Update on school psychology coalition activities

At the April 7–11 American Educational Research Association meeting in San Francisco, members of the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education and Center for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE) staff reported on a number of ongoing coalition activities.

• Board of Educational Affairs member Jane Close-Conoley, PhD, dean of the University of California, Santa Barbara Gervitz School of Education, discussed the challenge of reconstructing the role of school psychology under the No Child Left Behind Act’s (NCLB) curriculum-based model.

• APA’s Rena Subotnik, PhD, and New York University Steinhardt School of Education Dean Mary Brabeck, PhD, discussed the application of the “standardized patient” medical model initiative to teacher-parent communication interventions.

• University of Louisville College of Education Dean Robert Felner, PhD, of Div. 27 (Society for Community Research and Action) presented an overview of the critical issues that led to the coalition’s initiative to develop a research agenda aligned with NCLB for the psychological sciences.

• Coalition Chair Scott Solberg, PhD, of Div. 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) described the group’s survey of more than 2,300 prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers regarding their perceived professional development needs. The coalition will present results from the APA Teachers’ Needs Survey Aug. 11 during APA’s 2006 Annual Convention in New Orleans. Survey results will also be available at www.apa.org/ed/cpse.

Committee on Aging seeks nominations

APA’s Committee on Aging (CONA) is accepting applications for two psychologists to serve three-year terms beginning in January.

CONA:

• Provides strong and visible advocacy for a scientific agenda on aging to policy-makers.

• Contributes to the formulation and support of public policies that enhance the availability of health and mental health services for older adults.

• Promotes optimal development of older adults, facilitates psychological practice with older people, expands scientific understanding of adult development and aging, and encourages inclusion of knowledge about adult development and aging in all levels of education.

• Offers consultation to APA groups and ensures that older members of APA receive the appropriate attention of the association.

CONA places a priority on maintaining representation within the committee’s membership that reflects the diversity of psychology and society, including individuals with experience in research, clinical training and practice, policy and advocacy, and education; early- and mid-career psychologists and those who are retired or employed less than full time; and diversity with respect to ethnicity, culture, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation and geographic location.

CONA requires selected candidates to attend two committee meetings, participate in bimonthly conference calls, work on committee priorities between meetings and participate in policy advocacy activities.

To receive the complete call for nominations, contact Deborah DiGilio, APA Office on Aging director, at the APA address; e-mail.

Review petition on psychoanalysis

The APA Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) has received a petition for renewed APA recognition of psychoanalysis as a specialty of professional psychology. The Psychoanalysis Synarchy Group, which comprises members and the governance of APA’s Div. 39 (Psychoanalysis), the Academy of Psychoanalysis and the American Board of Psychoanalysis in Psychology, is submitting the petition. The petition is available at www.apa.org/crsppp.

A 60-day period of public notice and opportunity for comment—which began June 1—is required prior to CRSPPP’s consideration of the petition. The deadline for comments is Aug. 1. For more information or to submit comments, contact Joan Freund, Office of Graduate Education and Training, APA Education Directorate, at the APA address; (202) 336-5967; e-mail.

Submit comments on record-keeping guidelines

The Board of Professional Affairs Committee on Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS) seeks comments on a proposed revision of the Record Keeping Guidelines, originally adopted as APA policy in 1993 (see the American Psychologist, Vol. 48, No. 9, pages 984–986). COPPS undertook the revision to keep the guidelines consistent with current practices and health-system needs, to reflect changes in the legal and regulatory environments, and to address the increasing use of electronic records.

The Record Keeping Guidelines educate psychologists who provide health-care services and provide a framework for making decisions regarding professional records.

COPPS seeks comments on the proposed revision, especially on the importance, relevance and adequacy of the prospective text. COPPS also seeks comments regarding the applicability of the guidelines for specific practice settings and specialties.

APA members, APA divisions, and state, provincial and territorial psychological associations can comment. The revised Record Keeping Guidelines document, instructions and comment form are at http://forms.apa.org/practice/recordkeeping/index.cfm.

Comments are due by Oct. 1.

Practice Directorate to host post-Katrina discussion

In conjunction with APA’s 2006 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Aug. 10–13, the 13th Annual Institute for Psychology in the Schools will take place at Tulane University Aug. 9, 1–5 p.m. Titled “Preparing for What Ifs and Other Unknowns: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Students Now,” the institute will recognize the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city’s schools and feature a discussion of what psychologists can learn from this disaster related to the everyday mental health needs of students in order to prepare students, schools and communities across the nation for unforeseeable tragedies.

The institute will include an hour-long bus ride through several of the city’s neighborhoods to allow participants to view the post-Katrina devastation and reconstruction. Several guest speakers will give their impressions of how Hurricane Katrina changed the city, its schools and students. The opening address will outline how the city plans to tackle the formidable task of rebuilding its schools.

A school psychologist, a teacher and a student from the New Orleans School District will then detail how Katrina has changed their schools. Monica Wertz, a principal in nearby Plaquemines Parish and the 2004 Louisiana High School Principal of the Year, will close the program with the keynote address. Wertz will share how important it is to address the mental health needs of students today, how her school has been altered and what psychologists in the schools should be doing to help prepare students to handle catastrophes by addressing students’ mental health in everyday settings. For more information, including registration forms, visit www.apa.org/practice/opas_reg.html or contact Beth Nichols-Howarth, program officer in APA’s Practice Directorate, at (202) 216-7609 or (202) 336-5858; e-mail.

Earn CE credits at convention

At APA’s 2006 Annual Convention, Aug. 10–13 in New Orleans, participants can choose from several pre-convention workshops and continuing-education (CE) sessions at which they can earn up to 28 CE credits.

Each pre-convention workshop is co-sponsored by an APA division and the APA Office on Continuing Education in Psychology. Pre-convention workshops include:

• “CBT and IPT: Two Empirically Supported Psychotherapies for Late-Life Depression,” sponsored with Div. 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and supported by the Clinical Geropsychology section of Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology).

• “Teaching the Psychology of Women,” co-sponsored by Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women).

• “Clinical Health Psychology Institute—Expanding Psychology Practice to Primary Health Care: Evidence, Skills and Issues,” co-sponsored by Div. 38 (Health).

To enroll, visit www.apa.org/ce and click on “Enroll now.” On-site registration for all workshops opens Aug. 9 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and continues at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel Aug. 10–13, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Join APA’s Continuing Education Committee

APA’s Continuing Education Committee (CEC) seeks nominations for four new members to begin three-year terms on Jan. 1.

The committee collaborates with the Office of Continuing Education in Psychology and the Continuing Education Sponsor Approval System to develop policy and program recommendations for the association’s continuing-education (CE) program. The committee’s tasks include:

• Developing and delivering CE programs and products.

• Providing educational and technical assistance to APA directorates, divisions, state associations and other sponsors.

• Collaborating with organizations that want to become APA-approved sponsors.

• Providing a review of all sponsors and organizations seeking APA sponsor approval.

• Identifying, promoting, implementing and evaluating research, development and innovations in CE.

CEC requires members to attend two committee meetings each year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA. Members also work on committee projects between meetings.

The committee seeks to assemble a diverse group of psychologists. It encourages nominations from individuals who are committed to the concept of lifelong learning, and is specifically looking for individuals with knowledge of or background in psychoanalysis, industrial and organizational psychology, neuropsychology or forensics, and psychologists involved with APA divisions and state or regional associations. CEC is committed to maintaining a diverse and broad representation from all groups and areas of psychology.

The nomination deadline is Sept. 1. To apply, send the nominee’s curriculum vitae and a letter stating the individual’s interest in serving to Karen Kanefield, Sponsor Approval System, at the APA address; e-mail.

—E. Packard

Nominate psychologists for early-career committee APA’s Committee on Early Career Psychologists seeks nominees for two psychologists to serve three-year terms, 2007–2009, on the committee in two open positions: • Public Interest Slate. The nominee should have experience working with and the ability to advocate for groups represented by APA’s Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest on issues including racial and ethnic diversity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disabilities and international issues. • Practice Slate. The nominee should have experience and involvement in advancing and advocating for the professional practice interests of early-career psychologists in all settings. The Committee on Early Career Psychologists seeks to: • Research, organize and institute initiatives to increase the number of student affiliates who transition to full-member status, as well as the number of early-career psychologists joining the association for the first time. • Collaborate on recruitment and retention initiatives of the APA Membership Committee. • Support the development and enhancement of mechanisms to increase participation in APA divisions and state, provincial and territorial psychological associations among early-career psychologists. • Promote greater awareness of the benefits of APA membership for early-career psychologists and work to expand those benefits. • Represent the interests and concerns of early-career psychologists throughout APA governance and the central office. Nominees must be within seven years of the receipt of their doctorate on Jan. 1, 2007. In addition, nominees must be able to attend mandatory meetings in Washington, D.C., in March and October. Meeting expenses are reimbursed by APA. Applicants should expect to spend a minimum of five hours per week engaged in committee activities, much of it via e-mail and phone conferencing. The committee urges nominators to consider diversity of ethnicity, age, gender and expertise in choosing nominees. All nominations should include a statement of interest from the nominee and a current curriculum vitae. Self-nominations are accepted. Nomination materials are due Aug. 31. Send nomination materials or forward questions to Dee Valencia, senior director of membership and convention marketing, via e-mail or fax to (202) 216-7628.