Authors from left to right: Meagan Docherty, PhD, Alexis Chavez, MS, and Tianying Sun, PhD
Division 5’s early career committee and graduate student committee are pleased to announce that the Division 5 Mentoring Program is continuing at the 2025 APA Convention
Overview of the Mentoring Program
As part of advancing practice and understanding of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in psychology, Division 5 has hosted a mentoring program for the past three years. This program connects graduate students and early career scholars with more established academics and professionals who serve as mentors and provide guidance on specific methods and projects. Through this mentoring program, mentees can benefit from this guidance and collaboration, furthering their professional growth, while mentors gain experience working with early career scholars at different institutions and contribute to Division 5’s mission. The goal is for these mentoring relationships to be meaningful, beneficial, and enduring. To that end, mentors and mentees are carefully paired together based on interests, goals, and experiences, and then provided with guidance to ensure the success of the mentor-mentee partnership.
What to Expect in the Mentoring Program
Mentors and mentees have been matched and they are set to communicate with each other and discuss the goals of their mentoring relationship. To facilitate this process, we will hold a workshop on Zoom in late July the APA convention for all mentors and mentees to attend. During the workshop, we will provide resources to support both mentors and mentees, discuss the goals and expectations of the mentoring program, and allow mentor-mentee pairs to get to know one another. By meeting as a large group, we hope that mentors and mentees will benefit not only from their partnership but also from connections with us and the other mentoring program participants. Then, during the APA convention in Denver, we will hold an in-person session for mentors and mentees to meet up and discuss their projects. For those not attending the conference, there will be a virtual option. This meeting will allow participants to connect meaningfully with each other and build a support network of other division members. In addition, mentors and mentees are invited to join the Division 5 social at the conference (more details to come).
To recognize the program’s participants who engage well with their mentor or mentee, they will receive an electronic certificate of participation signed by division leadership. We hope that this meaningful token of involvement will serve as a motivator for sustained participation and underscore the value we place on their contributions to the Division 5 community!
While we hope that mentors and mentees will continue to work together long after their involvement in the Division 5 mentoring program, the expectation is that they will work together for at least one year, meeting (virtually or in person) at least once a month. This duration and frequency will increase the likelihood of a successful and enduring partnership, while not placing an undue burden on either participant.
Previous Success and Participant Feedback
For the past three years, the mentoring program has successfully paired early career mentees with established mentors. Participants have provided positive feedback about their experiences in the mentoring program, particularly regarding professional development, enhanced understanding of advanced methodologies, and building and strengthening their professional networks. Mentors have valued the ability to contribute their knowledge and expertise to benefit emerging scholars, while mentees have valued the ability to gain personalized advice and guidance from experts in the field. We hope to have another successful mentoring program this year and will work closely with mentors and mentees to ensure they are supported at every step in the process.
Conclusion
The Division 5 Mentoring Program is designed to enhance the professional development of both emerging scholars and established professionals, and thus to contribute to the mission and strength of our division. Whether you are an emerging scholar seeking advice and support, or an established scholar who would like to provide guidance and expertise, our goal is that you will benefit from participating in this program.