6 Ways to Revise English Vocabulary for Psychologists

No, your memory isn’t “bad”. Revising new vocabulary is essential for therapists who want to improve their English. Here are 6 ways to do that.

“I want to know more words, so I can say exactly what I mean, not just something similar”

“It takes me 3 minutes to paraphrase something, just because I can’t remember the word I need to use”

“It’s so frustrating when I can’t find the right words… I feel like a 4-year-old when I speak English”

Oh, vocabulary…It’s a major concern for my students, who want to communicate more fluently and accurately with their clients.

Because of this, I’ve written about the kind of vocabulary psychologists should learn, and where they can find it.

(Side note: I also wrote a more controversial post on the limitations of learning vocabulary, and why it’s important to learn something known as functional language). 

But there’s still one problem. Let’s say you learn a new word, and think it’d be useful in your therapy sessions.

Do you…

A.       Say, ah yes, I’ll definitely keep that one in mind! And never think about it again?

B.       Write it down in an old notebook that you return to weeks later, a little confused about its exact meaning, context and how to use it?

C.      Immediately remember and use the word correctly in many therapy sessions from that day on?

If you answered A or B, you’ll want to read on. (If you answered C, are you human?)

For us imperfect mortals: here are six tips to practice the English vocabulary you learn so that it becomes an active part of your therapy language.

1.     Link the vocabulary to something you already know

I often get asked if it’s bad to translate new words you’re learning into your language to remember them better. While that’s a topic for another post, linking a new word to something that you already know does make it much easier to remember.

There are many ways to build those connections. As mentioned above, it could be the word’s translation in your own language, as long as you know it’s not a false friend (for example disgust in English and disgusto in Spanish are quite different). Otherwise, you could link this word to a similar one you already know (ex. You might know the verb “to resent” but you didn’t know the adjective “resentful” or noun “resentment”). You could also link words to their synonyms (ex. Play up and exaggerate) or antonyms (ex. Embrace-reject). You could categorize words based on their category (ex. Different ways of speaking: whispering, shouting, mumbling, stammering).  Finally, you could invent a story that combines all of the words you’re trying to learn together.

This post shares some activities and free tools you can use.

2.     Use “spaced learning” or “distributive practice”

Those two terms sound fancy but they only mean that it’s more effective to study in small sessions with breaks in between, not try to learn everything in one massive session (known as cramming). Finally, some good news, right? Because between our professional lives, family and friends, it’s also much less overwhelming to study that way. Why not block 15-minute study sessions when you’re already having your afternoon tea or coffee? Known as habit stacking, this makes it easier to stick to the habit.

3.     Write it down.

Researchers in Norway have recently found that the brain electrical connectivity patterns of students who learn words by writing by hand are much more elaborate than those of students learning them by typing. This finding suggests that writing by hand actually facilitates learning. That’s because the existing literature has already shown that the connectivity patterns observed in students who were writing by hand are crucial for memory formation. Pick a beautiful notebook (I’m a Moleskine girl) to make it more enjoyable!

4.     Test yourself

Testing yourself, also known as retrieval practice, has been frequently found to be more effective in learning than simply studying a second time. When you think about it, it makes sense. What is more challenging, re-reading your notes, or taking a quiz on what you learned? There are two ways I like to encourage students to do this.

Firstly, you can use flashcards. Write the new word on one side of the paper, and the definition, a picture translation or a synonym on the other side. You can do this online too, for example on Quizlet. This gives you quick and easy access to your vocabulary. Secondly, you can teach other people. This helps you realize what you know well and still have doubts about. For example, a student recently explained to me that her mother had decided to improve her English. I suggested giving her mother a list of vocabulary we had learned, explaining to her what each word means and how to use it.

5.     Read the vocabulary out loud (or, better still, use it in a conversation or role-playing activity)

This fascinating study found that saying or reading a new word out loud makes it easier to remember. This is known as the “production effect”. But why stop at reading it out loud? Using the new vocabulary learned in a conversation or role-playing activity can be more fun. It also challenges your brain to think about how to use this word in a new context. I sometimes play a game with students where I give them each a secret list with 5 words we studied before. We do a role-playing exercise and they try to use as many of those words as possible without the other students realizing it. Whoever uses the most words without being detected wins!

6.     Make healthy lifestyle choices.

Yes, I’m being serious!

Even though physiological factors are critical to learning, they are often completely overlooked by my students.  You might be writing words down, reading or saying them out loud, using spaced repetition but what if you are stressed, not exercising and especially, not sleeping?

In that case, you might want to go back to basics. Otherwise, many of those huge efforts you’re making might not be paying off! What’s more, managing stress, exercising and getting proper sleep will have a positive ripple effect on your general health and well-being.

What about you? Are there any other tips you would add to this list?

If you found this post useful, and want more weekly tips on how to learn English for psychologists, feel free to sign up for my newsletter. Did I mention this gives you access to my free guide too? All you need to do is click here.