Join Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology

APA’s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP) seeks nominations for two psychologists to begin serving three-year terms on Jan. 1.

The committee’s mission is to promote the:

• Psychological well-being of people with disabilities.

• Inclusion of knowledge about disabilities and disability issues in education, training programs, policies and professional development of psychologists.

• Development and implementation of psychological service delivery modes responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.

• Awareness of disability in psychological research as well as specific research activity in disability areas.

Current CDIP activities include developing disability-related resolutions, increasing the visibility of disability in APA and addressing barriers to psychology training and practice encountered by individuals with disabilities.

CDIP seeks psychologists with disability-related academic, clinical or research experience. The committee strongly encourages applications from those who have a disability (visible, invisible or due to a chronic health condition or injury) or those with personal experience with disability. The committee also actively recruits ethnic-minority psychologists and those who are members of other underrepresented groups. Nominations are open to APA members who are retired or employed less than full time.

CDIP members must be full members of APA and attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA. Members also work on projects between meetings and are encouraged to attend APA’s Annual Convention.

To apply, send a current curriculum vitae and a statement of interest and qualifications to Anju Khubchandani, Office on Disability Issues in Psychology, at the APA address; e-mail. Applications must be received by Aug. 31.

Student volunteers can attend PPA convention for free

Psychology graduate students can earn free registration to the upcoming Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA) Annual Convention by volunteering at the meeting. PPA will cover the registration costs of students who work for at least four hours in the registration area at the conference, which will be held June 14–17 in Harrisburg, Pa.

Free registration also entitles students to attend any of the meeting’s continuing-education workshops at no cost, as well as a student networking reception on June 16 at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Peggie Price, Pennsylvania Psychological Association administrative assistant, at (717) 232-3917; e-mail.

Apply for APAGS committee positions

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) seeks applications from APAGS members for a one-year term on APA’s Committee on Accreditation beginning in January 2007. APAGS also seeks applications from APAGS members for a two-year term as the APAGS liaison to APA’s Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance beginning this fall. Visit www.apa.org/apags for application dates and information.

Learn to navigate the internship application process

APAGS will host an internship workshop on Aug. 9 prior to APA’s 2006 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Aug. 10–13. The workshop will offer students tips on finding a psychology internship, completing the application and navigating the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers Match process. Participants will receive a free copy of “Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Match” (APA, 2004). Registration costs $25 for APAGS members and $30 for nonmembers. Registration after July 15 is $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.apa.org/apags/convention/weds06.html.

Join an APAGS subcommittee

APAGS is currently accepting applications for members of three subcommittees: the APAGS Convention Committee, the APAGS Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, and the APAGS Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs. The deadline to apply is Sept. 1. Visit www.apa.org/apags/getinv/subcom.html for details and application requirements.

Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns seeks nominations

APA’s Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC) is accepting nominations for two psychologists to begin serving terms on Jan. 1. The six-person committee serves staggered three-year terms.

Nominees should have experience or expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Policy and advocacy.

• Research with lesbian, gay and bisexual populations.

• State psychological associations.

• Youth, couples and families.

• International issues.

The committee welcomes nominations of ethnic-minority psychologists, bisexual psychologists, psychologists with disabilities, transgendered psychologists and other psychologists who are members of underrepresented groups.

APA requires committee members to attend two meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA.

To apply, send a curriculum vitae and statement of the nominee’s interest in, and qualifications for, the committee to CLGBC Nominations, Public Interest Directorate, at the APA address; e-mail. The nomination deadline is Aug. 31.

Students visit Supreme Court through APA program

This spring, three gifted high school students heard cases argued at the U.S. Supreme Court and met Justice Stephen Breyer through APA’s APEX Project. APEX is a yearlong mentoring program run by APA’s Center for Gifted Education Policy. The three students—Neveen Mahmoud, of The Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pa., Prateek Kumar, of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and J.I. Canizares, of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md.—visited the court with their APEX program mentor or “master,” Stanford University Law School professor Alan Morrison, PhD, JD. APEX is supported by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. For more information on the program, visit www.apa.org/ed/apexproject.html.

Register for CE workshops

APA’s Office of Continuing Education in Psychology will hold two pre-convention workshops prior to APA’s 2006 Annual Convention in New Orleans. Both workshops will be held on Aug. 9 at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel.

• “CBT and IPT: Two Empirically Supported Psychotherapies for Late-Life Depression,” 8 a.m.–3:50 p.m., is co-sponsored with Div. 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and the Clinical Geropsychology section of Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology). Presenters will review two empirically supported treatments of depression in older adults: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). Presenters will discuss common problems in the use of these treatments and ways to address those problems.

Enrollment is limited to 75 people, and participants are eligible for seven continuing-education (CE) credits.

• “Teaching the Psychology of Women,” 1–5 p.m., is co-sponsored with Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women).

Presenters will offer ideas, resources and the opportunity to discuss how to create a rich, more diverse and more dynamic learning environment for all students. The workshop is designed for beginning faculty and seasoned instructors who teach or are interested in teaching more inclusive psychology of women and gender courses.

Enrollment is limited to 40 people, and participants are eligible for four CE credits. Participants can register in advance or on-site. For information on enrollment and fees, visit the CE office Web site at www.apa.org/ce or call (800) 374-2721, ext. 5991. The deadline for advance registration is July 7.

ACT Against Violence announces CE workshop

The Adults and Children Together (ACT) Against Violence Training Program is hosting an intermediate workshop called “Violence Prevention in the Early Years” on Aug. 12, 1–4:50 p.m., during APA’s Annual Convention in New Orleans. APA, in collaboration with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, developed ACT as a national antiviolence initiative that emphasizes the importance of early prevention and is designed to educate parents and communities to create safe environments that protect children from violence.

The workshop will review the research-based rationale for early violence prevention, introduce participants to the ACT Against Violence program, review risk factors and consequences of violence in children’s lives, and improve participants’ knowledge about violence-prevention skills such as anger management and media literacy.

ACT seeks applicants who are interested in early childhood and violence prevention, work as consultants, administrators or staff with organizations or agencies that provide services for families and children, or are involved in violence prevention in their community. Enrollment is limited to 25 participants.

To register for this convention CE workshop, visit www.actagainstviolence.com/about/training/index.html or contact Marcia Segura at (202) 336-5691. For information about the ACT program, contact ACT Program Director Julia Silva at (202) 336-5817; e-mail.

—E. Packard

APA examines value for member dues Membership recruitment, retention and engagement were the focus of a one-day Membership Summit attended by over 50 representatives of APA governance groups in early April. The summit, the brainchild of the APA Membership Committee and the Policy and Planning Board, was designed to identify strengths and weaknesses in the association’s ability to attract, engage and retain members across the association’s many subfields. Summit attendees worked in breakout groups to address such questions as: What do your constituents value most about APA? What are the most serious barriers to initial and/or continuous membership in APA? What can APA and your board/committee do to make membership more attractive/worthwhile to your colleagues? Several themes emerged from the groups’ discussions: What was most valued by members? APA’s information and scholarly and career-development resources. What was an area of concern? The cost and perceived value of dues. Among many possible actions discussed during the summit were ways to deliver more value for members’ dues as well as programs to make APA membership a less impersonal experience. “Members have stated that they want value and service for their dues and an organization that is relevant to their interests,” says John D. Robinson, EdD, chair of APA’s Membership Committee. “Value and engagement are key elements in retaining our members and engaging them in the activities of the association, as well as those of the APA divisions and/or the state, provincial and territorial associations.” The summit proceedings will be captured in a narrative report and will be the basis for a strategic plan for membership recruitment, engagement and retention. The narrative report is expected to be completed by May 30. For copies, contact Membership. In its 2004 report, the Policy and Planning Committee identified membership as an area in which the association faced immediate challenges. While the association enjoyed membership growth in the 1980s and 1990s, that growth has slowed. Full members of the association still retain their membership at high rates (approximately 88 percent of members renew every year), but membership renewal rates among students and early-career members are lagging. At the current pace, approximately 4,500 new members join APA each year, but they are replacing members who leave the discipline, retire or choose not to renew their membership. “We must recognize that psychologists have opportunities to join many specialty societies and that membership in APA is not a given,” says APA CEO Norman B. Anderson, PhD. “We are therefore committed to increasing the value of an APA membership both by the services we deliver to members and by our unparalleled advocacy work on behalf of the discipline. We want to make membership in APA something essential for every psychologist.” —R. Farberman

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