Graduate and Postgraduate Students

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers, Undergraduate Students, Undergraduate Teachers December 19, 2016

Review of “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do”

Author: Claude M. Steele, PhD
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
Copyright year: 2011
ISBN: 978-0393339727

Since “Whistling Vivaldi” was first published in 2010, it’s likely you’ve read it or at least browsed through it at a bookstore. If not, it’s worth a read, both for its important content on the impact of stigma on the stigmatized and its accessible description of a two-decade research process. I’ve been aware of and have taught about the phenomenon of stereotype threat for some time, but I learned a lot about the pervasiveness of the phenomenon and also about the author, one of my favorite social psychologists, by reading this book.

It's hard to imagine a world without psychology

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers, High School Students, Undergraduate Students, Undergraduate Teachers December 5, 2016

It’s Hard to Imagine a World Without Psychology

In a satirical piece entitled “Psychology Comes to a Halt as Weary Researchers Say the Mind Cannot Possibly Understand Itself,” the Onion reported, in a way that only the Onion can, that psychology as a discipline has come to its official end. Citing the current American Psychological Association (APA)’s President, they maintained that Nadine Kaslow declared “the APA, with its 134,000 members and 54 academic divisions, forever disbanded.”

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Undergraduate Students September 19, 2016

Location, location, location: what it’s like to be a licensed clinical psychologist in different parts of the United States

Have you ever wondered what the distribution of licensed psychologists looks like in the United States?

A recent report from the American Psychological Association’s Center for Workforce Studies examined data from state licensing boards of 50 states and Washington, D.C., from 2012-2015. This report presents a county-level look at the distribution of licensed psychologists in the United States.

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers, Pre K - 12 Teachers, Undergraduate Teachers July 11, 2016

Is Research-Based Instruction a Reality in Education? The Example of Learning Styles and Dual Coding

Over the last quarter century, as public education has made a hard shift towards “accountability” and increased standardized testing, the trend towards the use of research-based instruction in classrooms has become nearly as ubiquitous as the Scantron sheets students are asked to bubble in multiple times each semester.

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers May 16, 2016

Leaping through fire — or, preparing to go to graduate school

Words of wisdom: grad school edition.

I remember graduate school quite well, partly because the memories are still fresh (I got my doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Miami in 2012), partly because it was such a tremendous experience and partly because it has no comparison to anything before or after it. What I learned in graduate school was of course a lot about how to become a better clinician, scientist and community steward.

Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Undergraduate Students May 9, 2016

Looking for a research job?

An undergraduate education will prepare you for several careers. And, for many of you, graduate school is the intended step forward from the bachelor’s degree. If that is your intention, as it is mine, possibly the most essential part of your graduate school application is being able to share your research experience. For scientific fields like psychology that continually adapt to new information, a demonstration of your ability to conceptualize, theorize, test and analyze critical information is crucial. But sometimes, the most difficult part of this axiom is finding the research position. Having entirely redirected my career path halfway through my undergraduate study, I was forced to find a research job that not only fit my new interest but was also readily available in order to make up for two years of “lost” time.

Student loan paperwork

Advocacy, Graduate and Postgraduate Students March 28, 2016

My experience on Capitol Hill: How I Advocated to restore eligibility for federally subsided loans

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Education Leadership Conference (ELC), which was presented by the American Psychological Association (APA). As an APA graduate student affiliate (APAGS), I was honored to be one of the representatives for the graduate student body for APA. The conference included a wide variety of presentations that included research, reviews, opinions, and panel discussions. The focus of the conference was on the importance of translating psychological research to educational practice, policy, and the public.

As research presentations and discussion panels drew to a close, the focus of ELC changed to advocacy efforts. This involved specific sessions to assist all ELC participants to learn, understand, and apply specific advocacy skills in anticipation of their congressional meetings on Capitol Hill the following day. As a graduate student, I was initially nervous about this aspect of the conference because I had no prior experience in political advocacy. Furthermore, I was the only representative from my state and realized that I would be meeting with my state’s Congressional delegation by myself. At the final day of the conference, I walked into three meetings with three different representatives from Wisconsin and pleaded my case for our primary advocacy concern, which involved the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, specifically to restore graduate students eligibility for federally subsidized loans. I used my own personal experience with student debt to center the conversation: in 2008, I returned from a combat tour in Iraq. Upon exiting the military, I knew that I needed to make a difference with the veteran population, specifically to advocate for change in mental health service availability, quality of care to both veterans and their families, and to make an impact on today’s society. After completing my undergraduate degree in Child Psychology and my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, I realized that the best way to make a difference was to work at a Veterans Affairs setting. One primary concern of mine before entering a doctoral program was how I was going to pay for this amount of schooling. Although I was fortunate to utilize the Montgomery G.I Bill, it did not cover all expenses that are required as a both an undergraduate or graduate student. As a current 2nd year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, I am continuing to take out student loans in order to ensure I am financially stable, regardless of assistantships and scholarships that are available to me. Overall, my student debt has heavily influenced my future endeavors and academic pathways in order to obtain a career working with veterans.

When the day was over, I sat in a coffee shop and reflected upon my experience and considered whether I had made a difference. As I sat still, I looked up and saw six other ELC participants walk in. I quickly realized that a difference was made. Not because of me, but because of a movement of force by ELC participants to stand together and fight for current and future psychologists.

When I returned to my institution, I shared my experiences with fellow students, professors, and colleagues. Several individuals asked me if this experience changed my views on advocacy or if I found a “calling” on Capitol Hill. I calmly replied by stating that advocating is a must for each graduate student, clinician, researcher, or academic. We must fight for what we believe in and prove to the entire world that psychology has a place. Furthermore, we must use our skills to advocate for our capability to be effective, including the lowering of student debt, which has plagued this country, and our field specifically.

Overall, I had a great experience at ELC and I enjoyed the consistent application of current research into the discussions with ELC participants. As a graduate student, it is vital for soon-to-be psychologists to take part in conferences that have a direct impact on the future of the profession and to have a strong voice within advocacy efforts that further advance our field, in both application and appearance to the public.