Psi Beta Honor Society / Psychology Club

Mission

The Psychology Club is an inclusive club for all American River College students interested in topics related to psychology. The Psi Beta Honor Society, as part of the Psychology Club, is to encourage professional development and psychological literacy of all students at two-year colleges through promotion and recognition of excellence in scholarship, leadership, research, and community service.

Purpose

Our purpose is to provide opportunities and resources to our members that will enhance their academic experience and support students in their preparation for upper-level academics. We help members prepare by providing opportunities to:

• hold informational meetings and discussions
• collaborate with others
• generate social events
• provide peer mentoring
• participate in research
• do volunteer work

Through these opportunities, we strive to introduce our members and interested persons to the broad variety of disciplines in psychology as a science and to have an opportunity to be honored for their academic excellence and contributions to the community.

Benefits of Psi Beta Membership

• Recognition for achieving the honor of membership. Entities that recognize Psi Beta membership include Psi Chi, APA, APS, psychology departments at colleges and universities, and employers.
• Verification of membership for references throughout the member's lifetime.
• Eligibility for national awards (for example, the student research paper awards provide cash prizes of $500, $300, and $200 to three winning students).
• Eligibility for the following different annual awards: Building Bonds, Chapter Excellence, Chapter Community Service, Individual Community Service, College Life Award, and Faculty Advisor.
• Publication of membership and activities in the nationally distributed Psi Beta Newsletter.
• Psi Beta offers the experience of operating a chapter and opportunities to acquire leadership skills, interact with faculty outside the classroom, learn more about the professional and educational choices available in psychology, meet outstanding professionals in psychology, participate in community service, meet peers with similar interests, and be involved with Psi Beta on the national level.
• Psi Beta membership contributes to the member's confidence and feelings of self-worth.
• Psi Beta offers the opportunity to participate in national, regional, and local psychological association programs, including paper and poster presentations at professional conferences.
• Psi Beta student members are eligible for student affiliate membership in the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS).
• Psi Beta membership meets one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level (2 levels higher) in numerous occupations in Federal service.