a second year doctoral student from Virginia Beach, VA. She is studying counseling psychology at West Virginia University. Check out her lifestyle blog, Method to My Melness.