Prior to being part of the SG Psych Stuff mentorship programme, I had no idea which field of psychology I was keen on pursuing. This arose from the lack of understanding of my own personal interest and. I also did not know what each field in psychology encompasses. That compelled me to seek out mentors in the field to help understand which field in psychology to focus on.
What I hoped to achieve was to develop an understanding of the various fields of psychology. This included clinical psychology, forensic psychology, and neuropsychology. I also hoped to understand the working culture and firsthand accounts of experiences inaccessible to the general public. Quite frankly, this is critical as this aspect of initiations are not readily accessible.
My experience as a mentee
I went into the mentorship programme with an open mind and sought to learn as much as I could about the different resources available through the programme. The experience can be categorized into three broad categories: Peoples, Operations, and Processes.
The people I’ve encountered on the first meeting are Carlin, Brenda, Rachel.
Carlin, a sports psychologist who is also the Vice President of Singapore Psychology Society.
Brenda, a seasoned therapist who is my mentor. She is not only a counsellor but also a volunteer at a VWO.
Rachel, a mental health advocate who is currently the Director of Publications at SG Psych Stuff.
The mentors and
peers I have encountered are from a diverse background and are able to provide
both general and practical advice to guide me towards deciding my
specialization in the field of psychology. This brings me to the next point of
operations.
Difference in culture, industry, and specialization affects how things operate.
It is through the conversations with industry players that helped me to
determine the trajectory of my studies and future career. Some of these
conversations highlighted the differences in working style across countries.
That leads us to the processes of which a student becomes a psychologist. The information gathered along the journey helped me plot a roadmap which I used extensively to determine the importance of certain pursuits. For instance, understanding the importance of networking led me to forgo a casual meetup with friends for a networking session.
Conclusion
The benefits of this mentorship programme only grow as time passes. As the community grows, the diversity of the individuals will increase, leading to better conversations. Therefore, I encourage psychology students to consider the benefits of joining this programme. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the great many individuals that made this possible. The decision to be part of the SG Psych Stuff mentoring programme is one that I’ll never regret.
Written by Nelson Toh. Nelson is a third-year psychology undergrad at SUSS.
Calling all Year 1 & 2 Psych Majors for SG Psych Stuff Mentorship Programme!
Unsure of your options after graduating? Hoping to explore and learn more about the psychology field? Here at SG Psych Stuff, we have carefully screened and recruited volunteer mentors who work in this sector to help undergraduate psychology students in their first and second year of study navigate these pathways.
Sign up to be part of this programme and learn more about the various fields in psychology. Be exposed to a wider variety of psychology events, and interact with psychology professionals through this 1-year mentorship programme. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a better idea of what your future career options may be like.
Are you ready to join as a mentee in 2021? Sign up now at tinyurl.com/psymentor21 (Registration closes on 16 Oct 2020.)
SG Psych
Stuff will be hosting a talk to share more about the Mentorship Programme on 3 Oct 2020 at 2pm.
You will be able to learn more about this programme entails and have your
questions answered through this online zoom sharing!
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/psymentortalk21
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