Submit proposals for child and adolescent mental health award

APA's Board of Educational Affairs seeks nominations for a new biannual award, the Distinguished Contributions for the Education and Training of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Psychologists Award.

The award recognizes postdoctoral training programs and APA- or Canadian Psychological Association-accredited doctoral and internship programs that prepare trainees to promote the optimal development of child and adolescent mental health within the context of families, schools or communities.

Submissions must include a program description and a description of the program's pioneering education and training practices related to child and adolescent mental health. Programs should provide documentation of exemplary education and training initiatives that transform mental health practices or policies for children and adolescents and that reflect proactive leadership in the development of best practices in one or more of the following areas:

• Evidence-based practices.

• Services research.

• Policy development and evaluation.

• Program development and evaluation.

Proposals are due April 30. Mail them to Joan Freund, Office of Graduate and Postgraduate Education, APA Education Directorate, at the APA address, or send proposal as an attachment via e-mail. For more information, visit www.apa.org/ed/graduate/distinguished.html.

APA president recognizes psychologists' achievements

APA President Gerald P. Koocher, PhD, awarded three psychologists presidential citations at the APA-sponsored Expert Summit on Immigration in San Antonio on Feb. 2.

• Mary Bray Pipher, PhD, was recognized for her work as a facilitator in the resettlement of refugees. Leading by example, Pipher emphasizes the importance of psychologists breaking away from their traditional mindsets to enable them to cross-cultural divides and better serve the needs of diverse populations.

• Carola Suárez-Orozco, PhD, received a citation for her professional and scholarly work focused on the psychological aspects of immigration, particularly for children andfamilies, and for effectively using her skills in a range of educational, health, policy-making and social contexts.

• Donald J. Hernandez, PhD, was recognized for his contribution to the health and well-being of immigrant children and their families. His work with the Marriage and Family Statistics Branch of the U.S. Census Bureau led to beneficial changes in data collection related to household formation and dissolution, family composition and change, children, marital status, marriage and marriage dissolution, and in tracking child well-being and children's family living arrangements.

Comment on programs up for accreditation review

APA's Committee on Accreditation is accepting testimony from students, faculty and consumers about all psychology training programs scheduled for 2006 and 2007 site visits and periodic reviews.

A list of the programs scheduled for review and those applying for initial accreditation, as well as instructions for providing comments and deadlines, can be found at www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. For details on providing testimony, refer to section seven of the Accreditation Operating Procedures at www.apa.org/ed/oprtgprcd.pdf. The list and instructions are also available by contacting APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at the APA address; (202) 336-5979.

HOPE volunteers can offer training on HIV/AIDS

The APA HIV Office for Psychology Education (HOPE) Program drew more than 120 participants to its National Training Conference in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 26–29. Participants in this national volunteer program offer training for mental health providers working with people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. They are diverse psychologists who have extensive experience in the areas of HIV-related mental health practice, research and education.

HOPE volunteers tailor trainings to meet the needs of a variety of participants, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical personnel, graduate students, caseworkers and substance abuse counselors. The HOPE Program is approved by APA's Office of Continuing Education in Psychology to offer continuing-education credits to psychologists if certain criteria are met.

For more information on the HOPE Program or to locate a volunteer trainer in your area, call Christopher Rowe, HOPE training director, at (202) 216-7603.

APA to co-sponsor National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect

APA will co-sponsor the federal Office on Child Abuse and Neglect's 16th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, April 16–21, 2007 in Portland, Ore. The office is housed in the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, which is headed by psychologist Wade Horn, PhD.

The meeting is the only national conference devoted to issues of child abuse and neglect and brings together more than 2,000 practitioners, policy-makers, community organizers and researchers for a week of plenary, workshop and skill-building sessions. APA has co-sponsored the five previous national conferences.

As a co-sponsor, APA actively participates in planning and implementing conference programming by recommending abstract reviewers, keynote and plenary speakers, and workshop presenters. More information will be posted closer to date at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/conferences/index.cfm.

Psychology Teacher Network invites submissions

The Psychology Teacher Network (PTN), a quarterly newsletter for teachers of introductory psychology published by APA's Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Education, is seeking contributions from psychologists.

All APA high school teacher affiliates and community college teacher affiliates, as well as subscribed undergraduate faculty, receive PTN. The current issue is posted online at www.apa.org/ed/topss/PTN_winter06.pdf.

PTN seeks contributions in the following areas:

• PTN articles—articles describing research or topics of special interest to psychology teachers.

• "Dear Doctor"—a column addressing challenging questions that will appear in future issues and include a response.

• Book reviews—reviews of publications that are particularly informative and useful for teaching about core concepts. Contact the Office of Precollege and Undergrad-uate Education to request book review guidelines.

• Activities—descriptions of teaching tips, activities and demonstrations.

Send PTN submissions to Martha Boenau, APA Education Directorate, at the APA address; e-mail.

Teen behavior bookmark now available

APA's Children, Youth and Families Office has produced English and Spanish versions of a bookmark titled "Yes, It's Normal for Adolescents to…" The bookmarks are geared toward helping parents understand their teens' behavior, and topics focus on typical adolescent behaviors including arguing for the sake of arguing, jumping to conclusions, self-centeredness and being overly dramatic.

For copies, contact APA's Children, Youth and Families Office at (202) 336-6045; e-mail.

Antibullying resource kit available

APA is partnering with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the "Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now!" campaign. In July 2004, APA adopteda resolution on bullying amongchildren and adolescents. Partnering in the HRSA campaign is one way the association is implementing this resolution.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and HRSA, the campaign is the largest U.S. effort to raise public awareness about bullying among 9- to 13-year-olds. The campaign aims to foster effective prevention efforts in schools and communities across the country by educating adults about bullying, its consequences and successful approaches to prevention and intervention.

A centerpiece of the campaign's mission is the "Stop Bullying Now!" Resource Kit. For hard copies of the kit, call (888) ASK-HRSA. A more extensive version of the resource kit is available online at www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov.

Access APA's Resolution on Bullying among Children and Adolescents at www.apa.org/pi/cyf/bully_resolution_704.pdf.

—E. Packard

Catherine Grus joins APA Education Directorate In November, Catherine L. Grus, PhD, joined APA as the associate executive director of professional education and training in the Education Directorate. Grus received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Nova University in 1993. For the last 10 years, she served on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Medicine, including eight years as the director of its internship program. Grus's experience "in the trenches" as a training director gives her excellent insight into her new position, she says. "It's the perfect transition because the issues I faced as a training director are the things I am dealing with now, just on a much larger level," she says. In her new position at APA, Grus will advance initiatives to support student training and the professional development of psychologists. "Cathi brings new energy and perspectives to the Education Directorate at a time when our profession needs to reinvent its education and training goals and structures," says Paul Nelson, PhD, deputy executive director of APA's Education Directorate. Currently, a big focus of Grus's new position is insuring that students' training prepares them to be competent practitioners. She is working with leaders in the field to develop a way to assess students' skill levels and to link what students learn in graduate training to what they learn as they continue their practica and internships. "Dr. Grus's expertise in program management and her national leadership in professional education and training are an asset to APA's agenda in advancing quality and innovation," says Cynthia Belar, PhD, APA's executive director in the Education Directorate. Grus is also overseeing an update of the office's Web site to make it easier for people to access information. She would also like to use newsletters and other publications to get the word out about the Education Directorate's activities and resources for students and professionals. One of Grus's responsibilities is to provide professional staff support to the Commission on Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). At APA's 2006 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Aug. 10–13, CRSPPP will provide two hours of discussion on the issue of specialization in psychology at a session titled "Specialties and Specialization in Psychology: What's in a Name." Each hour will feature a different panel of experts to lead the discussion. The first hour is on issues specific to education and training, while the second will address issues related to professional practice. —E. Packard

Provide feedback on PENS report At its February 2005, meeting, the Board of Directors voted to establish and fund the APA Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) to explore the ethical role of psychologists in national security-related investigations. The task force met in June and shortly thereafter issued a report. The report contains 12 statements that govern the involvement of psychologists in national security-related activities. In addition, the task force made 10 recommendations that were reviewed by APA's Board of Directors and Council of Representatives in August 2005. One recommendation of the PENS Task Force, endorsed by council at its August meeting, concerns writing a casebook/commentary with illustrative examples to demonstrate how the report's 12 statements are to be interpreted and applied in practice. All interested individuals and groups are encouraged to submit questions or comments regarding the task force report to APA, so that the PENS Task Force, working with the APA Ethics Committee, can be fully informed about questions and areas of uncertainty in order to write a casebook/commentary that provides as much direction and is as helpful as possible. The question/comment period will be through Dec. 31, 2006. Send questions/comments on the PENS Task Force report—or the names of others outside APA who might wish to do so—via e-mail, or to PENS, APA Ethics Office, at the APA address. View the PENS Report at www.apa.org/releases/PENSTaskForceReportFinal.pdf.

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