The LBCC Psychology Club held their weekly meeting where two psychology professors spoke about the career options and paths in psychology on Tuesday in room M222.
Psychology professor Art Garcia came to the club meeting to speak and give a presentation about his experience in school psychology and what career paths are possible for psychology majors.
A major point Garcia brought up is the need for diversity in the field of psychology.
“People from different backgrounds have lived different experiences, and so as a therapist, I think it’s important that we be able to understand those different experiences. It helps us serve more people from those backgrounds. I would say there is a great need for both Latin American and Black therapists and the more representation we have of those groups, I think the better served our communities will be,” Garcia said.
Psychology is a white majority field, clocking in at 92% white.
Bilingual psychology majors are highly sought after due to their ability to effectively communicate with patients.
This helps lower the chances of misdiagnosing patients who speak foreign languages such as Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog.
Virginia Beas, another guest speaker and fellow LBCC psychology professor, notes how important understanding psychology can be for the average person.
“Psychology is literally in our daily lives all the time. Whether it’s our interactions with people, how we behave around people, it’s explaining our behaviors,” Beas said.
An average club meeting mainly involves guest speakers coming in and speaking about different aspects of psychology, the benefits, and drawbacks of pursuing a career in the field.
The club has also hosted game nights to bring a sense of community to the campus.
Club president Jaden Jones hopes new participants are able to take away something valuable from club meetings.
“I want people to understand the intricacies of it, the benefits and the negatives, and I want people to realize that psychology is perfect for them, and it helps them not only in their educational and professional life, but in their daily life as well,” Jones said.
Psychology Club meetings are held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. in room M222 and all are welcome to attend, ask questions, and learn about the field and career paths of psychology.
