This course is aimed at students who are looking to apply their leadership skills and knowledge about the major to peers who may need guidance in the areas of effective study techniques; time management; exam preparation and reflection; getting involved in the major; applying to graduate school; careers that one can possess with a psychology/behavioral neuroscience degree; and self-care. If you are an upper-level psychology or behavioral neuroscience major who has completed the prerequisites necessary for this two-semester practicum course, it will be beneficial for you because it will allow you to practice leadership and networking with other students and faculty within the department.

•  Identify best practices of mentorship and knowledge necessary to effectively peer-mentor
• Receive training in mentorship that can enhance future careers and experiences
• Apply leadership skills and knowledge about the major to guide student peers
• Assist with increasing the academic success and well-being of students
• Expand your leadership and communication skills
• Obtain practice creating programming materials and planning social events
• Network with faculty and other like-minded students in the department
• Obtain course credit for peer-mentoring and planning community-building events

PSY 493, Fall

• Must be a psychology or behavioral science major
• Must have taken PSY 101 and completed 9 additional PSY credits.
• Must be a Junior or Senior
• Must obtain Instructor Permission by first filling out a short application followed by a short interview with the program instructor.

PSY 494, Winter

• Must have successfully completed PSY 493 the prior semester

PSY 493 is typically offered each fall semester and PSY 494 is typically offered each winter semester.

The course is limited to 15 students. Thus, a maximum of 15 students may be enrolled in PSY 493 during the fall semester, and a maximum of 15 students may be enrolled in PSY 494 during the winter semester.

Once you are enrolled in the two-semester practicum as a Psych Friends Peer Mentor, you are not required to locate the peer’s you mentor. Rather, your peers sign up to participate in a peer-mentoring session through GVSU’s Navigate System based on their own availability. If their availability matches the availability that you have in the Navigate system, you will receive a notification of the appointment. However, you may assist with recruiting peers to attend mentoring sessions by helping advertise Psych Friends Peer-Mentoring on social media platforms, planning social events, etc.

To obtain credit for either the PSY 493 or PSY 494 course, the hours you are expected to mentor depends on the number of credit hours you sign up for. For both semesters of the practicum, students can choose to enroll for 1 to 3 credits. If you choose to enroll for 1 credit hour, you will be expected to engage in approximately 3 hours of Psych Friends mentorship per week of the 14-week semester. If you choose to enroll for 2 credit hours, you will be expected to engage in approximately6 hours of Psych Friends mentorship per week of the 14-week semester. If you choose to enroll in 3 credit hours, you will be expected to engage in approximately 9 hours of Psych Friends mentorship per week of the 14-week semester. Psych Friends mentorship entails anytime spent completing training, mentoring peers, creating program materials, assisting with advising sessions, and hosting social events.

Students who enroll in this two-semester practicum experience do not receive monetary compensation for their peer-mentoring services. However, participation in this two-semester practicum does allow students to receive between 1-3 course credit hours towards graduation during each semester they are enrolled.

No, you cannot be enrolled for PSY 493 and PSY 494 during the same semester, as PSY 493 is only offered in the fall semester and PSY 494 is only offered during the winter semester. Not only that, but PSY 493 is a prerequisite that must be completed before you can enroll for PSY 494.

Students can earn a maximum of 6 credits towards graduation by completing PSY 493 & 494, therefore, students should not take these courses more than once.

Students are asked to enroll for both PSY 493 and PSY 494. However, if a student in PSY 493 does not desire to continue their participation the next semester in PSY 494, they are not required to do so.

Aside from completing the prerequisites for the courses and obtaining instructor permission, there are no additional requirements that you must complete prior to enrolling in the courses.

The time of the classes varies each semester, so please check Banner to see the time and meeting dates for the course. Generally, PSY 493 will meet for one hour once a week, and PSY 494 will meet for one hour once a week.

A general syllabus for PSY 493 can be found here, and a general syllabus for PSY 494 can be found here. Both syllabi outline the types of assignments and workload to expect for each course of the two-semester practicum experience. To elaborate, students receive credit based on the quality and level of detail of the post-session notes that they complete after a peer-mentoring session is held, their engagement in discussions centered around mentorship and recent sessions during weekly seminar meetings, and journal reflections.

Both PSY 493 and PSY 494 are graded using a credit/no credit system, regardless of the number of credits (1-3) you are enrolled in. If you complete the course requirements and obtain the necessary points for the course (see PSY 493 syllabus; see PSY 494 syllabus), you will receive credit for the course.