Psychology outside the classroom

By Winston Seegobin, associate professor of psychology

Last fall, I decided to provide the opportunity for students in my Abnormal Psychology class to take “psychology outside of the classroom”. Students were given the option of doing a service learning project with Paxton Street Ministries in lieu of writing a research paper. The goal of the project was for students to become “buddies” with the residents of the Paxton Street Home for the semester. In particular, they had to spend time with a resident and get to know them, their problems, and experiences. It also involved writing a paper about their experiences. Approximately half of the class decided to participate in the project.

As I listened to students discuss their experiences, I was delighted to hear of the impact it made on their lives. One student wrote, “The residents at Paxton are truly a gift from God. Going into this experience, it was my hope that I would be a blessing to these people. But after spending several months at Paxton, I knew that the residents were blessing me just as much, if not more. One word sums up these amazing people – love.”  She further stated, “Many of the residents stop in their tracks just to ask how I am doing. They constantly shower you with compliments and prayers. In fact, I often feel more loved at Paxton than anywhere else.” I was touched and encouraged by these words and felt affirmed in my decision to have the students participate in this project. Another student wrote, “The experiences I had at the Paxton Street Homes were enlightening and are experiences I will cherish for the rest of my life”.