Career Pathways of LJMU Psychology Graduates

1. Career Pathways of LJMU Psychology Graduates

2. An Introduction To Our Alumni – Onwards, Upwards and Outwards! In this presentation you will see the profiles of Psychology graduates from LJMU who have gone on to map out a career pathway based on their degree success. They share their varied career pathways and trace the links with their previous undergraduate experience in Psychology at LJMU. The alumni outline and summarise their personal and career-related development that presents both a challenge and an inspiration to prospective students.

3. Gemma Tumelty Graduated 2005 with a 2.1 in Applied psychology. Currently... Finished as N.U.S President in 2008, now working as a Public Affairs Officer for Think Tank. Future Aim... Stay within the charity sector, ideally in International Development possibly become Chief Executive of a small charity. “You cannot underestimate how much you learn while doing the degree, there are so many small things. If you think about when you first walk through the university doors to the person you are when you leave three years later, that’s not just down to putting pen to paper and listening to lectures and doing reading. That’s down to all the experiences, the friends you meet, the lifestyle, the support you get. It’s a whole package that completely changes your life.” “I am so grateful to LJMU, to the Student Union and also my psychology degree for giving me every single opportunity that I’ve had and that I’ve got today. And if I hadn’t have gone to university then I wouldn’t have had all of these amazing experiences and these amazing opportunities. I would encourage anyone to go to university and the school of psychology is pretty awesome!”.

4. Ralph Pawling Graduated 2006 with a 2.1 in Applied psychology. Completed summer studentship as Research Assistant for LJMU Currently... Editorial Assistant for the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology after recently completing Masters in Foundations of Clinical Psychology. Future Aim... To complete PhD and continue working within academia. “For my role I need to have a good understanding of research methods. The journal involves knowing where you are going to send papers onto, which editor is going to be suitable, therefore a good grounding in research is needed which I feel I have gained from LJMU.” “Completing the degree gave me more confidence in my academic abilities. It opened my eyes to the potential I have, as we were given guidance from tutors about the areas you could go into with your psychology degree. It gave me a sense of freedom that I could go onto anything I liked”.

5. Sarah Langley Graduated 2005 with a First Class in Applied psychology. Currently... Teaching philosophy, religious studies and psychology at a secondary school. Future Aim... To apply for and complete a PhD and become an Educational Psychologist. “A degree in psychology opens up so many doors for you, as it’s not as restricted as say a specific science degree. It’s quite an open pathway to go down for many different careers.” “I think one of my core skills is that I can see past behaviour and identify problems and help that child through it. For example I had a child in my class that I identified as dyslexic. They had gone undiagnosed for two years, but as soon as they came into my class I could see that there was something wrong.” “I loved LJMU, I would recommend it to anyone! You meet some amazing people, the staff are really supportive, the content of the course has been invaluable in my current role.”

6. Anita Morris Graduated 2004 with a First Class in Applied psychology. Completed MSc in Occupational Psychology at LJMU. Currently... Owns business which specialises in executive coaching and leadership development. Future Aim... To continue developing own business and possibly complete a PhD in the future. “The degree was a very important part of achieving what I have achieved so far and will continue to achieve in the future. It has made me very accepting of the differences and diversity of people.” Link to MSc Occupational Psychology Course at LJMU: http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/NSP/100350.htm “One of the modules at the time of studying the undergraduate degree I struggled with, I ended up being shocked with how much of it is relevant to my work.” “There is so much you cover in psychology, you think I’ll just pass my exam and it will never be relevant again, and when you get out there, in the real world there’s so much theory that you learn that brushes what you do on a daily basis.” “Completing the degree at LJMU was an adventure. An adventure that changed my life”

7. Kevin Rogers Graduated with a 2.1 in Applied psychology. Currently... Senior Chartered Forensic Psychologist in a Prison. Future Aim... He has achieved his ultimate aim of becoming chartered and working as a Senior Forensic Psychologist. “Skills developed from degree that I use in current role are things such as patience, confidence, the ability to listen carefully and probably the most important skill, a sense of humour. Looking back now, all of those skills were refined whilst doing my degree and have been fine tuned throughout my career.” “Completing the degree has given me more self confidence in my own abilities and as a result has allowed me to follow a career path to the job I am currently in.”

8. Jennifer Meehan Graduated 2006 with a 2.1 in Psychology and Biology. Currently... Pharmacy Admissions Officer at LJMU. Just completed Masters in Marketing, receiving a distinction. Future Aim... To complete PhD and become actively involved in research and teaching. “Didn’t really know what career was interested in when I started the degree. As we did many research modules I became very interested in how to conduct research, how you can gain information from different methods.” “The degree opened your eyes to other areas that you can go onto. If you are not sure what you want to do, you are certainly given ideas as you go along.” “Research skills I have gained from the undergraduate degree have been invaluable.” “I have to be very organised and good at time management; these are some things I have carried through from the degree to my current role. Communication skills and working with other students on the degree have helped with my role when working within a team.”

9. Fiona Hill Graduated 2007 with a First Class in Applied psychology. Currently... Working for Work Solutions in helping the most prolific offenders in Wigan & Leigh enter employment, training and education. Future Aim... Currently happy in role, but would like to pursue a career in forensic psychology, possibly as a researcher or lecturer. “I learned a lot about offending behaviour while studying the Forensic Module of Applied Psychology in my final year, and I feel this helps me understand why my clients do the things they do.” “I enjoyed doing my dissertation in a real-world setting (prison) as it was something I was really interested in. I liked taking responsibility for my own small piece of research, and was interest in what the findings would bring.” “Whilst on the degree I volunteered for Wigan Street Based Services, a service designed to help those with substance misuse issues. Many of the clients were also offenders so I knew that this would be a good way to enter the field when I graduated.”

10. James Sloan Graduated 2008 with a 2.1 in Applied psychology. Currently... Just completing Masters in Health Psychology at LJMU and working part-time as a support worker in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit. Future Aim... Become a clinical Psychologist and work within the NHS in area of mental health. “I was quite open minded regarding career options when starting the degree. I did Health and Cognitive psychology in my third year which I found more interesting and challenging and thought I would like to go down the health route working on the clinical side of the NHS.” Link for MSc Health Psychology in LJMU (www.ljmu.ac.uk/NSP/100349.htm) “I found my job from a second year module on applied experience where we had to write a report on psychological work experience. “In my job there are many psychological processes that you need to understand .There is a great amount of training, brain injury training, therefore the modules covered on the degree really helped. We use positive reinforcement and work on classical conditioning which is used on the rehab programme all which were taught in the degree.”

11. Michelle McManus Graduated 2008 with First Class in Forensic Psychology & Criminal Justice. Currently... Completing PhD in Investigative & Forensic Psychology. Working as a sessional Lecturer at LJMU. Future Aim... Complete PhD. Obtain lectureship. Continue consultancy work with the police and other agencies. “I chose Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice as at the time I was unsure which discipline I was most interested in: the law and criminal justice side, or the psychological. I thought this course would enable me to fully explore both paths in making my career decisions.” “As my first degree program was so diverse, I feel I was at a more advantaged position than others on the MSc as I was aware of not only the psychological principles behind behaviours but I also had an awareness of legislation, policy, criminological and sociological perspectives.” “LJMU is not just about the course content, it’s more about the learning environment. It is only because of certain staff’s recommendations, references, opportunities for further employment/experience that I have achieved what I have done so far.”

12. Katie Ashmore Graduated 2008 with a 2.1 in Forensic Psychology & Criminal Justice. Masters in Drug Use and Addiction at LJMU Currently... Final stage of MSC at LJMU. Summer studentship as Research Assistant for LJMU Future Aim... To Complete Masters then gain some relevant work experience. Interested in becoming a drugs worker working with people with substance abuse problems. “I really enjoyed the third year modules as you got more choice which helped you confirm which area you were interested in as a career. I was particularly interested in Prisons, Policing and Drugs. My experience then encouraged me to continue at LJMU and apply for the Masters in Drug Use and Addiction which I am currently doing.” “The undergraduate degree has been extremely helpful in my Masters. We have statistical tests, which without research methods at undergraduate level I would be lost. Also the skills I gained in academic writing and journal searching have proved to be invaluable”. “The degree programme is really varied, the modules are so interesting and although they seem to be very different as you go through to the final year it all comes together.”

13. Louise Kennedy Graduated 2003 with a 2.1 in Psychology with Criminal Justice. After graduating from LJMU, I worked for the Prison Service for five years as a Substance Treatment Programme Facilitator. Currently... A Forensic Psychologist in training within a Secure Psychiatric Hospital. Future Aim... I aim to become a Chartered and Registered Psychologist, hopefully within the next year or so. My enthusiasm for learning and development will not stop there – I can see myself completing a PhD in the future. “Throughout my time at university I grasped every opportunity to learn and expand my experience where possible. Choosing the Forensic module in my final year, in addition to the voluntary experience I obtained whilst in university really helped me to progress within this area”. “My Psychology degree enabled me to develop many skills important for any future career. I learned how to conduct research, developed my critical analysis skills, and most importantly I feel my degree helped to develop my communication skills, which are essential when working with this field. Interestingly, I also feel that my psychology degree helped to develop my self-awareness; learning how I think, relate and act, has really enhanced my reflective skills which are a fundamental aspect of the training to become a Chartered Psychologist”

14. Aisling Bunting Graduated 2010 with a first in Applied Psychology. My Current Role: For my role as a Research Assistant you need to have a good understanding of research methods. However, much more importantly than that you need practical experience which my degree in LJMU gave me. They encourage you not just to learn about the theories behind psychology but to actually experience them. Studying Psychology: “After studying law for a year and deciding it was not for me, psychology was a welcome change. The skills and experiences you gain from studying psychology are unlike any other degree programme. If you are just starting out you should feel very excited about all that could be in store for you. Every day is something different! With a psychology degree and the career paths it opens, you will gain skills that will benefit every other aspect of your life; understanding, patience and an amazing (yet sometimes strange) sense of humour”. Since graduating: “Over the last year I have had a wide range of experiences, including working as a Support Worker for children with learning and physical disabilities, an Advocate for people who have been sectioned under the mental health act, and volunteering as an Assistant Psychologist. Currently I am a Research Assistant working for the Anna Freud Centre, London, studying the long term effects of different depression treatments on children and adolescents. I feel very proud of the various experiences I have had, and the many diverse clients I have met in such a short period of time”. Next Step: “I’m hoping to become a clinical psychologist in the near future specialising in children and adolescent mental health”.

15. Putting your degree to work These alumni chose a variety of career pathways according to their personal preference – Health, Business, Forensic Psychology, Academic, Marketing, Education, Clinical and Public Affairs. Each is at a different phase of their career- but all have made their degree work in their favour and learned to capitalise on their acquired skills. The commonality between all is that they felt well equipped to face the World of Work after graduation, and graduated with the solid basis to build a professional career.