Taking strides to a Health Psychology Doctorate
A DPsych Health Psychology student has been reflecting on her experience at GCU while also acknowledging the important role exercise continues to play in her academic journey.
Emma Monaghan is about to start the second year of her Doctorate, which will mark the latest chapter in what has been a hugely varied career up until this point.
Away from the world of academia, Emma is a keen runner and completed the Copenhagen Marathon in May.
We sat down with Emma to hear more about her career and why exercise - and hobbies in general – are crucial to a successful work-life balance:
How did you come to study at GCU?
“I completed my Psychology Undergrad at the University of Edinburgh back in 2013. Within the last month or so of my degree I discovered Health Psychology as a subject, and then I decided to go and do a Masters up in Aberdeen. It was quite a stressful time completing that so I decided I needed to take a little break from academia.
“I went to Abu Dhabi and was doing some curriculum development for Health Sciences, which isn’t actually a subject in the UK. I then developed an interest in learning and development and got further and further away from anything psychology or health-related. I then started to look at different options: within Scotland GCU and University of Stirling are the only places that offer a Doctorate of Health Psychology, which is basically the next stage you need to go through to become a Health Psychologist. I’m from Glasgow as well, so that was a big part of my reason for choosing GCU.”
You mentioned you were in Abu Dhabi before coming to Scotland, tell me a bit more about that?
“I was basically doing curriculum and assessment writing with their government school. I was the one everybody hated because I was writing all these hard assessments for students! It covered such a variety of topics including nutrition, disease prevention and mental health. I then ended up getting a job with the British Government doing learning and development for them, but it wasn’t anything to do with health – that’s how I decided to get back on track at GCU.”
How has your experience at GCU been so far?
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. At Undergrad you are sometimes in a lecture hall with 200 students and feel like a drop in the pond. Doctorate studies tends to be smaller numbers so you have a lot of contact with lecturers and it’s the ideal environment to get to know your classmates.
“I actually think GCU is without doubt the best of the Universities I’ve studied at so far. I’m getting to do a lot of practical placements and have been working with SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), which has given me the chance to work with clients one-on-one and provide counselling services to them.
“One of the things that’s quite unique about the course here is getting the chance to actually get out into the world and gain experience. Often Doctoral studies can involve a lot of lab work, rather than working with clients directly.”
Alongside your studies you’re also a keen runner – is that something you’ve always enjoyed doing?
“I’ve always been quite active but I think over the last eight or nine years I’ve realised the positive impact running has on my mental health. For me, exercise is very much like therapy. It provides routine and a space that gives me time to myself. I really value having that structure, especially when I’m training for an event and have to dedicate some time - which can be difficult when you’re studying. Running is my way of staying grounded.”
Has your knowledge as a Doctoral student benefitted you as a runner?
“I do think I’m definitely more aware if I’ve fallen into bad habits, for example if you say you’re going to do something and then don’t do it - I think I have a bit more appreciation around the reasons why. Take the marathon I ran as an example; I signed up for it at the beginning of the year and then didn’t do anything. I got the flu and got ill, so there were some excuses there, but I was able to actually think well I’m not doing what I said I was going to do, and then properly think about how I was going to change that. I then made sure I had time within my schedule and had a clear plan in place. I certainly think the information we learn on the course gives us the knowledge to do an intervention on our own behaviour.”
You mentioned the marathon, was that your first one?
“No, this was actually my third. I did this one in Copenhagen but I’ve also ran marathons in Abu Dhabi and Dubai….so they were quite hot! The day before the race in Copenhagen was actually very warm, around 29 degrees. Thankfully it was a lot cooler on the day, so I couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The crowd was amazing and there were quite a lot of live performers on while we were running, that definitely kept me going. I beat the time that I was aiming for so I felt buzzing afterwards!
“I actually did an exchange in Copenhagen during my Undergrad, so it was a nice way for me to go full-circle and come back to one of the places I lived. I really like the Scandinavian lifestyle so it was nice to experience that again.
“I’ve decided to try and run a marathon every year until I’m no longer able. I just love having that opportunity to create structure and build the training into my routine, especially when I’m stressed.”
Would you encourage other students to get involved in some sort of activity alongside their studies?
“Anything that can give you a couple of hours each week to be yourself is hugely beneficial. Running isn’t for everyone - a lot of people think I’m mad for going out and casually running 30km, so I’m not preaching that!
“I just think it’s important to set aside some time, whether it’s even something like reading a book or making a candle. As students we spend most of our time behind a screen of some sort, so I think just anything that can help you switch off will definitely help.”
Find out more about the DPsych Health Psychology programme here
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter