Title of Presentation: Creating and Sustaining a Culturally Sensitive Mentorship Program for the Budding Psychologist and Beyond: Practical Applications
Presenter Information:
Sarah Reiner, PhD VA North Texas Healthcare System, Psychology Internship Program Dallas Texas
Jamylah Jackson, PhD, ABPP - VA North Texas Healthcare System, Psychology Internship Program Dallas Texas (contributor)
Laura Howe-Martin, PhD - UT Southwestern Medical Center Dallas Texas (contributor)
Julia Smith, PsyD - VA North Texas Healthcare System, Psychology Internship Program Dallas Texas
Abstract:
Mentorship has been shown to be highly important at every stage of the lifespan of the psychologist. As a result, the American Psychological Association (APA) has even created a presidential task force to support and strongly encourage formal and informal mentoring as an integral part of being a psychologist. Mentored individuals have consistently been shown to have “more positive training and career-related satisfaction and outcomes” across a variety of disciplines than those without mentoring (O’Neil et al., 2015). Research has shown that mentorship increases “job satisfaction, confidence and career success” for academic faculty (Tracey, 2006). Mentoring has been shown to greatly impact the development of “professional and personal identities” of Early Career Psychologists (Green & Hawley, 2009). Multiple presenters with professional experience in developing a wide array of mentorship programs at various levels and settings will discuss methodology and practical applications of different mentoring models for psychologists in training, as well as during the transition to the early career stages. Participants will learn novel systems to create mentorship programs that address the unique needs of the mentee at each stage in career development and that incorporate diversity and cultural competence. Essential elements necessary for a successful and properly implemented mentorship program will be highlighted. The nature of mentoring, the prevalence of mentoring in psychology, primary obstacles to mentoring, and some ethical concerns unique to mentoring will be included from published strategies and guidelines (Johnson, 2002). Sensitivity to diversity issues, developmental levels and confidentiality will be addressed. Methods for soliciting feedback from both mentors and mentees as well as examples of program evaluation for PDSA quality improvement projects will be reviewed. Presenters will share lessons learned, resources, templates and ways to adapt to a variety of settings in psychology. Specific examples will be used to illustrate ways to create systems that provide mentorship for mentees in different settings and levels: interns, postdoctoral fellows, early career psychologists in clinical health settings, early career teaching faculty in an academic setting, and early career psychologists seeking general mentorship for work-life balance, administration, private practice or research initiatives. References De Dios, M. A., Kuo, C., Hernandez, L., Clark, U., Wenze, S., Boisseau, C.L., Hunter, H.L., Reddy, M., Tolou- Shams, M., & Zlotnick, C. (2013). The development of a diversity mentoring program for faculty and trainees: A program at the Brown Clinical Psychology Trainee Consortium. Behavioral Therapist, 36(5):121-126 Green, A. G., & Hawley, G. C. (2009). Early career psychologists: Understanding, engaging, and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(2), 206-212. Johnson, W. B. (2002). The intentional mentor: Strategies and guidelines for the practice of mentoring. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33(1), 88-96. O'Neil, J., Chaison, A. D., Cuellar, A. K., Nguyen, Q. X., Brown, W. L., & Teng, E. J. (2015). Development and implementation of a mentoring program for Veterans Affairs psychology trainees. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 9(2), 113-120. Tracey, M. D. (2006).
Learning Objectives:
-
Describe the importance of mentorship across the lifespan of the psychologist.
-
Identify opportunities to provide mentorship programming within various academic and clinical settings.
-
Identify steps to create a mentorship program adapted to the unique needs of potential mentees.
-
Discuss how diversity issues can be considered and addressed when developing a mentorship program.
References:
De Dios, M. A., Kuo, C., Hernandez, L., Clark, U., Wenze, S., Boisseau, C.L., Hunter, H.L., Reddy, M., Tolou-Shams, M., & Zlotnick, C. (2013). The development of a diversity mentoring program for faculty and trainees: A program at the Brown Clinical Psychology Trainee Consortium. Behavioral Therapist, 36(5):121-126
Green, A. G., & Hawley, G. C. (2009). Early career psychologists: Understanding, engaging, and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(2), 206-212.
Johnson, W. B. (2002). The intentional mentor: Strategies and guidelines for the practice of mentoring. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33(1), 88-96.
O'Neil, J., Chaison, A. D., Cuellar, A. K., Nguyen, Q. X., Brown, W. L., & Teng, E. J. (2015). Development and implementation of a mentoring program for Veterans Affairs psychology trainees. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 9(2), 113-120.