Roxanne Manning, MA
APAGS
Member at Large, Practice Focus
Much attention has been focused on the need for graduate students to better
understand the business community and develop relationships with the business
world to enhance their effectiveness in the health care services marketplace.
While some of the discussion about business and psychology seems to center on
learning how to survive in an environment of managed care, one group of
psychologists at APA are moving in a different direction when they talk about
business. The Business of Practice Network (BOPN)—established by the Committee
for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP) to help the Practice
Directorate develop better relationships with businesses—is a network of
psychologists with representatives from almost every state psychological
association and a number of APA Divisions. Every spring, BOPN members meet at
the annual Practice Directorate State Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.
and share ideas and strategies for fostering such collaborative relationships.
As the APAGS liaison to BOPN, I was able to attend one such meeting and
participate in BOPN listserv discussions over the past year. The strategies and
activities that BOPN members are developing are things that every graduate
student would benefit from, simply by learning more about them.
The most recent activity of the BOPN is the development of
"Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards" (PHWA) programs in a number
of state associations. "The goal over time is for every state association
to be giving PHWAs to deserving businesses in their local community" says
David Nickelson, PsyD, JD, Director of Technology Policy and Projects in the APA
Practice Directorate. "If the network can reach that goal, then CAPP hopes
that the state PHWA winners could advance and compete for a national APA PHWA."
Businesses that choose to compete are evaluated on a series of criteria, such as
"Employee Involvement" and "Family Support." The initial
process involves promoting the award to businesses and inviting them to compete,
while the evaluation process includes site visits and conversations with company
leaders. Over time it is hoped that these initial conversations lead to these
and other businesses eventually calling on psychologists to help them identify
ways in which they can improve their work environment.
Many companies are interested in this award because it is great publicity for
the company and a unique point when recruiting new employees. These innovative
ways of marketing ourselves and interacting with the business world are exactly
what we, as graduate students, need to learn. The future of practice IS
changing, but it is not dying. The psychologists participating on BOPN are
living proof. If your program does not offer discussions on these issues, there
are many opportunities for students within your State Psychological Association’s
BOPN projects. State Association’s are eager to involve interested and
enthusiastic students in their activities. "The benefits of student
involvement are twofold," says Nickelson. "Students receive direct
supervised training and experience working in an applied business setting and
they have the opportunity to practice the application of their core clinical
skills in new and innovative ways."
This article first appeared in the Winter 2001 Edition of the APAGS
Newsletter, Vol. 13(1)
