Free Associating. Smorgasbord. Whatever, it is...This Post Has a Little Bit of Everything!

For those of you that know me personally can attest to the fact that I can be pretty random. This post is evidence of this personality characteristic.

So, for those of you that don't know me...Here is a disclaimer about me slash this particular post:
It is likely going to sound like one long free association.

For non psychology people, free association is a psychoanalytic technique. In free association, the individual is invited to relate whatever comes into their minds during the analytic session, and not to censor their thoughts (Thank you Wikipedia!).

Well, for the sake of everyone (and the fact that this is school blog) I will utilize some inhibition and (in keeping with Freudian terms), I will exercise some control over my Id in order to not say everything that comes to mind and avoid a Freudian Slip[pers].

You're welcome.

Now that we have that cleared up...

In my previous blog, I endorsed myself for president of PCOM's Psychology Council Executive Board.

Well... I lost.

Wah. Wah.

But, hey... You win some, you lose some, right?

And as much as I would have loved the opportunity to represent PCOM's Psychology Council as president I am excited to see First-Year Clinical PsyD student, Mark Cassano step into the position! So, a big congrats to Mark!

Thankfully, all is not lost! Phew.

I have been appointed as the Student Life Liaison! In this role, I will be assisting in the planning, promoting, and organizing of PCOM events. I am really looking forward to this opportunity. I love planning things and I also love promoting all things PCOM! Plus, let's be honest, who didn't want to become an event planner after seeing Jennifer Lopez's movie, "The Wedding Planner"?!

For my next thought.... No! It's not about Matthew McConaughey. Okay, yes it is. But, I promised to censor my id.

So, moving on.

I have a bone to pick with the month of February. It is basically like a 28 day hiccup in the course of a year.

If it wasn't for the fact that my birth occurred in the month of February (February 14th to be exact!), I'd say it shouldn't even exist because February is like January's annoying little sister.

Oh, my point you ask? Just that the time has completely flown by...seriously, how is it April on Monday?

Anyway, despite my issue with the month of February and its utter lack of days, it was a pretty good month and very crazy couple of weeks. Not only because it was my birthday... but, because I spent a lot of time traveling to New York for practicum interviews.

Wait. So, let me back up a little. As much as love Philadelphia and my PCOM family, I am a native New Yorker and have been missing the Big Apple; and in full disclosure, I have really missed my home family and friends. I had always planned to move back to New York for either internship or after graduation anyway.

But, I decided that 3 years without New York, my family, and my friends was way too long. Recognizing my separation anxiety from my home state, I decided I would move back and apply for next year's practicum in New York City.

This all seemed like a fabulous plan until I realized that the application process for externship in the State of New York was just shy of a ridiculously daunting task. The New York State Psychological Association governs the externship application process; and they have issues specific rules and regulations regarding the date of submission, deadlines, interviews, acceptances, etc...

Long story short and 12** lengthy application submissions later... I was offered 3 interviews. So, in the short month of February I traveled from Philly to New York and back on three different occasions.

**Yes. You're probably right... 12 is likely a little excessive. But, read on and you'll understand why I had some anxiety about applying to sites in New York.

Even though February is deficient in its amount days, having to wait until March 4th at 10:00 am (the first day offers could be made to students) felt like an eternity and a half.

F i n a l l y... On March 4th, at 10:03 am I received my first offer! As the day carried on, I received 2 more offers! I couldn't believe it! It was an absolute honor to be offered an externship position at these placement sites. Especially because I felt like an underdog throughout this process...

Here I was applying to sites in New York, with a Philly home address and from a school with the name Philadelphia in the title**. Not to mention that in each of the three interviews I was asked about this potential issue...

**Now do you get why I applied to 12 sites?!

So, after some thoughtful consideration and helpful guidance from Dr. Zahn, our Director of Clinical Training, I decided the externship that best met my professional and academic goals was at...

 

Mount Sinai's Rehabilitation Hospital!!!!!!

Boom.

This site was my first choice and I am really looking forward to starting this upcoming July!

I would love to continue to tell you more about the crazy things that occurred during the [unreasonably short] month of February, but I think I have carried on long enough. However, before I sign off I will randomly state (free associate) some words to give you a better idea of what my life has looked like these past few weeks:

Mice
Infestation
Mouse Poop
In
My
Bed
Mickey
Minnie
Gross
MOVED
Landlord
Not Cool
Dissertation
Lit Review
Birthday
Florida Trip
Stitches
In
My
Hand
New York
Practicum
Interviews
Classes
School

Well, that's all I got. As always, thank you for reading!


Until next time,

JKB


PS- Yes, there was actually mouse poop... IN. MY. BED. ...I had to break my lease and move immediately to a short-term sublet!!

...Because in case grad school wasn't stressful enough --Mouse poop pretty much put me over the edge.

Blessinger for President!

Hi Everyone!

It's that time of year again! The Psychology Council is looking for a few good men and women to run for positions of the executive board...and today is last call to submit your letter of intent!

...and I've decided to run...for President.  I am so excited at the prospects of potentially representing the student voice of the Psychology Department at PCOM.

I was truly motivated by the NCSPP conference (In the Bahamas-*See Previous Blog*) and it's topic on relationship competency. I absolutely love our school and my program and feel as if it's part of my duty as a student to give back. I am confident that I have strong relationship competency skills that can be utilized by serving on the Psychology Council. I would love the opportunity as president to truly foster a deep sense of community across the psychology programs and the larger student body of PCOM.

So, I just submitted my letter of intent and voting begins tomorrow! I encourage those of you that would like your voice to be heard to run as well! All you need to do is submit a letter of intent, which needs to include your name, program, year in program, and brief statement of qualifications to Samir Callil via email.  

For those of you that are not familiar, the Psychology Council represents the students of the Psychology Department to the larger PCOM community. The Psychology Council executive board consists of the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The responsibilities of each position are outlined by Article VIII of the Psychology Council bylaws:

The President

(a)The president shall preside over all meetings of the Council

(b)The president shall represent the PCOM Psychology students in all external affairs

(c)The president shall be the representative to the PCOM Student Senate

(d) Shall be the tie-breaking vote in meetings

The Vice-President

(a)The vice-president shall assume the duties of the President should the office become vacant, or in the absence of the president

(b)The vice-president shall serve as parliamentarian to the council

(c)The vice-president shall ensure that all elections are carried out as required by these bylaws

(d) The vice-president shall be the student representative to all psychology committees

The Secretary

(a)The secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of all meetings and report the information in the minutes taken during meetings

(b)The secretary shall maintain a complete and accurate account of attendance and membership status

Treasurer

(a)The treasurer shall keep a written record of all financial transactions

(b)The treasurer shall prepare regular reports containing a list of all receipts and disbursements for each meeting.

(c)The treasurer will be responsible for checking the accuracy of all bills and invoices and paying them correctly and on time

Good luck to everyone running! 

oh...and don't forget you can always vote for me starting tomorrow! 

All the best, 

JKB 

All Future Conferences Should Be Held...In the BAHAMAS!!!

Last June, two days before comp exams, I received an email notifying me that I was nominated (along with four of my amazing cohort peers) to represent PCOM as a student delegate at the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology...which was being held... In the Bahamas!!!

Well, as someone who regularly experiences "Impostor Syndrome**" I was shocked! I think I read the email at least 10 times before finally saying a loud, "For real?" Only one student was going to be selected and was required to write an essay explaining how their experiences and areas of interest made them the appropriate choice to attend the conference...In the Bahamas!!!

**Impostor Syndrome: Is a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. It is commonly associated with academics and is widely found among graduate students (Thank you, Wikipedia.)

...In all honesty, secondary to shock, I felt completely overwhelmed and honored to have even been nominated to possibly represent PCOM at the conference...In the Bahamas!!! 

So, flash forward nearly 8 months later and here I am (a little tanner) excited to share my experiences with you as the student that was selected selected to represent PCOM at the NCSPP conference... In the Bahamas*!!!

*Yes, I was completely stolked about the location of this conference!

Preparation for the conference started several months in advanced as myself and the 7 other student delegates were introduced to each other via emails with the guidance of our fabulous student liaison,  Dr. Louise Baca from Argosy University in Phoenix. 

After months of anticipation, I finally left for the beautiful island of Nassau last Sunday in order to attend the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Project early Monday morning. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who once poignantly said, "Life's most important and urgent question is: 'What are you going to do for others?' "

...Several of the student delegates and many faculty representatives gathered together to dedicate their time to help out at the Ranfurly Home for Children. This facility is a home that serves boys and girls of Nasssau, ages 5 to 20, who for a variety of circumstances can no longer be properly cared for by their parents and guardians. While living at Ranfurly, the children sleep in dormitories, eat in a common dining hall, and attend local schools. The home's administrator, the kind and compassionate Mr. Roberts shared that the children also receive individual and group psychotherapy. 

Although, we were there to provide assistance by cleaning and painting, the very generous and welcoming staff provided us the most amazing and delicious lunch of traditional Bahamian-fare.  Honestly, the plantains put El Vez to shame! This incredible day was just the beginning of an incredible week that I will remember for the rest of my life... 

Here are a few of the pictures of myself and the other student delegates helping out (and eating) at the Ranfurly Home for Children: 

From Left to Right: Alyssa Aguilar (Rosemead School of Psychology), Lara Levine (Pace University), Todd Avellar (UC-Santa Barbara), April Crawford (Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Myself, and Brian Weiland (Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology) is playing photographer!

a m a z i n g n e s s

The conference, which officially started the following Wednesday, focused on the theme of "Relationship Competency." The keynote speaker, Dr. Brad Johnson, discussed the importance of the mentor-mentee relationship. The student delegates participated in the conference by attending workshops and providing the perspective of the student voice. Basically, it was like being a "fly on the wall" of a faculty meeting...which, as a student, provided the unique opportunity to learn about "the other side." Dun.Dun.Dun.

The students were also tasked with responsibility of presenting a panel discussion on mentorship. We had to provide answers to pre-determined questions regarding our experiences with mentorship at our respective schools. Then there was also a Q & A where faculty asked additional questions to the students on the topic. 

From Left to Right: Brian Weiland, Elena Gomez (California Institute of Integral Studies), Todd Avellar, Alyssa Aguilar, Samantha Jimenez (Antioch University-Seattle), Lara Levine, April Crawford, and Me! 

Well, let me just say this... that when members of your faculty, specifically your mentor, are in the audience....it is beyond nerve wracking! Not because I had anything negative to say (in fact, I actually have the best mentor ever!) I just found it really hard to provide anecdotes on how important and special my mentorship is to me infront of a large room of people that included my mentor...

Yes, I pretty much just admitted as a future psychologist that it's sometimes hard for me to talk about feelings. Confession: I am human. 

Definitely Some Interesting Automatic Thoughts Going On Here...

All and all, the panel was a tremendous success! My fellow student delegates were absolutely amazing! It was a total honor to have many faculty members approach us later on to tell us what a wonderful job we did!

There were so many memorable talks, workshops, and conversations with students and faculty alike that I could really go on and on...

Overall, this conference afforded me the opportunity to learn that there are so many other perspetives on many of the issues facing both students and faculty. There is a bigger world out there that expands far beyond PCOM, Philadelphia, and the CBT-orientation. It was a refreshing reminder that even amongst psychologist there is much diversity. However, it is the common goal of teaching and learning relationship competency that help to unite the field. 

I am so grateful for having had this opportunity and it would not have been possible without the incredible NCSPP leadership. I want to thank our fabulous student liaison Dr. Baca, as well as Dr. Nadkarni and the planning committee, and NCSPP president, Dr. Cimbora. Their hospitality, warmth, and genuine concern for the student voice made this experience invaluable.

Probably, the best and my most favorite part of this conference are the 7 new friendships I gained. It was really amazing that 8 very different people, from 8 very different programs, from all over the country could connect and become such great friends, so quickly! I thank my amazing fellow student delegates for teaching me so much about themselves and their programs. I look forward to taking many of the ideas, conversations, and collaborations from this past week and sharing them with the PCOM community. 

Lastly, I cannot thank Drs. DiTomasso, Felgoise, and Zahn enough for selecting me as a student delegate. It was truly an honor to represent PCOM!  I have gained a whole new sense of confidence that definitely makes me realize I am not an impostor! 

Thank you for reading about my experience at the NCSPP conference...In the Bahamas!!!

Take care,

Jackie 

PS- Here are some other pictures from the conference for your viewing pleasure! 

View From The Room... I don't hate it.

Don't Worry! ...My dissertation was not totally neglected...

In fact, nothing says prepared like 17 pairs of shoes & Alan Kazdin's Research Design text...

 Gorgeous Dinner Party on the Last Night

Student Delegate Bonding at the Fish Fry...We just could not get enough plantains! 

An Elf Update

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to update everyone from my last Blog: The Psychological Implications of a New Holiday Tradition: The Elf on the Shelf.

Today, I received an early Christmas gift from Tiffany.

Any guesses as to what I got?!

AN ELF ON THE SHELF!!!!!!! Dkgksksjfg

I was obviously THRILLED! So, here he is...

I proudly present... Liam, my Elf on the Shelf.

Wishing you all a very merry and a happy and healthy New Year!

Best Wishes,

JB

The Psychological Implications a New Holiday Tradition: The Elf On The Shelf

Hey Everyone!

Well, if you're reading this congratulations because you have survived the Mayans, the zombies, and the apocalypse. Which is good because today we're talking about Elves!  ...In the holiday edition of my blog!

Over the past few months, I started to hear some chatter about this elf that was on a shelf or something...

I just figured that this was the latest internet memes or some skit from SNL.

It wasn't until this week, when my cousin started posting pictures on Facebook of her son's elf, Theodore... who is actually pretty wild... Theodore was getting into the flour and even eating the crackers!

Theodore- my little cousin's Elf on the Shelf

But, I was still pretty confused. Thankfully, my best friend, Tiff, explained it all to me,

"Kid gets an elf, names him, and every night when the kid goes to sleep the parent moves the elf around the house and the kid is supposed to find it...it's supposed to be that the elf flies back to the North Pole to tell Santa if the kid is being naughty or nice."

I immediately had two simultaneous reactions: (1) That's pretty creepy and (2) I WANT ONE!

So, I decided to do some research on this Elf character ...

First, I was surprised to find out that the Elf on the Shelf has been around for the past two years!

Welcome to my life. On delay.

Well, I came across the official website for the Elf on the Shelf, which is actually pretty awesome! You should check it out (Click on the link above). It allows people to "register" their elf with the "Official Elf on the Shelf Registry," you can also check out the scene at the North Pole, play games, and write letters to Santa.

But, having this Elf sort of involves some responsibility  There are rules. You can't touch the Elf otherwise it loses it's "Christmas Magic"...but, no worries, just sprinkle some cinnamon and your Elf is as good as new!

There are even apps you can download for your smartphone! I haven't gone that far...yet.  Don't judge me. But yes, I do follow the Elf on the Shelf on both Twitter and Facebook!

But then I started thinking about initial reaction (1) ... I wondered if others shared this thought, "This Elf on the Shelf thing is sorta creepy.

I decided to take this investigation a step further.

Are there any psychological implications to the Elf on the Shelf?  I took my question to google and to PCOM Library's OneSearch+.

In terms of research, no ... there aren't any studies specifically looking at the the psychological implications of the Elf on the Shelf...

Now, why didn't I think of that as a dissertation topic?? Not too sure how Dr. Felgoise would feel about that one...

Any who, I did come across some studies that looked at the psychological implications of encouraging children to believe in Santa.

WHAT?! SANTA! I KNOW HIM!

Immediately, I became defensive. I mean, come on! I believed in Santa and look at me!

All joking aside, I did what any good researcher would do... I decided to take into account all the facts and arguments.  I found a considerable amount of variability across the findings of these studies and the methodologies were questionable at least. Some researchers argued that encouraging the belief in characters like Santa or the Tooth Fairy are considered the same as simply "lying" or "deceiving" a child. Where as, other studies indicated that encouraging the belief in Santa does not create any psychological distress for children.  In fact, one study found that when a child finally discovers that Santa is not real that the revelation creates more distress for parents** than the child! Something I thought to be really interesting!

**This is something my mom could probably agree with...but, only because my discovery of Santa not being real was so ridiculously dramatic and over the top. I am pretty confident that I traumatized my poor mother!  

I was still curious about what professionals and other people were saying specifically about this Elf thing! I was able to find several blogs and Op-Ed articles discussing some of the Elf controversy.

Many argue that the Elf on the Shelf can become a "crutch" for parents as a discipline technique.

"Little Johnny, you need to share or I am telling the Elf on the Shelf! And you know he will tell Santa when he goes back to the North Pole tonight!"

...Then on Christmas, when the Elf flies back to the North Pole, the parents no longer can rely on the Elf for his role as the behavior therapist!

Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but here is the thing... like anything, it's a matter of moderation.  The Elf on the Shelf is not a replacement to parenting... nor was it ever intended to be**...

**I don't think the creators of this company wanted the Elf on the Shelf to be moonlighting as a behavior interventionist. Can you imagine, the Elf on the Shelf as the new Pavlov or Skinner? 

Because if a parent is solely reliant upon a make-believe Elf to instill good behavior in their kid, well then I think we have a problem that's reflective of a much larger issue. Bottom Line: We take ourselves way too seriously.

In my opinion, I think the Elf on the Shelf is a very sweet holiday tradition. I think it captures the innocence of children--Something that is so important these days... especially around the time of the holidays... regardless of what holiday you celebrate. Creating a tradition like the Elf on the Shelf that can be shared with family is something that is likely to remain in a child's memory well into their adult years.

I mean do I think think it's kinda creepy? Sure. But, children don't possess the same cynical or sarcastic perspectives as adults. Something I think others need to consider before issuing harsh criticism.

But, I encourage you to check out some articles with an opposing viewpoint:

"Let's Bench the Elf on the Shelf"

"Ho! Ho! No! Why Parents Should Be Aware of the Elf on the Shelf"

"Four Reasons You'll Never Find the Elf on the Shelf in My House"

Tell me what you think! Please feel free to leave your comments below!

Well, this is likely my last post of 2012! I look forward to writing more about the fabulous life of being a clinical psychology doctoral student next year in the 1-3!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year!

Sincerely,

Jacqueline

PS- If you're like me and have decided that the Elf on the Shelf is both creepy and awesome check out some of these funny pictures:

*This one is my fav!