by Nida Ansari, Justin Brass, Jessica Crosby, Yasmin Elliott, Victoria Mendonca, and Sophie Samek, Contributors On November 18th 2021, the Psychology Society’s Third Year Representatives hosted an online event titled, How to Get Involved: Volunteer and Research Opportunities in Psychology. Peer Helpers from the Experiential Learning Hub and Student Volunteer Connections as well as a panel of Psychology students joined us as speakers on the Thursday evening. The speakers shared their insight and experience with getting involved in Psychology-related volunteer and research opportunities, both on- and off-campus. If you didn’t get to join this event live or wanted a refresher on everyone’s tips and tricks, here are some final thoughts from our event panelists (and the Editor-in-Chief of GetPsyched)! Yasmin Elliott, Fourth Year Putting yourself out there to get involved in research and volunteer positions can be nerve-wracking, but it can also lead to amazing experiences, opportunities, and connections! Currently, I am one of the Fourth-Year Representatives for the Psychology Society and in this role, I help plan events targeted to fourth-year students, act as a connection between fourth-year students and the executive society, and generally, make sure that students’ interests are addressed through our events and initiatives. In terms of my research experience, I am currently completing my Undergraduate Honours Thesis project under the supervision of Dr. Fenske in the Cognitive-Affective Neuroscience Lab. Getting involved in the ongoing, innovative research at the university has been an exciting and humbling experience. I have truly developed a passion for research and love seeing the amazing work that is being done in the field and within the department here at Guelph. If you are interested in research or becoming involved in a lab, I would encourage you to start by looking at the Psychology department’s faculty webpage. Here, you can review each faculty members’ profile and lab website (if they have one). My main suggestion at this point is to ensure that you find a professor whose work aligns with your research interests and that you genuinely feel passionate about. Once you have an idea of which faculty members or labs you’d like to join, I suggest sending the professor a quick (but thoughtful) email outlining why you’d like to work with them, your relevant experience, and I would recommend attaching a copy of your resume/CV and unofficial transcript. Remember to be professional and respectful in your emails, and if you don’t hear back from a professor right away don’t be offended, they are very busy people! My general rule of thumb is to wait approximately two weeks after the initial inquiry and if you don’t hear back at that point, consider sending a quick follow-up email. Research is not the only way to get involved with the school and larger Guelph community, however. For example, I am also a volunteer with the Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington County. I discovered this fantastic opportunity through the Student Volunteer Connections resource on CourseLink, which is available to all Guelph students. I would recommend enrolling in this course (through the self-registration tab on your CourseLink homepage) to explore the wonderful opportunities that are available. In closing, getting involved can feel daunting, but remember that you have unique skills, talents, and perspectives that make you an asset to whatever lab/organization you work with, so don’t hesitate to get involved! I hope you found some of my tips helpful as a starting point to give you some ideas on how to get involved. Jessica Crosby, Fourth Year When I first started my undergrad, I had the intention of going to grad school for Clinical Psychology. My first research experience was the third-year independent research project course (PSYC*3240) supervised by Dr. Bailey. I was assisting on a study examining at-risk youth and equine-facilitated therapy. Shortly after this, I reached out to the Student Volunteer Connections hub and I got a contact for a counselling service in Guelph, where I volunteered doing mental health and safety check-in calls. After gaining a little bit of experience in this field, I realized that this type of work took a toll on me emotionally and it wasn’t what I wanted as a career. My first tip for students who are interested in research is to not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone and to try and explore different research streams in Psychology. After my realization that I didn’t want to pursue Clinical Psychology, I reached out to an Industrial/Organizational Psychology Professor, Dr. Powell, and completed the fourth-year advanced independent research project (PSYC*4240) under her supervision. Now, I am completing my Honours Thesis with her examining reactions to online workplace assessments. Psychology has a lot to offer and there are many different streams and avenues. I would recommend keeping an open mind and reaching out to different professors whose interests align with yours. When emailing professors, make sure to include what your intentions are for working with them (ex: thesis, volunteer etc.), what it is about their research that interests you, and to show that you’ve done your research by highlighting some of their publications. Nida Ansari, Third Year Though I was not a panelist at the event, I still wanted to share the greatest lesson I’ve learned as a Psychology student at Guelph, which I think all others panelists would agree with: don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! There have been times where I have doubted my research abilities or felt like I wasn’t “cut” for something, but often my best experiences and opportunities came from me just being willing to reach out and try something new. In the past year, I took a summer independent research study course (PSYC*3240), and I wouldn’t have considered taking it had I not reached out to a professor to talk about my research interests and potentially wanting to volunteer for their lab. I did more researching about the course and through doing so, I learned so much about the different experiential learning opportunities available as an undergraduate student thanks to the Experiential Learning Hub, some of which I plan to participate in as I move forward in my degree. Planting the seeds early in your academic journey will give you the chance to see your possibilities grow later on! When it comes to other volunteer experiences, try and find something that fits your niche. What kinds of volunteer roles can offer you valuable experience but also serve as relevant indicators of your abilities or interests? Personally, I want to pursue educational psychology in the future, so I looked for roles and positions where education and psychology skills could intersect – and now, I am a Learning Peer Helper in the Library! In this role I build on my educational interests (i.e., learning strategies, exam preparation) and consultation skills (i.e., working with students individually, offering support) at the same time! I also have been with the Psychology Society since first year in various roles and have been able to get more deeply involved with the organization by starting a new project I was passionate about – aka, the GetPsyched blog. Where there are no opportunities, who is stopping you from creating one for yourself - and in this case, for others, too! Victoria Mendonca, Third Year I am a Research Assistant in the Child Development Research Unit (CDRU), as well as a Crisis Response volunteer for Kids Help Phone (KHP). My position in the CDRU is a part of the independent research course (PSYC*3240) which allows me to gain lab experience and develop my own individual research project while gaining a course credit! As for volunteering, KHP is a great way to gain more experience in mental health and crisis response while also making an impact on the lives of others. I can confidently say working with KHP has been the most rewarding role I have ever filled. My biggest tip for getting involved would be to reach out to anyone and everyone. Do your homework on what type of experience you are looking for and apply to as many roles as you can find in that area! Sophie Samek, Third Year Getting involved can be a great way to further expand your experience and try out different paths within Psychology. I am currently the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Undergraduate Student Representative at the University of Guelph. This has been an amazing experience so far that allows me to connect with students on campus and bring awareness to the great organization that CPA is. This position has allowed me to speak at and host events that aid other undergraduate students to navigate their degrees and learn more about all the amazing opportunities they can get involved in. Along with that, I volunteer at a mental health hospital working in the horticultural therapy department. This has been such a fun experience getting to see therapy administered in a non-traditional sense. Being a helping hand for the therapists and those attending has allowed me to explore different pathways in psychology that I had never thought about. As for research, I am currently working with the University of Calgary as a research assistant studying workplace breaks and how they impact an employee’s well-being. This has been an amazing opportunity that came about spontaneously. This brings me to my biggest tip, don’t feel that you are confined to the University of Guelph for volunteer or research work. Take advantage of our world being mostly online and use that to seek out opportunities elsewhere. This isn’t to say that you can’t find something amazing at the University of Guelph, however, it is tough trying to find positions when all your other peers are doing the same. To add, don’t be nervous to reach out to professors for advice, as they have all experienced this and are more than willing to help. Along with that, try out new experiences that you wouldn’t typically consider! Being able to work in different fields in Psychology has helped me narrow down what I want to study in further education. Justin Brass, Alumni As a researcher for Sex[M]ed, an organization derived out of McGill University, I am a part of the research & resources team, which seeks to provide comprehensive sexual health education to healthcare practitioners and trainees in Canada. My job involves anything from conducting literature reviews to conducting research to networking with other organizations to create inclusive, safe, and affirming workshops that strategize LGBTQ+ community resources and to create sexual education in Canada. In my experience, some helpful tips for getting involved in research and opportunities in Psychology is to do your research on the topic areas of interest that matter most to you. Such that, if you are interested in sexual diversity from a clinical standpoint like myself, then it may be fruitful for you to do your homework on what professors or external institutions in the local area are leading work in that area. Secondly, I recommend being creative when exploring different opportunities. Being creative has allowed me to find a diverse array of research opportunities. For example, if a professor can’t take you on as a Thesis student, perhaps see if you can work with that prof as a research assistant or intern. Ultimately, I find that thinking outside the box is a great way to navigate the difficulties of reaching out and finding opportunities in Psychology. In Conclusion... Evidently, there is more than one way a student in Psychology can get involved in a meaningful way. Possibilities are endless as our panelists have shown – the real challenge is figuring out what works best for each individual. If you are ever confused on your personal journey in getting involved, just remember that there are supports – both personal and academic – that are here for you in case you ever need them! All contributors of this post are or have been students at the University of Guelph, and most were featured as panelists in our Getting Involved event. Interested in getting in contact with someone? Send us an email and we will connect you! Are you interested in submitting a post to GetPsyched? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us so we can showcase your ideas! Edited by Nida Ansari. Further Resources
The Experiential Learning Hub is a campus and online resource hub for your career and volunteer related needs and searches. Find out more about the EL Hub or get in contact with Student Volunteer Connections in any of the following ways:
Join the Psychology Society at our events, hosted throughout the academic year. https://gryphlife.uoguelph.ca/organization/psychology
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