Laurie Chin
Current affiliations:
- University of Indianapolis (Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program)
Educational Path:
- BA in Psychology from the University of California, Davis – Davis, California
- MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis – Indianapolis, Indiana
- Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) at the University of Indianapolis – Indianapolis, Indiana
Why is aging important or meaningful to you?
Growing up with an older father, I was exposed to issues that older adults face earlier on in my life. I had just graduated high school when my dad retired, and I watched as he struggled to transition into this new role after working for 40+ years providing for our family. Though mental health is rarely discussed, if not swept under the rug in Asian culture, he fortunately was open to starting conversations about aging and mental health, so by the time I was exposed to very similar conversations with older adult research participants or assessment clients, I was already accustomed to these discussions and was able to normalize many of their feelings.
All I remember feeling in those moments seeing my dad struggle mentally was desperately wishing there were systems in place that supported people like my dad, and that he didn’t have to navigate his journey of retirement and aging alone. Our society promotes longevity, but does not have adequate systems in place to support older adults once they get to that stage. I want to dedicate my career to actively working towards a society in which we all combat ageism, through our conversations and activism, as we fervently do with the other -isms (e.g., sexism, racism, classism, etc.). Collectively, we must towards reframing aging as a positive, empowering chapter of our lives, not one characterized simply by loss and deterioration.
In what areas of aging work are you involved (research, teaching, clinical, leadership etc.)? And how much time/effort do you devote to each?
I am currently at a clinical rotation with the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, conducting neuropsychological assessments on adults and older adults with suspected memory and cognitive concerns. I am returning to IU School of Medicine another year of training, along with a supportive psycho-oncology therapy rotation. Last year, I started working as an RA at The Regenstrief Institute’s Center on Aging Research with Dr. Susan Hickman where I am involved research-to-policy work with advance care planning, streamlining the process by which older adult Hoosiers can communicate their treatment preferences.
I am also currently working with the APA’s Aging Portfolio where we are involved in a variety of projects, most notably assisting APA’s Committee on Aging (CONA) with revisions to the “Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults” that was originally published in 2014. Being able to collaborate with leaders in the field of geropsychology and seeing how their lifetime of aging research informs and enhances how we provide psychological services to older adults has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
Leadership-wise, I am one of the student representatives of APA Division 12/2 (Society of Clinical Geropsychology) where we represent the voices and needs of other geropsychology students, organize a social hour at the APA and Gerontological Society of America (GSA) conferences, and publish a Student Voice column in our quarterly newsletter. I’ve also been part of the Program Planning Committee with the Indiana Geriatrics Society since my first year of graduate school, organizing speakers and logistics for the annual Fall Conference.
What resources (including people, books, web sites, etc.) have been the most useful in developing your career, and why?
Twitter. I’m not kidding, #AcademicTwitter is filled with all the people you’ll want to and need to get to know. It is abound with resources, webinars, and callouts for leadership opportunities you would not have access to simply by word-of-mouth. It also allows you to show more of your humanity and personhood than a platform like LinkedIn. Follow me @laurealisabeth J
Three books I’d recommend if you’re interested in a career in aging:
- “Elderhood” by Dr. Louise Aronson
- “Being Mortal” by Dr. Atul Gawande
- “Breaking the Age Code” by Dr. Becca Levy
Involvement in professional organizations related to aging like APA Division 12/2 (Society for Clinical Geropsychology). Biggest thanks to Dr. Cecilia Poon for reaching out to me on #AcademicTwitter and introducing me to this organization, as it has opened a multitude of opportunities for leadership that have made me a much more informed and involved graduate student. I am also incredibly grateful to Dr. Michelle Madore, who has been my matchmade-in-heaven mentor through the Asian Neuropsychological Association (ANA). There is something about having a mentor who looks like you and innately understands your lived experience within the context of academia that is so validating. I truly believe that representation in mentorship increases one’s chances of success and provides a more representative group of practitioners who can adequately serve our increasingly diverse society.
If you’re looking to get into a career in aging, I’d highly recommend checking out this list of graduate programs, predoctoral internships and postdocs on the Council on Professional Geropsychology Training Programs (CoPGTP)opens in new window’s website as well as resources like “The Path to Becoming a Geropsychologist” and the Geropsychology Specialty Taxonomy on the Society of Clinical Geropsychology (SCG)opens in new window’s website.
What has been a challenge (academic, clinical or research-based) you faced and how did you overcome it?
One of the challenges I’ve faced during my graduate school experience (other than the “you-know-what” and these “unprecedented times”) is work-life balance and learning how to “say yes to less.” I’ve learned that there is a difference between your ABILITY to do something and your CAPACITY to do something. This is a constant work in progress for me, as I often feel like this is influenced by the culture of academia and this feeling like you could always be “doing more.” However, I’ve found that to be a sustainable graduate student, you need to lean into spending time with loved ones, engage in activities that ground you and remind you that you are human, and that there is more to life than your to-do list or achievements. A great piece of advice I learned from my amazing neuropsychology supervisor Dr. Angelina Polsinelli is in response to a new opportunity, to say, “Thanks for thinking of asking me, I am really enthusiastic about the project! Let me check and see what I have going on, and I’ll get back to you about that ASAP.” Even if you know you’re going to say yes, it is more about slowing down the thought process and evaluating whether you can ACTUALLY give your full effort towards that project or whether you’re just adding it to your pile of unfinished work just to prove to yourself that you’re “good enough.” I will let you know once I’ve mastered it, haha!
What is one bit of advice you would give students entering the field?
Network, network, network! Cold e-mails are 50 percent of the reason I acquired the clinical and research opportunities I had throughout graduate school and obtained the resources and mentors I needed to navigate graduate school (e.g., my dissertation!) and more about the path towards a career in aging. The other 50 percent was from “knowing someone who knew someone” who could make an introduction and open doors I would not have had access to otherwise. Reach out to that dream collaborator – the worst they could say is no.
What’s next for you?
I’m starting my fourth year of my doctoral program and applying predoctoral internships this fall while preparing for my dissertation defense – the final two hurdles before receiving my PsyD! My long-term goals following internship and postdoc are to get licensed and work towards ABPP board certification in both neuropsychology and geropsychology. I plan on expanding upon my dissertation research on ageism to engage in advocacy work to improve public health policies impacting older adults that will hopefully lead to better physical and cognitive health outcomes for a population that we inevitably will become ourselves one day.