Engage
HOW CAN YOU ENGAGE STUDENTS, INTERNS, AND TRAINEES IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COMMUNITY?
This guide provides ideas to help you bring information and resources in psychology to others.
WHAT TO GET AND WHERE TO GET IT
Start with your prospective audience: Who are they? What are they studying? What do they want to know about? What is the education level of the students, and what are their major interest areas? Once you have a sense of the group’s interests, go to the APA Web site, www.apa.org, and search for relevant information. Use the key word search feature on the APA homepage for topical items and check the site map for an alphabetical listing of subject matter in the entire Web site. Refer students who want to get involved to the following pages: Student homepage: www.apa.org/students Science Student Council: www.apa.org/science/apasscweb.html APAGS: www.apa.org/apags APAGS Campus Representatives Manual: www.apa.org/apags/advocacy/crmanu.html
IDENTIFICATION, INFORMATION, AND INVOLVEMENT ARE KEY ELEMENTS IN ENGAGING STUDENTS…
Identification The American Psychological Association (APA) supports all facets of psychology. The association provides a forum for science, academia, practice, public interest applications, and public policy, and it is the largest and most diverse society of psychologists in the world. Information APA is the most prolific and comprehensive provider of information in the field of psychology. Our online databases, PsycINFO® abstracts, and full-text PsycARTICLES® present the world’s psychological literature. Highly regarded journals, books, reports, public information resources, newsletters, and Web sites offer the latest information across the spectrum of psychological interests. Involvement Students and psychologists want to contribute to our understanding of human behavior and make a difference in people’s lives. APA programs and initiatives help to bring the discipline’s knowledge and expertise to society’s needs and provide each member with the means and materials to make a difference in every community. Organizational participation is also provided through the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) and APA’s boards and committees as well as in committees of divisions and in state, provincial, and regional psychological affiliate organizations.
Keep in mind that there are key resources for the discipline that everyone needs to be aware of: PsycINFO abstracts to the world’s literature in psychology: www.apa.org/psycinfo Full-text journal article database PsycARTICLES: www.apa.org/psycarticles APA Publication Manual and its Web site: www.apastyle.org Books about research and paper preparation: www.apa.org/books/student.html Ethics information: www.apa.org/ethics Scholarships, grants and funds: www.apa.org/students/funding.html Graduate school information online: www.apa.org/gradstudy
www.apa.org
Graduate school information in print: www.apa.org/books/4270086.html Internship information: www.apa.org/ed/intern.html Career information: www.apa.org/membership/career.html
copies. Photocopies of the APA Toolkit, Make a Difference in Psychology! is a great place to start. Many APA offices are able to provide multiple copies of materials upon request. Make up packets of information to share with your audience. Seek out other audiences as well, within your institution, or a neighboring university, community college, or high school. Psychology is one of the most popular subjects at the secondary and undergraduate levels. We believe that one of the more rewarding roles for you, as an educator, would be to link presentations and presenters from several levels of schooling and training—fostering the continuum of education and encouraging the best and brightest students to pursue an education and career in psychology. Make a Difference in Pyschology! will soon be available online. You are welcome to use it via the PDF or PowerPoint version.
Don’t forget to check with other organizations as well. Whereas APA is psychology’s largest and most diverse umbrella organization, there are, of course, many specialized societies that provide additional focused information, products, and services. For networking opportunities and specialized information: APA divisions: www.apa.org/about/division.html State and provincial associations: www.apa.org/practice/refer.html Regional psychological associations: www.apa.org/science/regionals.html
FOLLOWING UP AND CARRYING ON
Collect contact information and e-mail addresses from those who attend the presentation. When you find additional information that would be of interest to the group, send them an e-mail or pass it along. Periodic shipments of material from APA should be distributed widely and placed where many may share it. Among those who respond most positively to your presentation or among those you know, identify the most enthusiastic who may be willing to assume your role once you move on—one student and one faculty member in each department would be an excellent start, but several of you working together can help bring more information in varying forms to benefit others and help ensure continuity over time. Most importantly, know that your work is appreciated and valuable! For consultation on resources, contact the APA Membership Development Office: American Psychological Association 750 First St., NE Washington, DC 20002 Email: membership@apa.org Tel: 800.374.2721, 202.336.5610 Fax: 202.216.7628 TDD/TTY: 202.336.6123
HOW TO PRESENT IT
Volunteer to present information at professional development seminars or workshops. Other opportunities include working with faculty or in-service training staff to present as part of the formal curricula or institutional programming; collaborating with Psi Beta or Psi Chi; inviting a speaker from an APA division, the local or state psychological association, or from APA itself. Don’t limit yourself to a one-time effort. The academic calendar offers opportunities for presentations each semester. Institutional programs may be cyclical, and it could be useful to have different presentations for people new to the information, or for those who want to hear the latest highlights and developments or learn about something in depth. Topical subject presentations may prove valuable. Examples may include ethical principles and case studies, research methods and findings, the latest legislative or regulatory developments, issues associated with specific populations or disorders, and even local disaster response issues. From your information gathering, print out relevant pages with their respective URLs, PDF documents, or contact the originating office for available print
HELP US ADVANCE THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY—JOIN APA TODAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
800.374.2721
www.apa.org/membership