Working With Emerging Identities

Michael Fiorini

In the past two decades, there have been many strides in the field of psychology to recognize and attend to the needs of underserved populations. More recently, there has been a wave of emerging identities and ways of discussing oneself, especially as it relates to sexual expression, gender, and sexual orientation. In the last ten years, for example, the field has seen asexuality no longer considered a valid diagnosis in the DSM and gender dysmorphia gain improved clinical understanding. There are naturally many other examples and parallels of this improvement not mentioned here for purposes of brevity.

The evolution of robust internet communities, expanding use of online dating apps, and a dynamic environment in LGBTQ+ studies and experiences have all contributed to an increase in visibility of those who live alternative lifestyles or ascribe to little-known identities. Examples of such identities and lifestyles are polyamory, demisexuality, the furry community, the BDSM community, sapiosexuality, aromantics, and pansexuals. Arguably, these identities and lifestyles have always existed, but we did not have the terms or infrastructure to support their visibility. As it is ethical practice to familiarize oneself with the populations that one works with and not pathologize behaviors simply by nature of them being atypical, these “new” identities may signify a greater need for therapists to educate themselves on emerging identities.

Innovation in this area over the next ten years can be just as significant for our work as the previous ten. In graduate school, however, there are limitations on the extent of expertise one can acquire on working with any given demographic. As a result, academic studies may necessarily lack the depth needed for full competence. Some, but not all, graduate degree programs in psychology address work with under-represented sex and gender populations. It is important that we allow for further exposure to these groups over the course of training to allow for improved appreciation and to help refine how therapy can best serve them on their terms.

Worrying is Not Your Friend

Alex Littleton

Worrying is helpful. Worry stops bad things from happening. Worrying is a sign that I care about someone. Worrying is the responsible thing to do.

Sound familiar? Many of us have these beliefs, even though they are completely untrue.

Worrying is about control. Or put more accurately, the illusion of control. Worrying (and other forms of mental analysis) is useful when there are decisions to be made or actions to be taken. Any other form of worrying only serves to rev up anxiety.

People often overvalue worry, even though they can see the detrimental effects of it. Try giving up worry for a week and decide for yourself.

How to Give up Worrying:

First, determine if your worrying involves a decision. If yes, then make it! Extra points for quick decision making. If not – then mental analysis blocking is your friend.

In order to do this, you need to shift your attentional spotlight. Multitasking is a myth – we can only truly pay attention to one thing at a time. If your attention is on worry or other forms of mental analysis, then it’s not pointed toward things that are actually helpful (such as valued activities or self-care). The trick is learning to pivot your attentional spotlight AWAY from analysis and toward something more productive. This is where worry journaling comes in.

How to Use a Worry Journal:

• Get yourself a journal. Keep it within reach for most of the day if possible.
• Whenever a worried thought pops into your head, write it down (briefly), then close the journal. Don’t give that worried thought any more love or attention (DON’T worry about it)
• Schedule a time at the end of the day to worry on purpose. Sit down, review your journal, and write for 15 minutes straight the worst case scenario of your worries. Really let your mind run wild – think worst case for tomorrow, next week, next year, and 20 years from now. This part is supposed to make you anxious – embrace the feelings without defense (and don’t do it right before bedtime).
• After 15 minutes, close the journal and move on with your evening.
• Rinse and repeat.

After practicing this for a couple of weeks, you may discover that worrying isn’t your friend at all, and you’re better off without it.

Mental Health Challenges for Graduate Students

Michael Fiorini

It should come as no surprise at this point that the current state of mental health for graduate students in the United States leaves much to be desired. Access to care, effectiveness of care, and mental health outcomes on a whole for students in graduate degree programs tend to fall short of the needs presented by this population. That this phenomenon is present even, and some might say especially, amongst fields related to the caring professions is concerning.

As a 4^thyear doctoral student in a clinical psychology program, I’ve observed a wide range of mental health challenges amongst my classmates and myself. The heart of the matter is that many students fear how their peers, jobs, families, and graduate programs will react to them if they are open about their struggles. They are chronically overworked, underpaid, and under pressure. This, in turn, feeds isolating tendencies and a false normal that “Grad school is just going to suck.” Every grad student has heard this time and time again, and the idea has become so common that it becomes strange to question why this is the case. School administrations are focused on the big picture, faculty are focused on the bottom line, and those in advising positions are sadly not always equipped or effective enough to provide helpful guidance when the system we have becomes overwhelming.

As mental health professionals, we are in a constant struggle against cultures of suffering that spring up as a byproduct of daily life. We also share a common responsibility to question the nature and structures of the physical, psychological, and philosophical institutions that create this suffering. As victims of this graduate culture ourselves, it is surprising that more has not been done to provide outreach outside of academic institutions themselves. Any justification for this lack of broad-based movement seems to boil down to “It happened to us, and we made it, so just get through it however you can.” We can do better as a field, and it is about time that we think outside of the box of the college health system to do so.

Compassion Fatigue

In my first year of grad school we covered the concept of Compassion Fatigue in one of our courses. We were required to read from the book: Trauma Stewardship (Laura van Dernoot Lipsky & Connie Burk, 2007). The following discussion that took place in class covered many aspects of self-care which most people recognize as a requirement for getting through grad school. What was different in this class is that we touched on the idea of whenwe should self-care, not just howto self-care. What at first seemed obvious led to an exercise in self-exploration to determine when we could tell we were hitting our limits.

Stressors build day by day in grad school and the (little) life we live outside of it. Externships. Clients. Doc paper. Self-care. Internships. Interviews. Laundry. The list goes on and seems never-ending. It’s easy to let self-care slip for a bit, but that’s hardly ever sustainable. Finals comes around, or a particular heavy session with a client hits us a little harder than we thought. It’s easy for things to start to feel like they’re falling apart around us. Maybe we’re a little more curt with our friends and loved ones. We stop taking time to enjoy our coffee or tea. Whatever it is, it’s here when we start to recognize we should’ve have been self-caring a few weeks ago.

If you still don’t know what your tipping point is go ahead and take some time to explore that with yourself. Flipping through Trauma Stewardship could be a good place to start. It outlines 16 different ways you may react to taking in the heavy stuff we talk about with clients. This point is different for everyone and hopefully you can start to get a handle on when you should get a handle on things.

What goes on from here is equally unique for all of us. Meditate. Read that book. Lift those weights. Go on that run. Eat some good food. Do whatever it is that you do. Or find a book that gives you some ideas on how to do so. Either way, take care of yourself so you can take care of others.

The Psychology of Burnout

By Samantha Mendoza, COPAGS Advocacy Chair

Recently, the Graduate Student Association for Professional Psychology at DU had a meeting and discussed burnout. Specifically, how exhaustion and “I’m doing well just super overwhelmed and busy” became trendy amongst graduate students. There is a stereotype in graduate school of having multiple demands and not enough time. The field of psychology perpetuates this culture past graduate school. Practicing clinicians may have multiple jobs. Working within an organization, having a private practice, teaching, research – you name it, a psychologist does it. So how is this meant to change? Discussions on burnout occur regularly within the field of psychology – why are people still burnt out?

Silvia Bellezza is a professor of marketing at Columbia Business School wrote a paper discussed busyness as a “status symbol.” “Conspicuous displays of busyness and lack of leisure time” meant that individual was in high demand and, therefore, of high status. This is a recent change in American culture as more leisure time was a way to flaunt status previously. So instead of attempting to change a largely growing trend in America, maybe reframing it may be helpful. Busyness can be mean many different things to people. I’ve had my roommate laugh at me when I told her I was very busy relaxing on a Friday night when she asked me to attend a dinner.

The symptoms of burnout affect everyone. Distress, frustration, and annoyance tend to spill out of a person experiencing burnout – or at least this is how I know I am burnt out. It was incredibly relieving to have a GSAPP meeting where individuals were frank with their frustration of burnout culture. Especially as future psychologists, it is surprising that many of us are not as humble and vulnerable in discussing our limitations as we would like to be, including me. There is not a clear answer in how to respond to this growing development. However, knowing that “busyness” is really a way to convey a “self-deprecating boast” AKA humblebrag, I’m much more inclined to not give in to that trend and to be more honest about my own limitations.

COPAGS is Recruiting!

We have a very special announcement!

The Colorado Psychological Association of Graduate Students (COPAGS) is recruiting!

Are you interested in shaping the future of COPAGS (CPA’s graduate students division)? Several of our board members are moving on to bigger and better things next year, and as a result we are looking to fill several spots on our board! Specifically, the positions that will be open are Chair-Elect, Diversity Chair, Advocacy Chair, Research Chair, Communications Chair

(you can find descriptions of the positions below).

We are now accepting applications for these positions for the 2019-2020 school year. If you are interested, please send a CV and a one-page cover letter

By July 7th to Klarissa Garcia (Chair) at klarissa.garciaorellana@du.edu

Chair-Elect

• Serves a one-year term as member of the Executive Council and serves as Chair in the subsequent year;
• Shall function as the Chair’s right hand
• Maintain signature authority, along with the Chair, over the COPAG’s account(s).
• Is jointly responsible with the Chair for appointing, in consultation with the Executive Council, the COPAGS Executive Council Chairs.
• Shall serve as the COPAGS liaison on the CPA Finance Committee
• Shall attend CPA Board of Directors monthly meetings when the Chair cannot attend.

Communications Chair

• Responsible for keeping and distributing minutes of all meetings;
• Liaison to the campus representatives in all membership-related matters, including but not limited to making certain that campus representatives have current membership applications and newsletters;
• Shall be a member of the CPA Communications Committee and act as the student liaison.
• Will coordinate distribution of program-related materials to the membership in conjunction with the Programming Chair/co-Chairs.
• Manage the COPAGS blog (e.g., post new blog posts written by COPAGS members)

Diversity Chair

• Shall be a member of and liaison to CPA’s Society for the Advancement of Multiculturalism and Diversity (SAMD)
• Encourages student involvement in SAMD programming
• Responsible for hosting one student event focused on diversity issues per year in conjunction with SAMD.
• Acts to insure that COPAGS is aware of and has a consistent focus on issues of diversity and cultural competence; May appoint a committee to assist him/her in the performance of his/her duties.

Advocacy Chair

• Responsible for leadership projects geared towards advocating for Colorado graduate students and/or disenfranchised groups.
• Activities of prior advocacy chairs have included: facilitating an event about refugee mental health, publicizing and participating in a social media town hall to connect graduate students with a senator supporting mental health reform, and connecting COPAGS members with CPA Psychologists to increase COPAGS’ presence within CPA.
• The scope of the Advocacy Chair position is in no way limited to the activities of previous Advocacy Chairs, and the new Advocacy Chair can make their responsibilities as narrow or broad as they wish. All that we ask is that the new Advocacy Chair be passionate about giving a voice to individuals who may not have the power to speak for themselves, and about building and nurturing an empowered community of Colorado graduate students.

Academics/Research Chair

• Will seek to meet the needs of graduate students interested in research and academia by including student research information in the CPA newsletter and keeping the research website documents up to date;
• Will work with CPA Programming Committee to recruit COPAGS members for all research/academic-related programming events;
• Responsible for hosting one student event focused on research or academic issues per year in conjunction with the CPA Programming Committee.
• May appoint a committee to assist him/her in the performance of his/her duties.

 

If you are not currently a CPA member. You can apply online here

APA vs PCSAS

By Sally McGregor, COPAGS President

An accreditation divide is brewing that has the potential to shake up doctoral programs in clinical psychology

Until recently, I always understood American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation process by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) to be the gold standard in American psychology. My current graduate program recently underwent two major reaccreditation processes. One involved the PsyD (Doctor of Psychology) program, and the second sought re-accreditation for our affiliated internship consortium. My classmates and I are not only part of one of the first PsyD programs in clinical psychology, but also one that prides itself on being one of the first to secure APA accreditation. Accreditation matters a great deal in terms of quality control, easing licensure, and securing employment. I consider myself fortunate to be part of a program willing to jump through the numerous hoops involved in ensuring our APA accreditation remains. However, a younger accrediting body, Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) has set out to change the game a bit.

While over 400 programs adhere to APA standards, PCSAS is gaining momentum. PCSAS accredits clinical psychology PhD programs which adhere to a clinical-science training model. This model considers itself to be a modern extension of the well-known scientist-practitioner (Boulder) model, and regards clear scientific evidence to be paramount in the field of psychology. The accreditation body emerged out of a growing concern that scientific standards for psychology are not sufficiently rigorous under APA, which impedes the effectiveness of service providers. PCSAS is not some small, rogue, competing organization to APA. It counts the likes of Harvard, Duke, Emory, Vanderbilt, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern Universities among its 39 PCSAS accredited programs in clinical psychology.

Although it is growing, it is probable that PCSAS will not directly impact my life. The PsyD program I belong to adheres to the practitioner-scholar model which, as the name suggests, emphasizes the practical application of scholarly knowledge. Simply put, this model is aimed at training therapists and assessors rather than researchers and academics. I doubt my program is at risk of shifting to a new accreditation system in the foreseeable future, because producing research is not the highest priority of a PsyD education. However, I am interested in understanding the growth of PCSAS because it will certainly impact psychologists at large.

I anticipate a growing divide will occur in the field between clinicians who prefer a medical model in which treatment is standardized and efficient, and those who worry that overly manualized treatment dismisses the value of relational and psychodynamic approaches to healing. It is easy to see how in a world increasingly centered around integrated care, many psychologists will find utility in PCSAS’s approach. In the other camp will be psychologists (many PsyDs, I imagine) who argue that the therapy most appropriate for producing reliable research is not always the therapy most conducive to creating long lasting and meaningful change in patients’ lives. The continued debate between APA and PCSAS promises to be interesting for clinical psychology students to watch unfold.

***This brief blog post offers far from an exhaustive description of PCSAS. If you are interested in learning more about the new kid on the psychology accreditation block, you can find them here. à https://www.pcsas.org/

Survivor’s Guide to Internship Applications

By Neilou Heidari, COPAGS Diversity Chair

As we quickly approach the 2019-2020 predoctoral internship application period, I thought I might share a few tips I learned during my own journey this year.

1. Purchase and use the APAGS Workbook.* It clearly walks you through every step of the process with helpful samples and suggestions. Some feel the book is geared toward Ph.D. students because of the research emphasis, so that is something to keep in mind.

 

2. Start early: Everyone operates differently. Perhaps you are someone who thrives on under pressure. But this process is a marathon, not a sprint. From counting hours, filling out the application, writing essays, purchasing a suit, to requesting letters of recommendation – allow yourself enough time to get everything done. At the end of the day, it’s not just about completion. You want to feel confident in the work you produce as you want to set yourself apart from other applicants.

 

3. Work with a buddy: This process is largely self-directed and can feel isolating at times, so a buddy really helps hold you accountable and makes the process more tolerable. Meet weekly, set deadlines for yourselves, and edit each other’s work. I also highly recommend planning something fun afterwards to unwind. Shout out to Sally McGregor, our COPAGS chair, for being my accountabilibuddy!

 

4. Self-care: It is SO important to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical needs throughout this process. It’s not uncommon to experience imposter syndrome, compare yourself with others, and/or question yourself at every step of the way. What fills your cup? Be intentional about scheduling these activities.

 

5. Prepare, don’t ‘wing it’: Practice, practice, practice interview questions. Take it a step further and stimulate the actual process by asking a peer, adviser, or whomever to grill you with questions. It’s impossible to prepare for every question that may come your way, but practicing will help you manage your nerves, speak concisely/coherently, and allows for feedback on your performance.

 

6. Trust the process: As the Internship Director at DU’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology likes to say, “It’s all about the fit.” It can be tempting to tell internship sites what you think they want to hear. But presenting yourself authentically will increase the likelihood of you landing somewhere you’re really happy with.

 

On behalf of myself and the rest of COPAGS, best of luck with internship applications! Whatever the outcome, please remember that Match does not define you. This is just one of many hurdles in your life and career. And once your make it to the other side, I promise it will be a distant memory… 🙂

 

*Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Fit by Carol Williams-Nickelson PsyD, Mitchell Prinstein PhD, W. Greg Keilin PhD

Therapeutic Courage

By Carly Knauf, COPAGS Advocacy Chair

As I prepare to move for my doctoral internship, I have been taking time to reflect on my experiences from grad school. My past three years have been filled with lectures, quizzes, tests, assessments, friendships, laughter and, oh yes, tears. As I think back on all the lessons learned, there are a few that stand out more than others. One of those lessons, was on therapeutic courage which was a term introduced to me by Dr. John McNeill. Dr. McNeill explained that therapeutic courage means having the courage to notice, bring up, and ask the “hard stuff” with clients. It means showing up to being present in the room and aware of what is happening in those moments with your client(s) so you can notice, acknowledge, validate, expose, and sit with clients’ interpersonal vulnerable behaviors aka the “hard stuff”.

Dr. McNeill’s lectures helped me realize how much I was avoiding in the therapy room with my clients due to my own fears and insecurities. It was a really hard day… I mean a day of great growth, when I realized my lack of self-awareness was negatively impacting the progress of my clients. At that point in my life, I had never truly examined my own values or understood how much of my life had been about control. Trying to control unwanted experiences through experiential avoidance. I was doing this with my own clients, I probably still am at times, if I am being honest, and it is a goal I continue to work on. With clients, it can be brutally hard to sit through the uncomfortable silence or have the courage to ask those hard questions. But it is the hard questions and silences that can be so critical in the therapeutic process for growth and change. In the past, and even up until recently, I have struggled to bring up the hard topics with my clients. I was afraid I would offend them, hurt them, or make them not want to come back. So instead, I would sit there and ask the safe and easy questions. That wasn’t helping my clients. I needed to do the work to understand what was keeping me from being courageous in the room with my clients.

Through that work, I realized that I was not doing my job as a therapist when I wasn’t present, attending to, or asking the hard questions. For much of my time in grad school I felt like an imposter and I was so self-conscious knowing supervisors would be reviewing my tapes that at times I was not present in the room to notice what my clients were bringing or hiding. I became a prisoner to my own self-doubt and insecurities, and that was negatively impacting the work I was able to do with my clients. Understanding myself and working through my insecurities lead to growth and therapeutic courage. Graduate school has taught me many things, including that our journey and development as therapists will be ongoing and never-ending. I look forward to continuing this journey with (therapeutic) courage.

PSA- Psychology, Schedules, and Activism

By Carly Knauf, COPAGS Advocacy Chair

Today’s graduate students’ lives are jam-packed with classes, clients, conferences, consultations, and much more. As psychologists in training, many of us are also working on incorporating social justice practices into our professional identities. This can be quite difficult as it often feels there is barely enough time to brush our teeth, let alone add another potentially stressful activity such as advocacy and activism. For myself, activism is a foundation of which I strive to build my professional and personal identity from. For some, activism is a nuisance, for some, it’s still on their to-do list, and others can’t imagine activism and advocacy being separate from their daily lives. So, what does activism and advocacy look like for you? You may be in an early stage of identifying broad issues and social injustices, you might be listening and gathering an understanding on said occurrences, you may be leading a charge on Washington with a heart on fire, or you might be so overwhelmed with the current demands of school, field placements, and personal life that you haven’t even gotten out of bed yet. Regardless of your current progress I encourage you to get to know the name Elaine Welteroth.

Recently, I attended a conference at the University of Denver which highlighted unity, empathy, and inclusion of community. The Keynote speaker was Elaine Welteroth, former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, she spoke about her journey and what it has meant to her, to be an activist. Welteroth said, “Your authenticity is your activism, when you’re in spaces that weren’t made for you.” She highlighted her experience and understanding that at times being an advocate and participating in activism is showing up in places that historically have not made space for you. Welteroth was asked to repeat her statement as the room recognized how powerful and accurate it was. At times, it may feel like we are not doing enough if we are not showing up with colorful posters, an expert understanding of the issue, and a plan to fix everything. I believe Welteroth highlighted the important of activism by showing up as our authentic selves for all we represent. Showing up seems to be the first step towards activism. While the rest of the journey will be different for all of us, we must start by showing up. Showing up for ourselves, our clients, our communities and each other.