From the Practice Directorate

• New Online Resource to Aid Practitioners
• Documentary on Resilience Set to Air Sept. 11
• Mental Health Parity Rally Draws Over 2,000
• Texas Psychologist Appointed to Presidential Commission on Mental Health

New Online Resource to Aid Practitioners

Practicing psychologists soon will be able to go to a single Internet-based source to find the professional information and tools they need most. The APA Practice Organization’s new practitioner portal, expected to launch in August 2002, will offer unprecedented access to people, places and products geared solely to helping psychologists manage their practices, keep up-to-date on issues, and make meaningful connections with others in the profession.

The term “portal” is often considered to be synonymous with “website,” but it is much more. It is a dynamic gateway to a virtually limitless array of information, services, products and opportunities. Think of a newsstand, school, library, shopping mall and community center entered through a single door – practitioners will be able to pick and choose the products and services that meet their particular needs.

Planning for the portal began early in 2001, shortly after APA established the APA Practice Organization, whose 501c(6) non-profit status enabled increased advocacy on behalf of professional psychology and the development of new resources to better serve practitioners’ needs.

Research conducted with leaders of state psychological associations, APA member practitioners and the public through online and telephone surveys and focus groups revealed that they were indeed using the Internet to find and exchange information. Of those surveyed, nearly all reported having access to the Internet, while half said they went online as often as several times a day.

In addition to health and psychology news; practice management and enhancement tools; event and conference updates; marketing information and materials; and resources to ensure ongoing compliance with state and federal health care regulations; the research revealed that practitioners were interested in many other tools to help them build and manage their practices, such as the ability to build their own websites, and tools that would help them diversify their practices.

Among the initial product offerings will be information and resources to guide practitioners deftly through the myriad ins and outs of the complex Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The deadline for compliance with the privacy aspects of the HIPAA rule is April 14, 2003.

The new portal will be previewed during this year’s Practice Directorate Town Hall meeting on Saturday, August 24, 8-11:00 a.m. at the APA Convention in Chicago.

Documentary on Resilience Set to Air Sept. 11

“Aftermath: The Road to Resilience,” a documentary APA is developing with Discovery Health as part of its ongoing Talk to Someone Who Can Help public education campaign, is set to air on the Discovery Channel on August 29 and will be re-aired on Sept. 11.

The hour-long film will profile real people who have been through experiences in which they’ve learned to become resilient. The show will convey three important messages including: resilience is a journey, not an event or single turning point; there is no prescribed timeline for the road to resilience; and everyone’s process is different.

APA is preparing a companion brochure on resilience, expected to be in Discovery stores in late August and September. Members can facilitate resiliency education in their communities through APA’s Public Education Campaign. Kits, including discussion guides and ideas for working with local cable channels and partnering with local organizations, will be available at APA’s Annual Convention in Chicago, Aug. 22-25, through the soon-to-be-launched APA Practice Portal or by calling APA’s Campaign Services Bureau at (877) 274-8787 ext. 135.

Mental Health Parity Rally Draws Over 2,000

More than 2,000 supporters of mental health parity gathered at the United States Capitol on June 6th to urge Congress to pass the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S.543/H.R. 4066). Sponsored by Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) and Representatives Marge Roukema (R-NJ) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), the bill requires group health plans that provide mental health benefits to do so without arbitrary limits that differ from limits on medical/surgical care.

The legislation, which as of June 6th had 66 cosponsors in the Senate and 232 cosponsors in the House, is supported by over 200 national organizations, including APA, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Federation of Teachers. The rally was sponsored by the coalition known as the Mental Health Liaison Group, of which APA is a leader.

Texas Psychologist Appointed to Presidential Commission on Mental Health

In late May, President George W. Bush appointed Texas psychologist Deanna F. Yates, Ph.D., to the newly created Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

The 15-member commission, headed by Dr. Michael Hogan, Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, is charged with studying the mental health care delivery system in the United States, including public- and private-sector providers, and advising the President on methods of improving the system.

Yates’ nomination was strongly supported by the APA. A private practitioner in San Antonio since 1992, Yates specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents, with much of her work centered in the areas of mood disorders, anxiety disorders and developmental disorders. Yates is also the president-elect of the Texas Psychological Association.