President

Michael Addis

I am honored to be considered as a candidate for President of Division 51. As President I would prioritize accomplishing two goals. First, there is a clear need for growth in our membership. We are the leading organization in psychology devoted to clinical and research work on men and masculinity and we must continue to reach out to individuals and organizations who will diversify our membership and facilitate continued realization of our mission. Second, we need to find creative means for drawing on the strengths of both the clinical and research interests represented in Division 51. As leaders in the psychology of men and masculinity we cannot afford to fall into the perennial schism between research and practice. Our ability to enhance membership and influence policy at local and national levels will be enhanced by bridging our considerable expertise in both areas.

I believe that these two goals are consistent with the qualifications I would bring to the presidency. I have already begun to focus on enhancing membership in Division 51 both locally and nationally. As an Associate Professor in the Clinical Doctoral program at Clark University I have trained numerous graduate and undergraduate students with interests in the psychology of men and masculinity; their work is visible at our annual conference and in our division journal. At a national level, I recently led the development of a Special Interest Group on Men's Mental and Physical Health in the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (ABCT), an international organization with over 4500 members. This interest group is composed of students, practitioners, and researchers focusing on a wide range of clinical issues including PTSD, Substance Abuse, Violence, and others. We now have over twenty members, many of whom either are or will become members of Division 51 of APA.

In addition to my work in men and masculinity I have a longstanding interest in the relationships between clinical practice and research. Between 1997 and 2002 my research group was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to form partnerships with practitioners in Central Massachusetts to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders in a "real-world" setting. Our current work on masculinity and men's help-seeking behavior is also funded by NIMH and is focused on developing brief community-relevant interventions to reduce stigma and facilitate men's use of mental health services. In the context of this work we have published several articles and chapters on methods for drawing on the strengths of both practitioners and researchers to enhance the quality of mental health care.

I thank the members of Division 51 for considering my candidacy.

Christopher Kilmartin

I am honored, flattered, and humble to be considered for the presidency of Division 51. My priority as President would be to (continue to) put the Division on the map. The Psychology of Men and Masculinity has come of age, and we need to inform the mainstream of Psychology that we have something to offer to virtually every traditional subfield in the discipline. Too often, gender issues are at the margins of scientific analysis, and we would all benefit from placing them at the center of inquiry when indicated.

A large part of what gave rise to the birth of gender psychology was the realization that gender roles are sometimes limiting and damaging. My position is that the negative aspects of traditional masculinity harm women and men, in that order. We must move the division forward by better addressing social justice issues: heterosexism, gender-based violence, racism, economic inequality, and sexism. Doing so will better balance our attention to the special problems of men with a commitment to acknowledging heterosexual White men’s power as-a-group and working to address quality of life issues for everyone. Privilege is a central feature of the psychology of men and masculinity.

A few words about my background: I am a Professor of Psychology at The University of Mary Washington, author of several books on men and masculinity. In 2007, I will be the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Gender Studies at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. I have been involved in men’s studies since my graduate school days in the mid-1980s and look forward to the opportunity to serve in an organization in which I am a proud member.

Secretary

Chen Z. Oren, Ph.D.

I am honored to be considered for the position of secretary for Div 51. As a relative newcomer to this division, I have been struck with the sense of friendship, integrity, vulnerability, and honesty that I have found within SPSMM. I have had the good fortune of attending the past two winter retreats, and each time return home with a stronger sense of purpose and commitment to the significant issues we discuss.

I am core faculty in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Phillips Graduate Institute where I am finding relevance in looking at both men’s and women’s issues throughout my classes, particularly Gender and Sex Roles, Diversity, etc. As one of only two male faculty members, I am able to bring a new perspective to this setting. I find deep meaning in being able to expand future professionals’ awareness of gender issues in particular and men’s issues specifically. I am the doctoral project advisor for a student who is proposing research looking at new fathers’ affective experiences. Other students have become aware of my interest in men’s issues and now I am being sought out by students (predominantly male) who would like to pursue research in this area. I also maintain a part-time private practice where I work primarily with men, but also with women, couples and student athletes.

In summary, I am pleased to be running for the position of secretary and to have this opportunity to increase my involvement with Div 51.

David S. Shepard, Ph.D.

It’s an honor to be asked to run for reelection as Secretary of Division 51. My just-completed first term was both enjoyable and an invaluable learning experience. The pleasure was in serving the Division, participating in Board decision-making, and in having a voice in the conversation around the key issues the Board addresses. It was also very gratifying to deepen existing connections and develop new ones with fellow members. What I learned was, first of all, the process by which the Division pursues its mission of advocating on behalf of men and boys. Through the work of the Board, the Division is responding to new opportunities to inform public, governmental, clinical, and academic spheres about the ways in which boys’ and men’s emotional and physical health are affected by constricting role definitions. As Secretary, I also became more familiar with the workings of APA, developing connections with staff members and learning how to coordinate important Division efforts with APA policy.

I look forward to working with Larry Beer this year, my predecessor and mentor as Secretary; and next year with Mark Stevens, a Southern California neighbor and, along with Glenn Good, pivotal in fostering my interest in men and masculinity and in my joining Division 51. I have now been a member for almost a decade, and, as so many have said, experienced a remarkable sense of ease and welcome among its membership. If reelected, I will continue to serve the Division, continue to learn new ways to serve, and continue in my commitment to give something back.

Board Member at Large

Matt Englar-Carlson, Ph.D.

I am running for Board Member at Large as way to continue to serve the APA division that is my professional home. Members of D51 are my mentors, colleagues, and friends and I am motivated to contribute to the governance of the division.

Over the past seven years I have been an active division member, serving on the Editorial Board for The Psychology of Men and Masculinity, as a member of the working group to develop practice guidelines for working with boys and men, as D51 program chair for the Washington Conference, and currently as the D51 representative to the APA Divisions of Social Justice. My education includes graduate degrees in health psychology, counselor education and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Pennsylvania State University. I am currently faculty member in counseling at California State University- Fullerton.

Whereas I marvel at the work of this division, there are challenges ahead. As a smaller division, we need to attract new student and professional members yet maintain the intimate and supportive character of D51. The division can further embrace masculinities by reaching out to colleagues in Divisions 35, 44 and 45 to diversify our membership. Second, I believe that D51 can expand its role within APA and among other mental health professionals so that D51 is viewed as the focal point for information about healthy boys, men and positive models of masculinity. In that sense the Division can actively highlight and support the direct service efforts of members in their own communities.

Gary R. Brooks

Healthy organizations require both vitality and continuity. Without new members and new ideas, organizations become stale and lifeless. Without continuity, they lose commitment to their most basic ideals and purposes. I am once again seeking election to a Member-At-Large position in SPSMM because I believe I have a long-term perspective of our history and our mission, as well as a reasonably high level of vitality to carry out our work. Over our ten-plus years, we have forged a unique identity within APA as both a scholarly and a compassionate division. We have presented insightful new perspectives about masculinity, as well provided exciting new opportunities for relationships and interactions. I am extremely proud to have been part of this division’s past and I am deeply committed to seeing its influence broaden within the larger psychological community.

Our Division has established a solid membership base, but can easily expand its numbers without sacrificing its ideological principles. We would be richly rewarded, I believe, if we made a concerted effort to establish men’s studies interest groups within all regional and state psychological associations. Because our scholarship is eagerly received in academic settings, we need to continue attracting new members from psychology (and other) graduate programs. Our ideas of new masculinity seem especially fresh in many international settings and could easily stimulate multiple affiliate memberships from a wide geographical arena.

As I have noted previously, I think we need to continue the push to integrate our work with that of APA Divisions representing more marginalized groups – women, persons-of-color, gay/lesbian/bisexuals. Just as we invite membership into our division, we need to encourage our members to join and participate in Divisions 35, 44, and 45 in their efforts to counter sexism, racism, and heterosexism.

Finally, we need to continue to exert our influence within APA and the larger mental health community. Over the past few years, our members have developed or supported vital activities such as the “Teaching of Men’s Studies” CE Workshop, the “Country Boys” PBS program, the Mark Stevens therapy with men video, the therapy with men handbook, the “men and depression” NIMH Project, the SAMSA investigation of masculinity and alcohol abuse, and the vitally important new “guidelines for therapy with boys and men” project. By continuing to provide expertise for these projects, our division will further its mission of reshaping the interaction between men and the mental health community.

Over the past fifteen years, SPSMM has been a central aspect of my personal and professional identity. My commitment to this work will continue, regardless of its formal or informal status.

Member-at-Large (Woman)

Joan I Rosenberg, PhD

I am honored to be considered as a nominee for the Member-at-Large position in Division 51. Though new to Division 51, I am quite familiar with the issues and concerns of men and women regarding (our) respective and complex gendered experiences. I have been a psychologist since1986 and currently have primary responsibilities as a core faculty member in the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Phillips Graduate Institute; I also maintain a small private practice in west Los Angeles.

Gender issues from both men’s and women’s perspectives have always been an important part of my career. As an instructor I have taught courses with gender as the organizing focus of the course, or as a central experience to be considered in other courses (e.g. as part of a sequence of Diversity or practica courses). Likewise, I have either chaired or served as a committee member for several dissertations (e.g. exploring gender role strain with African American men) and doctoral projects (e.g. addressing metrosexuality in the context of multiple masculinities) with gender as the central component of the investigation. As a clinician, I similarly attend to gendered issues.

I have been serving as a board member for many years in Division II (Education and Training) of the California Psychological Association and also as part of the California Psychological Association Foundation board – both of these organizations are committed to training multiculturally competent practitioners. Consequently, my professional work (teaching, clinical practice, professional service) has always been concerned with sensitively keeping all of our diverse experiences, as men and women, and our multiply intersecting identities in focus.

I look forward to the opportunity to be of service at a national level and would be honored to serve as the Member-at-Large for Division 51. I welcome and appreciate your support. Holly Sweet

I am a psychologist in private practice in Brookline MA, a lecturer at MIT, and co-founder of the Cambridge Center for Gender Relations, a consulting firm which specializes in improving personal and professional relationships between men and women through non-blaming and experiential approaches. I have been an active member of Division 51 since its inception, and helped found and am now co-chair of the Massachusetts Psychological Association’s Special Interest Group on Men and Boys. I have spoken at numerous APA conventions about working clinically with men, have run CEU workshops in Massachusetts about the topic of men and depression, and received Division 51’s Practitioner of the Year Award last year.

I am currently interested in finding ways to establish great connection with other divisions at APA (particularly Division 35) and in creating greater public awareness of men’s issues, particularly undiagnosed and untreated depression in men and its impact on men’s relationships with others. I would like to see a greater alliance between clinicians and researchers in the area of treating men clinically, especially men from different ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. Finally, I would like to see Division 35 and 51 work together on a joint project this year on a topic of mutual interest such as the impact of traditional gender roles on relationships or couples counseling.

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