New Year, New Issue - Issue 17

Take Me Home

January

Issue 17

New Year New Issue Cross word inside!

New Professional Look!!

Happy New Year from Your Psychology Student Magazine

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Sulci Regulars

Contributors Corner - Editors Letter ........................................................ P. 2 Contrbutors Corner - Meet Your Writers! ................................................ P.3 Featured Articles

Diety Culture: The Pressure of “New Year, New Me” ........................... P. 5 The Psychology of New Year Resolutions .............................................. P. 7 Ways to Improve Your Mental Well-being This Year ........................... p. 9 Events

Psychology Christmas Party 2023 ......................................................... P. 12 Student Writers

An Aspiring Psychologist with ASD: Will I Be The Right Fit? ................... P. 14 Goal Setting: Tips & Tricks for Self-Improvement .................................... P. 16 I Don’t Care That They’re Trans: ... Stop Derogatory Headlines ............. P. 18 Life After Graduation .................................................................................... P. 20 Guest Writers

Your Students’ Union .......................................................................... P. 22 Entertainment

Psychology Word Search .................................................................. P. 23 Psychology Cross Word .................................................................... P. 24 Resources

Support and Resources ................................................................... P. 25 Looking For Writers ......................................................................... P. 26 Psychology Plus Booklet .................................................................. P. 27

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Sulcus (noun); Sulci (plural) a groove or furrow, especially one on the surface of the brain

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Welcome to Sulci

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Editor’s Letter

Sulci, your student-led psychology magazine, is wishing you a very Happy New Year! We hope that you have enjoyed your festive break, and are ready to get back into the flow of assignments and lectures. We hope this New Year brings you great luck, happiness, and kindness in your life. So many people use this time to reflect and make beneficial changes to their lives, which is very exciting! Just remember, as it is a New Year, if you are happy and healthy, try not to feel too pressured and pushed to change if you don’t want to — you are perfect!

This term, Sulci have put together something very special in celebration of the New Year. Stories related to the New Year have been specifically selected just for you to highlight, New Year resolutions, New Year pressures, tips to make positive changes to well-being, and how to create effective goals. We hope that we can inspire you with our words and that you are able to take away knowledge and ideas to apply to your day-to-day life.

Be sure to turn to the next page to meet your talented and knowledgeable fellow students, this spectacular issue would not be possible without them.

If you have an interest in writing, editing, or illustrating for Sulci (as a part of your psychology plus scheme), get in contact, you are always welcome within our pages: 30017002@students.southwales.ac.uk

May you find inspiration, knowledge, and positivity amongst these pages.

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The Sulci Team

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Hello! I’m Jordan, the Editor in Chief for your studentled magazine! I am currently studying an MSc in clinical psychology, my favourite module at the moment is “History, Concepts and Controversies in Mental Health.

In my spare time, I enjoy writing, spending time with friends, and gaming when I can! This year, I am also your elected Student Voice Representative - I am very excited to continue representing everyone!

Jordan Lewis-Iles | Editor in Chief | Studying MSc Clinical Psychology

I'm Faith, 22, and have just graduated BSc Hons Psychology. I am studying an MSc in Clinical Psychology part-time, alongside working as a mental health support worker for young people. I enjoy going to the gym throughout the week and listening to my favourite music! I also have a huge passion for film and love going to Comicon, Megacon and film festivals.

Faith McLachlan | Mental Health Support Worker | Studying MSc Clinical Psychology

"Hi, I'm Georgia! I'm 28, and returning to Uni a little later than I'd originally planned due to taking a bit longer to figure out what I wanted to do. Two of my greatest loves in life were always psychology and writing, so to be able to combine the two here is something that I adore!

I also enjoy travelling, I am consistently curious, my hobbies change monthly, I'm a creative at heart, and I love anything new and exciting.

My specific goals for my degree are too lengthy to fit in here, but they're based around enriching the lives of the neurodiverse, and to help schools and workplaces to do the same."

Georgia Flatman | Student Writer | Studying BSc Psychlogy

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Hey! I’m Meg and I’m 23 years old, I study MSc Clinical Psychology. I’ve always been passionate about psychology and my goal is to become a clinical psychologist. When I’m not in university I’m either with my friends or watching Netflix but 90% of the time you’ll find me at a coffee shop :)

Meg Simms | Student Writer | Studying MSc Clinical Psychology I’m Hollie-May White, I am studying an MSc in clinical psychology. I am passionate about studying psychology due to my own experience of struggling with mental health. My favourite thing to do in my free time is either seeing friends or binge watching TV shows but at this moment in time the only thing to do in my free time is plan for my wedding!!

Hollie-May White | Course Rep | Studying MSc Clinical Psychology I’m Sam, a 2nd year part-time MSc clinical psychology student. I’m a proud Welsh-speaker and I’ve lived in Cardiff for almost a decade. I have a great interest in academic research and all things psychology related. In particularly, I’m interested in neuropsychology, art therapy, addictions and complex trauma. I have a strong volunteer history and would like to work in the third sector in future.

This year I am a student rep for my course and the SU’s LGBT+ Trans Officer. Outside of university, I’m a big ice hockey fan (Go Devils!), I like to read a lot and make art.

I am a regular volunteer with Trans Aid Cymru, I’ve been part of the team for a year and a half and have loved being able to collaborate with other charities and organisations. Because of this work I’ve been able to branch out and deliver EDI training to different NHS departments in Aneurin Bevan and other organisations in Wales.

Samual Webb | Course Rep | Studying MSc Clinical Psychology 4

FEATURED ARTICLE

DIET CULTURE: THE PRESSURE OF "NEW YEAR, NEW ME".

HOLLIE-MAY WHITE FEATURED WRITER

Entering a new year is always a reflection on how the year has been, whether that is reflecting on the positives or even the negatives of the year. Personally, I have spent many years putting pressure on myself to achieve many things throughout the year which would always end up being detrimental to my mental health. During this year I have realised that sometimes this is not achievable as life comes with all types of difficulties and I used to find myself getting upset if I couldn’t achieve my goals but I have started making small realistic goals, such as instead of constantly doing university work, I will at least once or twice a week do something that I enjoy with friends/family.

Center stone 2023 states that:

“While the new year is a fresh start full of opportunities, there is often immense pressure to achieve a better versions of ourselves.”

CENTER STONE

2023

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In my opinion, I do not like the saying ‘New year, New me’ and I always reply with ‘new year, same me’ as I mentioned previously, I have spent so many years trying to change who I am due to the pressure of this quote and how society talks about it all the time. My biggest issue with ‘New year, new me’ is how everyone would put so much pressure on new year’s resolution especially with the conversations that are aimed at diet-culture. As Christmas is a time for festivity with friends and family which includes food and drink, it always includes conversations of ‘diet starts after Christmas’ as people worry that they have overeaten during the Christmas period.

Approaching Christmas and New year I have seen more ads which promote weight loss especially on social media with the quotes of “Start your diet after Christmas” which I believe is so damaging as people tend to put that pressure on themselves to go to the gym and eat better but this could also cause them to become guilty for what they have consumed over that period.

No one should feel guilty for enjoying the time spent with friends and family while enjoying food. I used to have the mindset of I need to exercise more after the new year but that was because of social media and the pressure that I felt but what I have learnt is that our bodies are meant to change and that is ok.

If you struggle with the talk of diet-culture, it is ok to change the subject and put up boundaries especially as you are not alone as many people do struggle with this conversation. Don’t let dietculture take your joy away and make you dread the new year ahead.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

The Psychology of New Year Resolutions A page exploring the history of New Year’s resolutions, motivational factors, barriers that people face when attempting change, and psychological benefits of goalorientated mindsets.

GEORGIA FLATMAN FEATURED WRITER

The act of creating resolutions for the new year dates back to ancient times, and was originally centred around cultural and religious beliefs. Ancient Babylonians were the first recorded instances of the New Year Resolution equivalent, beginning over 4,000 years ago. They hosted a yearly Festival named Akitu, which would include making promises related to repaying debts and borrowed items to their gods, as a way of symbolising renewal and a fresh start.

However, over time, New Year’s resolutions have evolved into a widespread cultural phenomenon for people to embrace the self-improvement and goal setting that we see today. Psychological factors that may play a part in this mindset:

Another example of this traces back to the times

previous failures and struggles, while aiding optimistic thinking during a new time-period.

of the Romans, who would also make promises to their god, Janus, for whom the month of January is named after. This god was known to have two faces; one that saw the past, and the other that looked into the future, which symbolised transitions and new beginning.

Despite the many variations and examples throughout human history, the way in which people viewed a mark in their calendar as a chance for a new and blank slate shows a clear prominence.

The Fresh Start Effect: This is a behavioural science that promotes the feeling of a fresh, new canvas to paint on, and the enhanced motivation that it causes. The study suggests that it creates a separation from

Temporal Landmarks: These refer to specific points in time that humans believe as symbolically significant, viewing them as new beginnings or ways to shift behaviour.

For example, going to the gym at the beginning of a new week, birthdays, anniversaries, and new year. They act as dividers, enhancing our ability to make decisions and motivated changes that align with a positive future.

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These effects, when combined, encourages a process named ‘mental accounting,’ which involves compartmentalising and evaluating the past, present and future. It aids reflection upon the previous temporal landmark (e.g.,

Goals also provide us with a way of achieving feedback, as we’re able to clearly view the progress along the way. The feedback loop that is naturally instigated here helps us to maintain motivation to

the previous year) to see how we can improve for the next one, and it prolongs future efforts in creating better habits.

stay on track in all our successes.

The positive changes within our psyche from this goal-orientated mindset has also been known to provide valuable training for the unruly mind, as studied by multiple psychologists and theorists:

Increased resilience is also something that is improved through the act of setting goals, as suggested by Masten and Obradovic (2006). Their research indicates that clear goals promote adaptability and resilience against challenges and obstacles, and it creates a mentality that is less affected by pressures that don’t relate to a

Locke and Latham (2002) studied the importance of the way in which more challenging goals lead to a higher performance than easier ones. They

person’s clear focus and purpose.

highlighted the difference between the mindset of “do your best,” and more specific ones designed to challenge a certain area of life, such as beating a best time in sports. This

when attempting to challenge themselves in this way, the significance of goal setting on New Year’s Eve has become a proven impactful tool on the road to success and

suggests that specific and challenging goal setting promotes a greater work ethic, and a more confident approach.

change. The tapestry of self-improvement is a large part of human life, and this specific temporal landmark seems to

Although there are a number of drawbacks and limitations that people may encounter

provide an opportunity like no other.

Matthews, Seligman and Zeiss’ research on motivation and persistence (1991) pinpoints the significance of human commitment in surpassing obstacles to attain success through setting challenging and difficult goals, and the enduring power that is found within this trait. This is something that can train the mind to view hurdles as opportunities that challenge us, rather than restrictive issues.

Whatever the goals look like, and whatever your limitations may be; be kind to yourself, and absolutely smash it.

Happy New Year!

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Featured Article

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL WELLBEING THIS YEAR

FAITH MCLACHLAN FEATURED WRITER

Your mental health plays a pivotal role in your quality of life. Many of the factors that can affect mental health remain beyond your control, but adding beneficial habits to your day-to-day living can promote greater wellness. It’s important to note that when it comes to adopting new habits, it’s generally more helpful to start with just one or two at a time, instead of a complete overhaul. Then, check in with yourself to reflect on how those changes helped. Below are a few methods that can be used to improve or maintain healthy mental well-being in 2024.

Planning in breaks As students, we can often get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of assignment work, lectures and exams. However, to be the most productive during your working hours, you will need some downtime away from work. Even the smallest breaks can benefit both your productivity and your energy levels. One method of planned breaks are using ‘Micro-breaks’. These are short pauses from work during the day, such as making a quick cuppa. You can also utilise your planning and organisational skills by creating a study plan that has breaks planned in. This can look like having a full day off work or limiting your days to only having a few hours of work planned.

Planning your breaks makes you more likely to take them and feel more satisfied with the work you have accomplished.

Surprisingly, even watching nature documentaries is good for our mental health. This can also be especially useful to do if you’re stuck on a particular topic or feeling fatigued from something you’ve been working on for a while. New scenery and fresh air will give you an energy boost, lift your mood and help you focus.

Connect with nature The rejuvenating powers of nature cannot be overstated! Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems including anxiety and depression.

You can visit green spaces such as parks, woodland, and forests, and blue spaces like rivers, wetlands, beaches, and canals.

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Create quality time off You can’t spend all your breaks doing chores or being active. Sometimes, you just need to sit down and watch TV. Unfortunately, doing nothing can lead to feelings of guilt, restlessness, or sadness. A way to combat this is to find something that can give you a sense of accomplishment and relaxation. For example, find a hobby that’s relaxing but produces something substantial at the end.

Crafts are engaging enough to appease our brain, while being repetitive enough that you won’t need to focus too hard on it. This can apply to any hobby that you enjoy, maybe you finish the book you were reading, complete a difficult level on your game or crochet a nice pair of gloves, this can all lead to increased feelings of accomplishment and decrease stress.

Exercise Exercise offers a range of mental health benefits such as relieving stress, lifting mood, and improving sleep patterns.

Movement can involve something different for every person, and it doesn’t have to mean going to the gym — unless you genuinely want to. Activities can include, Walking, Zumba, Hiking, Ice skating, Boxfit, Swimming or even just taking the stairs instead of the lift when out and about.

A strict exercise regime can be hard to stick to, so don’t pressure yourself and make it enjoyable on your own terms.

You can also try to have a friend exercise with you to improve your motivation and enjoyment levels. Exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous activity for it to matter, small steps are just as good when it’s consistent.

REACHING OUT The strategies above can help improve your mental well-being, but they can’t “cure” any mental health conditions. Meaning, that making changes in your habits may not always relieve the mental distress or discomfort that you may be experiencing. It's common to feel unsure, and to wonder whether you should try to handle things on your own. But, it's always ok to ask for help – even if you're not sure you are experiencing a specific mental health problem. Everyone’s support network is different, and you will know best who you feel most comfortable to turn to. This could be your family, trusted friends, your GP, or your colleagues. It can be difficult to talk about your feelings but as the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem halved” and you may feel better simply for having talked to someone about how you’re feeling.

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USW MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE The mental health service offers a range of practical support such as counselling, mental health advisors and specialist mentors. These services provide one-to-one support for students with a Mental Health Condition and / or Autism. Supporting with: organisation, time management and prioritisation, mood, avoidance/ procrastination, confidence, self-esteem and emotional resilience, motivation and morale, establishing study/work/life balance, anxiety management, stress management, effective communication, establishing and maintaining social relationships, and signposting to other internal and external services. To access these services, you will need to book a well-being advice appointment. Visithttps://mentalhealth.southwales.ac.uk/

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Psychology Christmas Party 2023 Drinks, dancing, oddly familiar band... sounds like a psychology party!

On the 7th December, the psychology department come together for the 2023 psychology Christmas party.

Looking through previous Sulci publications, the first annual Psychology Christmas party took place on Thursday the 8th of December 2016 at the Students’ Union Eclipse Nightclub in Treforest. This was also the first time Zimbando performed publicly!

Organised and hosted by the USW Psychology Society, students and staff gathered at the Eclipse Nightclub to end a fantastic year of studying, teaching, and meeting amazing people.

The Night featured a special guest appearance from our Psychology Lecturer band Zimbando, as “Chrimbano” for one night only - performed by Martin Graff, Phi Tyson, Dan Bowers, Gareth Roderique Davies, James Greville, and Diana Callaghan.

All money raised during this evening has gone to a chosen charity by the Psychology Society.

“It was awesome to see a different side to the lecturers and meet loads of new people from the psychology department!” - Faith

“I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was nice to be able to have fun in the middle of uni. Also, Crimbando was amazing!” - Hollie

“It was fab to blow off some steam! It was great to get together with my friends outside of the classroom.” - Jordan

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I’m An Aspiring Psychologist with an ASD Diagnosis... Will I Be The Right Fit? I am often ambivalent about sharing this information publicly, especially with potential employers. However, for the purpose of this article, I have decided to be open about sharing my thoughts on the subject. I have studied my diagnosis in lectures since my undergraduate degree. I have received surprised faces from some and seen doubt in others. I am an aspiring clinical psychologist on the autistic spectrum.

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder categorised by social, communication and behavioural problems. DSM-5 notes examples of these symptoms as restrictive repetitive behaviours, special interests and deficits in social reciprocity and communication. Individuals on the spectrum can vary from “high-functioning” (previously labelled Asperger’s Syndrome) to “lowfunctioning” individuals with severe learning disabilities.

It is normal to experience imposter syndrome at some point, especially at the beginning of a career, and clinical psychology training appears no different.

The 3-year doctorate to become a clinical psychologist is challenging because it is supposed to be. That being said, a trainee clinical psychologist on the spectrum may face a different, or more specific, set of challenges. For example, the levels of anxiety among individuals with ASD are higher than the general population; the National Autism Society found that 40-50% of individuals experience anxiety, with 59% saying this affects their daily life.

Furthermore, high levels of anxiety can cause exhaustion and may lead to burnout which, as we know, is already a widespread problem in the NHS. Does this mean that a people-facing workplace is not suitable for a person on the spectrum?

SAMUAL WEBB STUDENT WRITER

Assumptions and public perception could cause some to believe that an individual with ASD may not be the right fit for this career, but there are many traits of ASD that are advantageous for the role of a psychologist. A common perception that individuals have towards people with ASD is that they have a ‘lack of empathy’ towards others. This is not true: we are more than capable of empathising with others, though the process may look different due to difficulty with theory of mind (ToM). These ToM differences are well documented in the literature. Frith & Happe (1999), for example, describe this as needing to use a more explicit, effortful, and language-based approach which can get tricky. But these are skills that, like any, can be compensated for with conscious and careful deliberation. Autistic clinical psychologist, Dr Joshua Muggleton, responds to empathy debate with the idea of ‘intellectual empathy.’ He states that he does not empathise towards his patients’ feelings as deeply as other colleagues. For him, morality is a motivator to help rather than the more intense ‘felt empathy’ of his neurotypical colleagues. Muggleton also acknowledges that people with ASD are great systemisers, this is a favourable trait to have in psychology. The process of formulation, decoding thought patterns and behaviours of service users and conducting assessments are all things which are all important for clinical psychologists.

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It would not be uncommon for a person on the spectrum to find themselves observing an ordinary interaction, trying to understand unspoken words. For some, or at least for myself, this is a rather good motivator to build a base of psychological knowledge to better understand human behaviour and even become an ‘encompassing preoccupation’ (ICD-10) or special interest. Of course, this isn’t easy. Some tasks or strategies of the role will be easier to carry out than others. Some things may be more intuitive to a neurotypical person than to us. Evidently, there are traits of an autistic individual that can be advantageous to the role of a clinical psychologist, many traits intertwine well with core skills needed for any clinical psychologist. It is a balancing act, but ultimately, it is possible.

All neurodivergent employees, regardless of occupation, bring creativity, strategised and divergent thinking—among other strengths—into any workplace.

These strengths should be celebrated. Additionally, if you need support or reasonable adjustments, speak to your supervisor, they are there to support you.

This includes your academic life, speak to your course leader or tutor if there is something that will help you work better. If you would like to discover a network of clinical psychologists on the spectrum, there is a wonderful article on the BPS website about being neurodiverse and working in the field, linked below.

Since my undergraduate degree, I have come a long way in my confidence and have done a fair amount of needed reflection. I have learned that practice and skill require time, and I must try to put myself in situations that will help me grow such as placement and work opportunities. I am still early in my career journey but am much more secure in my potential to be a clinical psychologist.

References: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-andguidance/topics/mental-health/anxiety Muggleton, J., & Johnston, K. (2016). You’ve hired a Psychologist with Autism?!”: Reflections on being a Trainee Clinical Psychologist with Autism. Clinical Psychology Forum (Vol. 228, pp. 5-8).

Rhodes, E (2023) ‘Neurodivergent employees have a lot to offer, but want to be heard and valued’ https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/neurodivergen t-employees-have-lot-offer-want-be-heard-andvalued Muggleton, J., Hawker, D., Henshaw, E., Horne, K., Hutchinson, J., Little, L., ... & Welsh, P. (2022).

Neurodiversity is not just for those we work with. The Psychologist, 35, 2-5. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/neurodiversity -not-just-those-we-work American Psychiatric Association, D. S. M. T. F., & American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (Vol. 5, No. 5). Section III Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Washington, DC: American psychiatric association. P.69 Frith, U., & Happé, F. (1999). Theory of mind and self‐ consciousness: What is it like to be autistic?. Mind & language, 14(1), 82-89.

www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/neurodiversity-not-just-those-we-work

www.linkedin.com/in/samual-webb-878b43204/

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Goal Setting: Tips & Tricks for Self-Improvement

MEG SIMMS STUDENT WRITER

It is never too late to set a goal, you can set goals in any part of your life.

There are many ways to work on selfimprovement, but setting specific goals can increase your personal growth and your likelihood of success. So, ask yourself, how motivated are you? When life gives you obstacles, having a goal that you can revisit often can help you to remember the three R’s. Reset, Recommit, Recharge.

I just wanted to let you know a little about how setting goals at university has helped me. I’m the type of person who needs to have goals in university as they really help to keep me up to date with what is going on and what work I need to do. I used to find it difficult to keep on top of everything before I began setting goals for myself. If you’re feeling the same way I once did, set yourself goals – your goals do not have to be spectacular as they’re for your own benefit.

Regarding my university work, I set my goals out like such:

1.Attend lectures: I try and attend as many lectures as I can because you’re provided more information. This is extremely useful in terms of writing assignments!

2.Time setting: If I have a few assignments due around a similar time, I’ll work on each of them daily e.g. 2 hours on one, 2 hours on the other.

3.Study hours: Monday-Friday is university work whether I have lectures or not, I am very strict on myself when it comes to this.

I’m either writing up notes, working on an assignment, or doing further reading. I’ve noticed my grades going up since doing this and it also means I have no work to do over the weekend

😊

4.Group sessions: I meet up with my friends quite a lot of the time and we work together, it really helps you to keep going and it is nice to have someone there for support.

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Goal-Setting Theory Dr. Edwin A. Locke & Dr. Gary Latham came up with five principles of effective goal setting: • Clarity: Goals should be clear and welldefined • Challenge: Goals should be achievable but also challenging to you • Commitment: You should fully commit to your goals to achieve them • Feedback: You should regularly evaluate and reflect on your goals to stay on track • Task complexity: You should give yourself time and space to reach complex goals

1.Why is finishing your degree important to you?

2.Why does the reason for the first question matter?

3.Why do you feel strongly about your reason?

Deciding Your Goals Take your time to think about your passions and interests. Is there something that you have always wanted to do? Putting these ideas into a brainstorm can act like clues narrowing down your focus which allows you to set more specific goals.

Remember that you should brainstorm your ideas that are based on things which excite you! You don’t have to limit yourself.

It takes a lot more than selfcontrol to make a change, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) there are three factors to achieving goals 1) Your motivation to change 2) Your willingness to monitor the behaviour and 3) Your willpower to make the change happen.

Ask Yourself Why Ask yourself, why do you want to succeed in the goals you have created? Are you willing to do everything you can to accomplish your goal? If you’re somebody who falls behind but is determined to stay on top of your university work, setting smaller goals that are focused on the “why” will help you to stay on the right pathway.

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I Do Not Care That They Are Transgender: The Need to Stop Derogatory Headlines I try to stay away from areas of the internet that upset or anger me, but sometimes that is extremely difficult because of the nature of the World Wide Web. Everything is shared, videos go viral, words get twisted, false news appears in our hands, yet we keep scrolling...

I am writing this article because I am upset. I am upset that popular media channels have the power to share information with very little care and govern toward such a large consumer.

We are a society that consumes chunks of information on the internet more than we ever have. So many headlines, so little context, so little evidence, so little quality control… and no accountability.

JORDAN LEWIS-ILES EDITING IN CHIEF

How is this individual’s identity as a transgender person relevant to the story?

Spoiler alert, it is not. It is an unusual and random characteristic to bring into context that does not add to the story.

However, I am not just upset by this single instance, I have been seeing titles and headlines like this for a very long time now. This is not an isolated issue, it is everywhere!

This one evening, I was flicking through videos on YouTube, winding down after university. Shortly after, I moved to YouTube Shorts, most of it was mundane, YouTube Shorts is no TikTok after all, but then I came across a description on a video, “Transgender Pedophile CONFRONTED…”

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Sky News: “Transgender killer who murdered three kids…”

BBC News: “Transgender rapist jailed for three years in Guernsey…”

New York Post: “Everything we know about transgender Nashville school shooter…”

Daily Mail: “Transgender pedophile… is sentenced to 15 years in prison…”

Before someone skims this article and twists the point I am about to make, I am in no way defending the criminals that act on their disordered urges. I am irritated because the transgender community have been under fire and attack for years now, and headlines like these only do harm to that community.

Allow me to put it more in perspective, do the following headlines, 2 of which I have seen before online, seem right to you?: “Female police officer gets overpowered by arrested suspect…”

“A group of black men caught with illegal firearms…”

It is incredibly harmful to these communities and groups of people.

Going back to my original examples, criminals being transgender is irrelevant to any story and these identities should not be used like this.

These characteristics are protected for a reason, not just for the criminals, but for others in our community that share those characteristics.

Continuing to use headlines like this will only maintain harmful stereotypes and increase discrimination within our community.

I feel that popular media outlets that broadcast to such a large audience need to act more responsibly and should be held accountable for this type of behaviour. They know what they are doing, this has not just been towards trans people, it happens to most protected groups. But why?

These derogatory stories appeal to people who discriminate against these groups, and it elicits emotion from those negatively affected. Views are more important in this digital world I guess, whatever will get them those extra clicks...

“Gay man transmits HIV to girlfriend…”

“Doctor with ADHD forgets to take patient vitals…“ It is almost like these headlines are almost fueling stereotypes to add to the story.

Why are these protected characteristics legal to use like this?

www.medium.com/jordanlewisiles

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Life After Graduation

SAMUAL WEBB STUDENT WRITER

Meet a Postgraduate student

What course did you study and at what university?

Before joining USW, I first attended Cardiff Met to do my BSc in Psychology and graduated in 2021.

Why did you choose that course/Why study Psychology?

When I was applying for university initially, I was looking for somewhere with a very small campus but wanted to stay in South Wales. I considered the possibility of doing a joint psychology and nutrition course but eventually settled on BSc psychology to keep my options.

What do you remember the most about the course?

Because I didn’t do psychology at A level, my BSc was a big learning curve for me.

I had to start my bank of knowledge from the beginning, which was challenging at times, especially as most people on the course already had that foundation. During my 2nd year, when the nation first went into lockdown, getting the most out of my course was not always possible and it really pushed my independence throughout my dissertation.

When you first graduated, what did you hope to do?

When I first graduated I really hoped to do an MSc in Art Psychotherapy at the Newport Campus, USW. I applied and got an interview but didn’t get onto the course. I was a bit lost at the time about my next steps but in hindsight, I know I wasn’t ready to take on such an emotionally challenging course and my personal development benefited greatly.

What did you actually end up doing after graduation/What are you doing now?

I spent the year after graduating working with children with additional needs, and it was a very fulfilling job which gave me a lot of confidence in myself I was originally lacking. After a year, I started my part-time MSc in clinical psychology and now work for WJEC.

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Do you do anything else outside of USW? Outside of university, I do a lot of volunteering and facilitate EDI training.

Do you have any advice for our readers?

Don’t underestimate the depth of career opportunities that you can go into through psychology. It is not only mental health-related roles that are available, there is a large depth of opportunities not only in healthcare but in social research, marketing, journalism, education, third-sector government, sport and more.

I would advise you to take advantage of all the opportunities you can get at university, from psychology plus, cv workshops, talking to lecturers or other students. The university has a lot of resources that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise that can be incredibly beneficial. This also applies to employers, don’t be afraid to approach professionals via email, face-to-face networking or LinkedIn. Introduce yourself, ask a question, advice, etc., they may appreciate your initiative.

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Believe in yourself! You don’t have to have everything figured out straight out of graduation, it’s part of the journey understanding who you are and where your place is in the world.

Want to share you story?

Contact us!

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Guest Writer

YOUR STUDENTS’ UNION

GET IN TOUCH WITH US VIA EMAIL, PHONE, OR IN PERSON We are a democratic organisation separate to the University that is run by students, for students. Every year a team of Executive Officers are elected by the student body to represent and guide the Students’ Union.

Representing three regions, (Newport, Cardiff and Pontypridd) the Executive Officers work together with a team of dedicated part-time Officers, staff and volunteers to make sure you get the most out of your education and student experience.

From activities, events and venues to volunteering and skill-development, we strive to make sure you have the chance to enrich every aspect of your student life. We support over 100 clubs, teams and societies, 700 SVR and Course Reps and annually hold over 150 events at our venues.

www.uswsu.com

So whether you want to develop your skills, become a representative on your course or socialise with friends, we’ve got it all. And because we’re for students, not for profit, we make sure every investment you make at your SU is put back into the things you care about most.

As the recognised voice of students at the University of South Wales, we support students that want to campaign on the issues you care about and ensure the student body – a collective voice of over 28,000 students is heard at the highest level. The Students’ Union is all about representing you, so if there’s something you need, we can help. Every student is a member of the Union, regardless of whether you are a full-time, part-time, undergrad or postgrad student, so if we aren’t currently providing something you’d like us to, drop in and talk to us.

www.uswsu.com

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Word Search

Psychological Fields

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Psychology Trivia

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Support and Resources Support for Disabled Students

USW wellbeing Service

Our Previous Issues

Your Students’ Union

disability.southwales.ac.uk

issuu.com/sulci

wellbeing.southwales.ac.uk

www.uswsu.com

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Looking for

Writers!

Write articles for your student Psych Magazine!

By contributing to Sulci you can also work towards a certificate from the Psychology Plus scheme

Positions Available Content Writer Illustrator Editor More

E-mail

30017002 @students .southwa les.ac.uk

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Pickup your Psychology Plus Brochure from the lab to gain more psychological knowledge and experience

B121

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