The Camosun Psychology Club is a “pretty research-oriented” group, according to member Kylie Ransome, who recently finished studying psychology at Camosun and is now moving on to the University of Victoria to pursue her passion. She says the club at Camosun consists of an exchange of ideas from other students and professionals in the industry that have volunteered to speak.
“We have different presenters come in,” says Ransome. “Different professors and people from the community come in and present their projects and open up discussion forums.”
Ransome says the club will do social nights at a pub every couple of months as well. But she hasn’t had much luck doing that at Camosun’s own Dunlop House.
“The campus pub is never open the nights we wanted to go,” she says. “We kept trying, but we ended up going to Spinnakers.”
Camosun student Larissa McCormick, who is also in the club, says it was amazing to be able to receive funding to attend some psychology conferences throughout the year. She says she started going after attending a psychology class with a Camosun professor who told her it might pique her interest.
“The club just definitely opened up a lot of experiences that I either didn’t really know about or that wouldn’t have really been possible without it,” says McCormick.
Ransome says her interest in psychology comes down to wanting to help those who suffer from mental-health challenges. She works as a care aid for Island Health, specializing in patients with dementia and mood disorders, as well as those with physical disabilities.
“I’m really interested in applying bio-psycho-social models to help people with various trauma and mood disorders,” she says. “I recognize that there’s a lot of need for a lot more time and mental-health work.”
Ransome says the model, which addresses treating all possible components of a disease—be it social, biological, or psychological—is a crucial part of mental-health care. She adds that working with people who aren’t always in the best headspaces comes down to remaining calm and open minded.
“I meet the most incredible people with the most incredible stories,” she says. “It’s very eye-opening to see this whole other part of life.”
Ransome says her experience with Camosun psychology was second to none.
“It was amazing,” she says. “I would recommend it to anyone.”
For more information on this and other clubs, see camosunstudent.org/clubs/join-a-club/.