Read about what graduates from the Department of Psychology are doing now..... also if you are alumni of the department, we would love to hear from you. Send us your profile info !
Interested in people and human resources?
Colleen O’Brien-Wood
1996 MA: Psychology
2001 PhD: Psychology
When Colleen O'Brien-Wood was at York completing her PhD in the social personality area of psychology, she initially thought she would go on to an academic career. Her strengths and skills, however, lent themselves more readily to the applied business sector. As it turns out, it was an especially appropriate career choice since she now helps companies identify people whose personalities, attributes and others skills are best suited to particular jobs and careers.
"Everyone's success in their job depends, to a great extent, on how well their skills, interests, and personality are suited to their work," Colleen explains. "Identifying the right person for a job is a challenge for many organizations, and the cost of not making the right choice is significant in terms of recruiting and training expenses and lower productivity and performance."
Colleen is Vice-President International Development & Consulting at Self Management Group (SMG), which helps organizations improve retention and performance through selecting and developing top people from within and outside the company. SMG develops a variety of tools for their clients' use, including online recruiting portals involving psychometric assessments to screen job applicants, in-depth job and personality profiles for clients to use when interviewing candidates, and approaches for companies to provide ongoing coaching and career development for their employees.
"The competition for top talented people in the job market is fierce, and will remain so for several years to come," says Colleen. "As a result, organizations will have an ongoing need for assistance in attracting, retaining and motivating their most talented people, which creates a wide range of career opportunities in the human resource field for people with backgrounds in psychology."
Are you able to understand people and markets?
Yohan Mahimwala
2006 BA Psychology
2006 Certificate Human Resources Management
(Atkinson)
In human resources and in marketing, success depends in large part on being able to understand people and the way in which they behave. That has been the experience of Yohan Mahimwala, who has worked in both fields since graduating in 2006.
Yohan joined UPS Canada in May 2006 in its human resource department, which is responsible for the 2,000 employees at company's Toronto hub. A year later, he moved into marketing, helped implement a country-wide public relations program, and is now a marketing supervisor with responsibilities for helping build the company's presence in the small business segment of the market.
"Psychology helps you understand the way people interact and that's obviously important when your job is to hire, retain and help motivate people in an organization," Yohan says. "But it's also important in marketing, which is all about delivering messages to the marketplace and shaping an image. To do that, it helps to have an understanding of how people respond and react to messages-what attracts them and what does not."
Yohan credits his professors and on-campus employers for helping connect him with potential employers prior to graduation. It was part of a broader networking approach, which he says is vital to finding a good job. "The hidden job market is where a lot of the choicest jobs are, and tapping into it requires networking and informational interviews with employers before graduation, as well as attending job fairs and career expos."
A Career in Human Resources
Mark Smith
1979 MBA: Schulich (Major: Administration)
1985 PhD: Psychology
Organizations change constantly through mergers or acquisitions, entering new markets, changing lines of business, new competitive threats, redesigning processes and operations, and more. How successfully they manage those changes usually depends in large part on how well their leaders and people adapt to them and change with the organization.
As the global leader of KPMG’s People and Change services practice, Mark Smith has helped over 300 private and public sector organizations of all sizes successfully plan and mange wide-scale changes. “Change is stressful and, if not managed properly, can be very disruptive,” he says, “Changes to structure and process typically result in changes in culture, leadership dynamics, and the way people interact-and it is those people-related changes that often have the greatest impact on the organization.”
As a consultant, Mark brings to his clients an educational background as both an MBA in finance and a PhD. in psychology-both obtained at York-and real world experience gained over 20 years in strategy development, organization design and change management to help them and their people adapt to, manage, and grow with the changes affecting them in order to improve their performance.
“Organizations are dynamic-they are always evolving and changing—and in a competitive environment they are always looking for ways to enable their people to be more creative and work better together to be more successful,” Mark says.
A Career in Research
Lisa Goos
1999 MA : Psychology
2004 PhD. Psychology
Whether it is an individual research program or a world-renowned research institute, success depends on planning and focus, explains Dr. Lisa Goos, who obtained her Master’s and PhD. in psychology at York. Since graduation, she’s had experience with both.
“After graduation, I spent three years at the Hospital for Sick Children conducting my own research into novel genetic regulatory mechanisms in the inheritance of attention deficit disorder,” Lisa explains. “Now, I’m at Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System where my role is helping our two research institutes plan and focus their research to achieve exceptional results.”
Baycrest is internationally renowned for its care of aging adults and its excellence in aging brain research, clinical interventions and treatments, and promising cognitive rehabilitation strategies. Members of the Rotman Research Institute study changes in brain function that stem from normal aging, stroke and disease, while members of the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit work with clinicians to develop new prevention, treatment and management strategies for these disorders.
As Director of Research Policy and Planning, Lisa’s responsibility is to facilitate excellence in research by working to implement strategic research goals and ensuring the resources, processes and other factors are in place to generate timely, cutting-edge results -- reinforcing Baycrest’s reputation as a world-class research centre.
While she never imagined a career such as this when she started, she’s very happy about the path her career has taken. “You never know where things are going to lead. Just keep working hard, doing what you enjoy doing, and stay open to different possibilities; you may be surprised where you end up!” she says.
Work in Private Practice
Nicky Cohen
1996 BA: Psychology & Health Study
2000 MA: Kinesiology and Health Science
2006 PhD: Clinical Psychology
Five years ago, the twin challenges of raising her young daughter at the same time as she was completing her Ph.D. helped Dr. Nicky Cohen determine where she would focus her future clinical and counselling psychology practice.
“Parents commonly face sleep problems with their children such as setting limits at bedtime and during the night, and developing appropriate sleep schedules,” Dr. Cohen explains. “I faced these problems with my own daughter, and was surprised that there was no one in the city who provided assistance in this area. I eventually found a psychologist in Philadelphia, who helped me. Through her, and my own research, I began to study this area and now counselling parents regarding children’s sleep is the focus of my practice.”
Dr. Cohen recommends that people interested in pursuing graduate studies in clinical psychology work with faculty with similar interests as well as seek out employment and volunteer opportunities in their areas of interest.
“The York Clinical Psychology Graduate Program provided an excellent foundation of assessment, treatment, and ethical issues, as well as several years of practical experience in a variety of hospital settings. However, working with other psychologists in private practice upon graduation, was important to learn about the practical aspects associated with operating a private practice,” Dr. Cohen says.
“As a practitioner in private practice, it is ideal if you are able to match your own clinical interests with a specialty area that is not yet being well served in your community” Dr. Cohen adds.
A Career in Medicine
Elise Levinoff
2000 BSc: (double major) biology/psychology
Since graduating from York in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree (double major in psychology and biology), Elise Levinoff has gone on to post-graduate study, become involved in research into aging and Alzheimer’s disease, attended medical school and is now a resident at McGill University.
“I didn’t follow the traditional path of going from undergraduate studies straight into medical school,” Elise admits. “I took the opportunity to do other things in order to develop other aspects of myself that have given me a wider perspective that I might not otherwise have had.”
Those experiences include obtaining a Master’s degree focusing in neurosciences and becoming involved in several research projects, both in Canada and in Europe. After her master’s supervisor encouraged her to apply to medical school, she did so in 2003. Along the way, however, her medical focus shifted from neurosciences to internal medicine.
“If I was an undergrad again, I can’t say I’d do things any differently than I did,” Elise says. “I believe it’s important to try different things, pursue different interests and study in different areas. Gaining some formal research experience, for example, is something that I feel is important for every medical student. Keep your horizons open. There’s plenty of opportunity to specialize in the future.”
