Tag Archives: APAGS

Increased Student Voices Across APA! We Won Seats at the Table!

By Quincy Guinadi, MA

On behalf of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS), I am thrilled to announce that graduate students are now eligible to run for elected and appointed seats on 19 APA Boards and Committees based on the results of the August Council of Representative meeting and the recent membership vote with 82.28% in favor! Graduate students will be eligible to be slated for Board and Committees as early as January 2024, with their terms beginning in 2025 (see list at the end). This exciting and important change will increase the inclusion of graduate student perspectives at some of the highest levels of APA and grant us a seat at the table. This is another huge victory towards our vision of increasing student voices across APA.

First and foremost, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for the hard work and advocacy efforts spearheaded by my fellow Student Voice Workgroup members and APAGS staff: Mary Fernandes, Nicole Evangelista, Melanie Arenson, Martina Fruhbauerova, Wendy Williams, Heather Dade, and Ritu Verma. They spent countless hours putting together the agenda item, attending town halls, listening and addressing concerns, and finalizing the bylaw amendment changes. Kudos to your perseverance and passionate fight for student voices, what a well-deserved victory!

We also received overwhelming support from our APAGS and APA members from the start through the end of this journey. We would like to recognize and express our sincerest thank you to numerous allies across the Association and beyond. Thank you to the APA Board of Directors, the APA Council Leadership Team, the APA Council of Representatives, and numerous APA Boards and Committees. Thank you for your continued and unconditional support towards the growth and enrichment of our future as a profession and association!

Last but not the least, a huge thank you to our APAGS leaders and members, APA members, and allies across other organizations who helped us spread the word about this important vote by sharing it on social media, advocating with State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations, and voicing support across Divisions, Boards, and Committees. We also cannot forget the immense support from voters, the Council of Representatives and APA members; we thank you for utilizing your voting rights and power to advocate for the inclusion of student voices and perspectives in APA.

What began as a vision last year quickly became a reality. This is another monumental step for APA graduate students and the future of APA. As APAGS, we are thrilled to witness new and diverse graduate students step up and share their wisdom. Graduate students bring a wealth of expertise in practice, research, and advocacy, which propels the profession and association forward as we move into the future of psychology.

List of APA Boards and Committees seats available to graduate students in 2024:

Again, I am so pleased to share this victory with you. We are elated to welcome new graduate student leaders and their valuable perspective onboard these APA Boards and Committees! You are welcome to reach out to me or our staff if you have any questions.

Yours in solidarity,

Quincy Guinadi, MA

2023 APAGS Chair

COVID-19 Pandemic: The Not So Grey Side

This post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series discusses current events and how these events relate to graduate students in psychology. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Terrill Taylor, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Sonia Rehman

There is no doubt that the pandemic wreaked havoc on human lives. However, it connected us in numerous ways as well. The modified lifestyle due to COVID-19 offered me new ways to conduct my personal and professional life. I consider myself the beneficiary of the new virtual world, and here’s my story.

As the world turned toward holding virtual rather than in-person events, it enabled me to attend numerous national and international conferences, without incurring traveling and lodging costs. It also allowed several of my colleagues from Pakistan and India to participate in conferences in the US for the first time. Securing a visa to visit the US has been a significant challenge for students in developing countries, so virtual conferences made it possible for anyone around the world to become a part of this learning experience with reduced registration fees and no need for a visa. During networking events, international participants shared their perspectives on advancements made in the field and discussed opportunities for collaboration. The emerging prospect of in-person conferences made me wonder about what might result in limited accessibility for these events. I believe our field can benefit from remaining accessible, especially as increased migration and telecommunication advancements continue to change the biopsychosocial aspects of human lives.

There is an increased opportunity to learn from one another in this new digitized world. For example, the new norm of connecting virtually allowed me to have a mentor in Spain. With her help, I look forward to getting involved in international collaborations to advance my understanding of neuropsychology through a cross-cultural lens. At the beginning of my doctoral program, I was interested in exploring psychological issues for minority adolescents and joined a research lab accordingly. As I progressed through the program, I became more interested in neuropsychology and wanted to engage in research in that area. However, my options were limited, and a break appeared imminent.

As many labs resorted to working virtually due to the pandemic, it opened opportunities to get involved remotely. I applied to and became a part of a lab that operates in northern California even while I live near Washington, DC. The accessibility of this kind of remote opportunity has been a great asset for many students and continues to connect scholars worldwide.

Receiving training in teleassessment is another benefit of the increasingly virtual world. Providing psychological interventions remotely has enabled many minority patients to seek services who may have otherwise been unable to travel the distance to clinics. . Telehealth has also increased access to medical and mental health care for families living in rural areas. I am especially thrilled at the prospect of increasing the scope of neuropsychology through telemedicine. Finally, taking online classes has enabled me to attend to my children’s needs and coordinate my parents’ medical appointments, all while actively pursuing my dream of becoming a clinical neuropsychologist.

I thank you for reading my COVID-19 story.

APAGS CSOGD Committee Spotlight: Emily Boswell

What is your name and pronouns?

Emily Boswell, she/her.

What is your program and year?

I am a rising 4th year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate at Ball State University in Muncie, IN.

What brought you to CSOGD?

I had been interested in engaging in advocacy work for the LGBTQ+ community for several years, but I had never been aware of leadership positions. I applied to CSOGD after experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice as a psychologist-in-training and I did not have a large network of LGBTQ+ psychologists to consult or receive support in navigating these experiences. I wanted to use this platform to support other LGBTQ+ students in psychology who also found themselves in need of support, advocacy, and connection.

What LGBTQ+ advocacy projects are you involved in?

In addition to coordinating APAGS-CSOGD’s efforts, I’ve provided trainings to clinicians-in-training regarding multicultural competence in working with LGBTQ+ clients, with specific focus on working with LGBTQ+ youth. I’ve also advocated for the creation of community check-ins within my program’s department.

What are your research interests and experiences?

My research is currently focused on assessing clinicians’ competency in working with clients who hold an asexual-spectrum identity, and how clinicians’ attitudes impact clinical decision-making when working with asexual clients.

What are your clinical interests?
I have primarily worked with LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults and I love working with folx who are navigating identity development. I also enjoy working with folx who have experienced sexual trauma, anxiety, depression, and family of origin concerns.

What other interests do you have?

I currently have approximately 30 plants that I try to keep alive (some more successfully than others), and two cats (that I very successfully keep alive) named Loki and Onion. I love lifting weights, drawing with charcoal, playing my bass guitar, and watching TV – I’m currently obsessed with Stranger Things.

9 Tips for Navigating an In-Person Convention

By Amanda Wisinger, APAGS Convention Committee

A return to in-person conferences is likely bringing about a mix of emotions for students – both positive and negative. Many of us have spent the better part of two years attending classes and seminars behind computer screens. For some of us, our entire graduate school experience has been spent in virtual spaces with limited opportunities to connect in-person with our peers and professors. We have grown adept at navigating a variety of typically in-person events being held virtually, such as dissertation defenses, interviews for practicum and internship, and even professional conferences.

If you are attending the APA Convention in Minneapolis this August in-person, it may be your first in-person conference ever. Or, your first in-person conference in a few years. While virtual conferences provided us with many benefits (e.g., reduced travel and lodging costs, the ability to refill your coffee by simply taking a few steps into your kitchen, attending sessions in your sweatpants, etc.), there were undoubtedly many opportunities that virtual events did not provide – including the ability to form new professional relationships and contacts through in-person networking.

Here are my top tips to boost your networking skills and make the most of an in-person Convention:

Continue reading →

APAGS CSOGD Committee Spotlight: Aidan Kraus

What is your name and pronouns?

Aidan D. Kraus, (they/them/theirs)

What is your program and year?

2^nd year Ph.D. Student

Counseling Psychology, Specialization in Sport & Performance Psychology

Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

What brought you to CSOGD?

It was recommended that I apply to join APAGS from a former CSOGD member after vocalizing how I was looking to build my LGBTQIA+ community within academic settings. Working with CSOGD over the past two years has been an incredible experience as we continue to support one another in producing meaningful and affirming work and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community within APA and beyond. I feel so humbled to be a part of such a caring and encouraging group of LGBTQIA+ graduate students and allies.

What LGBTQ+ advocacy projects are you involved in?

In addition to being a subcommittee member for the APAGS CSOGD, I am a Student Representative for the APA Division 17 Section for the Advocacy of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (SASOGD), a Co-Chair of the Pride (LGBTQ+) Special Interest Group through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member through Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. I am also working on projects focused on transgender inclusion policies for sports participation at the K-12 levels.

What are your research interests and experiences?

My research focuses on the wellbeing, mental health, and sense of belonging of transgender and non-binary youth and athletes from across the United States as part of a pilot longitudinal project. Additionally, my research also includes developing and analyzing trauma-informed coaching practices for sport coaches at the K-12, high school, collegiate, and elite levels.

What are your clinical interests?

I am interested in providing clinical and performance enhancement support to athletes at the collegiate and professional levels. In addition to working within an athletic department or for individual teams, I plan to open a private practice focused on providing affirming clinical and performance enhancement services to athletes who identify as LGBTQIA+ at all levels of play.