Tag Archives: APA

Behind the Scenes: My Transformative Journey as an APAGS Intern

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On my first day working as an intern for the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS), I opened my computer with a thrilling mix of excitement and nerves. I wasn’t entirely sure what my responsibilities would entail, but I was eager to dive in and help communicate valuable resources to graduate students through social media. Little did I know, the next few months would be transformative in ways I never imagined. 

In this post, I would like to share why I applied for this role, the skills and experiences I have gained, and offer some tips for those interested in interning or getting involved with APAGS.

Why APAGS? 

I chose to apply for the intern position with APAGS because of my deep passion for advocating for fellow students and ensuring they have the resources and representation they deserve in the field of Psychology. I believe that community is a powerful catalyst for creating long-lasting and sustainable change, and APAGS offers a vibrant community of diverse students from whom I knew I could learn and grow from. My enthusiasm for systemic change within academia, combined with my love for content creation, drove me directly to this role. I wanted to do my part in helping graduate students, like myself, have accessible ways of acquiring all the opportunities that APA and APAGS has for navigating the complex world of academia and psychology. 

What I learned

During my time at APAGS, I’ve learned an incredible amount. One of the first and most important lessons was the significance of coalition building at every stage of planning. Although I have been involved in several organizations before, I never fully grasped the iterative process of ensuring everyone’s representation in webinars, events, and posts. APAGS taught me the meaning of framing, teamwork, and serving at all levels. 

As for content creation, which I absolutely love, I discovered the vital importance of scheduling. Planning out a month in advance what content we wanted to create and post provided a clear vision of the organization’s priorities and helped to maximize the reach and impact of the resources we share. 

Tips

  1. Apply for a position: If you want to get involved in advocacy of all kinds for graduate students, consider applying for a committee or subcommittee position. It’s a great way to expose yourself to like-minded individuals across the field. 
  2. Create a portfolio: If this is a position you’re interested in, have a portfolio or examples of some of the content you have created in the past. 
  3. Be open to iteration: Planning is not a one-step process. Be prepared to revise and improve your ideas based on feedback and new information. This approach ensures that the final outcome is well-rounded and meets the needs of the community.
  4. Develop strong organizational skills: Effective event planning and content creation require meticulous organization. Keep a detailed schedule of your tasks and deadlines. This will help you manage your responsibilities efficiently and ensure that important details are not overlooked. 

Reflecting on my time as an intern with APAGS, I am filled with immense gratitude for the invaluable experiences and lessons I have gained. From the importance of community and coalition building in event planning to the strategic organization required for effective content creation, each aspect of this internship has significantly contributed to my personal and professional growth. The opportunity to advocate for and support fellow graduate students has been both rewarding and transformative. I am deeply thankful to APAGS for providing me with this platform to learn, grow, and make a positive impact. To anyone considering an internship with APAGS, I highly recommend embracing this incredible opportunity to engage with a diverse community and make a meaningful difference. 

About the Author:

Lauryn Hoard is a second-year clinical psychology graduate student at George Washington University and was the 2024 summer intern for the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). Her current research interests pertain to examining the effects of offline and online racial discrimination and protective factors in Black Americans. When she is not doing work, she is either running, doing Pilates, trying new foods, reading a book, or watching a documentary. Follow me on @asoulsticecollective to stay connected! 

Introducing the TPS 2026 Special Issues!

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Translational Issues in Psychological Science (TPS) is a peer-reviewed journal co-sponsored by APA and APAGS, designed to help graduate students get involved in the publishing and reviewing process. Each year, the APAGS Science Committee develops special issue topics that highlight pertinent and timely issues in Psychology that are both translational in nature and of broad interest to scientists, clinicians, and the general public. We are pleased to announce TPS’s 2026 special issues: Psychology and Emotion, Stigma in Immigrant Communities, Tailored Psychological Approaches, and Substance Use and Addiction.

Psychology and Emotion

This issue will feature theoretical and empirical research that investigates topics such as 1) the relationship between psychopathology and emotion, 2) current and future methods for analyzing and measuring emotion, 3) the critical role that culture plays on emotional learning, 4) how emotions may influence and guide decision making, and 5) the neurobiological mechanisms of emotion regulation. 

Stigma in Immigrant Communities

This issue will aim to explore the multifaceted influence of social stigma on immigrant populations. This special issue will invite original, empirical research and conceptual reviews that explore the psychological mechanisms that drive stigma and the critical roles of societal attitudes, cultural norms, public policy, and other factors in perpetuating or combating these negative impacts. This special issue will include the following subtopics: 1) the psychological impacts of stigma on immigrant mental health, 2) stigma and social integration, 3) the role of social media in shaping the stigma around immigrants, and 4) comparative studies on stigma across different populations.  

Tailored Psychological Approaches

This issue aims to explore and advance the application of tailored methods in the field by featuring a combination of theoretical and empirical research, along with scientific commentary. Specifically, this issue will invite original empirical research and reviews targeting the following topics: 1) Understanding the uniqueness of individuals and subgroups within historically categorized populations, 2) developing and evaluating programs by directly involving program users and historically marginalized populations, 3) applying advanced statistical techniques to facilitate treatment tailoring, and 4) culturally adapting programs or interventions to ensure they are relevant and effective across diverse cultural contexts.

Substance Use and Addiction

Lastly, this issue invites scholarship that examines substance use etiology, impact, and interventions. This may include, but is not limited to, research on substance use disorders. More specifically, this special issue will address conceptual and empirical research that (1) advances scholarly understanding of biological, neurological, social, and cultural factors that influence and/or are associated with substance use and/or addiction, (2) focuses on neural and cognitive underpinnings and conceptualizations of substance use and addiction, (3) discusses the psychological, cognitive, and social impact of substance use and/or addiction, and (4) provides empirical evidence for potential interventions for substance use and addiction in different settings/contexts (e.g., clinical interventions, school-based programs, etc.) across the lifespan. 

Stay tuned for more information regarding submission deadlines. Furthermore, as one of its central missions, TPS aims to highlight graduate student research– submissions from graduate students are strongly encouraged!   

Opportunity to Serve as a Peer-Reviewer!

Another key mission of TPS is to provide training opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to serve as reviewers, editorial board members, and even associate editors. If you are interested in the opportunity of serving as a peer reviewer for any of the issues described above, you may learn more at https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/tps/call-for-reviewers or submit an application at https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/tps/tps-reviewer-application. Applications include an online form and submitting a two-page CV. Feel free to contact the Editor-in-Chief, Jacklynn Fitzgerald with any questions.

Reflections on #APA2024 from APAGS Leaders, Volunteers, and First Time Attendees

Didn’t make it to APA 2024 in Seattle this year? Make sure to join us next year in Denver, CO! It is never too early to start planning — consider submitting a program proposal for a poster or session to APAGS. There may be a chance for you to receive a registration waiver as a first author of an accepted program or poster. Look for information on the APAGS Call for Proposals coming out in the Fall.

Here are some reflections from our APAGS members about their time at APA2024.

Karla Giron, APAGS Ambassador

“Browsing through Browsing through the convention agenda days before it started, I was excited at the thought of meeting like-minded individuals, seeing plenty of innovative research ideas, and being surrounded by the buzz of energy from the APA convention. This would be my first time in Seattle and my first time attending an APA convention!”

Some of my Convention highlights:

Erasure and Consequences: The Hidden Toll of Marginalized Psychologists’ Exclusion

A Critical Conversation led by Dr. Konjit Page from Fielding Graduate University in which Dr. Page discussed her experience taking and teaching the History & Systems course required of clinical/counseling psychology programs. She notes that the curriculum is largely outdated and omits the impact of psychologists from marginalized communities. Omitting these individuals hinders the development of psychologists, inhibits growth within the field of psychology, and fails to address the needs of BIPOC communities.With these concerns in mind, Dr. Page restructured her course to center BIPOC psychologists from the last 20 years who have made significant contributions to the field.

Grant Writing for Graduate Students: Identifying Opportunities and Crafting Competitive Applications

This session provided advice on how to apply for grants as a graduate student. This session was so packed that attendees were standing to the side and even sitting on the floor. I believe this speaks to the importance of grant funding availability to graduate students!

Some helpful tips I gathered from the session:

  • Do not limit yourself to psychology grants, as many other grants may fit your specific research interests. Search also for similar topics, like mental health, or specific methodologies that apply to your research.
  • Utilize search engines to your advantage – search for program announcements (PAs) and requests for proposals (RFPs)
  • Look at the CVs of people you admire and see what grants they have received!
  • The APAGS Psychological Science Research Grant (PSRG) is a great opportunity for funding! – https://www.apa.org/about/awards/apags-science?tab=1 

Some other activities/events that inspired me:

  • Volunteering for Division 17’s Liberation Lounge
  • Attending Division 44 poster sessions
  • A symposium on documenting immigrant trauma and another on advancing social equity in psychological science. 
  • Meet Your Leaders events were a great opportunity to meet other psychology graduate students outside of my home program and learn about student leadership opportunities.
  • And off course I also strolled through the Solutions Center – an enormous space filled with booths, books, activities, and all kinds of giveaways.

I had a great experience at the 2024 APA Convention and will be looking forward to APA 2025 in Denver, CO!

Matt Hutnyan, APAGS Science Committee Member

“In August, I attended the APA annual convention for the first time. It was an excellent opportunity to meet leaders in our field, learn about advancements in psychological science, share research and professional knowledge, and connect with many peers who are engaged in inspiring research, advocacy, and clinical work.”

Some highlights included hearing from keynote speakers on important topics such as loneliness and artificial intelligence, engaging in conversations with early career psychologists, and enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest landscape and the city of Seattle.

Sitting in my hotel room after a long three days, I jotted down a few takeaways from my experience to share with the APAGS community:

1. Diversify your itinerary. As is true in investing, diversifying your itinerary is key to a successful convention experience. APA offers a wide variety of programming — opportunities to hear about cutting edge research, network with other students, professionals, and community members, build skills, engage in critical conversations, and so on. For those who are research-oriented like me, it can be tempting to focus on keynotes, symposia, and poster sessions. I also talked with folks who were most excited to socialize and engage in informal networking and professional development opportunities. Balance is key. Although I went into APA most excited for specific divisional events and talks focused on research and clinical practice, I thoroughly enjoyed social hours and learned a lot at informal discussions about professional issues in psychology.

2. Don’t overcommit. When APA publishes the full program, it can be overwhelming. There are hundreds of events. With so much programming, it can be easy as an eager first-time attendee to fill every hour of the day. The initial draft of my itinerary, for example, had me in a chair from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the first day of the convention. As I quickly realized, convention is tiring. By noon, I was ready for a break. Actively listening, talking, presenting posters and papers, and walking around all day can take a toll physically and emotionally. It’s crucial to build in time to relax, eat, have a coffee break, go for a walk, connect with friends, browse the exhibitor and APA booths, and to explore the city. I would recommend anchoring your schedule around your presentation(s) if you have any and choosing a few nonnegotiable sessions each day that excite you the most. Let the rest of your schedule be flexible and build in time for yourself.

3. Take a chance. The thought of engaging with hundreds of people can be overwhelming for most of us. Creating balance in your itinerary and space for yourself to rest, relax, and reflect may reduce stress and anxiety that you might experience during the convention. It is also important to believe in yourself and to take chances with the goal of making the most of your time. Introducing yourself to someone new, asking for someone’s email, going to a session outside of your primary area of study, or asking a question during a presentation may be daunting. Exploring discomfort with these sorts of actions may be helpful and engaging in them can create unexpected connections and opportunities. For example, I attended a speed-mentoring event hosted by a division that I’m not a member of. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I even considered not attending at the last-minute. To my surprise, I had mutual connections with some of the mentors, learned a ton about career development, and met leading professionals I wouldn’t have otherwise. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can create exciting opportunities, especially in the context of APA where there are so many people to meet and so much to learn.

APA 2025 will be here before you know it. I look forward to another great convention next year in Denver (August 7-9), and I hope to see you there!

APAGS Asked the 2023 APA Presidential Candidates Questions about Grad Student Issues…. Here is What they Shared

2023 is a huge year for graduate students in APA! For the first time, Graduate students that have been APA members for at least one year can vote for the 2023 APA President-Elect, APA Board of Director’s Members-at-Large, Apportionment Ballots, and Bylaw amendments since being enfranchised in Fall 2020. 

To help graduate students learn more about the candidates and their stances on issues at the forefront of graduate student members, the members of the APAGS Elections Work Group have asked candidates to submit their responses to the following three questions:

  • As APA President, what do you envision graduate students’ roles being in APA’s response to ongoing threats to human rights amidst changing societal circumstances (e.g., affirmative action, removal of EDI courses)?
  • Given research data suggesting financial burden is a significant burden for graduate students, as APA President, what would be your role in responding to the growing student debt crisis?
  • With increased graduate student representation across APA, as APA President, how would you foster leadership development for graduate student members in leadership?

As a committee, APAGS thanks all candidates for their responses and commitment to graduate students! Please note we have organized candidates in alphabetical order based on their last names. You can also view all candidate statements here.

As APA President, what do you envision graduate students’ roles being in APA’s response to ongoing threats to human rights amidst changing societal circumstances (e.g., affirmative action, removal of EDI courses)?

Eric Butter

Central.  Graduate students are central to our work on protecting and expanding human rights.

Our graduate students are our most credible spokespeople and advocates for responding to the multitude of threats to human rights. APA’s graduate students are more diverse, more globally represented and connected, and more cohesive in their perspective on human rights than any other generation of career status within the Association.  Additionally, APA’s graduate students have a responsibility to our future that underscores their standing when addressing human rights.

We should not ask graduate students to stand alone however.  We must invite graduate students to co-design our responses to each threat to human rights we encounter and even the ones we can anticipate encountering. These co-designs should be on-going, planned, and ready to execute. We need to respond, not react, to these threats with a verve reflective of the urgency of our next generation of psychologists and the deliberateness of a collaborative, action-oriented response developed in concert with APA staff and all relevant governance groups.

With graduate students centered in this work, we have the opportunity to not only engage our most motivated and impacted stakeholders, but also our most informed by emerging frameworks, models, and research.

Debra Kawahara

With the ongoing threats to human rights amidst changing societal circumstances, I believe that graduate students can be active participants in APA’s response to critical social issues. The direct impact of these issues on graduate students’ lives, physically, emotionally, and mentally, as well as on their education and training, is real. Many may feel invalidated, threatened, and disenfranchised by the current threats, and I have seen firsthand how graduate students can effectively advocate, protest, and be activists. As APA President, I would like to harness this energy and dedication by forming an advisory/consultative group of graduate student members to provide me with the information about how best to give voice and empower graduate students to act. I would seek a diverse group in terms of an intersectionality of identities, specialties, and stage in their graduate studies. I will listen to what graduate student members believe is the best way to mobilize their efforts in promoting change and advancing human rights in APA and beyond and then work collaboratively with the graduate student members to put this into action.

Margaret Kovera

The recent Supreme Court decisions eliminating considerations of race in college admissions just made diversifying higher education much harder. And the attacks on LGBTQIA+ people and DEI material in Florida classrooms is appalling. But as psychologists, we have the tools to fight these trends and I include graduate students in that “we.” As psychologists, we have the expertise to develop new ways of evaluating admissions materials that will allow us to identify a diverse student body that is prepared for graduate study. We must continue to find new avenues for disseminating our science supporting human rights in this very polarized political environment. With attacks on gender-affirming care, DEI initiatives, and reproductive care, we need to make our science known. As inaugural chair of the Amicus Chair Expert Panel, I have been working to involve students in doing environmental scans of our state and district appellate courts for cases that can be informed by our science. We recently submitted a brief in Colorado in an attempt to protect minors from conversion therapies and are actively seeking a case in which we can weigh in with our science supporting access to reproductive health care. We need help with this environmental scanning, and whether I win this election or not, I would welcome APAGS members to contact me if they wish to play a role in our judicial advocacy efforts.

Grant Rich

Graduate students are the future of psychology. They must be involved, and psychology must be more than merely an intellectual exercise.  Our specialized research and journals are valuable, but psychologists must resist siloes and communicate and advocate for positive social change. Such work means utilizing research to challenge threats to affirmative action and DEI courses. This also means communicating with policymakers and the general public. Psychology graduate students are more diverse than a generation ago, in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, religion, national origin, LGBTQAI2S+ status, disability, and age. Involving our diverse body of graduate students in meaningful ways, such as participation as full, voting members of committees and workgroups will be positive steps towards effective advocacy, and for building our leaders for the future. Graduate students who have recently benefitted from affirmative action, DEI courses, and LGBTQAI2S+ materials in high schools/colleges also provide essential points of view to share with psychology leaders of today, policymakers, and other groups involved with the decision-making. I am optimistic, that working collaboratively with graduate students, APA divisional and national leaders, psychology and society can move forward through these challenging societal circumstances. 

I also advocate for more divisional student listservs and social media outreach.

Given research data suggesting financial burden is a significant burden for graduate students, as APA President, what would be your role in responding to the growing student debt crisis?

Eric Butter

Free.  Graduate training in psychology should be free.

While we must continue to advocate for loan forgiveness programs, we must also explore new strategies to mitigate the financial burden of graduate training in psychology to begin with.  Loan forgiveness is only addressing the challenge after debt has been accrued. I have heard no conversation about alternative funding models for graduate education in psychology. 

Private, for profit graduate school tuition is crushing. It hobbles a career and a life before it starts.  There are too few public university, tuition wavier programs available and too few slots in those programs. Our nation’s greatest public universities have abandoned scientist-practitioner and practitioner-scholar programs for clinical science programs with highly selective admissions.  We have allowed our institutions of higher education to ignore their duty to the public good. 

APA can help our country imagine something different.  With the mental health crisis gripping our nation, public funding for professional training in psychology is a compelling issue. With a combination of direct funding to graduate schools and expansion of service learning programs where national and community service could earn tuition waivers, free graduate school is not a delusion. We should aim high and be bold.

Debra Kawahara

Student loan debt is a serious issue for many individuals who pursue higher education, and President Biden has been proactively seeking to address this issue through student debt forgiveness. However, this action does not address the future. As APA President, there will be several actions that I will facilitate. First, there are congressional representatives who are proposing the elimination of federal work study. APA, along with other professional organizations, should immediately advocate against this action as it would significantly hurt students who rely on these monies as they matriculate through their graduate studies. Also, APA can continue efforts in advocating and soliciting for more funding and scholarships for graduate psychology students from both public and private entities such as philanthropic foundations, healthcare organizations, and public and private organizations or corporations. Another possible idea is for APA to advocate for a program that provides tuition support for students instead of students signing educational loans. In return for the tuition, students could agree to work in areas that are in high need of psychological services or with populations that are underserved. Working with APAGS, the APA Advocacy Office, and the APA directorates and offices will be critical in moving these actions forward.    

Margaret Kovera

In the past, I have participated in APA advocacy on the Hill to increase loan forgiveness funding and would continue and expand on those activities if elected President. Unfortunately, there is only so much APA can do to set costs and funding opportunities at universities, but APA could be proactive in providing educational materials for graduate students that address financial literacy, including the tax implications of fellowships, small grants, as well as costs of attendance (e.g., conference travel), so that students have the requisite knowledge to make difficult financial decisions.

Grant Rich

In my view, step one is for psychology faculty and administrators and APA divisional and national leaders to be better informed about the changes in student expenses in higher education, such as tuition and fees, and the student debt crisis. Some psychology faculty may assume that the challenges are similar to what was present a generation ago. The reality is clear; evidence shows dramatic and disproportionate increases in expenses for students recently, far outpacing general inflation and cost of living increases in broader society.

I firmly believe higher education institutions must clearly and transparently communicate costs and fees to students and must be clear as to post-graduation realities. Colleges and universities must annually conduct surveys to assess information about average student starting salaries and pay trajectories for students and alumni in psychology, and facts about student placements (such as in academe, or outside of academe, and visiting vs. tenure track positions).

I will advocate for national APA level committees and workgroups on this topic, and will advocate for student representation on these groups; I believe representation from multiple, diverse graduate students will be most beneficial as student experiences vary widely. APA can disseminate results from such fact-finding inquires.

With increased graduate student representation across APA, as APA President, how would you foster leadership development for graduate student members in leadership?

Eric Butter

Coaching.  Coaching is underutilized for our graduate students.

For graduate student leadership development, we need to support a learning culture across APA governance that goes beyond mentorship.  Mentorship is important and it happens.  Student leaders gravitate toward dynamic, more senior leaders who are generous with their time and resources. We have formal mentorship programs as well. Often mentors become sponsors.  Many graduate students impress more experienced APA leaders as well as senior APA staff who sponsor them for future opportunities.  This is important.

Yet, mentorship implies a hierarchical relationship.  Typically, an “expert” and more senior professional is providing advice, guidance, answers, skills, and solutions to a more “junior” professional in training.  Coaching is more deliberate, student-centered, and amplifies the student voice.  Coaching can be bi-directional. The coach helps the student become the best version of themselves, while the mentor helps the student become a good version of the mentor.

As President, I would initiate a “culture of coaching”.  Our graduate student leaders would have an opportunity for a confidential, coaching relationship where each student could focus on their own development as a leader, developing their own wisdom, learning from their successes and mistakes, and finding their own way in APA.

Debra Kawahara

Fostering leadership development for graduate student members is important as I believe that graduate students are the future of the field and APA. In August 2022, the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) was created, and the next steps were outlined. As APA President, I would work collaboratively with APAGS and LDI to conduct a needs assessment to identify and communicate established and future programs for leadership development of graduate student members. In addition, providing more leadership opportunities for graduate student members within APA and beyond is important as these experiences build leadership skills. These would include, but not limited to, establishing graduate student positions in the APA directorates and offices; key agencies, foundations, and funding sources such as NSF, NIH, NIMH, CDC, VA, DoD, EPA; public and private organizations; and local, state, and federal departments. The leadership opportunities will hopefully cover the wide range of specialties within our field and permeate those diverse areas with psychologists and our science and knowledge. Lastly, for all of my presidential initiatives, I will have at minimum one graduate student member on each of the initiatives to ensure that the graduate student members’ voice and presence are represented.  

Margaret Kovera

I have experience creating opportunities for graduate student leadership during my previous Editorship of Law and Human Behavior (creating a student editorial board, where student reviewers were mentored by editorial board members so that they could learn the ins and outs of peer reviewing). I would include student members on task forces and other leadership groups so that they could learn through participation in leadership. When mentoring my own graduate students, I find that treating them as colleagues from the very beginning helps them grow their leadership abilities. I would hope to continue such an approach if elected. 

Grant Rich

I have an abiding interest in education and student success; this is clearly demonstrated by the fact I have three co-edited books on diversifying/internationalizing the teaching of psychology, and many chapters/articles on the topic, including in American Psychologist, and am a Division 2 Fellow (Teaching). I have extensive experience- over 25 years- teaching both in brick and mortar and online formats, and have received strong positive evaluations for my teaching both in the USA and abroad. I have supervised many dissertations and theses at several institutions.

My experience tells me that we must do a better job of supporting and involving graduate students early on and through their process, and beyond to the ECP (early career professional) stage. I will work at the APA and divisional level to assess graduate student leadership opportunities and endeavor to build more and better such roles!

Providing students with adequate financial and academic support will free up time for graduate students to more actively and fully participate in research, publishing, and committee workgroup opportunities that build careers, by facilitating graduate student participation in activities where they not only work with APA and divisional and faculty leaders, but also are taking on leadership roles now!

We hope that you will find this information useful as you decide how to cast your vote. Your voice matters! Look for ballot information via email. If you do not receive a ballot, please contact Aliza Epstein.

Paying to Work: Ethicality of Unpaid Practicums

By Michael Deely, NCSP, BCBA, MEd

It is no secret that the cost of collegiate education in the United States is astronomically expensive. On average it takes 8-12 years of college to earn a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and, in the process, scholars typically accrue roughly 200,000 dollars in student debt. Keeping these daunting numbers in mind, unpaid practicum experiences make this bleak financial situation even more troublesome for doctoral students.

For example, the PsyD program I am attending mandates students earn 20-hours of practicum experience per week, for 2 consecutive years. This equates to one year of full-time unpaid work. Put simply, unpaid practicum models create a continuously revolving door of free doctoral student labor from universities to outside organizations.

Is this ethical?

The table below is a series of arguments generally used by clinical psychology doctoral programs to justify unpaid practicum experiences. Followed by corresponding retorts responding to each argument individually.

Rationale opposing compensationResponse to raised concern
During the practicum experience candidates are considered “students” and not “employees,” thus should not be paid.Moot point if external placement site agrees to pay the practicum student for their work output. “Students” are often paid for other experiences during collegiate coursework. Examples include: outside employment, work study, graduate assistantships, and student teaching positions.
Practicum experience is a learning experience where the student is “observing” more than conducting “work related tasks.”This assumes practicum students conduct fewer professional work tasks than the external sites “employees.” This idea that practicum students watch and do less work is frequently not true. More often than not, they are completing the same job obligations as other employees but not getting paid. Putting students at an external site and asking them to “do less” work than their coworkers, limits their experience and dilutes their ability to put what they know into practice, which is the objective of a practicum placement. If a student possesses the experience to perform high-level work-related tasks which are generally compensated, they should be encouraged to do so, and reimbursed in the process.
Liability falls on the shoulders of the doctoral program, should a practicum student engage in an ethical violation.To avoid this outcome, a liability waiver or, “hold harmless agreement” is signed by the student, university, and placement site. This explicitly indicates that should an ethical violation occur; the practicum student and site hold sole responsibility in handling such an instance. Ensuring that the doctoral program is in no way held liable or accountable.
Possibility of some students acquiring paid practicum experiences creates a tumultuous unequitable environment among students in doctoral programs.No two students in the program enter with identical experiences and educational backgrounds. Equitability is celebrating students’ uniqueness and providing them with the opportunity to expand on their existing experience to ultimately achieve their professional goals. Equitability in this instance, is not establishing an equal un-individualized array of placement options, which all students can enter regardless of previous experience and interest. Rather, equitability is looking at each student’s situation individually when aligning them to a specific site and opportunity that plays off their existing strengths to improve their idiosyncratic professional development.
Unpaid practicum is generally the standard in doctoral programs.The APA emphasizes improving ethicality through advocating for positive systemic change in the face of an unjust system. Moving toward paid practicum experiences is a demonstration of positive change.
Practicum placements are meant to help students expand upon existing skills. Placing students at sites where they could have been hired prior to any program involvement, does not grant students an opportunity to further their existing skill set.Site responsibilities vary drastically depending on the type of placement: inpatient, outpatient, school, hospital, community non-profit, etc. It is a good thing when students entering a doctoral program have the requisite education, certification, and/or licensure to be hired at a given practicum site.Integration and application of knowledge is the objective of a practicum experience. Qualified students can bring the new skills they have learned in their doctoral program into previous professional roles. This indicates professional progress of the student, if they can take new skills learned during their doctoral coursework and implement them at a practicum placement conducive to mental health treatment.

I hope the arguments articulated above will nudge doctoral programs in the direction of allowing students to earn compensation during practicum placements when possible (granted scholars and sites are abiding by APA supervision guidelines as outlined in section C-12 D of the APA code). This subtle shift in program policy, although it does not solve everything, is a tangible step toward making programs more affordable for students. Paid practicum resolves the issue of students being volun-told by university faculty as to where they must work for a year without compensation. Instead, it places autonomy and power into students’ hands, and a year’s wages into their pockets.

Unpaid internships and practicum placements are a cross-disciplinary problem throughout academia. They propagate economic disparity, as only financially well-off students are able to work without pay for substantial durations of time. Through this cycle, affluent students’ resumes look more appealing than their middle- and lower-class peers, because their peers cannot afford to work without pay during internship or practicum experiences. This gives affluent students an upper hand in securing higher paying jobs in the future, due to the experience they can afford to gain. As mental health practitioners who advocate for equitable access to higher education, healthy work-life-balance, and mitigation of income inequality, there is no better space for this change to transpire than in our field.     

About the author: Michael J. Deely, NCSP, BCBA, MEd

I am currently a doctoral student at Point Park University studying clinical psychology. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you would like to view a more in depth version of the article which outlines additional arguments in support of paid practicum experiences and compares them directly to the APA’s practicum guidelines, please email me. I am happy to pass along more detailed information!

From the Editor: Thank you for reading the gradPSYCH Blog! Please note that the views and opinions expressed in each blog post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent positions or policies of APAGS or the APA. The information provided is for general informational purposes only.