Share a tip with us

I've always wanted to be a faculty person, and my career has been in this realm. Although I am a scientist, and a practitioner, my first identity is as an academic. There is great honor in being an academic, especially among ethnic peoples, since knowledge and wisdom are associated with education.

But the avenue to knowledge is not limited to faculty teachings. Knowledge is also acquired through experience and the transfer of knowledge can be not only from faculty to student, but from student to student, experienced to novice, and even in the reverse direction, from newcomer to old-timer.

In an attempt to explore those learning experiences, last September the Monitor began a series of articles on mentoring, which looked at the ways students and faculty are learning from each other through formal and informal mentoring programs. Along these same lines, in January the Monitor launched a series of "tips" articles that offer advice on a range of topics from avoiding burnout to succeeding in an internship, solving dissertation blues and learning the ropes of research.

I have always wanted APA members to have a way to give us their ideas, and this series seems an appropriate opportunity. Therefore, I invite our readers to send their suggestions for topics we should address in these "tips" columns and to send us tips that have worked for them. If the response is favorable, we have several possible publication outlets for sharing these, such as the Monitor and various newsletters or listservs.

Send your responses to Sara Martin, Monitor Editor, at APA with copies to me at Colorado State University.

Meanwhile, here are some topics and tips I've discovered from various sources:

Overcoming rejection

When you receive a rejection letter from a journal editor, it's hard to avoid concluding, "This proves I am incapable of research," "I must change careers" or "My research area has no redeeming value." Instead, do the following:

* Don't panic. Read the editor's feedback, put it aside, then re-read it with a clearer head. Determine if you can respond to the feedback, which may only require you to increase the sample, re-analyze your data or justify your procedures.

* Consider your alternatives. Was this the most appropriate outlet? As one APA editor put it, "Don't let it get you down.
A majority of papers written eventually are published somewhere."

* Don't give up. Your study might be a valuable pilot and basis for an improved, expanded work. Discuss with a colleague possible directions for your research interests.

Speak up!

You have 20 minutes on a symposium. How can you keep your audience awake and engaged?

* Keep it simple. Organize around the objective of communicating the minimum rather than the maximum. Audience boredom accelerates as a function of obsessive details. Information on sampling, instruments, statistical procedures or background history can be covered by handouts or during the question and answer period.

* Use visuals. Quickly display your important results, points and conclusions. Avoid visuals that force you to say, "You might not be able to read this, but...." There's wonderful software readily available to help you add clarity and punch to your presentation.

* Perform. Keep in mind that public presentations are stage performances. Capture interest through your voice emphasis, speech rhythm, facial and body animation and your overall energy. And ask yourself: Are you excited about your own topic? If you're not, no one else will be either.

The faculty life

Thinking of becoming a full professor? Do your homework:

* Think about what you'd really want in this position. What would your optimal environment entail? Being surrounded by outstanding classroom teachers? Centering energies in research endeavors? Bringing struggling students to their potentials? Challenging the brightest? Each academic institution has a different character, and to be a successful faculty member requires a match between you and the academic environment and institutional culture.

* Keep developing your skills. At a teaching institution, solicit feedback from your students, and report back to them immediately--they'll love you for your responsiveness. At a research institution, organize research teams and present examples of concrete research hypotheses and plans to attract potential team members.

* Be visible. Other faculty and administrators need to know what you are doing. Toot, don't blast, your own horn. Allocate enough socializing time so you are at least an acquaintance, not a stranger to your colleagues and supervisors. Early in your career, don't volunteer for committee work, but don't resent being asked to serve on them either.

Surviving managed care

With degree in hand, you might be looking to starting into private practice. Some suggestions from experts:

* Don't do it alone. Seek out a group practice so you complement one another by providing clients "one-stop shopping." Introduce yourself to those who can serve as referrals. Develop networks through business and service club activities, state psychological association meetings and college, university or industrial organizations.

* Become known. Offer free community seminars, provide interviews to media on current interest topics ("Christmas stress" is a popular one) and write articles for the state psychological association newsletter to document your expertise.

* Broaden your applications and skills. Be creative in where your services can help, such as stress management for security police, focus groups for a firm's product line and support groups for caregivers of persons with chronic disease. Develop diversified skills for services less restricted by managed care, such as forensics, neuropsychological evaluations and assessments with children and adolescents. Devote a portion of your practice to varied populations, such as ethnic minorities, the elderly, athletes.

Minorities without mentors

If you are an ethnic-minority student in a program with few minority faculty of color, don't despair. Here are some options:

* Don't be color-blind. Many non-minority faculty are excellent mentors, who can listen to and appreciate the issues of an ethnic person. Consider which issues you can discuss and work toward a trusting relationship. Some minority students advise that not all faculty of color are automatically perfect matches so avoid relying upon a single mentor.

* Expand your horizon. Mentors might be available from other departments in your institution (including Health or Counseling Centers, Student Advocacy Offices, Ethnic Studies, etc.), or in nearby universities. Psychologists in practice or community agencies are resources. E-mail listservs such as the Asian American Psychological Association listserv, or the APAGS listserv dedicated to minorities (to subscribe, send an e-mail to rwilder@apa.org) can open up national networking possibilities. Regional psychology conferences are often great places to network.

* Myths are myths. Avoid believing in myths, such as "If I wait long enough, a mentor will find me," "All mentors are alike," "All I need is one good mentor" or "Mentors are faculty or senior psychologists." The last highlights another potential solution, peers as mentors. Advanced students have accumulated wisdom that can be of enormous value. Some students establish social-political organizations across campuses, which serve to prevent isolation, provide social support, or increase influence.

Remember, get a life!

Whatever your career choice, maintaining happiness will be crucial. What can you do to have a satisfying life?

* Know your priorities. Keep focused on your goals, know what is important to you. Attend to issues that count and don't sweat the small stuff.

* Keep connected. It is a rare person who doesn't need a trusted confidant, an uplifting friend, a source of support and encouragement, even a person to share achievements. Be kind to others. Always remember where you came from despite where you've gone.

* Retain balance. Keeping a balance in one's life is essential. What factors enter in the formula vary for each individual, but include time alone versus time with others, work and recreation, change versus stability, self-reliance versus being cared for, engagement and disengagement, intellectual challenge and physical exercise. Balance gives meaning to life, prevents ennui and re-energizes one's spirit.

To contact Richard Suinn, write to him at Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523; fax him at (970) 491 6408; or send him an e-mail at suinn@lamar.colostate.edu. To contact Sara Martin, APA Monitor editor, send an e-mail to smartin@apa.org.



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