Advice needed (research experience, or lack thereof)

[caffeinatedcatlover]

Hello all! I never thought I'd make it back onto this website, but here I am.

I graduate with my M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis here in a month from a top university in my field. It's a terminal masters degree, I'd say similar to M.S. in CMHC for those unfamiliar with ABA. It pushes a scientist-practitioner model strongly. In short, I provide a therapeutical service to individuals focusing on their behavior, changing behavior and using the science of behaviorism to teach new behaviors. I have a 4.0 graduate school average. 

Unfortunately, while here, I didn't really get involved in research. I was working as a practitioner throughout my entire master's and didn't have the time to join labs and I superrrr regret that now. Now, I am considering applying to PhD programs in school psychology or clinical psychology with an emphasis on child psychology in the next few years and am super concerned due to this lack of research experience.  Following graduation, I will be employed as a psychology assistant at a mental health facility until I pass board certification, then I will be a behavior analyst working with children on the pediatric unit and working closely with counselors and psychologists on cases - so I will have the relevant clinical experience. The only "research" experience I do have are minor empirical scientist-practitioner studies as well as a methods paper/proposal for a capstone study I was /going/ to do, but due to COVID-19 I lost access to my participants and was unable to continue. 

My question is: how can I get involved in relevant research while I am working as a master's-level clinician in my field, but while not enrolled in a degree program? I will be located near a few universities, if that helps. Has anyone else had this experience? How should I reach out to people to assist with research?

Thanks all ?

[Yep]

That sounds like a struggle. For me, this was my challenge post masters degree. I needed just a little more research experience and my area of living had nothing.

 

if I was you, this is the time to get in connect with former advisors in the field and see if they have or they know someone that has research opportunities. In addition, you can look at RA positions that are part time but really, if you want to make it to clinical psych PhD level at a respected program you need to go full time to maybe have a chance for more experience. Based on your background, you prob have enough clinical experience to get into a PhD program.

it just depends how committed you are to getting into a doctoral program.

 

[IOapp2020]

Honestly, if you're looking into school psych, research experience is good, but your ABA experience will be highly valued. School psych (even at a PhD level) is highly applied. Many go after a PhD just to work in settings other than schools, as opposed to staying in academia (and the program I was in had us get ABA certification along the way, so you'd already be ahead). Just emphasize your experience with behavioral interventions and associated assessments, and express your interest in academic interventions. If you're really concerned, I'd reach out to professors at schools you're interested in and ask if you can help in one of their labs. When I was in school psych, we had quite a few students email our professor asking to help and she let them attend lab meetings and work on papers, but they weren't funded. Most professors are more than willing to have an extra hand as long as you aren't expecting funding. 

[Rerun]

Hello,

Thanks for sharing your story here. I believe some of us do have regrets related anything that has to do with PhD application, and so I do here. But it's never too late, and I think your ABA experience looks solid there. My suggestion is, just try-because we never know- reach out to Labs that you are interested to work at, or a professor who has a lab that is related or definitely sounds like your research interest. It's approaching summer and I believe some labs are still working remotely. I did that too and currently having one lab-volunteering position. I started earlier this year. But I am also securing another volunteer position this summer. So keep going, and search that lab. Send email and share your interest. It's good that you can also start thinking into the research area you are looking for. I believe your expertise will be an interest for a lab somewhere out there.

I hope the covid19 situation doesn't discourage you to keep working on this. I also never thought to join this forum earlier. but here I am, looking for advice and also sharing experience to others. Good luck! We are all in this together my friend.

[Psyche007]

I was accepted to a PhD programme without any formal research experience and a pretty good clinical background. I spent years reading and formulating my areas of interest that were directly relevant to what I experienced 'out in the trenches'.

If you can clearly summarize and present your research interest and main questions along with describing your experience relevant to developing the research question, I think that can count for a lot. I've talked to many students with great undergraduate and graduate research experience but poor conceptualization or weak and vaguely defined research interests (I hear 'children with trauma' A LOT without any additional details). In my opinion, just working in a lab doesn't mean much if you haven't read and shaped your interest and thought process, but I'm sure you'll hear disagreement with that position. 

Can you find anyone to advise you through a lit review? Help you perform some basic statistical analyses on a public data set? If you figure out what you want to work on it's easier to push to create your own opportunities, which counts for a lot, because it shows the level of drive necessary to answer your own question and contribute to the field.