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Opportunities to work with Ethnic Minority Populations Background A core value of the clinical program entails respect for and understanding of cultural and individual diversity. This value is part of the ethical code of conduct for professional practice of psychology. However, we also engage in this value due to our committment to excellence. In a society that is increasingly diverse and rapidly changing, effective and top-tier professional practice in both research and clinical domains is not possible without careful attention to and appreciation of the nuances of individual and cultural diversity. To this end, the program provides a range of training experiences designed to increase the competency of both students and faculty members in this regard. The program also seeks to maintain a diverse student body, which is essential to an excellent training environment, and to recruit, retain, and provide access to a diverse group of faculty members and supervisors who can provide students with the range of perspectives needed to achieve excellence in research and clinical endeavors. A highlighting of activies and resources provided for this purpose follows on this page. A. Coursework. Topics related to cultural diveresity and individual differences are integrated into all graduate courses, including courses on psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and psychopathology. Specialized readings relevant to individual differences and cultural perspectives are provided to this end in these courses. In addition, a course is offered on multi-cultural psychology every other year by Dr. Buchanan, which is available to the clinical students. The course focuses on social factors, such as discrimination, racism, and poverty, that influence the etiology and symptomatology of clinical syndromes. Students also examine, and where appropriate challenge, internal sources of bias that may influence their clinical competence with diverse populations. B. Program Discussions, Colloquia, and Training Experiences. 1. Colloquia. The Program provides colloqia by outside speakers on a regular basis (typically at least one per semester) who are experts in some aspect of cultural or individual diversity. 2. Diversity committee. Each year a student-faculty committee is appointed to develop activities to enhance program excellence with regard to training in multicultural competence and understanding of individual diversity. Recent activities have included expansion of a clinic library of diversity-related resources, obtaining of appropriate assessment instruments for clinic work with diverse populations, organizing of student faculty "movie + discussion" evenings (usually accompanied by pizza and held at a professor's home) in which we view a discussion-provoking movie about some aspect of individual differences and then discuss it. C. Clinical Experiences Students in the clinical psychology graduate program enroll in practicum at the MSU Psychological Clinic. The clinic primarily serves community residents from the greater Lansing area. The Clinic's sliding fee scale makes mental health services available to many low-income clients who cannot afford services elsewhere. About 26% of the clients served are from ethnic minority backgrounds including African American, Latino, and Asian. The clinic maintains current assessment instruments that enable evaluations to be conducted in Spanish and to maintain sensitivity to other cultural groups. In addition, when students desire it, arrangements have been made for additional experience with minority or underserved populations. In recent years, for example, students have engaged in local externship placements with Spanish speaking and with Arab speaking populations, with active support from Program faculty. D. Research Experiences The clinical faculty's r esearch interests are diverse and include: the study of racial and sexual harassment in the work-place, child abuse and neglect (etiology and prevention), effective parenting programs, social support, mentoring, domestic violence, mood and memory in older adults, process issues in psychotherapy, treatment of schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, health psychology, attachment in adolescents, and the transition from high school to college. The faculty conduct their research in communities including East Lansing, Lansing, Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids. These communities allow for a broad sample of participants including sizeable numbers of ethnic minority populations, especially in Lansing, Detroit, and Flint. Students may engage in research on these topics, although some students come to graduate school with interesting ideas of their own that they wish to pursue, including with specialized populations. For example in recent years students have, with faculty support, created thesis or dissertation projects involving prison populations, victims of domestic violence, ethnic minority populations, and other specialized populations. We have been successful at obtaining extramural research funding for ethnic minority students who want to pursue research careers, including fellowship funding from the National Institutes of Health, Foundations, and the University. These funds are intended to encourage the movement of students from under-represented groups into positions of leadership in science and research. During their studies, students select a cognate (area of emphasis) which for many students enables a focus on issues of diversity or special populations. In recent years students have written comprehensive projects addressing needs of African American children, Arab women, and other specialized populations. Here are threre examples of recent thesis projects completed by students with faculty support: (2007). The sexual harassment of African-American college women: Experiences and
outcomes of cross- vs. intra-racial sexual harassment
E. Community Experiences: Graduate students can also design their cognate in an area that emphasises community involvement. For example, they may choose to take courses offered in the Ecological-Community Psychology Graduate Program at MSU and have an opportunity to become involved in research conducted by the five faculty who constitute this program. The program itself emphasizes "human values, social action and theory, and field-based research methods. The focus is on human social, community, and ecological concerns rather than traditional fields of study." The faculty in this program are currently conducting research projects on topics such as prevention of juvenile delinquency, Head Start evaluation, self help, HIV prevention, community treatment of the severely mentally ill, and service delivery reform in communities throughout the State of Michigan. Research Institutes and Programs at MSU The Julian Samora Institute was founded in 1989 to focus social science research on the concerns of the Latino community. The mission of the Institute includes: "generation of a program of social action research which examines the social, economic, educational, political, and health conditions of Latinos, transmission of research findings to academic institutions, government officials, community leaders, and private sector executives, and provision of technical expertise and support to Latino communities." Current initiatives target issues of "farm labor and rural areas; immigration/migration/demographics; families, income, and gender; and economic and community development." The Director of the Julian Samora Institute has an appointment in the Department of Psychology and other JSRI staff have worked with several of our students. Funding Opportunities We make every effort to provide funding for all of our graduate students. This funding typically covers the first four or five years of your graduate education. The list below enumerates the potential sources for this funding. Please see our Graduate Handbook for more information about funding. University Distinguished Fellowships and University Enrichment Fellowships (UDF and UEF) Academic Achievement Graduate Assistantships (AAGA) Graduate assistantships at the Julian Samora Institute Teaching Assistantships Research Assistantships Student Affairs Assistantships The Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowships Also see http://www.msu.edu/user/finaid for more information about available financial aid. Student Support Resources The Graduate School provides connections to support groups and services for many different student populations, including: African American students, Latino(a)/Chicano(a) students, Asian/Pacific Islander students, and Native American students. There are also university groups to support Lesbian, Bi, Gay, and Transgender students. For more information on these and other student organizations involved with individual and cultural diversity issues, click here. Useful Diversity Links:
The Council of Chairs of Training Councils, a group within the American Psychological Association, has formed a Task Force on Diversity. They have provided a useful page of links to Diversity Research, Education, and Training Guidelines and Resources |
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