Fraser Smith is a psychology research assistant and seminar tutor who is also working toward his doctorate in counseling psychology. Fraser took time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about his love for psychology, his ongoing projects and his desire to encourage collaboration in the psychology field.

Smith credits his mother for inspiring his career in psychology, as she was the first person in his family to receive a degree in the field. Fraser knew he wanted to emulate his mother and go on to college after high school. He also noted, “I have always been fascinated by people and the way they behave, both individually and in group settings. I think this played a part in my passion for psychology as well.”

Even with this inspiration, Fraser took a unique path to end up in his current role. His first exposure to counseling came when he began an evening job working behind the reception desk of a relationship counseling center. The company then offered to send him on a free therapy training course, which sparked a love for the direct practice aspects of psychology. This led him to pursue a psychology degree while working as a research assistant and after graduation to continue on toward a doctorate degree.

Currently, Smith is working as a qualitative researcher in a lab investigating antimicrobial resistance. Participants are interviewed about their perceptions of antibiotics and their behaviors about taking them. The hope is to increase the knowledge surrounding how people think about antibiotics to better educate them about taking them. The research is still in its early stages, but Smith is excited to see results and gain a deeper understanding of human behavior.

When working in the lab, Fraser spends a lot of time analyzing interview transcripts and conducting thematic analyses of these transcripts. He also works with a team to conduct interviews and to bring their findings together to create publishable results. Smith uses printed transcripts and a highlighter when analyzing, as he finds this helps him with his analysis. He then uploads his results into an online program to ensure his data is secure. One of the program’s current flaws is that it is difficult to communicate his results with fellow researchers. Fraser likes the features of Conseris because it safely stores data while also making it easy to identify patterns and share those trends with fellow researchers. Smith emphasized the importance of collaboration in this area of research.

When not in the lab, Fraser is working on the early stages of his doctorate in counseling psychology. He will soon begin practical training and will recieve his placement for direct practice later this year. Smith hopes to learn more about the power of therapy so he can enact his passion for helping people. In the future, he would like to start his own private practice working in mental health counseling, specifically targeting men and youth.

Finally, in his leisure time, Fraser writes a blog, Frasersmithcounsellingpsy.com and makes videos for his YouTube channel, “GetPsyched.” With these projects, Smith aims to network in the field of psychology and encourage collaboration among others in this discipline. He also hopes his YouTube videos can be educational and helpful to psychology students. Finally, Fraser would like his future clients to view his videos and his blog to gain insight into his work, making them feel more comfortable entering therapy.

Smith remains dedicated the field of psychology and plans to continue working to expand his knowledge of human behavior. He is also doing important work to encourage collaboration and discussion within the psychology field, which he hopes will provide better results for all. Researchers, keep your data secure and make collaboration effortless with Conseris. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today.