Beyond the Classroom: Enhancing Career Clarity and Preparedness Through Volunteer Psychoeducational Group Facilitation for Behavioral Health Undergraduates

Elizabeth Valenti, PhD
Grand Canyon University

Kathleen Downey, PhD
Grand Canyon University

This article provides an example of a university faculty member’s reflective practice on how a sense of community was developed within undergraduate college forensic science classrooms. Through reflective practice, I describe a heartwarming situation I experienced and compare it to the literature to help me better understand my contribution to developing a sense of community amongst my students. After identifying and evaluating possible explanations, I decide a positive learning environment is the main contributing factor and provide recommendations for future practice to help other faculty who are interested in creating a similar environment within their own courses.