Category: Early Career

How To Go from OCPD to Disheveled Over the Course of a Weekend

kipppietrantonioapaLeave a comment

When I come to APA’s convention, I am a very organized psychologist. I have a set agenda. I know where I am going to be and what time I am going to get there. I have my laptop and cell phone fully charged and I am completely prepared to learn, network, discuss and do everything else you are suppose to do at a professional conference.

By the end of the day, I feel like a tornado has swept me up and spit me out back into my hotel room. I am sitting in the Fairmont Hotel and my hair is a mess, my feet hurt from walking, my agenda of symposiums/meetings to attend has grown significantly, and my laptop is currently hanging on at 18 percent battery life.

So what happened?

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One of my favorite parts of convention is the pace. For me, convention feels like a mad scramble to get as much out of the day as I can with limited time as well as physical and emotional energy. Between going to events, running into colleagues and mentors, managing my own presentations, and just trying to figure out where I am going in the convention center/city, its easy to feel a blend of stimulus overload and exhaustion. Whenever I run in to someone, they ask me, “Are you going to this meeting or that symposium or their presentation?” Today alone, I have been invited to five to six additional events that somehow slipped passed me when I originally perused the agenda book. The pressure to support colleagues and friends takes a toll, especially when balancing it against taking time to breathe.

Yet, somehow even though it is strenuous … I still love it. Seeing old friends and learning about new psychological breakthroughs is reinvigorating. I endure, because there are certain moments that really make convention worthwhile. This blog is about some of these moments.

Today, I heard an APA board member discuss her feelings about the Hoffman report with a small group. She described the macro reaction she has observed from the larger membership as well as her own personal feelings. This resulted in a powerful blend of institutional knowledge and interpersonal connectedness. This allowed me to deinstutionalize my view of the APA and realize these are real people who are doing their best to manage this difficult time. It was very humanizing and humbling to observe.

I also got to take a walk with my former adviser, whom I have not seen since my dissertation defense. We reflected on our time working together and our new goals while furiously walking between meetings. Only at convention does a meaningful relationship get discussed while frantically trying to figure out which building your next presentation is in.11145117_10102756963400265_6556092373046282420_n

Finally, I was able to attend the Div. 17 governance meeting, where something truly special happened. I was able to watch one of the doctoral interns from my home site of Ohio State University – Counseling and Consultation Service win an award. Basak Kacar-Khamush won the Donald E. Super Fellowship Award for Outstanding Research in Vocational Psychology. Basak’s office has been two doors down for mine for the entire year. Seeing her receive this award filled me with a sense of pride as I reflected on her growth during internship.

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When I look at convention as a whole, it is a mixed bag of exhaustion and happiness. Most important, despite my messed up hair and sore feet, it’s worth the time, money and energy to attend. The celebratory moments are memories I will cherish.

Not Goodbye, Just ‘See You Next Year’

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It is hard to believe that it is already the final day of convention. This week has been filled with opportunities to learn new information, to grow personally and professionally, and to connect with friends old and new. Yes, the Girl Scout in me wants to break out into song. “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.”

One of the reasons I come to the conference is for the opportunity to connect with others in the profession — this year did not disappoint. I enjoyed the chance to catch up with other early career professionals during a number of events. The Committee on Early Career Professionals hosted a social hour on Friday night and a coffee hour Saturday morning. ECP coffee hourI also attended an ECP social hour that was a collaboration of Divs. 17, 35 and 51.  All of these events provided fun opportunities to chat with other ECPs and share stories about getting licensed, starting new jobs, applying for tenure, and striving to find some work/life balance.

I was happy to see so many events for ECPs. When I first graduated, I had never heard of the term “early career professional.” Thanks to Katharine Hahn Oh’s hard work restarting the Div. 17 ECP committee, I soon learned what it meant. I had the honor of serving on the committee for four years and helped to bring more awareness to this career stage during convention. Seeing the great attendance at all of these events makes me confident that there will continue to be supports for ECPs for years to come.

I was especially delighted to connect with one my mentees who recently graduated. It was wonderful to spend time with her at her first convention as “Dr.” I am so proud and happy to welcome her as a colleague. I got some much needed Vitamin F from my dear friends at the Div. 35 award ceremony and was inspired,as always, by the authentic interactions I had during Div. 51’s social hour.

So, it is somewhat bittersweet to part ways on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Sometimes a few days just doesn’t seem long enough to say everything we want to say. I reassured friends that we would stay in touch over Facebook and keep each other posted about important life updates. I try to avoid thinking too much about how long a year can be.

So as I get ready to begin the re-immersion process into my day-to-day life, I don’t say goodbye. Just, see you next year in Denver.

Money Talks: Social Class at Convention

kipppietrantonioapa1 Comment

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Some of you may know that I serve on CSES. Just in case you have been inundated with acronyms over the last week, CSES stands for the Committee on Socioeconomic Status and resides under the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI). Over the last few years, social class issues have gained some significant momentum. The Recession of 2008, the Occupy Wall Street movement, rising inequality and the work of several national political representatives have brought social class concerns to the forefront of the nation’s collective consciousness.

As a result, several very important presentations and activities occurred at the APA convention concerning SES. Here are a few highlights.

The hashtag #StopSkippingClass is a CSES initiative to continue the discussion around social class issues on social media. This campaign was launched in memory of the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson. CSES members asked psychologists from around the convention to tweet, post on Facebook, or hold a sign completing the sentence ” Poverty is …

Here is an example of Ramani Durvasala, Ph.D. holding her sign at the CSES Business Meeting.

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In addition, Paul Piff, PhD, led a plenary session Saturday called “What’s Social about Social Class.” Piff has appeared on NPR, television, in The Wall Street Journal, and even did a TED Talk: Does Money Make You Mean. His TED talk, which has had some  2 million downloads, focuses on how people’s social class impacts their moral reasoning. In the session, Piff described several of his studies that appear to indicate that in American culture, those who are identified or made to feel like they have a higher social class are more likely to engage in “utilitarian” style thinking and be self focused. A few of the interesting studies he conducted have fascinating research designs, such as looking at how much candy people were willing to steal from children, how willing people were to cheat on a game, and whether owning a luxury car makes people more likely to cut off pedestrians. The consensus is that those with a lower social class (or those that are made to feel like they have a lower social class) tend to act more moral, caring and empathetic toward others. This contrasts with the stereotype that low-income people are more likely to steal or try to take advantage of others.

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Although there were many other presentations and activities, the last one I want to focus on was student driven. At the APAGS booth, they had a great study/art activity going on. They had a board set up with different dollar amounts across a spectrum. Students were asked to take stickers and indicate what their total student debt would be at the completion of their degree. They were also asked what strategy they would be using to pay of this debt. This allowed for a visual representation of how inflation and rising tuition have affected students. On Saturday, the numbers varied, but many stickers hovered around the $100,000 mark, which should be of serious concern for all APA members. APAGS has completed a report on student debt, which they will be discussing over the next year. When it’s released, I implore psychologists to move toward  action on loan forgiveness legislation.

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