APA's volunteer fair reaches out to the community

Encouraging APA staff and employees in nearby office buildings to volunteer in the community was the aim of APA's Second Annual Volunteer Fair, held Sept. 25 at Psychology Plaza, the courtyard next to the association's headquarters.

Nearly 25 local organizations from the Washington, D.C., area set up tables and explained their organizations to would-be volunteers. Among the participating organizations were the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, D.C., Habitat for Humanity, Friends of Tyler School, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Literacy Volunteers of America, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

"The volunteer fair is intended to offer employees located in this area a chance to learn of community service opportunities--sometimes right in their very own backyard--and encourage them to get involved," says Aegina Doyen, chair of APA's employees' Diversity Activities Planning Group. "We hope that community involvement will lead to fun and experiential interactions with many diverse individuals."

Participate in the National Anxiety Disorders Screening Project

Psychologists are needed to host screening sites for the National Anxiety Disorders Screening Project (NADSP) scheduled for May 7.

NADSP provides volunteers with educational, planning and promotional materials needed to host screening sites, including a new educational film on social anxiety disorder hosted by Donny Osmond and a copy of the APA Practice Directorate's anxiety disorders fact sheet. The materials are available in hard copy and on CD-ROM.

NADSP is organized by Freedom From Fear, a nonprofit mental illness advocacy group. More than 500,000 individuals have been screened for anxiety and depressive disorders since the project was launched in 1994.

Psychologists who host screening sites are placed on Freedom From Fear's year-round referral network, which includes the toll free number (888) 442-2022 and the Web site freedomfromfear.org. The referral network is promoted through a national publicity campaign.

The registration deadline is Feb. 24. A one-time registration fee for participating psychologists is $100. For more information or to register, call Jeanine Christiana at (718) 351-1717, ext. 21; fax: (718) 667-8893; Web site: www.freedomfromfear.org and click on "Screening Program for 2003."

Sign up for National Alcohol Screening Day

APA and the APA Practice Organization's College of Professional Psychology are encouraging psychologists to participate in the fifth annual National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) on April 10.

NASD aims to focus public attention on alcohol problems, identify those in need, and connect people and their families with support and treatment services. This year's special focus is education about the consequences of at-risk drinking and alcohol's impact on health.

Participating psychologists receive a procedure manual, an educational video, publicity posters and screening forms with scoring instructions and referral guidelines to educate and screen community members for a range of alcohol problems.

Last year, screenings took place at 2,800 sites nationwide, more than doubling its reach from the previous year. Sites across the country include hospitals, mental health clinics, colleges, primary-care offices and public settings such as supermarkets, senior centers and libraries. For more information, contact Screening for Mental Health Inc. at (781) 239-0071 or visit its Web site at www.mentalhealthscreening.org.

Apply now for APA's Minority Fellowship Program

APA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is accepting applications for its fellowship programs in psychology and neuroscience. The programs are designed to stimulate research interest in ethnic-minority mental health, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS, and to provide financial support and mentoring to individuals pursuing doctoral degrees.

Applicants must be American citizens or permanent residents, enrolled full time in doctoral programs at the time the fellowships are awarded (mental health and substance abuse services applicants must be in APA-accredited programs), and demonstrate a commitment to a career in psychology related to research in ethnic-minority mental health, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS or neuroscience.

MFP Fellowship applications are accepted through Jan. 15. Applicants may download an application from the MFP Web site at www.apa.org/mfp, request an application via e-mail at MFP, or write to APA/MFP Fellowship at the APA address.

Submit your proposal for ethnic-minority grants

APA's Public Interest Directorate seeks proposals for the 2003 APA Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training in Psychology (CEMRRAT) grants. These small grants--which range from $1,000 to $5,000--are intended to serve as seed funds to support interested individuals, organizations and educational institutions committed to enhancing ethnic-minority recruitment, retention and training in psychology. Eligible applicants are state psychological associations, APA divisions, departments or schools of psychology, APA boards and committees, organized psychology entities, and individuals.

CEMRRAT is particularly interested in funding innovative start-up initiatives rather than maintaining ongoing projects. Applicants must be APA members at the time funds are awarded. Approximately three or four proposals will be funded under each of the following five priority areas on a first-come, first-served basis:

* Activities that promote development of training programs and professional development of faculty that improve services to linguistic minorities (non-English-speaking American populations.)

* Activities that serve to identify, demonstrate, document or disseminate math, science, and research education and training procedures and strategies (including distance learning) that result in increased achievement and retention of students of color, especially in scientific psychology areas.

* Activities that promote increased levels of multicultural competence in teaching, practice and research among psychology faculty. Individual professional development activities will be considered only if an applicant presents evidence of limited institutional support or resources for such activities.

* Activities for undergraduate and graduate departments and professional schools related to developing innovative strategies for recruitment, retention and graduation of ethnic-minority students in psychology. Applications that bear upon undergraduates and their matriculation to graduate programs in psychology are especially welcome.

* Activities that promote leadership skills and opportunities among ethnic-minority psychologists. These funds are targeted to APA governance groups, divisions and their respective sections, and other organized entities of psychology that wish to undertake such leadership training and development activities. Applicants will be expected to provide matching funds equal to the amount requested.

Applications will be accepted after Jan. 1. There is no standard application form. To apply, describe in no more than five pages the problem to be addressed and what is to be done, how these goals are to be accomplished, expected outcomes or findings, a project budget, and how the proposed effort is consistent with the CEMRRAT funding priorities. CEMRRAT funds may not be used to support travel, unless such travel is strongly justified and integral to project objectives.

For more information on the grants and funding available in each category or a copy of the Request for Proposals, contact Adisa Ajamu, APA's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, at the APA address; fax: (202) 336-6040; e-mail..

Nominate leaders in women's issues

APA's Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP) invites nominations for its annual Leadership Awards. These awards demonstrate CWP's commitment to ensuring that women receive equity within psychology and as consumers of psychological services, and that women's issues are kept at the forefront of psychological research, education, training and practice.

Nominees will be identified as "emerging" or "distinguished" leaders in one or more areas of influence: service provision, scholarship, public interest and service in psychology:

* "Emerging" leaders are psychologists who have received their doctorates within the last 15 years, have made substantial contributions to women in psychology and show promise of extensive, influential careers.

* "Distinguished" leaders are psychologists who have worked for 15 years or more after receiving their doctorates. They should have a long-standing influence on women's issues and be recognized leaders in their area of expertise.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 31. All nominations must include a statement of support for the nominee of no more than 500 words, six copies of a current curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference (six copies of each letter). Reference letters should address the nominees' leadership activities and contributions, and discuss how the nominee has advanced knowledge for and about women, fostered the understanding of women's lives, and improved the status of women and underrepresented populations of women in psychology and society.

Current CWP members, members of APA's Board of Directors, individuals who have announced candidacy for APA president and APA staff are not eligible. CWP members cannot make nominations. Award recipients are selected by CWP in March and will be announced at the 2003 APA Annual Convention in Toronto.

Send nomination materials to Leslie Cameron, Women's Programs Office, at the APA address.

Learn about policy through a yearlong internship

APA's Public Policy Office invites students to apply for its 2003-04 Public Interest Policy Internship Program, which provides a graduate student intern with first-hand knowledge of the ways psychology research can inform public policy and the roles psychologists can play in public policy.

The intern spends one year in APA's Public Policy Office working on a broad range of public interest issues, including children, youth and families, women, lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns, aging, ethnic minorities, AIDS, disabilities, media, and crime and violence. Activities include assisting in the preparation of briefing papers, testimony and other documents, and attending congressional hearings and coalition meetings.

Applicants must be enrolled in doctoral programs in psychology or a related discipline, in at least the second year of graduate training and able to work 15 to 20 hours per week at APA headquarters in Washington from September 2003 through August 2004. The internship provides a stipend of $14.50 per hour.

The deadline for applications is March 7. Applicants should submit the following materials: a current curriculum vitae that includes information about educational background and any relevant professional, public policy and legislative experience, a statement of 500 words or fewer expressing the applicant's interest in the internship and what he or she hopes to learn from the experience, and two letters of reference, including one from the applicant's academic department that confirms the applicant's enrollment and good standing with the college or university. Send materials to APA's Public Policy Office/Public Interest Policy Internship Program at the APA address.

For more information, visit APA's Public Policy Office Web site at www.apa.org/ppo/funding/pifell.html or contact the office at (202) 336-6062; e-mail: PPO.

Your dues are due

Members and affiliates need to send in their 2003 dues or fee payments and journal orders to ensure updated records and to take advantage of the member or student journal credits.

Prompt payment guarantees uninterrupted delivery of the Monitor on Psychology and American Psychologist.

Members who renew on time receive the APA membership card, which offers discounts on a variety of consumer services, as well as eligibility for APA's Insurance Trust programs, receipt of APA newsletters and a variety of other money-saving benefits.

Questions related to dues, fee payments or replacement statements should be directed to APA Membership, at the APA address; (800) 374-2721; (202) 336-5580; TDD: (202) 336-6123; fax: (202) 336-5568; e-mail: Membership

Send in your comments on 2003 site visits

APA's Committee on Accreditation is accepting comments from students, faculty and the general public on all doctoral programs and professional psychology internship and postdoctoral residency programs scheduled for a 2003 site visit and periodic review.

A list of the programs scheduled for review and the deadlines for filing comments can be found on APA's Web site at www.apa.org/ed/accred.html.

For details on providing comments, refer to the document "Procedure for Provision of Third-Party Testimony" at www.apa.org/ed/CoAPolicyImp.PDF.

Further information is also available by contacting APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at the APA address; (202) 336-5979.

Summer science, summer fun

Join a talented group of 32 undergraduate students for the weeklong Summer Science Institute (SSI), featuring nationally known experts in cutting-edge areas of psychological research.

APA's Science Directorate will host SSI 2003 at Washington University in St. Louis, June 14-22.

You'll receive hands-on lab experience, talk with graduate students, and get valuable career information.

Eligibility is strictly limited to college students who will be rising sophomores or juniors in summer 2003. Applicants need not be psychology majors, but should have had introductory psychology or equivalent preparation.

Participants will pay a $200 registration fee and provide for their own travel. Room, board, lectures and labs at the university are paid for by APA. A limited amount of scholarship support is available.

Applications must be received by Feb. 6. Information and applications are available online at www.apa.org/science.ssi.html.

--J. CHAMBERLIN