Clinical Psychology

receiving their doctorates in psychology, and this
is especially true for clinical psychology, where the
ratio is 3:1 (Heffer et al., 2007). A report by the
American Psychological Association (APA, 2006)
cites several reasons why the number of women
obtaining the doctorate in psychology, especially
in clinical psychology, has increased so

dramatically. Over the last several decades, there

has been an increased demand for psychologists’

skills, increased access to graduate training in psy-

chology for women, and a decreased number of

men entering psychology graduate programs due

to both societal and economic pressures. For

example, other professions like medicine, other

BOX1-2 A Graduate Student Perspective: Julia Martinez

Julia Martinez is a 5th-year graduate student in clinical

psychology. She provided the following insights

regarding her graduate school experience.

What has graduate school in clinical psychology been

like for you?

I was the first in my family to go to college, so I have

always thought of graduate school as a very special

challenge and opportunity. On the general academic

level, I see it as a place where there are no limits to

learning or thought. It becomes your job to think crit-

ically about everything, and to formulate research and

ideas that have the potential to move us all forward.

This is what I think America is all about, and I am proud

to be a part of it. With regard to clinical psychology, it

usually seems to me like a relatively new field, with a

lot of work to be done. This fact is inspiring (and

sometimes daunting) to me. Lastly, on the personal

level, I would never deny that graduate school is very

difficult. You make a lot of emotional investments,

both in your work and in your own personal develop-

ment. Frustrations and victories are part of everyday

life. Balance, tenacity, and maybe a sense of humor are

all important.

What things did you least expect about graduate

school?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. Before I

started graduate school I thought a lot about what I

might expect. Actually, I expected a lot of awful things

that have not come to pass, perhaps because I made

some preparations. For example, I knew that graduate

school would be a lot of hard work, but I was dead set

against pulling all-nighters and then feeling terrible,

like I had done in college. I thought about how I could

improve my work style, so I could get a decent night’s

sleep. Also, a wise person, Dr. Karen Gillock, told me

that graduate school would be filled with wonderful

opportunities—but that if you did not prioritize well,

you could easily find yourself overwhelmed, with the

result of getting fewer things done (really important

things, like your master’s thesis). This advice turned out

to be completely true, and it was helpful to expect this

at the start. I guess the biggest thing I did not expect

was learning all the great things that I have learned.

Going in, I had no idea what exactly I would learn. I

was afraid of statistics, but I have learned to love it. I

did not expect growing and changing so much.

Has graduate school changed you? if yes, how so?

Most certainly, I have changed. I used to be really sen-

sitive about psychology being called a“pseudo-

science”or a“soft science,”but I did not have much

knowledge about the field to dispute this claim. Over

time though, I have learned a lot about the impact

that well-executed research in psychology can have on

the public good, which is clearly of importance. I have

also changed personally. I wanted graduate school to

be a well-rounded and scholarly experience. Although I

spend a great deal of time in the lab, I also have

sought other ways to broaden my horizons. I have read

a lot of classic novels, taken a fencing class, practiced

foreign languages with friends, traveled to Spain,

recorded my own music, taken up the banjo, and

learned to Irish jig and flamenco dance. To me, these

are not unessential things; they have helped me to

better understand and to love my work.

Are your professional or research interests similar or

different now than they were when you started

graduate school?

In clinical psychology, one can choose to be mainly a

clinician or mainly a researcher. I was fascinated with

research and I chose a graduate program that focused

on research education. My program does a great job at

26 CHAPTER 1