Peter Marshall, Psychology Department Chair

Dear Temple Psychology Alumni,

First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. As we head further into these unprecedented times, we wanted to send an update on how the Temple Psychology community is rising to the challenge of continuing our collective learning activities. Back in March, on-campus operations stopped abruptly, and we transitioned to online instruction. This was obviously a major adjustment for everyone, but we found new ways to engage and learn. Our research groups adjusted to continuing their discoveries remotely, and several faculty became engaged in research directly related to COVID-19 and its effects. Our clinics moved to serving the community via telehealth, and departmental staff members transitioned to working remotely. Although there were various challenges, everyone played a role in managing these unprecedented transitions. 

In this communication, we wanted to highlight some of the ways in which our faculty and students have been able to adjust to the challenges of the pandemic. We feature the move to telehealth of the Psychological Services Center, the training clinic for our doctoral students that serves Temple and the surrounding community. We also highlight how the involvement of Psychology undergraduates in research has been able to continue remotely. On that note, we feature the ongoing work of the Crossroads Study as an example of how many of our studies that involve undergraduate researchers have been able to transition to a new mode of operation. 

Below you will also find details of a career speaker series in which alumni of our program discussed how their studies in Psychology shaped their individual paths beyond Temple. That in-person series successfully concluded just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Although the months since then have been challenging in various ways, this time has also shown the potential for bringing together people remotely, which opens new possibilities for alumni to engage with students.  As our students head further into this very different year, we are asking if you are willing to share your experience and expertise to help current Psychology majors as they journey into uncertain times. Below you will find a link to a survey that allows you to register interest in being part of a Zoom panel or being featured in our departmental newsletter or in other communications to students. We know from experience that our students love to hear from alumni who can share the lessons that they learned as they transitioned into their careers. We are eager to build these relationships and we very much look forward to hearing from you. 

With best wishes,

Peter