Tag Archives: graduate school

Mentorship as a Grad Student: How and Why

Mentoring is a dynamic, collaborative relationship wherein a mentor and mentee work together to facilitate a mentee’s professional development and success. As a first-generation American, my success in academia would not have been possible without the help of several mentors along the way. My current mentoring efforts are inspired by positive experiences with my own mentors, and the hope that I can pay it forward to others. Becoming a mentor can help disseminate knowledge, foster an environment for psychological safety, learning, and development, reveal the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school, and enhance diversity in higher education.

Mentoring Prospective Graduate Students

As a graduate student, there are several opportunities to become a mentor. One opportunity is during the graduate school application process. There are many programs designed to connect eager undergraduates and post-baccalaureates with mentors during the graduate school application process. Some are within certain schools or types of programs (e.g., Social Psychology; School Psychology), for underrepresented individuals (e.g., NextGen Psych Scholars; Project Short), or just general programs (e.g., APSSC, APA Division 19). The structure and level of commitment will vary by the program and by each mentor/mentee relationship. Typically, the mentor will meet a couple of times with the mentee, provide helpful materials for crafting personal statements and CVs, and edit materials. Particularly salient for underrepresented mentees, the mentor can help select graduate programs that are a good match and identify scholarships and funding opportunities. If that sounds too time intensive, there are other ways to help prospective PhD psychology applicants. See Application Statement Feedback Program (ASFP).

Mentoring Undergraduate and Younger Graduate Students

A more traditional mentorship role in graduate school is to mentor undergraduate students in your research lab. Undergraduates often help with literature reviews, running participants, or other miscellaneous research tasks. As a mentor, you could help lead journal clubs or provide direct research opportunities within one of your research projects, carefully observing and guiding them throughout the process. For example, I am currently mentoring an undergraduate student involved in a systematic review I am working on. As a mentor, I provide didactic instruction on types of reviews and guidance on the research process.

As a graduate student, you might also serve another role as a teaching assistant. Teaching assistants have a more formal teaching relationship with their students but can still provide mentorship. This can look like holding office hours and meeting one-on-one with students who show interest in your research or in a PhD program.

You can also mentor students in their early graduate school career. As you progress through the program, you gain valuable knowledge not only in your selected discipline, but also in how to be a graduate student. Younger students may benefit from any wisdom, tips, and skills you can pass on. These topics can vary from time management skills, course selections, clinical practicum advice, advice on advocating for oneself, and handling rejection. Things that may seem like second nature now, may be valuable wisdom to a first-year graduate student.

Irrelevant of the type of mentoring relationship, mentees are eager to learn from you. You can disseminate information about the field (e.g., different types of paths post undergrad), research (e.g., how to go about starting a literature review), classes (e.g., which classes to take to best prepare for graduate school or for a certain degree), or other areas that may help your mentee grow professionally. Although it may seem challenging, mentoring is a rewarding experience, fostering a collaborative relationship that benefits both individuals involved!

Want to become a mentor?

Sign up to mentor students applying to graduate programs (see links above).
Reach out to your advisor and ask if you can mentor undergraduates.
Take initiative and offer to help younger graduate students.

Written by Marianne Chirica, an APAGS Science Committee member and a second-year graduate student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Ph.D. program at Indiana University. Feel free to reach out to Marianne with any questions you may have!

Discussing Diversity for Internship: “Go find less.”

Georgina Sakyi, M.Ed.

The time has finally come for me to apply for internship, and true to my personality, I’d started well before I needed to – sometime around June. I’d spent the summer coming up with a list of sites I wanted to apply to, working on my essays, and attending virtual workshops and meetings created to help support students applying for Match this fall. While the “Autobiographical” essay caused some anxiety within myself and among my peers, there was also significant concern about the “Diversity” essay we’re required to submit.

For those less familiar, here is the updated prompt for the 2022-2023 cycle: “Describe how multicultural and diversity variables inform your case conceptualization and clinical practice. Please use de-identified case material to illustrate your approach.”

The main groan about this prompt is it’s broadness, but Dr. Grace Chen offers guidance on her website, Psych Grad Corner. She advises that it may be more helpful to go into depth about one or two themes regarding multiculturalism and diversity rather than trying to capture all of your thoughts about the topic in 500 words. Reading and preparing to address this essay prompt as a racially and ethnically minoritized student filled me with absolute dread. Of course, there were many themes that came to mind: cultural humility, intersectionality, unconscious bias, systemic oppression, etc. I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to take it, but more than that, I was aware that whoever read my essay would know I was a minortiized student. My concern centered around how well my essay would be received.

Could I be as bold as I wanted to be? Could I be honest and unapologetic about my strong emotions regarding multiculturalism and diversity in clinical practice? Would the reader think something along the lines of, “This student is passionate about this,” or, “This student might not be the right fit for our site.”? Like many others, I have worked on my personal and professional development in this area – getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, having uncomfortable conversations with my peers and my superiors, confronting my own internalized racism, thoughts, and behaviors that uphold white supremacy. In a lot of ways, leaders in our field have taken up the torch and are equally passionate about this work; however, a fear still lingers that this passion is hard for others to swallow.

I’d attended a Q&A session about internship essays, and someone even brought up discussing diversity issues on interviews. They were particularly interested in figuring out where the “line” was: how forthcoming could they be about their perspective on systemic racism in their community? Should they be cautious when responding to questions? In other words, should we, as minoritized graduate students in psychology, “reel in” the intensity with which we relay our personal experiences and that of the communities we serve for the sake of being palatable or a Westernized conceptualization of “professional”? We ask these questions, knowing what we want the answer to be, because while we want to be true and authentic to ourselves, we want to match!

Herein lies the point of this blog post: I want to encourage you to be who you are and trust in the Match process. Just like when we all applied to our doctoral programs, the key word is “fit”. The right site for you is the site that is willing to include (not tolerate), support, and train the fullest, most authentic version of you. If you’ve never heard the phrase “you carry who you are wherever you go,” know this to be true: whatever you “reel in” for your essays or your interviews will surely come out during your training year. What you don’t want is to be matched to a site where tension and conflict rule your experience. You want to be sure that where you’re going supports your personal and professional journey. If for some reason a site makes you feel like your passion, your fire, your advocacy, your voice is too much, I hope you feel empowered to tell them, “Go find less.”

Resources:

Psych Grad Corner supports the professional development of clinical, counseling and school psychology doctoral students. They host webinars, Q&As, and provide tips and resources on their website and podcast.
The Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Fit is available in text or e-book on Amazon to help doctoral-level psychology student navigate the internship application process.

References:

Chen, G. (2022, September 23). Essay 3: Diversity. Psych Grad Corner. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://psychgradcorner.com/2019/06/06/essay-3-diversity/

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.

APAGS CSOGD Committee Spotlight: Emily Boswell

What is your name and pronouns?

Emily Boswell, she/her.

What is your program and year?

I am a rising 4th year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate at Ball State University in Muncie, IN.

What brought you to CSOGD?

I had been interested in engaging in advocacy work for the LGBTQ+ community for several years, but I had never been aware of leadership positions. I applied to CSOGD after experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice as a psychologist-in-training and I did not have a large network of LGBTQ+ psychologists to consult or receive support in navigating these experiences. I wanted to use this platform to support other LGBTQ+ students in psychology who also found themselves in need of support, advocacy, and connection.

What LGBTQ+ advocacy projects are you involved in?

In addition to coordinating APAGS-CSOGD’s efforts, I’ve provided trainings to clinicians-in-training regarding multicultural competence in working with LGBTQ+ clients, with specific focus on working with LGBTQ+ youth. I’ve also advocated for the creation of community check-ins within my program’s department.

What are your research interests and experiences?

My research is currently focused on assessing clinicians’ competency in working with clients who hold an asexual-spectrum identity, and how clinicians’ attitudes impact clinical decision-making when working with asexual clients.

What are your clinical interests?
I have primarily worked with LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults and I love working with folx who are navigating identity development. I also enjoy working with folx who have experienced sexual trauma, anxiety, depression, and family of origin concerns.

What other interests do you have?

I currently have approximately 30 plants that I try to keep alive (some more successfully than others), and two cats (that I very successfully keep alive) named Loki and Onion. I love lifting weights, drawing with charcoal, playing my bass guitar, and watching TV – I’m currently obsessed with Stranger Things.

APAGS CSOGD Committee Spotlight: Aidan Kraus

What is your name and pronouns?

Aidan D. Kraus, (they/them/theirs)

What is your program and year?

2^nd year Ph.D. Student

Counseling Psychology, Specialization in Sport & Performance Psychology

Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

What brought you to CSOGD?

It was recommended that I apply to join APAGS from a former CSOGD member after vocalizing how I was looking to build my LGBTQIA+ community within academic settings. Working with CSOGD over the past two years has been an incredible experience as we continue to support one another in producing meaningful and affirming work and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community within APA and beyond. I feel so humbled to be a part of such a caring and encouraging group of LGBTQIA+ graduate students and allies.

What LGBTQ+ advocacy projects are you involved in?

In addition to being a subcommittee member for the APAGS CSOGD, I am a Student Representative for the APA Division 17 Section for the Advocacy of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (SASOGD), a Co-Chair of the Pride (LGBTQ+) Special Interest Group through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member through Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. I am also working on projects focused on transgender inclusion policies for sports participation at the K-12 levels.

What are your research interests and experiences?

My research focuses on the wellbeing, mental health, and sense of belonging of transgender and non-binary youth and athletes from across the United States as part of a pilot longitudinal project. Additionally, my research also includes developing and analyzing trauma-informed coaching practices for sport coaches at the K-12, high school, collegiate, and elite levels.

What are your clinical interests?

I am interested in providing clinical and performance enhancement support to athletes at the collegiate and professional levels. In addition to working within an athletic department or for individual teams, I plan to open a private practice focused on providing affirming clinical and performance enhancement services to athletes who identify as LGBTQIA+ at all levels of play.