When it comes to writing a dissertation, graduate students are forewarned about the challenges of procrastination, motivation, and sheer endurance required to approach the task. Simply thinking about writing a dissertation can sometimes trigger negative thoughts and lead to avoidance.
But do not fear!
You did it! You finished all of your graduate school course work, defended your dissertation, completed your internship and now you are ready for the next step—a postdoctoral residency or fellowship (most commonly known as a “postdoc”).
After all your hard work, you only have one more obstacle to overcome and you’re on the road to licensure. Whether you have decided to complete a formal postdoctoral residency or to informally collect your postdoctoral hours for licensure, there are several factors to consider during your postdoc year. Not all paths to licensure are the same, and different approaches can ultimately get you to the same goal. However, there are some generally consistent guidelines regarding what the next steps look like.
Are there any tasks you do as a trainee, intern or psychologist that you did not expect to do before choosing a career in psychology?
One task that may come to mind is writing.
In psychology, efficient writing is a skill that is consistently required of us. Being a successful writer is a necessary proficiency to inform others about clinical matters such as patient care, reports, goals, and treatments, as well as research, statistics, and other forms of data. Oftentimes, we are not trained in professional or clinical writing and default to skills we have developed over time, which may contain common writing mistakes.
The following is a compilation of writing tips that may be helpful for a variety of clinical writing tasks for psychologists.
Have you ever read a research article and thought, “I wish I could meet these authors one day” or “I wish I could be like them”? One way of reaching that dream is by attending research conferences.
With research conferences, students are not only provided with the opportunity to meet with prominent researchers in the field, but also the prospect of learning about information they truly value.
Whether you’re a research conference pro or are contemplating attending your first conference, this article will offer tips on how to prepare and how to get the most out of your conference.
Self-care. Everyone in our professional and personal lives talks about it, but it’s easier said than done, right?
It seems we all intend on going to the gym, spending valuable time with loved ones and enjoying those extra moments of our favorite television shows, but sometimes things get lost in translation. And we may find ourselves yet again buried underneath a mountain of work with little hope of accessing our original intent.
So, what’s the remedy? There are lots of resources available to us, but perhaps if we set aside some time to build our self-care plan, it is less likely to crumble under stress.