Are my faculty biased?

[MCParent]

This is the last comment I'm going to make, and I'd like to share my process with you....

Those who do not use reason cannot be swayed by it.

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[erg923]

How is providing supportive counseling a testament to "quality" of a service anyway though? Maybe you were a ****ty therapist for all we know.

One Sunday a month my wife and I serve at the soup kitchen run by the cathedral of the assumption downtown. I rarely help prep and cook cause it's not something I am particularly good at. Sometimes I don't even serve and I simply "hangout" and get to know the people there. Not once has anybody in our Parish commented that what they were doing was of more quality then what I was doing. Perhaps it's your tendency to think in these terms that faculty picked up?

Look lady, no one knows what went on here. And if they favored her, then there was a reason. And maybe it was personality based and not specifically community service based. This is not unethical(and you have yet to cite the APA code that you think it violates), this is how the real world works. However, the more you have posted the more I would hypothesize that faculty were picking up a vibe from you that was off putting. If you have pattern of pushing when pushing isn't appropriate or of correcting every perceived mistake or wrong action of your superiors (i.e.,. the professor who tried to pull one over on me) then this is going to be a long, long road for you. Especially when you start seeing patients.

Honey always gets more flies than vinegar...

 

[perhaps11]

Definitely sensing a bit of narcissism from the OP. Look, crazy4psych, psychology is a smaller field than you think and you never know who the faculty/staff members you are about to piss off know and what they will pass on to others who potentially could be reviewing your admissions/internship/grant applications later down the road. Seriously, let this go - nothing good will come of you stirring up unnecessary drama. If anything, it will probably confirm why you didn't deserve the award in the first place.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Honestly, if this is how you react to not winning a small department award, I seriously doubt your ability to make it through grad school or even the application process, because this field is filled to the brim with rejections. You will be rejected from programs you thought were a great fit. The manuscripts and grant applications that you spent tons of time on will be rejected. You will be turned down by practicum sites and internship sites. You may even fail to match. Clients may discontinue therapy or even ask for another therapist. And yes, rejection sucks; no one would deny that. But you have to learn to deal with it and quickly.

 

[cara susanna]

Heh, yeah, just wait until internship applications when the rejections REALLY become arbitrary.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Heh, yeah, just wait until internship applications when the rejections REALLY become arbitrary.

And, unfortunately, are subsequently much more easily taken personally.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

And, unfortunately, are subsequently much more easily taken personally.

That will make it much easier to take losing in stride then. OP, stuff happens, let it go. It will happen again. I had people take credit for my research, professors edit my name out of the research project I started, etc. Somethings are worth fighting, some aren't. I think when you realize what is worth fighting for then you grow as a professional.

 

[CaramelChica39]

This is my first response in this forum having recently just joined. @crazy4psych, you need to put your big girl panties on & quick. I feel you have received positive criticism here, something that either you're not used to or something you don't like to hear/read.
You will have clients that don't agree with you that taking their prescriptions can help or that you're rhetoric isn't worth listening to....what then are you going to do? You will have the client that takes it to your supervisor about how you were ineffectual & possibly don't need to continue!
When a lot of ppl are suggesting you stop looking at this (or any) field through rose colored glasses, a wise thing to do might be to take them off & eat a large chunk of humble pie & possible take up meditation. Good luck

 

[wesleysmith]

This is my first response in this forum having recently just joined. @crazy4psych, you need to put your big girl panties on & quick. I feel you have received positive criticism here, something that either you're not used to or something you don't like to hear/read.
You will have clients that don't agree with you that taking their prescriptions can help or that you're rhetoric isn't worth listening to....what then are you going to do? You will have the client that takes it to your supervisor about how you were ineffectual & possibly don't need to continue!
When a lot of ppl are suggesting you stop looking at this (or any) field through rose colored glasses, a wise thing to do might be to take them off & eat a large chunk of humble pie & possible take up meditation. Good luck

 

[el_duderino]

This is my first response in this forum having recently just joined. @crazy4psych, you need to put your big girl panties on & quick. I feel you have received positive criticism here, something that either you're not used to or something you don't like to hear/read.
You will have clients that don't agree with you that taking their prescriptions can help or that you're rhetoric isn't worth listening to....what then are you going to do? You will have the client that takes it to your supervisor about how you were ineffectual & possibly don't need to continue!
When a lot of ppl are suggesting you stop looking at this (or any) field through rose colored glasses, a wise thing to do might be to take them off & eat a large chunk of humble pie & possible take up meditation. Good luck

I like you already.

 

[crazy4psych]

All I'm saying is I think some of you on here were rude and unprofessional; someone even made a joke about my avatar. Anyways, I respect constructive criticism, and you're right, they did pick her based off her personality, and I understand that I won't get everything I apply for so I really resent the internship and patient analogies. This, on the other hand, is a different scenario. I actually happen to accept rejection quite well. It was probably a rookie move for me to speak up to the coordinator like that, and I will keep my mouth shut next time. I had my fiance and best friend agreeing with me that it was unjust, and my teachers from high school always told me that the people who speak up get places. I guess that doesn't apply anymore. I will simply sit back and let people do what they want, even if it affects me negatively. I appreciate those of you who were not rude to me and did not imply or assume anything about my character.

 

[el_duderino]

they did pick her based off her personality
This, on the other hand, is a different scenario.
I actually happen to accept rejection quite well.
my teachers from high school always told me that the people who speak up get places.
I guess that doesn't apply anymore.
I will simply sit back and let people do what they want, even if it affects me negatively.

I knew that wasn't going to be your last post.

Anyway, I selected some statements from your post that are troubling and indicate a distinct lack of maturity.

 

[erg923]

Speaking up against injustice gets you places. But that's not what happened here.

 

[psychRA]

Anyways, I respect constructive criticism, and you're right, they did pick her based off her personality, and I understand that I won't get everything I apply for so I really resent the internship and patient analogies. This, on the other hand, is a different scenario.

It doesn't seem as though you're receptive to feedback on this, so I'm replying primarily in case there are people who are in a similar place in their careers (in undergrad, pre-grad school) and are interested in learning more about how the field works.

First, this isn't in a clear case of favortism in any way, and personality factors may have had nothing to do with this decision at all. Without reading her application materials and essay, no one (OP included) has any idea whether this other student was chosen because more popular with the faculty, or whether she simply wrote a better essay.

Second, if the other student was chosen because of her personality, it's not a different scenario at all. Especially when working with patients, where the therapeutic alliance plays an important role in treatment, you are going to encounter patients who choose not to work with you because of your personality and treatment style. You can be the most experienced and well-trained therapist in the world, and if a particular patient isn't able to connect with you or doesn't feel comfortable working with you because your personality isn't a good fit for them, your CV is irrelevant. In those cases, some patients will decide to terminate with you indirectly, simply by not coming back for any more sessions. Some will communicate with you more directly, by explaining that it's not a good fit for therapy. Hell, some of them will straight up tell you to your face, in ways that aren't pleasant and that feel like a personal attack. Everyone goes through it eventually, and it's just part of the process.

Ditto to other aspects of our field (and most fields, honestly). At pretty much every step along the way (grad school, internship, postdoc, etc.), you'll submit an application, but an interview is also a large part of the decision process. When your interviewer sits down to evaluate you after your interview, your personality and your communication skills are going to influence that evaluation. Some interviewers will try to minimize the weight that they put on those factors, but others will openly asks themselves "Do I want to work with this applicant for the next [year, 5 years, etc.]? Will this applicant be able to work well as part of our [program, treatment team, training program]?" Your personality will influence the outcome, at least to some extent, and you can't necessarily control that - different interviewers will respond favorably to different interpersonal styles. There will also be situations where being well-liked by faculty and supervisors gives an applicant an edge. I've now been involved in the selection process for grad school, internship, and postdoc, and after narrowing down the applicant pool to the point where everyone is qualified, it's not uncommon for selection committees to follow up with people who know an applicant to ask for informal opinions about whether that applicant would be a good fit. I'm not saying that being well-liked is the only thing that matters in those cases, but we're all human, and our opinions are colored by our relationships.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I am just amazed that someone who purports to want to pursue this career is not able to accept direction from others who are more experienced. Also, i didn't see anything rude or insensitive. Making a joke about an avatar is just that - a joke. Lighten up Francis!