Thanks so much! Here are my stats at the time of my application:
4 months volunteering in a residential mental health program
8 months as an emotional support home-visitor for women facing post-partum depression
2 years as an overnight volunteer on a sexual assault crisis line
1 year working in transitional housing for women fleeing domestic violence
1 year working as a counsellor for women fleeing domestic violence (it was a govt-funded program that allowed people with BAs or BSWs to work as counsellors, unfortunately this term is unregulated in my province. I made sure to discuss how I dealt with this ethical challenge in my application).
2 years as a research assistant in a clinical psychology lab (included an independent research project)
References:
manager at current job
clinical supervisor at my current job
PI at my clinical psychology lab
Letter-writing content/process:
I didn't discuss my research experience at all in my application, but did include them in my CV. In my letter, I chose salient learning experiences from each helping position I had, and made sure to explain how the experience increased my understanding of the clinical intervention/approach I was using in that role (e.g., person-centered, harm-reduction, anti-oppressive, feminist, trauma-informed, etc.). Where possible, I related that learning experience to a course in OISE's CP curriculum. There are so many ways to write the letter, of course, this is just what worked for me. I'm posting the guidelines I followed below (found in last year's forum)!