Tag Archives: APAGS

June Pride Month Twitter Campaign… Presented by APAGS CSOGD

By Liz Deibel

The APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity is facilitating a Twitter campaign for Pride Month from June 5th to June 9th focusing on the positive aspects of being LGBTQ+. If you have something you want to share about what you’re proud of as an LGBTQ+ graduate student, feel free to post photos, affirmations, or anything else using the hashtags below. Show off areas of PRIDE, whether within graduate school or in everyday life!

Some ideas on how to celebrate Pride:

  • Create art about LGBTQ+ identity and joy
  • Read books about LGBTQ+ characters in positive contexts
  • Attend a Pride event or festivities in your local community
  • Listen to a playlist of music by LGBTQ+ musicians or podcasts by LGBTQ+ hosts
  • Host your own LGBTQ+ film festival with friends
  • Learn more about LGBTQ+ history

Ways to celebrate yourself for Pride:

  • Keep a gratitude log for the month (broad or tailored to your accomplishments)
  • Read over your CV or letters of recommendation to remind yourself of how hard you’ve worked
  • Journal about your growth and what you’re proud of yourself for
  • Connect with an art form or way of expression that makes you feel empowered
  • Take a day off and engage in self-care
  • Wear an outfit that makes you feel powerful and expressive

What are you proud of? Participate in our Twitter campaign using one or more of the following hashtags:

#PrideMonth
#SomethingFunny
#CSOGD
#APAGS
#ProudinPsych
#APAGSProud
#TransinPsych

References:

  1. A Brief History of LGBT Social Movements
  2. How to Build Resilience as a Queer Person
  3. How to Celebrate Pride Quietly When You Aren’t Totally Out
  4. Queer joy: what is it and why we need more of it
  5. Celebrating Queer Joy During Pride
  6. Celebrating Queer Joy: Oregon State highlights significant moments in LGBTQ+ history

Announcing the 2023 APAGS PSRG Grant Winners!

It is once again time to announce this year’s winners of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Psychological Science Research Grant (PSRG)! Every year, graduate students apply for $1,000 worth of funding to provide support for their psychological research endeavors. This year, we are proud to announce a total of 107 applicants were considered for the $12,000 of funding: $9,000 awarded to student researchers with an additional $3,000 awarded to innovative research dedicated to topics on diversity and minoritized populations.

Here are PSRG winners for the general category:

Continue reading →

APAGS-CSOGD: Advocating for LGBTQ+ Graduate Students in Psychology

by Liz Deibel

What is APAGS-CSOGD?

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) has five specialized subcommittees: the Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED), the Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT), Convention Committee, Science Committee, and last but certainly not least, the APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (APAGS-CSOGD). APAGS-CSOGD works to advocate for LGBTQ+ graduate students in psychology as well as the LGBTQ+ community across the United States.

Ongoing Projects:

Resources for LGBTQ+ Students:

Who We Are:

Troy Kearse (he/him), APAGS-CSOGD Chair, is a Ph.D. Student in Social Psychology at Howard University. His research interests focus on understanding how cultural/contextual factors inform individual cognitive processes (stereotype activation) and larger psychological outcomes (stigma) that uniquely impact health of Black, gay/bisexual men using an intersectionality lens. As a member of the LGBT+ community and doing research that centers the voices and experiences surrounding those who are LGBT of color, he is in strong support of the mission and values of APAGS-CSOGD. He is thrilled to be able to help shape and move toward a more equitable and safe future of psychology for graduate students who are a part of diverse sexual orientation and gender communities. 

JD Goates (they/them) is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the counseling psychology program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Both their research and clinical areas broadly focus on identifying and addressing the impact of systems of power and oppression through multicultural-feminist and liberation psychologies. They are passionate about APAGS-CSOGD because it is one of many possible avenues to engage in critical movement for the overall well-being and joy of queer and trans graduate students.

Lexie Wille (she/her) is a 5th year counseling psychology Ph.D. student at The University of Texas at Austin. She has been serving as a member of APAGS-CSOGD since December 2021. Her clinical and research interests focus on improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare for LGBTQ+ people. She is passionate about APAGS-CSOGD because she believes the committee offers crucial support and resources for her fellow LGBTQ+ psychology trainees.

Tom Schlechter (they/them) is a 2nd year student in the counseling psychology Ph.D. program at Colorado State University. Their research interests include improving SOGI data collection methods, and examining informal and community help-seeking behaviors. Their clinical interests center on providing gender-empowering care informed by Liberation Psychology and Queer Theory. They are passionate about APAGS-CSOGD because they believe that building community and providing mentorship opportunities is essential to supporting the work of LGBTQ+ graduate students and other professionals in psychology.

Liz Deibel (she/her) is a 2nd year clinical psychology Psy.D. student at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL. She began her work in the APAGS-CSOGD at the end of 2021 to continue her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, especially given the ongoing difficulties with accessible gender- and sexually-affirming care. Clinically, she is interested in conducting psychotherapy with LGBTQ+ individuals and relationship dynamics with a relational-cultural theoretical framework. She is proud of the work APAGS-CSOGD does to promote policy change, continuing education, and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ clients and graduate students.

Anna Maralit (she/her) is a 3rd year clinical psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri. Her research interests focus on understanding how dynamic impulsive processes contribute to risky alcohol use. She also has an interest in gender-related diversity issues in the field of addiction. Her passion for APAGS-CSOGD because she believes strongly in elevating the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ trainees to address long-standing issues of underrepresentation in the field of psychology.

Want to Know More?

If you are interested in becoming a member of APAGS-CSOGD, we will be accepting applications for 2024 in late summer, early fall. If you have any ideas regarding new projects or collaborations for CSOGD to consider, please contact Troy Kearse, the APAGS-CSOGD Chair. Click here for more information.

Increased Student Voices Across APA! We Won Seats at the Table!

By Quincy Guinadi, MA

On behalf of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS), I am thrilled to announce that graduate students are now eligible to run for elected and appointed seats on 19 APA Boards and Committees based on the results of the August Council of Representative meeting and the recent membership vote with 82.28% in favor! Graduate students will be eligible to be slated for Board and Committees as early as January 2024, with their terms beginning in 2025 (see list at the end). This exciting and important change will increase the inclusion of graduate student perspectives at some of the highest levels of APA and grant us a seat at the table. This is another huge victory towards our vision of increasing student voices across APA. 

First and foremost, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for the hard work and advocacy efforts spearheaded by my fellow Student Voice Workgroup members and APAGS staff: Mary Fernandes, Nicole Evangelista, Melanie Arenson, Martina Fruhbauerova, Wendy Williams, Heather Dade, and Ritu Verma. They spent countless hours putting together the agenda item, attending town halls, listening and addressing concerns, and finalizing the bylaw amendment changes. Kudos to your perseverance and passionate fight for student voices, what a well-deserved victory!

We also received overwhelming support from our APAGS and APA members from the start through the end of this journey. We would like to recognize and express our sincerest thank you to numerous allies across the Association and beyond. Thank you to the APA Board of Directors, the APA Council Leadership Team, the APA Council of Representatives, and numerous APA Boards and Committees. Thank you for your continued and unconditional support towards the growth and enrichment of our future as a profession and association! 

Last but not the least, a huge thank you to our APAGS leaders and members, APA members, and allies across other organizations who helped us spread the word about this important vote by sharing it on social media, advocating with State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations, and voicing support across Divisions, Boards, and Committees. We also cannot forget the immense support from voters, the Council of Representatives and APA members; we thank you for utilizing your voting rights and power to advocate for the inclusion of student voices and perspectives in APA. 

What began as a vision last year quickly became a reality. This is another monumental step for APA graduate students and the future of APA. As APAGS, we are thrilled to witness new and diverse graduate students step up and share their wisdom. Graduate students bring a wealth of expertise in practice, research, and advocacy, which propels the profession and association forward as we move into the future of psychology. 

List of APA Boards and Committees seats available to graduate students in 2024:

Again, I am so pleased to share this victory with you. We are elated to welcome new graduate student leaders and their valuable perspective onboard these APA Boards and Committees! You are welcome to reach out to me or our staff if you have any questions.

Yours in solidarity, 

Quincy Guinadi, MA

2023 APAGS Chair 

COVID-19 Pandemic: The Not So Grey Side

This post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series discusses 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 Terrill Taylor, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Sonia Rehman

There is no doubt that the pandemic wreaked havoc on human lives. However, it connected us in numerous ways as well. The modified lifestyle due to COVID-19 offered me new ways to conduct my personal and professional life. I consider myself the beneficiary of the new virtual world, and here’s my story.

As the world turned toward holding virtual rather than in-person events, it enabled me to attend numerous national and international conferences, without incurring traveling and lodging costs. It also allowed several of my colleagues from Pakistan and India to participate in conferences in the US for the first time. Securing a visa to visit the US has been a significant challenge for students in developing countries, so virtual conferences made it possible for anyone around the world to become a part of this learning experience with reduced registration fees and no need for a visa. During networking events, international participants shared their perspectives on advancements made in the field and discussed opportunities for collaboration. The emerging prospect of in-person conferences made me wonder about what might result in limited accessibility for these events. I believe our field can benefit from remaining accessible, especially as increased migration and telecommunication advancements continue to change the biopsychosocial aspects of human lives.

There is an increased opportunity to learn from one another in this new digitized world. For example, the new norm of connecting virtually allowed me to have a mentor in Spain. With her help, I look forward to getting involved in international collaborations to advance my understanding of neuropsychology through a cross-cultural lens. At the beginning of my doctoral program, I was interested in exploring psychological issues for minority adolescents and joined a research lab accordingly. As I progressed through the program, I became more interested in neuropsychology and wanted to engage in research in that area. However, my options were limited, and a break appeared imminent.

As many labs resorted to working virtually due to the pandemic, it opened opportunities to get involved remotely. I applied to and became a part of a lab that operates in northern California even while I live near Washington, DC. The accessibility of this kind of remote opportunity has been a great asset for many students and continues to connect scholars worldwide.

Receiving training in teleassessment is another benefit of the increasingly virtual world. Providing psychological interventions remotely has enabled many minority patients to seek services who may have otherwise been unable to travel the distance to clinics. . Telehealth has also increased access to medical and mental health care for families living in rural areas. I am especially thrilled at the prospect of increasing the scope of neuropsychology through telemedicine. Finally, taking online classes has enabled me to attend to my children’s needs and coordinate my parents’ medical appointments, all while actively pursuing my dream of becoming a clinical neuropsychologist.

I thank you for reading my COVID-19 story.