• This group provides a safe and confidential space in which to share your experience and concerns related to being a graduate student. Themes discussed include managing stress, balancing work and self-care, attending to relationships, navigating difficult conversations, getting unstuck, managing perfectionism and the internal critic, imposter syndrome, and fostering resilience.
• Graduate Student Room number: 2031 Phone number: 847-491-1967 Email.
• To maintain good standing as a Graduate Student Group, groups will have the following responsibilities. Good standing indicates that the Graduate Student Group is eligible to applying for funding from the Graduate Student Government. Add any GSG relevant email addresses to their membership list serve; Connect with the GSG on Social Media Platforms.

1. Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Evaluation
2. Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Counseling
3. Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Assessment
4. Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Activities

CIRCLES is a peer-led group mentoring framework that offers space for exploration, discussion, collective problem-solving, co-learning and mentoring connection for graduate students based on shared identities or interests in an informal small-group setting.

Identifying and pursuing opportunities that nurture a psychology graduate student’s professional identity and belongingness can be critical for success (Ducheny et al., 1997). At the same time, graduate students frequently report that a lack of time interferes with their ability to pursue activities that would promote their well-being and development (e.g., El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Here, we note how membership and involvement in professional groups and organizations can complement work conducted in the classroom or laboratory.

The first step is simply to join groups that focus on your interests or values, such as professional societies and student organizations (Bernstein et al., 2019; Bernstein et al., 2015). This first step, which increases your affiliation, may lead to more active participation, which can in turn enhance your sense of belongingness, relational value and social connectedness (Leary, 2010).

Some of the common and beneficial components of group membership include:

Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Evaluation

• Communication with others via listservs, conference calls, and virtual or in-person meetings.
• Networking opportunities, such as social events to facilitate familiarity and camaraderie among group members.
• Formal recognition for achievements (e.g., student awards, funding opportunities).
• Publication opportunities, such as invited contributions to blogs, newsletters or special issues.
• Access to cutting-edge research and educational/training opportunities (e.g., journals, webinars, workshops).
• Mentorship or peer support from experts in the field, more senior students and others.
• Leadership opportunities (e.g., serving on an executive board, student representative positions).
• Discounts (e.g., conference registration).
• Increased awareness of current events, perspectives and controversies in your area of interest.

Large professional organizations, such as the American Psychological Association, often include content-focused divisions, societies or special interest groups, which themselves may offer support to students and early career psychologists. Thus, you can choose to be a part of a group with thousands of members or a group that is small and more intimate. Your involvement can also vary from passive to active participation.

Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Counseling

When deciding how to engage, it can be useful to reflect on your personal interests, values, and needs. This self-reflection may lead you to join an existing professional society to gain access to its listserv dialogue, journals, mentorship opportunities, and so on. Or it may inspire you to spearhead the organization of a group of like-minded students interested in advocacy at a program or departmental level.

Engagement with professional organizations also presents psychology graduate students with the opportunity to foster genuine interpersonal relationships with other group members who can provide insight into what it truly means to live a scholarly life. Indeed, conference presentations, publications, and guest lectures are often necessary for professional growth. At the same time, it is critical to your growth as a well-rounded scholar to develop relationships that lead you to contemplate additional areas for professional growth, including diverse mentorship, managing work-life balance, and linking your activities to contemporary social issues.

The network and relationships that are formed through active membership in professional organizations can nourish the formation of not just scholarly skills, but a true scholarly identity in your community. As the next generation of scholars, psychology graduate students can highlight the value of engaging with professional development communities to others within their sub-disciplines and the broader psychology field.

About the authors

Natalie Hong is the clinical science representative to the APA Science Student Council. She is a rising fifth-year graduate student in the department of psychology and Center for Children and Families at Florida International University.

Edward Scott Jr. is the developmental science representative to the APA Science Student Council. He is a rising third-year graduate student in the educational psychology and applied developmental science program at the University of Virginia.

References

Bernstein, R.S., Bulger, M., Salipante, P. and Weisinger, J.Y. (2019). From diversity to inclusion to equity: A theory of generative interactions. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-16. doi: 10.1007/s10551-019-04180-1

Bernstein, R.S., Crary, M., Bilimoria, D. and Blancero, D.M. (2015). Reflections on diversity and inclusion practices at the organizational, group, and individual levels. In R. Bendl, I. Bleijenbergh, E. Henttonen, & A.J. Mills (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of diversity in organizations (pp. 1-14). New York: Oxford University Press.

Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Assessment

Ducheny, K., Alletzhauser, H.L., Crandell, D. and Schneider, T.R. (1997). Graduate student professional development. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28(1), 87-91. doi: 10.1037/0735-7028.28.1.87

Graduate Programsswsmac Student Group Activities

El-Ghoroury, N.H., Galper, D.I., Sawaqdeh, A. and Bufka, L.F. (2012). Stress, coping, and barriers to wellness among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(2), 122–134. doi: 10.1037/a0028768

Leary, M.R. (2010). Affiliation, acceptance, and belonging. In S.T. Fiske, D.T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5th ed.)—Vol. 2 (pp. 864-897). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Van der Heyden, J. and Gisle, L. (2017). Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Research Policy, 46(4), 868-879. doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2017.02.008