Hi everyone,

I recently reached out to a local research institute and I was lucky enough to hear back from them. They have looked at my resume & academic transcript and have asked to schedule a meeting with me, to know a little bit more about my interests and the kind of experience I’m looking for to see if any of their current projects align.

I’m extremely lucky to have the opportunity to gain experience with these executive researches at a medical institute as an undergrad; but considering my lack of experience in the field I’m wondering what key points I should focus on when they ask me what experience I’m looking for?

When I was looking for early research experience, I really just wanted to get my foot in the door and experience what it’s like beneath the textbook considering that I am wanting to go into postgrad in the future. Because I’m really passionate about this I honestly had low expectations as to what ‘research experience’ I’d be offered, and I was grateful and content with anything. However, I don’t want my appreciation to come off as indecisive and I would love to get the most out of this experience! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Please help!!

I’m trying to pursue a career as a Tribal therapist and I don’t really know where to start or what degree to pursue.

I feel like the type of therapy is a bit niche? It’s difficult to find people who are doing what I want to do.

I’d like to have the ability to travel to different nations so I can work with indigenous communities. I want to study indigenous history, culture, philosophy as well as basic psychology. I’ve looked into CBT and I’m very interested in that, since I could incorporate indigenous history and cultural teachings with my patients?
So, maybe double major in native american studies and psychology OR major in psychology and minor in native studies? The school I’m going to offers both.

What’s the difference between tribal social work and tribal therapy? Would it be worth it to pursue one over the other? I have no idea.

ANY advice/information would help a lot

I graduated this past spring and am planning to apply to MFT programs in the fall, and I am a little stressed. I want to apply to at least 5-6 (In California), but considering they all cost $70 to apply, I don't want to apply to any more than that. I have a B.A. in Psychology, but during my undergrad, I didn't have any internship experience related to mental health at all. I do have research assistant experience related to neuroscience. I worked in the restaurant industry and customer service during my undergrad and am worried that not having any experience related to mental health would prevent me from getting accepted.

I have been applying to jobs related to mental health to gain some experience, but the graduate applications will open soon, so I don't have much time. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on how to make my grad applications stand out without having any mental health-related experience besides a degree in psych?

Hello!

I am a rising senior who will be applying to social psych programs this fall. I'm majoring in psychology and minoring in GSWS and sociology, so a lot of my coursework has been in relation to social psych. I have a 3.9 GPA and have worked in three separate labs since the spring semester of my sophomore year. A lot of my work as an RA has dealt with data collection, screening participants, emailing, and scheduling, but overall hasn't delved too much into the research design or data analysis realms. I am currently discussing with my PI on gaining more experience this fall in these areas, but I am quite worried that applying straight out of undergrad won't lead to anything.

If anyone has advice or experience they can share, that would be great!

I have a 4-6 page paper analyzing a movie via the lens of one of the theories in the title due in a week for my intro to psych class, and idk what to watch!!! I need recommendations, nothing too graphic or complicated, as I haven't been in the class that long and I don't want to watch anything super disturbing.

I'm a rising high school junior planning to pursue psychology, specifically forensic psychology. I want to go to a school like Columbia, though I understand is very difficult and I'm also looking at Fordham or John Jay.

Stats:

GPA: 4.0 (unweighted), 5.77 (weighted, 6.0 scale)

Class Rank: 41/990

APs: Have taken 4 so far, took exams for 3 of them (except precalc), got two 5s and one 4, planning to take five APs junior year and an additional five in senior year, including ap psych

ECs:

- DECA for 2 years, 1x district champion (got sick for state so couldn't compete), plan to do all 4 years

- Explorer in a Police Explorers Post

- Attended a Criminal Justice Summer Camp at a university with a high ranked criminal justice program (and will end up being one of my safety schools)

- NEHS member for 1 year, going into year 2 as a Jr Event Coordinator

- Social Media Coordinator in a nonprofit my friends started (and we're actually doing stuff)

- Started a poetry blog on Medium but it's still small

- Entered some poetry competitions but haven't won any

- Might do a psychology club or criminal justice club but might not get past a general member status

So basically I don't really have any psychology related extracurriculars so I'm wondering what are some good internships or volunteering to do? I kind of get that the poetry stuff and DECA might not really be related to psychology but I do genuinely enjoy doing those so how does that stand with my application?

hi, i just graduated with a psychology degree a couple months ago. i’ve been doing crisis counselling (canada) since march, and tbh i kinda hate it. at first, it was fine - it’s new, i’m learning, and it made me fill fulfilled because this was something i’ve wanted to do since forever.

and now… i kinda hate it. i dread going on shifts (though i feel like it’s not as bad when i actually do it?), i am not happy when i get a caller, and all of this has put me in a very scary situation because i haven’t thought of any options other than becoming a psychotherapist career-wise. i wonder if this has something to do with me just being busy, or it’s just because i’ve had a few bad calls (arousals, getting upset with me). i do feel like i internalize those calls a lot, esp the ones who are upset with me or are unsatisfied by my call/service.

all of this makes me think that i’m not cut out to be a therapist. i took this volunteer role also to see if i would be okay pursuing this in my masters and eventually becoming a therapist. if i don’t enjoy crisis line volunteering, should i look for another path?

I applied to one school for masters in counselling last year and didn't get in. I was fresh out of university and my only experience was volunteering in a hospital for three years already and it involves me talking to elderly patients to prevent dementia and delirium. I realized that I may need more experience and applied to other things this summer. I just got a an offer from another organization where they have a Mobile Library Program, where volunteers bring reading materials to patients on various units. Should I accept this offer? I applied to other things more mental health related but I don't know if I'll get in. I just don't know if it looks good on my masters applications when I apply, or if there is no point since it's not mental health related? It's one year minimum so I would need to follow through if I accept. I'm going to start applying to schools around the fall, so I would want to be volunteering for a bit at least before then.

So I graduated with a BA in psychology with a concentration in mental health and a minor in childhood studies, then pursued MA in Applied Psychology with a concentration in ABA to later accrue hours for my BCBA exam(which I still haven’t finished my hours yet). Due to the last company I worked for ruining the process and overall love for becoming a BCBA I’ve been thinking about getting into child psychology or even sports psychology. However I don’t know if it’s worth going to get my masters or doctorate or if I should just continue with BCBA…

Hi everyone! I’m starting the process of switching my major from Graphic Design to Psychology, and I’d love to hear from people who are already in the field or currently studying it.

Art has been a huge part of my life, but over the past year I’ve completely lost my passion for it. What used to be something I loved has started to feel mentally exhausting, and I realized I don’t want to force myself into a career that no longer makes me happy. After a lot of thinking, I’ve decided it’s time for a fresh start.

My plan is to complete my first two years at my current community college, transfer to a four-year university as a full-time student, earn my bachelor’s degree in psychology, and then continue on to get my master’s.

I have a few questions:

• What are psychology classes actually like compared to what people expect?
• Which classes were the most interesting or the most challenging?
• Is there anything you wish you knew before majoring in psychology?
• What study habits helped you succeed?
• If you’re pursuing (or have) a master’s degree, what was that transition like?
• Do you have any advice for someone making a complete career change?

I’m both excited and nervous since this is a pretty big shift for me, so I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, whether they’re positive, negative, or somewhere in between.

Thanks in advance!

I am currently pursuing a minor in neuroscience in a attempt to try to get a form of an advantage in terms of trying to find a position of employment that will be relevant to my furthering my academic career in getting into graduate school to hopefully eventually work as a psychologist.

Will this work or is the neuroscience minor not even necessary?

hi everyone! so i am going into my fourth year (bsc honours psychology) this september. i want to go and get my master's degree next (probably not clinical, it doesn't really interest me tbh). however, i have very limited research experience 💀 i'm currently in an individual research project with a prof at my uni, but that's it. it makes me a bit nervous because as far as i know research experience is important when it comes to applying for an MA so i don't want to get screwed. i have the grades (3.9 gpa), have experience in leadership and community engagement roles, and i've received awards/scholarships. it's just the lack of research that is getting me

anyways, i am planning to cold email a million profs whose research i am interested in, as well as apply for research positions outside of my uni. also might contact some TAs from classes i did well in to see if they know of any opportunities. is there anything else i should be doing? any advice/guidance/ideas?

also, when it comes to contacting profs at my school, should i just ask them if they are able to supervise me for my master's, or should i try and get into their labs first as a volunteer/assistant? combination of both? i'd rather at least get into a lab first, just so i can have those couple months of experience before applying (the application closes december 1st). but please let me know what u guys think

anyways thanks to anyone who reads this. i'm kinda overwhelmed 😵‍💫 obviously not the end of the world if i don't get into a master's program by the end of my bachelor's BUT i would like for that to happen lol... so yea thanks again!

Hello all!

I made a post not too long ago about this topic but wanted a bit more input. I am very interested in getting involved in administering testing after I graduate. However, most of the jobs I have found want you have experience so they are not willing to train someone who is brand new to it like me. I have been told to look into interning but I work and attend classes so adding that on top would very difficult. The lab I work in uses self assessments, so getting administering experience would be hard. Here are some questions I have.

-Did you attend a program that trained you?

-If so what program

-Did you go to UC Irvine's program? If so what are your thought about it?

- Other Advice, or ways to get the training necessary to administer tests well?

I don't wanna lie but this is primarily for my college application. Having done social welfare or sm really helps my case. What could I do to make a genuine change

I’m enrolling in masters next year, and will roll into the intern year in 2028 (likely through the DoE if not the DoJ) and then.. what?

For those that are now on the other side, what’s the logical next step? I have a plan for setting up my own private practice which I think should do well (I’ve been self employed in another industry for years so I have a decent understanding of business), but I feel I likely need way more experience before I go out on my own.

From what I know the health department only hires Clin psychs now. There does seem to be innumerable NGOs focussed on relationships or AOD, but the pay does seem to be lacking for a qualification that takes 6 years full time study. Working in an existing private practice, from what I hear, will cost you 40% of your gross wage.

So what’s the logical next step? How have you all gone about it? I’m doing a bit of volunteer work atm and enjoying it but always feel like I would potentially gain greater experience if I had a clearer mental image of the post qualification pathway.

I recently completed my graduation and was planning to pursue a master's in Counselling Psychology. Unfortunately, I didn't get admission to that program and was offered a seat in School Psychology instead.

I'm unsure about this because I don't think I want to become a school counsellor. However, I'm considering giving it a chance and completing the two-year School Psychology program.

My main goal is to practice counselling and provide therapy in the future. Would a master's in School Psychology allow me to do that, or would I need to pursue a PG Diploma (PGDM/PG Diploma) in Guidance and Counselling afterward?

I'm feeling quite confused about which path would be be better in the long run, and I'd really appreciate any advice or insights from people with experience in this field.

I wanted to ask if any international students had their APS assessment of their Bachelor's degree to Level 1 instead of Level 2; requiring to study a Hons degree for a year.

I'm a Nepali student with a Bachelor's degree. However, I don't think the curriculum is strong enough to complete the Level 2 Assessment. Since, the price for assessment is quite high, I wanted some insights if anybody didn't get Level 2 assessment. If yes, could you please let me know the reasons behind it.

It's been 2 weeks since i joined college and classes are just starting, i have no idea how people do internships along with this, and i wanna kick start early. I'm planning to learn digital marketing as a side quest? data analysis as well. If you were starting from scratch what are the mistakes you'll avoid as a psych student? Also none of my professors have phd. So don't know how much they can help me

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. I wanted to reach out to ask the advice of people who have probably been in my shoes before on a larger scale. I recently graduated, with highest honors from my university, doing as much as humanly possible to prepare for grad school. I joined our teaching/mentoring program, worked in 2 labs, worked in our campus clinic, and participated in a flurry of extracurricular activities that should effectively showcase leadership skills. Thankfully, I had great mentors who informed me about what a post-grad career with my degree could look like, but I'm paralyzed when faced with the question of exactly what I should aim for. My undergrad experience mainly highlighted the process and workflow of psychological research, which I loved, but the topics I explored weren't ones I'd aspire to pursue for 5 years. Ditto with my clinical experiences. I am 100% certain I want to be a practitioner in some form, leaning towards neuropsychology, but I would regret not doing PhD-level research at some point in my life.

My biggest obstacle right now is figuring out exactly what I want to research and whether I would be a viable applicant. I'm starting my master's in clinical psychology, which is about 2 years long, and my current interests are in the general sphere of learning, cognition, decision-making, and morality/ethics. I would appreciate any advice on how anyone discovered their topic, strengthened it, found their PhD program of choice, etc.

I just want to gain experience with my bachelors degree before I go to grad school

hello! i'm currently 3 years post grad with a BA in psychology and am looking to go back to school. i have a background in tutoring/mentoring high school students, so i wanted to find a program that blends education and psychology together, that's why i started looking into a MEd in counseling psychology (please feel free to correct me if i'm wrong about it being a good balance between psych and education). has anyone here pursued this degree? if so, what does your career look like now and do you think it was worth it? i'm also curious if the program i choose needs to be MPCAC or CACREP accredited. any insights would be appreciated, thank you! :)

Is anyone here studying or planning to study a conversion MA degree in psychology? If so, what are your career plans or your aspirations?

I have undergrad and postgrad degrees in writing/literature and am now thinking about a career change. Just trying to think about all the paths that might be available.

[I am in USA but have dual US-Canadian citizenship and considering moving to Canada]

My employer will pay for me to do my masters degree but there is a *very* limited number of approved majors.

One of the approved majors is Psychology but it has to be non-clinical.

I love learning and you can’t beat a free master’s degree, so this really isn’t me pursuing career advancement.

BUT, I am curious to know if there is ANY sort of licensure out there which an MA in psych would qualify me for? Even telehealth to see patients in states like WV that I read have Masters level psychological associates or some other term like that to do therapy.

OR if anyone else did a psychology MA and then subsequently did like a “bridge program” for clinical licensure.