Mentorship in Academia

​This past August, the APLS Student Committee sponsored a panel on mentorship in academia in order to educate both professionals about how to be most effective in their roles as mentors and students about how to most effectively utilize that relationship. The Student Committee’s Past-Chair, Meghann Galloway, coordinated this panel.
 
The first panelist, who spoke about the properties of a good mentor, was Dr. Kirk Heilbrun from Drexel University. Dr. Heilbrun received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in law and psychology at Florida State University. He is a full Professor of Psychology at Drexel, where he has a research lab composed of Masters, Ph.D., and J.D./Ph.D. students. In addition to mentoring his research lab students, he supervises students in his Forensic Assessment Clinic and a re-entry clinic run through the Drexel Psychological Services Center. 
 
The second panelist, who spoke about properties of a good mentee, was Dr. Edie Greene. Dr. Greene is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS), Director of the Graduate Concentration in Psychology and Law, and Director of the Psychology Honors Program.  She received a B.A. in psychology from Stanford University, an M.A. in experimental psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and a Ph.D. in psychology and law from the University of Washington. In 2008, she received the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the American Psychology-Law Society. 
 
The final panelist, who spoke about adapting to mentorship in new environments, was Dr. Kento Yasuhara. Dr. Yasuhara was mentored by Dr. Heilbrun while he completed his Ph.D. at Drexel University. He received his B.A. from Cornell University. He is now an Assistant Professor at the University of New Haven, where he advises undergraduate students.
 
Properties of a good mentor (Dr. Kirk Heilbrun):

• Modeling – demonstrate the qualities you would like to see in your students and colleagues
• Availability – you have to be accessible, although everyone has different styles of how to do this (e.g. open door policy, setting aside office hours for mentees to stop by, being available to set up appointments via email, etc.)
• Tone – treat your mentees with a respectful and collegial attitude (e.g., Dr. Heilbrun likes to think about his mentees as junior colleagues)
• Respect the individual and their goals. It is okay if a student does not want to follow the same path that you took, and it is good to be mindful of this throughout your mentorship.
• Balance being encouraging and demanding
• Check in – figure out who will approach you when they need it and who needs you to check in with them
• Boundaries – have rules for yourself (e.g. I’ll go to lunch but I won’t go to dinner or go drinking with my students)
• Opportunities for collaboration – be willing to refer to other colleagues and professionals where appropriate
• “Right Time Mentors” (as described by Tom Grisso) – people who are not necessarily full mentors but mentor on particular projects and/or issues; be open to the possibility of both being and seeking out “right time mentors,” as this type of mentoring relationship is useful throughout one’s entire career trajectory

 
Properties of being a good mentee (Dr. Edie Greene)

• Be clear and direct with your mentor, particularly about any ancillary interests you may have. If you are interested in research outside the lab, or any work that might take you outside of the lab, be up front about this so that you can work through it with your mentor.
• Be patient with your mentor – recognize they are people with their own projects and problems. Help them to help you (e.g. remind them what your current project is, where it stands, what your meeting is supposed to be about, etc.).
• Be organized – agree on what work you will undertake next and when you will get it done; if possible, plan your next time to meet before the end of your current meeting
• Be bold – sometimes you can do everything right and your mentor still drops the ball. Tell your mentor (respectfully) what you need and how you’re not getting it.

 
Adapting to mentorship in a new environment (Dr. Kento Yasuhara)

• Find a good mentor within the new environment.
• Be open about what you know and what you don’t know with your mentors as well as your students
• Ask questions
• Know about a lot of fields – undergrads can go in a lot of directions other than graduate school, and it’s important you know enough to point them in the right direction given their interests
• Know when to push the issue if they don’t know what they are doing. It might cause some increased anxiety initially, but it will prevent more anxiety in the long term.
• If your students still don’t know what they want to do, have them look for 10 jobs they would want and then work backwards from there
• Be flexible about being wrong
• Figure out what works for you

 
 
More resources on mentorship in graduate school:
http://www.apls-students.org/mentorship.html - APLS Student Committee resource with FAQs answered by our mentors and a list of professional mentors who are available to answer questions
http://www.apa.org/education/grad/intro-mentoring.pdf - a free guide published by APA describing mentoring styles and tips for a fruitful relationship
http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4313082.aspx - a book related to pursuing mentoring in graduate school