I am delighted that you are considering joining our lab and working with me as your prospective advisor. I advise both MA and PhD students and I take great care in creating a supportive environment that fosters your career development and our mentoring relationship. Here is a brief description of my mentoring approach:
Overall Approach to Mentoring
Informed by feminist pedagogy, I view education as a vessel for empowerment and liberation, such that students cultivate critical assessments of the system(s) they inhabit and discern how they wish to engage in their communities. To that end, I adopt a developmental approach to mentoring, which emphasizes students’ growth through self-directed and collaborative learning. Relationally, I think it’s important to cultivate a sense of mutual trust with my students AND that humor and fun are crucial to inject joy into our lives and work!
I am mindful that we all have areas of strengths and growth, and we also have values and responsibilities for our careers/lives. As such, my goal is to work closely with you to identify opportunities and projects that best fit your goals. In our lab, peer-learning is highly encouraged and usually practiced. You'll have opportunities to engage with fellow lab members, learning not just from me but also from each other.
One of my favorite aspects of our program is our incredible student community (both within and outside of our lab). Our students often serve as a strong source of support for each other by fostering a sense of belonging and mutual encouragement.
Offering Structure and Accountability
I strive to provide students with structure and accountability. I believe that having well-defined roles, responsibilities, and timelines are essential for your well-being and success (they certainly are for mine). This structure will be tailored to your individual progress through the program, as well as your unique strengths and areas for growth. I am intentional about offering clear and direct feedback to my students in a compassionate way to support students’ growth. Similarly, I request for students’ feedback to adapt and develop my mentoring approach. Students often find that I enjoy recommending and modeling work (and life) habits that I believe will help students sustain their curiosity and stamina during their graduate training. My hope is that this could further develop students’ habits that can enhance their work-life balance and well-being.
Emphasizing the Scientist-Practitioner Model
For PhD students especially, research and writing will be prominent elements of your training, and I am committed to supporting your development as a scientist-practitioner. Early in your training, you will work closely with me on projects (typically led by me) to gain experience in the research process (e.g., from design to dissemination). You may be involved in different capacities at different phases of a project. In addition to collaborative projects, I expect students to develop their own research projects, where I will serve in the role of a consultant. These projects provide invaluable experience in formulating research questions, designing studies, and ultimately publishing or presenting your findings. Engaging in this process before your dissertation not only hones your research skills but also builds your self-efficacy as a researcher!
Clinically, I am deeply invested in students’ development as mental health practitioners! I especially enjoy supporting students in their development as culturally-responsive and -congruent practitioners through my coursework, mentorship, and sharing of my experiences.
Note to PhD applicants:
When writing your personal statement, please clearly indicate your interest in joining our lab. I encourage you to identify your specific research goals and interests, and outline how they could align with the work we do in our lab. This will help me understand how our lab and I can best support your academic and professional goals.