Building Community
Steve Gravenkemper, Ph.D.

Wow! What a great year for building community within the Society of Consulting Psychology this has been! The sense of enthusiasm, engagement and camaraderie demonstrated by SCP members and the leadership team this year has been inspiring! Recently launched membership initiatives have accelerated momentum and significantly contributed to community building within the Society.

Examples of these member initiatives include:

  • Shared Interest Groups: There are now over 100 members who are involved in these groups, including our two newest SIGs: Executive Coaching and Women in Consulting.
  • Distance Learning Programs: Fifty members from across the country participated in virtual knowledge sharing and earned CE credits.
  • Electronic Membership Bulletin Board: Launched and overseen in February by Dan Fisher, this member resource provides an ongoing dialogue on key practice topics including assessment instruments, coaching and ethical issues.
  • SCP's Job Board: Championed by Paul Winum, this job board lists employment opportunities available to members.
  • APA Conference CE credits: Three SCP conference programs have applied for CE credit under the leadership of Sheila Kampa, our APA Conference Chair.

The 2005 Mid-Winter Conference team of Stewart Cooper, Diana Gordick, Steve Kincaid, Greg Pennington & John Blattner created several exciting member programs for this year's past conference in San Antonio.

  • Town Hall Meeting: Approximately 200 members participated in an interactive Large Groups Method exercise, facilitated by David Brewer and Phyllis Watts, soliciting input and suggestions for SCP current and future member initiatives.
  • Ambassador Program: Over 50 first-time conference attendees participated in this program to welcome them and provide an insiders' orientation to the conference.
  • Seasoned Consultants Dinner: Forty of our seasoned consultants with 15+ years of consulting experience participated in a dynamic and intimate exchange the evening before the Conference began.
  • Future Imperatives in Leadership Development: Sixty of our members participated in this interactive pre-conference event with senior HR professionals exploring emerging trends in leadership development.

Engaging members has been the key this year in successfully building and strengthening the Society of Consulting Psychology community! It has been my pleasure to serve as President!

I hope that you can join us in Washington D.C. this summer at the APA Conference where we have an exciting program prepared. If not, please keep up-to-date regarding the latest events in SCP by regularly checking our website: www.apa.org/divisions/div13.

Best regards,



Steve Gravenkemper, Ph..D.
President, Society of Consulting Psychology
Steve.Gravenkemper@plantemoran.com