Hello and welcome to the Big Five podcast from Northumbria psychology department. My name is Dr. Genavee Brown and I'll be your guide into the minds of psychology students, alumni and researchers at Northumbria University. I'm a lecturer and a social psychology researcher in the psychology department. Each week on this podcast I'll speak to a guest who's either student, alumni or researcher in the Northumbria psychology department. By asking them five big questions, we'll learn about their time studying psychology, and hopefully learn some big facts about human behaviour and experience. Today I have the pleasure of speaking to Annabelle noble Hello Annabelle. Annabelle started as a student at Northumbria University in September 2019. She's a level six students studying psychology and languages. And full disclosure here Annabelle worked with me as a paid student intern in 2020, where she helped me develop guidelines for best practice and asking human participants about gender and sexual orientation. Hi, Annabelle. So just to get us started, I wanted to ask a bit about why you're studying psychology. Why is it important to you? What made you interested in it? And why did you decide to come to Northumbria?
So I've got quite a story behind it. So originally, I wanted to embark on an English language and linguistics degree. And it was kind of just a choice of I it was my favourite air level subject, I was a bit lost, I was 17, I didn't really know where I was going with things. And then I remember having this summer in 2018, where I was just I don't have a clue what I want to do, I feel like everyone else has got it figured out. And I just don't know at all. And all this, I spent the summer doing a whole bulk of research. And I came to the conclusion that I would love to go into counselling and therapy. And I think this was inspired by I did have quite a lot of struggles with anxiety in my teenage years. And I've always loved helping like friends and family with like, whatever troubles they've had. And I just naturally became a person that people would come to a lot with that their problems or issues. And so yeah, I just thought I love helping people work through things and be through things myself. So I think this is what I'm interested in doing. And then from there, it just went on to me thinking, okay, how can I get on the path to achieve that? And so I did a whole bunch of research about college courses and degree programmes and had a look for what was out there. And that's when I stumbled across the Northumbria psychology undergrad course. And it just instantly clicked with me. And I was like, Yes, this sounds like something for me. And I just thought it sounds really interesting and fascinating. I love the idea of the option modules. I think it's a big appeal on the course and you get to, you know, have the opportunity to specialise as well if you'd like to. And yeah, I just found it and was like, this seems really, really interesting. And I hadn't studied psychology prior to this air level of GCSE or anything. So I wanted like a new subject that was like fresh and exciting. And I could kind of start from scratch because when I was at like GCSE and A level, I wasn't as invested academically as we would have liked to have been. And I found like school and college like a bit of a rough time, really. So then I thought I just want to go away start something new. And universities definitely been the best part of my academia for sure. And so yeah, I just applied got my place started in 2019. And then here I am a third year. And I'm about to start my last term, which is quite daunting. But here I am. Exciting. It goes by quickly, doesn't it? Oh, it goes by so quickly. It really does. I remember going to my first lab class and then and that I'm going to be here for such a long time and then all of a sudden you're in third year. It's crazy.
So speaking of lab classes, what's it been like studying psychology at Northumbria? Have there been any classes that you've really been drawn to or really enjoyed? Yeah, can you just tell us a little bit about it?
So it's been really great. Maybe minus the statistics which most psychology students will say it's a typical response. But no Jokes aside, I've really loved the degree programme and I think especially second or third year for me, because I've absolutely loved the option modules I've done. The in psychology of intimacy was brilliant, just covered a whole scope of areas. And I just think it can very much be applied to kind of the stage that we're at now where we're exploring With like relationships and partners, and I just found it, like really, really brilliant, and then I did any in eating disorder module as well. And in the option modules have had like guest speakers, which I've really liked to be able to like, share their experience or their perspectives. And then I've also enjoyed the car modules as well. And I think my favourite so far is probably the psychology project, because I'm just like really, really enjoying having the opportunity to conduct my own research and everything. But I also have really enjoyed the social psychology, Lee Shepherd's lectures, really good. I really, really enjoyed that.
And can you tell us about what you are studying in your final year project.
So I'm looking at chronic fatigue syndrome, which is something that it has like a personal, it's personal to me, because it's something that I've been struggling with, since I've got COVID in 2020. But it also can very much applied to like the biological aspect of psychology and the psychological aspect to how it affects your well being and your daily life and everything. So I've decided on that which I felt it was just a natural choice for me, I felt passionate about it, I felt like I wanted to make an impact for other sufferers and expand research in the area. And I'm going to be conducting interviews with members of like, the chronic fatigue, charity action for me, and I'm going to ask them about their experiences and like do a thematic analysis of my findings or my results.
Wow, that sounds very interesting.
Yeah. Oh, thank you.
So this is where I usually ask about what's the most interesting thing you've learned on the programme. But today, I'd like to ask you a little bit about what your experience of being an intern in the department was. And I'll just let you talk a little bit about that,
oh, I was so happy to be chosen for it. Because I remember I did my interview, and maybe I was a bit sceptical towards myself, but then I got chosen. And I was just so happy to have the opportunity because I think an internship is something quite a few students will do alongside at their degree programme. And it just gives you some really good employability skills. For example, you know, you're organising your own time with your Intern Supervisor. And then you're doing like your payroll. And you're being employed as a student. And then you get, you get set different tasks, which for with like a potential employer in the future, they could, you know, set you off to work and just have to be able to like, use your initiative and like manage your time well to complete the tasks. And so I was able to produce the ethics documentation for the fair representation of gender and LGBTQ identities in research, which I thought was a fantastic area to do the internship. And I think with research, it is necessary to have representation of all different types of people, no matter what the age, or the gender, or anything like that, because there's more and more people coming out as LGBTQ. Plus, in today's society, the acceptance is increasing. But to further this acceptance, it was essential that for our field and our area of psychology research that we implement that into our research, to have that thorough representation, because we don't we didn't want anybody to be misrepresented or excluded from studies. Yeah,
that's exactly right. So we developed some guidelines for researchers to help them ask about gender and sexual orientation to represent a wide spectrum of gender and sexual orientation identities. So that was the goal of our project. And can you talk a little bit about some of the skills that you developed when you were producing that document?
So I against a lot of skills on publisher, because I was publishing the document, and I was constantly adding edits and things and I can pretty much navigate publisher pretty well now. Should I have the opportunity again, to use it for that? I've got a good start with that. And then I also had the opportunity to produce a video and do the storyboards and kind of the behind the scenes things before the graphics designer produced it for us. And so yeah, that was really really great having the opportunity because it kind of inspired creativity. We had we had to, you know, get our creative cups on. So yeah, that was really, really good. And then I just got a lot of opportunity to, like do research into videos and see how the videos get put together. And I actually Do My Own, like filming and videography, my free time. So that's helped with that. But also, I hope that I will be able to use that in a career in the future because I do love video.
Yeah, definitely, I think all those creative skills are becoming more and more employable. And just for our listeners, we will include that video in the show notes if you would like to see that. So it sounds like you've developed some great skills during the internship and you really enjoyed it and learned some new things. So that's wonderful. Where do you hope to go from here, you're in your third year of your degree.
What's next? Oh, I get asked constant questions at this point, especially by like distant relatives. And there's room what you're doing next what you're doing next. And I'm like, Just breathe for a bit. I actually need to graduate first. But I definitely wanted to go into the counselling and therapy sector. I mean, there's such like a broad range of areas within that. But I think I'm particularly interested in eating disorders, which stems from doing their eating disorder module, and also OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder, I'm really interested in that I've been reading some books on it. And I've actually myself been doing some ERP exposure, response prevention treatment. And it's just like, really impactful. And I've learned so much in the past few months. So I would really like to specialise, I think in those areas, and maybe work with like, the organisation or CD or potentially work about beat the undecided charity honestly into solders ward or something. I'm just kind of mind mapping the ideas at the moment. But I think that two areas are very passionate about and I feel like I've do have some of the expertise that and then I can increase that over time and maybe do a masters or something. But yeah, I think that's what I'm interested in at present. And we'll see what happens. But also, I have a strong thing. I have a strong interest in like languages and linguistics and things, which, obviously from what I was speaking about at the start, that hasn't gone away, and I'm working towards my B to proficiency level in Spanish and my level one sign language. So I hope to alongside Amen Korea, maybe do some like voluntary work with like the deaf community. And I'm hoping to convince my boyfriend at the minute to like get a stamp like a month or something. Previous fun.
Sounds like you have lots of opportunities available. So I hope that you're able to get to do all of those things.
Oh, thank you so much.
You have been very successful during your time at Northumbria. So I was wondering if you have any advice for other students, it could be about the internship, it could be about your studies about the project, just any advice that you might have for for other students, either that are about to start at Northumbria or who are you know, in their first or second year of the degree,
I think I would say don't be afraid of new experiences, no matter how daunting it might seem. Because there is so much that the university has to offer. And I've been so fortunate to do an internship in the cognitive behavioural therapy mentoring programme called bizarre mentor and with the open door charity. And it's on a Mental Health First Aid training course as well. So just you know, keep looking at your notifications, keep looking at your subject at the subject platform of light, updated opportunities, keep your eyes open, and don't be afraid to do something new. And, you know, I wasn't super confident and the staff are all of these things, but I just pushed myself forward and give it a go. And then I would also apply that to extracurricular so that the societies and things because I've been doing the dance society, and I'm so so happy that I did I think it's just good to have something that's like a break from your studies. And you can like meet people that do extra events phone and like it's been really really good for me and it's definitely increased my confidence. And I have a little anecdote about joining the Dance Society because I began dancing at nine team which people might frown or so that's quite late. But you know, I'm not trying to become a professional so you can dance whenever you want. I tend to for the Dance Society my first year and everybody who was there had been dancing since they were like 357 And then there was me, and I thought I'm going to look like an idiot every lesson but I'm not bothered if I look so out of place if I don't have a clue our do Hello, I'm gonna keep on going. And two years later, I performed in the Northumbria winter showcase denture, and did a really good job. So don't be afraid to start something new. And even if you feel like the odd one out, just keep on going. And then I would also say go to the library, it's there for a reason.
Yes. Because you can get very focused, you can immerse yourself in your subject. And I do think, in modern day society, books are kind of becoming a bit old school. But I've been doing some like, wide reader for fun, I've been exploring the library, I love browsing through all the books. And so I'd say, Make the most of the library. And it is a really good facility. And don't be afraid of being called a nerd, like you're doing a degree programme that requires study in, go to the library, get focused and be in a quiet environment and just invest in your subject. Yeah. And then I think I'll end that on, just invest in any subject as much as you can, because you've chosen that is your degree or major or whatever you want to call it. And I think that you've got to have a passion for it. And you've got to invest yourself. And if you're not sure about that, then maybe reconsider because you want to be gone to your lectures and gone to your seminars and having that spark having that passion and that driving force to do the best that you can and get the most out of your experience.
Yeah, definitely. I think that's great advice. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing your experience of the internship with us, I hope listeners, if you're hearing this and your students, that you'll keep an eye out for the paid internships that come up each spring, but I'll put more information about those in the show notes if you're interested in applying. If you'd like to learn more about Northumbria psychology, you can check out our psychology department blog at Northumbriapsy.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @northumbriapsy. If you want you can follow me on Twitter to stay updated on our latest episodes @browngenavee. If you'd like to be interviewed on the podcast or know someone who would please email me at Genavee.brown@northumbria.ac.uk Finally, if you like the podcast, make sure to subscribe to our podcast on your listening app and give us a review and rating. I hope you've learned something on this voyage into the mind. Take care until next time