Volume 39, No. 8 September 2008
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Monitor on Psychology Volume 39, No. 8 September 2008 |
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APA News Military psychologists address APA's Board of Directors The demand for psychological services for military personnel and their families is high and growing, according to three senior military psychologists who addressed the APA Board of Directors at its June meeting. Col. Bruce Crow, PsyD, clinical psychology consultant to the U.S. Army surgeon general, Col. James Favret, PhD, psychology consultant to the U.S. Air Force surgeon general and Capt. Martin Petrillo, PhD, specialty leader for clinical psychology for the U.S. Navy surgeon general, thanked APA for its support of psychologists working to deliver care to service personnel and their families and discussed the military's efforts to learn more about the long-term effects of combat, as well as the risks and protective factors for post-traumatic stress disorder. About 20 percent of military personnel who serve in a combat zone experience PTSD symptoms, said Crow. "We want to study the resilience skills of the 80 percent who do not," he said. The presenters also discussed the recruitment and retention challenges faced by all three services, which have only about 75 percent of their available psychologist positions filled. All three agreed that special bonuses and incentive pay for military psychologists are critical to meet the increasing demand for mental health care and encouraged APA to continue its strong advocacy directed at Congress and the Defense Department in support of these financial incentives.
Attend an ACT Against Violence workshop APA's Public Interest Directorate Violence Prevention Office invites psychologists to submit applications to attend the ACT Against Violence train-the-trainers workshop, Nov. 6–8 in Washington, D.C. ACT is a research-based APA program that trains professionals to help families and communities to create violence-free environments for children and youth. The three-day workshop covers: • How to disseminate information on child development and the roots and consequences of violence in the lives of children. • Prevention skills, such as anger management, social problem-solving, positive discipline and media literacy. • Program implementation, evaluation, marketing and fund-raising strategies. The workshop offers 24 continuing-education units. The application deadline is Oct. 24. For more information and the application form, visit www.actagainstviolence.org, or contact Julia Silva, director, at (202) 336-5817 or e-mail.
Students: Present at APA's 2009 convention APA's 2009 Annual Convention is Aug. 6–9 in Toronto. Hot topics to be presented at convention include balancing professional and personal life, diversity in psychology training, mentoring and surviving the dissertation process. Proposals are due Dec. 1 and must be submitted online. Visit www.apa.org/apags/convention/cfp05generalinfo.html for additional information.
Nominations sought for ethnic-minority psychology awards The Council of National Psychologist Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests seeks nominations for the Henry Tomes Awards for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Psychology. These biennial honors will be presented at the 2009 National Multicultural Conference and Summit in New Orleans, Jan. 15–16. The 2009 Tomes Awards will recognize one American Indian/Alaska Native psychologist in each of these two categories: • A senior-career Alaska Native/American Indian psychologist who has been in the field for 20 or more years and whose work demonstrates distinguished contributions for the empowerment of ethnic-minority individuals and communities. • An emerging or early career American Indian/Alaska Native psychologist who is within 10 years postdoctorate and whose work has influenced and demonstrates promise for distinguished contributions toward the empowerment of ethnic-minority individuals and communities. Nomination materials must include a nomination letter, three letters of endorsement and the candidate's curriculum vitae. Address materials to CNPAAEMI and send to the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs at the APA address by Oct. 1. For more information, visit www.apa.org/pi/oema/tomes_award.html.
Network and earn CE at correctional health-care conference The National Commission on Correctional Health Care will hold its national conference Oct. 18–22, in Chicago. The conference attracts psychologists and other professionals working to improve the quality of care provided in the nation's prison and juvenile detention and confinement facilities. APA supports the commission and allows the organization to offer continuing education for psychologists. Attendees can earn up to 32 hours of credit. Visit www.ncchc.org/education/index.html for additional details and registration materials.
Tap the Eysenck Memorial Fund Apply now for the 10th annual H.J. Eysenck Memorial Fund award, which supports research on personality and individual differences in psychology. Applications should include a summary of the proposed or ongoing research, its significance and results to date if appropriate; a description of the purpose for which the award is required; a financial breakdown of how the award is to be spent; an up-to-date CV with photograph; and the names and addresses of two referees familiar with the research and a description of how the applicant learned about the award. Four copies of the application should be sent to The Trustees, The H.J. Eysenck Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 27824, London, U.K., SE24 0WE. The submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2009. The winner will be notified by May 1. For more information visit http://freespace.virgin.net/darrin.evans/. About 20 percent of military personnel who serve in combat experience PTSD symptoms, Col. Bruce Crow told APA's Board.
Cast your ballot Mark your calendar to vote for the 2010 APA president. Balloting will begin Oct. 15. The election closes Dec. 1. Members will have the option to vote online or by mail. For information on the candidates, visit the June Monitor at www.apa.org/monitor/2008/06/candidates.html.
AIDS activist visits APA Vietnamese HIV-prevention activist Bui My Hahn visited APA in June to talk about her path to activism as documented in the film "A Powerful Life," the story of three women activists: one from Vietnam, one from Mali and one from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Hanh learned that she had contracted HIV after her husband and 5-year-old daughter died from AIDS. To help herself heal, she started a self-help group in northern Vietnam called Immortal Flower, which offers counseling and health care to people living with HIV/AIDS. Hahn was invited to APA's offices on AIDS, Women, International Affairs and Ethnic Minority Affairs to speak about her life as a woman with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam who has gone against cultural norms and established an organization that helps individuals who are stigmatized. Hanh also conducts public-education workshops on HIV prevention throughout Vietnam as well as medical assistance to affected families.
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