Tag Archives: Professional Development

Graduate School in Forensic Psychology

I regularly receive office visits from students who are interested in forensic psychology as a career. Many who realize they want to continue their education in psychology past undergraduate studies quickly realize that it is not as simple as applying for college. Forensic psychology research is conducted in a number of disciplines, including clinical, cognitive, and social psychology, among others. A helpful resource in the application process is the Division 41 Guide to Graduate Programs in Forensic and Legal Psychology.

What does graduate school in clinical forensic psychology involve? I have had the opportunity to be involved in a number of research projects while in graduate school, including:

  • Papers on stigmatizing effects of psychopathy and neuroscience evidence on jury decision-making
  • The creation of an inconsistent responding scale for a psychopathy assessment measure
  • A project on identifying malingering in ADHD assessment

Outside of research, I’ve had a number of valuable experiences within my department’s clinical practica. Some experiences I’ve had include:

  • Working at the county community supervision office, conducting psychological and substance abuse evaluations for adults on probation
  • Co-teaching a weekly anger management class and providing individual therapy services for anger management
  • Conducting pre-employment psychological evaluations for local police department applicants
  • Working for a year in crisis intervention at our county detention center, conducting psychodiagnostic interviews, providing referrals to the doctor to determine the need for psychiatric medication, and providing individual therapy and crisis management

Practica experiences have taught me valuable consultation skills, as I’ve had the opportunity to work with criminal justice and health professionals at a number of community placements. I’ve also been lucky to have a supportive department with faculty who encouraged me to pursue my interests in mental health reform and advocacy. As a result, I was able to attend the SPSSI Legislative Engagement Day on Capitol Hill and advocate for research funding for the social sciences.

I would encourage anyone interested in pursuing forensic psychology to consider what career they would like to pursue and what degree is required for that career. A Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology is not appropriate for everyone interested in the career, and there are a number of opportunities available at the Master’s level. If you are interested in clinical work, be sure to research the clinical practica offered by departments you apply to. I would also encourage students interested in a Ph.D. to pursue research experiences as early as they can. My research was for the most part unrelated to forensic psychology, but these experiences demonstrated to potential graduate programs that I had an interest in research.

However, the most important advice I can provide for individuals interested in this field is to find something you are passionate about and don’t settle for any graduate program. I do not believe that I would be as happy with my graduate school experience if I was conducting research that I was less interested in or if I did not feel as comfortable in the department.

Other Resources

 

Author Bio

I am a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Texas A&M University. My research includes interests in layperson perceptions of psychopathy and the implications of psychopathy and other mental health diagnoses in community and legal settings. In particular, I am interested in the possible stigmatizing effects of mental health evidence. Additionally, I am interested in emerging conceptualizations of psychopathy that place emphasis on neurobiological correlates of the disorder and the implications of this research for interventions with psychopathic individuals.

Email me!

Why Policy?

US Capitol Rotunda

U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Source: Flickr, user sidkid

“Why policy?”

I have been asked this simple, two-word question more times than any other question in the past year. Back in September, I began working as a graduate-level policy scholar for the Public Interest Government Relations office at the American Psychological Association. As this opportunity coincided with my fifth year of doctoral studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, I have often had to explain my hectic schedule upon meeting new individuals. Research and academia, most will understand, as those things fit seamlessly into the doctoral studies mold. But then comes the follow-up question: Why policy?

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Preparing for Internship at Convention

APA 2016 bannerFirst, the GOOD NEWS! The 2016 APPIC Match statistics continue to demonstrate improvement in the Match rate for internship applicants.  Logically, the improved numbers would abate much of the nervousness about tackling the internship process.

However, for graduate students like me who fit the mold of the perfectionistic-overachieving-anxious student, logic can do little to diffuse internship worry.  The wake of the 2012 Match rate still haunts many of our programs and, thus, pushes us to be ever more competitive for the internship process.

As a recent survivor of the Match, the fears still resonate.  However, I am able to recognize that my success in matching (along with nearly 90% of all internship applicants) was not a fluke.  [In my mind, the fluke is that the Match rate is not flirting with 100%, but we are inching closer!]  Moreover, internship applicants have several resources to help them prepare for this arduous process, particularly at APA Convention.

For 2017 applicants (or the Type-A 2018, 2019, or 2020 applicants), APAGS provides an Internship Track at Convention, which consists of three key sessions to help you understand the internship application process and talk with the key players in the game. As a veteran of these sessions, I would highly recommend them.  As a self-proclaimed perfectionistic-overachieving-anxious graduate student, I found significant value in attending these sessions in both Washington DC (2014) and Toronto (2015).

Internships in Psychology WorkbookThe Internship Workshop is a two-hour session geared towards working through the Internships in Psychology workbook. You will receive expert advice and suggestions on how to sell yourself in your application documents, and some mysteries of the ranking and Match process will be unfolded.  You can also expect to learn more about the vague and elusive concept of fit.  What is fit? How do I find fit? Can you help me find fit?  Do I really need fit?

(As a personal testimony to fit, I noticed that the internship sites that did not offer an interview had two key similarities. Either a) I was only semi-excited about their program, or b) I had added them to my final list to simply boost my number of applications!  They could tell that the fit was missing. I was not truly excited about their sites. They were my safety nets.)

The Internship Track also offers sessions that serve as informal spaces to talk with Internship Training Directors and the APPIC Chair.  At the Internship Meet and Greet, you have the opportunity to meet with Training Directors from myriad sites to learn about their sites, ask questions about the process, or just sit back and listen!  During the Conversation Hour with the APPIC Chair, you can learn more about the big picture of the internship process and ask questions about APPIC accreditation, APA accreditation, rankings, and the Match (and hopefully through the process experience some diminished anxiety and increased calm about this phase in your training).

As you prepare for Convention 2016 and your upcoming application process, I wish all 2017 internship applicants an application process filled with self-confidence, support, and self-care.  I hope to see you all in Denver!

Editor’s Note: Other APAGS Programming Tracks include: Diversity, Professional Development, and Science. Check out all APAGS Programming and social events.

APAGS Convention Tracks – Professional Development

APA 2016 bannerThis year, the APAGS Convention Committee has put graduate student programming at Convention into tracks: Diversity, Professional Development, Science, and Internship. We’ve done so with an eye for how certain programs and talks might go together, so that students can set their goals for convention (e.g., get the skinny on how to research efficiently) and feel assured that they hit all the talks.

My self-care activity throughout grad school has been hiking. For that reason, my mind is making connections between our APAGS tracks and hiking routes. Imagine each track as a particular hiking path. Sometimes they intersect with other paths, and sometimes you can hop between paths based on your needs. In fact, the hiking analogy can be extended further! Hydrate during convention, pack good footwear (lots of walking), and tie up your food at night so that grizzly bears hungry grad students don’t get into it.

First track: Professional Development!

Length: The longest track, this is the main path that connects all the other tracks together                                                                                                         Preparation: make a mentorship goal, what to wear

  1. Connecting with our Queerness: Being an LGBTQ(A) Psychologist (also in Diversity)
  2. Two P’s in a Pod: Balancing Parenthood and Training (also in Diversity)
  3. Stats Phobia: Learn How to Learn Stats (and Work Past Beginner’s Anxiety)
  4. International Roundtable (also in Diversity)
  5. Shadow of Debt: Student Debt in Psychological Training
  6. Networking with a Purpose: Making a Plan, Building Relationships, and Maintaining Connections (also in Science)
  7. Alternative Career Paths with a Doctorate in Psychology (also in Science)
  8. Exploring Intersectionalities in Advisor/Advisee Relationships (also in Diversity)
  9. Individual Development Plans for Students and Postdocs (also in Science)
  10. Unlocking Your Leadership Potential: Keys to Future Success as a Leader in Psychology, by the APAGS Leadership Institute

Happy trails!

Editor’s Note: Each day this week we will highlight a different APAGS Program Track. Find out which track is right for you! Also, check out the full schedule of APAGS programming.

How Long Is The Path To Success?

I sat in the small waiting room of a staffing agency waiting for my interviewer to arrive. She was ten minutes late, and I hoped she knew that I’d been on time because I’d busted my butt and yelled at several yellow traffic lights in my attempt to be early.

I didn’t want the jobs they could offer me. I’d strictly adhered to the idea of not taking jobs outside my field. I didn’t want to be one of those psychology majors who gets seduced by an accounting firm and ends up staying for life. I loved my field, and did not entertain the thought of selling out. However, two months after graduating with my B.A., I had no job prospects.

I was bored, broke, and felt like a failure. Two kids I’d graduated high school with had been drafted to major league baseball teams. A friend of mine lived in Manhattan photographing famous models, another had topped the singer/songwriter charts on iTunes. I sat in the waiting room of a staffing agency hoping to impress with my typing speed.

My interviewer finally came out- a tiny, tanned woman with a super wide smile. She led me to a cubicle labeled “Wildwood,” between cubicles “Belmar” and “Point Pleasant.” Cute.

“Seventy-two words per minute, that’s impressive. Recent grad, creative writing minor…a psych major, huh? How’d you get into that?”

Oh. I suppose I should’ve expected to be asked why I chose my major in a job interview, but in this open office, it was too uncomfortable to give her the real reason. I stumbled for a few seconds and ended up with:

I love learning about people, so I thought I’d make money doing it.”

She smiled and wrote something on my resume- I assumed she liked that I enjoyed people. But I felt stupid for giving such a perfunctory answer.

The thing, I realized, is that “what got you into psychology” opens a can of worms that “what got you into finance” or business, or fashion, rarely touches. Of course, there are highly personal reasons to enter any field, but with psychology, highly personal is the norm.

My roommate chose psychology because much of her family struggles with addiction and she wants to help others get sober. Someone else I know comes from a military family, so she’s invested in the treatment of PTSD. I chose psychology to help couples solve their marital problems so fewer children are stunted by the weight they bear from their parents.

When you ask someone “how’d you get into psychology,” you’re often asking them about traumas they’ve overcome, mental illnesses they may face. It feels so personal because it is personal. People who love psychology are passionate, big-hearted. We are special for being that way, and should not feel less-than because we’re not making millions after undergrad.

At the end of my interview, I filled out a W-4 and consented to being called with opportunities, and I felt okay about it. Armed with my new realization, I felt like I was making necessary sacrifices for my future. Conceding to a job outside the field only dooms you to losing sight of your dreams if you let it. On the contrary, this can be a testament to your dedication.

So, the fact that your singing is abysmal, or that you’re not the newest Yankee, doesn’t mean you’re not on the path to success. It might take a little longer for those of us who don’t choose a path where success can be so instant, but it’ll be that much sweeter when we arrive.

Editor’s Note: Nicole is a first-year graduate student in Seton Hall University’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program. She is a member of Psi Chi and a new APA member. Currently she works at Abercrombie and Fitch, folding clothes and making customers happy, but hopes to eventually open her own practice for couples and families.