Alex Lynch

My favourite thing about studying psychology at Edge Hill University was the number of facilities the department had to offer. The simulation bar, eye-tracking, observation labs, and all the rest, was very useful for our dissertation projects, and it opened us up to lots more opportunities to research topics we may not have been able to do without this equipment.

I currently work 1-2-1 with an autistic teenage boy in school using applied behaviour analysis (ABA) interventions. This degree has given me knowledge which is relevant in this position. For example, we learned about ABA during the Special Educational Needs module. I had already started working in this position at the start of my third year too, so I was learning alongside working and the course helped me to develop the skills and knowledge I needed to really succeed in this role. Specifically, the student motivation and engagement module helped me with strategies to increase the student’s motivation and after this I did notice a change in their academic achievement.

This degree also gave me the base knowledge I needed for my Masters. For example, the style of academic writing and referencing was new to a lot of my peers, as well as the statistics and using SPSS. As I already had this knowledge, I managed to pick up the rest of the content much quicker than I would have done without.

Standout skills I gained from my degree were teamwork and communication. This has really helped in my position as there are many different members of the team, and we all must communicate effectively to provide the best support for the student. Including me, there are two tutors, and we are in constant contact with each other to ensure we know where we are up to and if there have been any issues which need to be addressed the next day. As well as this, we communicate with the ABA consultants, a speech and language therapist, and his parents. This is all vital communication as it ensures that I can provide the best support possible and hopefully enhance his education.

Studying psychology as my degree at Edge Hill cemented my decision to go into the SEN education sector and that led me to my current position. I’ve always wanted to do something surrounding SEN as I grew up being an advocate for my best friend who has autism. After studying psychology in college, I fell in love with the subject and knew this is what I wanted to do when I came to university.

A typical day in my job consists of sitting in lessons providing support for the student and observing his engagement throughout the lesson. Some periods are used as 1-2-1 sessions in which we either go over topics which need some extra attention, or we do some ABA, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This is used to help improve the student’s relationship with their feelings and aims to improve mental health.

My advice to anyone considering psychology at Edge Hill would be to come to campus and tour the facilities as well as meet all the lovely staff. Seeing where you’ll be studying in real life can help you get a feel of whether you will enjoy yourself. Also, talk to current students, as they’re the people who will know the best about the current student experience.