The Psi Chi Chapter of the Michigan School of Psychology won a 2022-23 Psi Chi Model Chapter Award! With over 1,150 chapters throughout the world, our chapter is one of only 34 chapters to achieve the Model Chapter status this year.
MSP’s Psi Chi Chapter had to meet specific criteria to win this award. This included holding regular executive committee meetings, inducting new members, and hosting and informing members of community service projects and special topic workshops. Our chapter led philanthropic efforts such as hosting a Game Night to raise funds for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, as well as partnering with the Detroit Public School’s family resource center to provide essentials for families in need. We also hosted a series of workshops on how to develop research proposals and posters, psychology teaching opportunities, a workshop on utilizing Capoeira to benefit mental health, and weekly Inhale Yoga Breath Breaks. We also held our annual Research Symposium featuring panel presentations, poster sessions, and a keynote address on “Promoting Mental Health in the Community.”
One of the key criteria for the award was displaying teamwork to accomplish a goal. Our chapter partnered with two other MSP student organizations, the Inclusion Diversity Equity Alliance (IDEA) and the Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle (ABPsi SC), to organize and implement student peer support groups. By collaborating with other organizations, our chapter successfully used teamwork as an instrument to identify specific groups needed on campus that would benefit from peer support. The three organizations worked together to offer facilitator training and schedule peer support groups to provide a safe and supportive environment for students to discuss issues relevant to their respective identities.
Due to the tremendous efforts and work of the Executive Committee and Members this past year, our programming and community service projects demonstrated how MSP’s Psi Chi Chapter aligns with Psi Chi’s mission to “encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship.”
A special thanks to Dr. Kate Cusick, Core Faculty and Psi Chi Advisor, for her work on this blog posting.
