Mentorship Philosophy
Dr. Dennis McChargue's mentorship philosophy is that each person entering graduate training has within himself or herself the ability to succeed as a graduate student in clinical psychology. As a mentor, he helps students adapt to the challenges of graduate training. His belief is that students require structure during the initial stages of their training, but should gradually become more and more autonomous as they progress through the program. He also believes in exposing students to a multitude of opportunities throughout their training. However, the timing of such exposure is essential.
The development of a student is individually based. Each comes in with his or her strengths and weaknesses. Each has differing levels of expertise and experiences. His job is to understand where the student is in their development and to provide the environment conducive to growth and learning. If he has done his job adequately, at the end of a student's tenure in graduate school, they will view their experience as challenging, yet satisfying. They will also feel confident in their abilities and understand their limitations.