Cover Story
With 85 continuing-education (CE) workshops and more than 200 CE sessions, this year's convention offers new insights for every practitioner. Particularly of interest are sessions on expanding your practice and weathering changes in the health-care market. Highlights include:
"Tools for Growth: Taking Control of Your Practice Finances," Aug. 15.
This session will review basic tools to help participants understand and track financial performance, protect the financial health of their practices, and work smarter rather than harder. Presenters will devote special attention to how practitioners'own feelings about money affect their practices and the effective use of financial and operating data. The session is sponsored by the American Psychological Association Practice Organization, with support from CAPP and Div. 31 (State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs). Participants: David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, APA's Practice Directorate and Nancy G. Moore, PhD, of the Kentucky Psychological Association.
"Pay-for-Performance: Quality Improvement Programs in the Marketplace," Aug. 15.
Pay-for-performance (P4P) and other "quality improvement" programs are already widespread in medical settings and are increasingly being applied to mental health services. This workshop will focus on how P4P programs affect psychologists and their clients. Participants: Elena Eisman, PhD, of the Massachusetts Psychological Association; Katherine Nordal, PhD, of APA's Practice Directorate; and Ann M. Doucette, PhD, of George Washington University.
"Future of Professional Practice in Psychology: Seeing the Glass as More than Half-Full," Aug. 16.
This panel discussion will offer perspectives on professional practice in health-care delivery systems, institutional practice, public policy, organizational settings and when transitioning from clinical settings to consulting. The discussion will provide practitioners (both health service providers and applied psychologists) with information on how to carve out rewarding psychology careers. Participants: Nabil H. El-Ghoroury, PhD, Case Western Reserve University; William Pate, APA's Center for Workforce Analysis and Research; Barbara T. Roberts, PhD, Georgetown University; Vicki V. Vandaveer, PhD, The Vandeveer Group, Inc., Houston; and Sandra L. Shullman, PhD, Executive Development Group, Columbus, Ohio.
"Guidelines: Finding the Good, Avoiding the Bad," Aug. 16.
This symposium will describe the difference between treatment guidelines and practice guidelines as defined by APA. Presenters will describe development strategies and quality guideline evaluations, as well as relevant APA policy on guideline development. Presenters will discuss the implications of guidelines for professional practice and for the discipline. Participants: Bonnie Spring, PhD, Northwestern University; Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA's Practice Directorate; Nathalie Gilfoyle, JD, APA's Office of General Counsel; and David H. Barlow, PhD, Boston University.
The Parenting Coordination Pre-Convention Institute, Aug. 13, a day before convention begins.
Experts in parenting coordination (PC), risk management and ethics, and professional practice issues will discuss practicing as a parenting coordinator, emerging issues affecting the profession, risk management and malpractice for psychologists in the role of parenting coordinators. Participants: Gerald Koocher, PhD, former APA President; Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, parenting coordination expert; Matthew Sullivan, PhD, parenting coordination expert; Giselle Hass, PsyD, clinical director, APA-PC program; Eric Harris, JD, EdD, APA Insurance Trust; Eric Y. Drogin, JD, PhD, ABPP, chair, Committee on Professional Practice standards APA PC Guidelines; Robert Barrett, PhD, chair, clinical psychology programs, Argosy University, Stephen J. Lally, PhD, ABPP, associate dean, Argosy University; Steven M. Harner, PsyD, APA consultant; Stephen Behnke, JD, PhD, director, APA Ethics Office; Lindsay Childress-Beatty, JD, PhD, deputy director, APA Ethics Office; Shirley Ann Higuchi, JD, assistant executive director, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, APA Practice Directorate; Alan Nessman, JD, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, APA Practice Directorate.
