February, 2000                                                       

The Psychology Newsletter  

GRADUATE SCHOOL DIRECTORY

The Psychology Department provides students who are considering graduate school with a three-part guide to choosing and applying to graduate school. The guide has been newly revised and now consists of three parts: I – Choosing a Graduate School, II – Preparing for and Applying to Grad School, III - a Directory of Graduate Programs in Psychology and Related Fields in Massachusetts.  

The directory was updated in January, 2000 and includes graduate programs offered by each of the colleges and universities. Addresses and telephone numbers are also provided so you can call and request catalogs or application materials. Copies are available from your advisor or in the information area inside the door of A103.  

New materials on the Psychology major and preparing for a career in Psychology are also available in A103.  

COMPUTER LAB  

Students are encouraged to use the computer lab in 104A in the Administration Bldg.  The lab is open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4PM.There is a lab aide available to you if you need help during the following hours: 

           MWF 8AM to 2PM; T-Th 8AM to 11AM  

The machines are equipped with word processing and statistical programs, and provide access to the internet and to research databases. The lab also has printers.

FYI  

Psychology is the second largest major at WSC. By December, 1999, 550 students had declared a major in Psychology. Of these, 205 students are double majors.

EASTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  

The annual meeting of the EPA will be held March 24-26 in Baltimore, MD. Hundreds of posters and papers will be presented on a range of topics from recovered memories to gender issues to forensics to perception. Dr. Emily Soltano will present a poster on March 25. EPA is the place to learn about graduate schools or careers in Psychology, meet students from other colleges, or hear nationally known figures. Some programs are planned especially for undergraduates.

Student admission at EPA is $20 with ID. You can also request preregistration and get a student membership in EPA, by sending $20 with a copy of your student ID to Dr. Brosvic, Executive Officer,EPA, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd., Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-3099 before March 6.  

 "You were turned into white horses and forced to drive a pumpkin? Out after midnight and that’s the best story you could come up with?"  

Research Methods Awards  

Dr. Joyce Cummings announced that the following students won awards for their projects in the Fall, 1999 Research Methods classes:  

First Prize:  Patricia Lemley and Michelle Mc Donald `The impact of religious belief on sexual ideology" This study investigated beliefs about gender stereotyping and homonegativity with regard to one's religious beliefs and practices. Religious beliefs were found to be associated with more conservative sexual attitudes. Gender was found to be associated with conservative/traditional views in males.  

Second:  Prize:Dara Gleick and Katarina Marenarkis "Shyness and its relation to birth order, self esteem and family health". Shyness was found to be an outcome of family dysfunction, as well as loneliness. Shyness was also found to be associated with lower self esteem.

Third Prize: Caroly Ann Hamm "Patterns of perfection, depression and eating problems"  

Depressed mood was found to be associated with eating problems. It was hypothesized that perfectionistic tendencies would be associated with  

both depression and eating problems but the investigation failed to support this.

Honorable mention - experimental projects:

Michelle Almstrom: "Facial expression and changes in physiological status without an emotional stimulus"  

Melissa Nordstrom, David Riciutti and Ann Marie Morrissey: "The effects of exercise on depressed mood in college students"  

Honorable mention - survey projects:

Michelle Martone: "Self esteem, gender and socialization patterns"  

Ed Bellows, John Coleman, Dennis O'Mara and Mandie Palubeckis: "Alcohol use and its relation to time management skills and academic achievement"

Faculty-Student Activities

Nine students have had papers accepted for presentation with Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley as part of a program exchange at the American Society on Aging Conference in March, 2000.

Davisson, Donna - West Side House: A Spe-cialized Facility for Older Adults with Psychiatric Disorders.

Hamirani, Sarah (Clark University) - Reducing Town and Gown Discord: A Profile of Clark University’s Partners in Community Program.

Hudon, Amy - Integrating Intergenerational Experiences in an Elementary School

Kohler, Lauren - Stimulating Lives Through Companionship: A Profile of the Tribury Rotary Club.

McIver, Allison - Survival Through Revival: A Profile of the Hingham, MA Stroke Club.

Sherrill, Caitlyn - Psychosocial Benefits of Computers for Older Adults

Stefanick, Linda - Intergenerational Programming: The impact of older adults working with younger students.

Wheeler, Diane - Benefits of Music Therapy Programs in Long-Term Care.

Williams, Jennifer - The Heifer Project International "Host Couple".

Dr. Joyce Cummings and graduate Elizabeth Carey presented a poster, "The development of executive functions in adolescence" at the annual conference of the Mass. Neuropsychological Society held at the New England Medical Center in Boston, in June, 1999. This poster can be seen in the hall outside A110A.  

Recent graduate Erin French will present a paper titled "Facilitating Research and Publications in the Social Sciences at the Under-graduate Level" with Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley and Dr. Andy Futterman of Holy Cross at the Teaching of Psychology Conference in April.  

FOR FALL  

It may seem early to think about next Fall, but registration will be here all too soon. Junior Psychology majors who have taken or are taking Research Methods should consider signing up for PS 480 Advanced Experimental Psychology which is taught by Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley. The course is designed as a continuation of the Psychology Methods course and will give students advanced research skills for graduate school. As part of the course students will be provided with sets of original data on which they will conduct individual research projects. The projects will involve formulating hypotheses, analyzing the data and writing a formal experimental report. Efforts will be made to have students examine different aspects of the data so that every project will be eligible for presentation during the following (Spring) semester at one of the three undergraduate conferences in Massachusetts. The best projects will then be submitted to national conferences. All of the students who took the course last fall subsequently presented papers and four of the papers have been accepted for publication. Dr. Mosher-Ashley provides a highly supportive learning experience with much individual attention.  

Anyone interested in additional information about the course should contact Dr. Mosher-Ashley in person, by phone (929-8761) or email (pmosherashley@worcester.edu).  

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY  

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS

Psychologists work in the schools as school counselors and as school psychologists. Counselors help students with social, academic or behavior problems. They emphasize preventive and developmental counseling to provide students with life skills that will enable them to deal with problems before they become serious. They also work with parents, teachers and psychologists to plan individual programs for special needs students. Elementary school counselors and adjustment counselors do more social and personal counseling. Guidance counselors, especially in high school, advise students on career options, college majors, admission requirements, entrance exams, and financial aid. They also assist students with job skills such as resume writing and interviewing. However, in many schools one person does both guidance and adjustment counseling.  

School psychologists more often focus on assessment and program planning for students with special needs. They consult with other school personnel on individual student problems and academic planning and sometimes provide counseling or behavior training.  

All states require public school counselors on the elementary and secondary level to hold state certificates in school counseling, which require a master's degree. Accredited programs typically require 48-60 credit hours including a supervised clinical experience. School psychologists are also state certified and usually must have graduate training beyond a master’s degree, plus a supervised internship. Many of them hold doctoral degrees. These graduate programs may be offered in Psychology or in Education departments. In Massachusetts school counselors and psychologists do not need a teaching certificate, but must pass the literacy section of the teacher certification test.  

Employment of school counselors is expected to grow over the next few years due to the increase in school enrollment and the growing trend for states to require elementary school counselors. However, it is also a field with large numbers of applicants.  

School counselors and school psychologists also work outside the public schools. The prison systems are a major employer. Some are hired by private schools and clinics, while others work as consultants or in private practice, especially if they hold a doctorate.  

Colleges and universities employ counselors who provide personal counseling to deal with stress and relationship issues. They also help both students and alumni with job search and career development. Counselors on the college level also need master's or doctorate degrees, but are not state certified and seldom have degrees in school counseling. They may do their graduate work in Mental Health Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Social Work or College Student Personnel programs.

Students interested in working in school settings might also explore related areas such as Rehabilitation Counseling, and Special Education or specialties such as behavior management.  

(This was adapted from a career profile prepared by WSC student Jessica Howard. More complete description of these and other careers are available in the Psychology Office.)

Publications & Presentations  

Dr. June Allard presented a poster with Dr. Latifeh Amini-Kormi, "Sleep patterns of international teachers who are involved as students in a short-term educational program", at the 29th annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Miami, FL in October, 1999.

Recent graduate Tom Murphy and Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley had an article, "Facilitating presentation at professional conferences by undergraduate students through descriptions of innovative programs" published in the journal, Gerontology and Geriatrics Education (Vol. 20, pages 79-87).  

Internships/Employment  

Experience is critically important to successful applications for employment or graduate school. Current juniors should plan on an internship next year and/or part-time job or volunteer experience. Check the bulletin board outside A103 for openings. Also, a book listing internships is on the table outside A104.  

Job Opportunity!!  

Residential Intern/DMR Counselor  

Students can complete their college undergraduate education while gaining valuable skills and experience in a young adult services program. The New England Center, a nationally recognized provider of educational and behavioral services to young adults with autism, behavior disorders and developmental disabilities seeks entry level residential counselors. Counselors work a schedule including evening, weekend and overnight hours. Flexible shifts are available and can be designed to accommodate a college course schedule. Employees are provided an annual salary and can have their state college tuition costs or its equivalent covered. Benefits include four-five weeks of paid vacation, tuition reimbursement, medical, dental and life insurance, on-site day care and more. Interested students should submit their resume to the address below. Qualified applicants will be contacted by phone. To find out more visit their Web Site at www.necc.org  

Contact Information

DMR Residential Counselor

sbarnes@necc.org

New England Center for Children

33 Turnpike Road

Southboro MA 01772

Fax: 508-485-3421  

Other Job Openings  

The following are a small sample of the jobs recently advertised in Central Massachusetts newspapers for applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Some also require experience or seek people with specific skills:  

Home visitor – family day care program. Need experience with families and young children.  

Case manager – design and coordinate services in home and community programs for elders.  

Youth care worker – in residential school for adolescent males with behavior problems.  

Career counselor – develop workplace learning programs, organize career fairs.

Case coordinator – provide assessment, support and referral to families with young children.

Counselor – in day treatment program for adolescents.

Assistant director – coordinate services, do direct case support, and develop data collection systems in program for homeless individuals.