1st Edition

Succeeding in Graduate School The Career Guide for Psychology Students

By Steven Walfish, Allen K. Hess Copyright 2001
    416 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    416 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    Psychology students who want to continue their education today are confronted by a bewildering variety of possibilities. Succeeding in Graduate School offers them much needed practical help. Written by experienced mentors, this book:
    *explains the options provided by a bachelor's degree, describes what each of the many available programs at the master's and doctoral levels prepares one to do, helps in selecting the most appropriate program, and enhances one's chances of being admitted;
    *gives reader-friendly tutorials in teaching, research, and clinical/consulting skills;
    *describes the stresses of life as a graduate student;
    *suggests ways to cope with the management of difficult professors, the search for the optimal advisor-mentor match, and other political and emotional problems that can make or break a graduate career;
    *offers advice on overcoming obstacles to completing a thesis or dissertation; and
    *provides guidance on navigating beyond graduate school: maintaining one's ethical focus, getting into and completing the internship that is a requirement of many programs, obtaining a license for those requiring one to work, and in general, building a career beyond the degree.

    Clear, crisp, and comprehensive--with extensive references for further exploration--Succeeding in Graduate School is must reading for undergraduates and graduate students alike.

    Contents: Preface. Part I: Considering Career and Degree Options in Psychology. S. Walfish, A.K. Hess, Choosing a Career in Psychology. M.E. Ware, Pursuing a Career With a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. B. Perlman, Choosing the Master's Degree in Psychology. A.N. Wiens, C.A. Hope, Choosing the Ph.D. D.R. Peterson, Choosing the Psy.D. B.N. Kinder, S. Walfish, Perspectives on Applying to Graduate School. Part II: Mastering the Personal and Political Dynamics of Graduate School. G.F. Sumprer, S. Walfish, The Politics of Graduate Programs. A.K. Hess, W.I. Sauser, Jr., Students and Faculty: The Growth of Relationships. J.M. O'Neil, L.S. Wrightsman, The Mentoring Relationship in Psychology Training Programs. E.N. Goplerud, Stress and Stress Mastery in Graduate School. R. Massey, S. Walfish, Stresses and Strategies for Underrepresented Students: Gender, Sexual, and Racial Minorities. S. Gulgoz, Stresses and Strategies for International Students. D.J. Pedersen, M.H. Daniels, Stresses and Strategies for Graduate Student Couples. Part III: Learning Career Skills. M. Handelsman, Learning to Become Ethical. D.S. Glenwick, D.K. Mroczak, J.S. MacDonall, Learning Research as a Lifelong Skill. J.H. Korn, Developing Teaching Skills. A.K. Hess, Learning Psychological Testing and Assessment. A.K. Hess, Learning Psychotherapy. R.L. Lowman, Learning Consultation Skills. T.B. Gutkin, A.L. Saunders, Developing Essential Intervention and Prevention Skills for School Settings. R.S. Nickerson, Preparing for a Career in Psychology Outside the University. R.P. Martin, Preparing and Defending Theses and Dissertations. Part IV: The Internship. W.G. Keilin, M.G. Constantine, Applying to Professional Psychology Internship Programs. J.A. Denicola, C.T. Furze, The Internship Year: The Transition From Student to Professional. Part V: Becoming a Professional. B.R. Fretz, Coping With Licensing, Credentialing, and Lifelong Learning. R.P. Lorion, A.D. Hightower, Community Intervention: Applying Psychological Skills in the Real World. S. Walfish, Developing a Career in Psychology.

    Biography

    Steven Walfish, Allen K. Hess

    "This edited volume takes a panoramic scope in describing the terrain of graduate education....In scope and in detail, the map provided by this book is a success....We recommend [it] to people at any point in their graduate education....[It] could save you from major stumbling points that you might otherwise have to learn by trial and error. If it protects the reader from making a poor choice about going to graduate school or poor choices while in it, the book will live up to its title and more than pay back its cost in reduced stress and increased success."
    APS Observer

    "...a compilation of chapters addressing a wide variety of topics pertinent to students of psychology....addresses relevent issues for individuals choosing to complete their formal education in psychology....the book provides a wealth of information to anyone considering a career in psychology. It is a great resource for students at the beginning, middle or end of their graduate education. It also offers an integration of formal education and real-world practical advice to new professionals. I recommend it highly."
    The Independent Practitioner

    "Succeeding in Graduate School: The Career Guide for Psychology Students takes a comprehensive, practical approach to guiding its readers through the graduate school experience....a useful resource to have throughout your training....The information provided is...practical and valuable."
    Psychotherapy Bulletin

    "It enumerages the key and longstanding departmental issues that have and will continue to make graduate school seem unpredicatable. Before, during, and after graduate school, this book helps to direct one's choices and live with the aftermath of those choices...it addresses questions unique to psychological training and correctly targets the ambiguities related to misperceptions about what psychology is and what psychologists do. The book fully addresses the problem of making a topically oriented core curriculum connect with the evolving professional sphere of actitivity in the world of work and does so with clarity and thoroughness."
    Contemporary Psychology

    "Walfish and Hess have 'Succeeded' in creating an indispensable book for any student considering a career in psychology. I recommend this book not only to students but also to the mentors and professors that guide them in this important decision. Reading this book is like going to a private seminar with a panel of experts with MSW, Psy.D., and Ph.D. degrees that includes both new professionals and veterans....In summery, Succeeding in Graduate School: The Career Guide for Psychology Students is comprehensive, details an accurate picture of what the experience entails and provides coping mechanisms....This book is well worth both time and money!"
    Georgia Psychologist

    "Psychology students and their undergraduate professors often discuss getting into graduate school. Staying in, once accepted, is an entirely new challenge that has heretofore not received the attention it deserves. Walfish, Hess, and their collaborators have contributed a most helpful volume that I would recommend to any psychology graduate student."
    Patricia Keith-Spiegel, Ph.D.
    Ball State University

    "Wow, your book is really comprehensive! I wish it had been available when I was going through graduate school."
    Kristin K. Schaaf, Ph.D.
    Bay Psychiatric Associates