ASSOCIATION NEWS

Two APA divisions have teamed up to widen the market for psychological services by educating consumers about the efficacy of seeing a psychologist. Divisions 29 (Psychotherapy) and 42 (Independent Practice) have developed a series of brochures to help practitioners educate the public about what psychologists do and how they can help people with important life issues.

'Many people won?t come into therapy unless they are invited into the possibilities of how psychology can help,' says Laurie Kolt, PhD, a national practice-building consultant and private practitioner in La Jolla, Calif., who is co-director of marketing for the project. 'This is exactly what we can do if we go out into our communities and know how to really reach the public.'

The series, Talk to Someone Who Can Help, offers brochures on eight topics: Separation and Divorce; Breast Cancer; Attention Deficit Disorder; Serious Illness; A Parent?s Guide to Psychotherapy with children and Adolescents; Aging Today; Managing your Difficult Child; and Heart Disease.

Each brochure outlines a specific life issue and describes how psychologists can help. For example, 'Breast Cancer' describes the myriad effects the disease has on the individual and the family and addresses how psychologists can assist with medical decision-making, coping with treatment, helping the family and long-term recovery.

As part of the brochure project, Divisions 29 and 42 are offering joint programming at APA?s 1998 Annual Convention in San Francisco. There will be four programming tracks:

? A track on treatment strategies for parenting and family relationship issues, Friday, Aug. 14, 11 a.m.?3:50 p.m.

? A forensic psychology track that offers insight on practice opportunities in the court system, Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m.?1:50 p.m.

? A track on women's health that covers treatment strategies for breast and ovarian cancer, menopause and infertility, Sunday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m.?1:50 p.m.

? A track on businesswomen that describes the ways practitioners can coach working women, Sunday, Aug. 16, 11 a.m.?4:50 p.m.

At the end of each track there will be a two-hour marketing workshop that covers how practitioners can use the brochures as marketing tools, create an annual marketing plan and target opportunities to market services.

Brochures can be ordered by mail and will be sold at the convention. A marketing package and list of additional resources for professionals and patients is included with every brochure order. Psychologists can put their names, addresses and phone numbers on the back of the brochures to use them as marketing tools.

The cost for 100 brochures for members of either division is $30, and the cost for 100 with printed name and address information is $50. The cost for APA members who are not members of Division 29 or 42 is $50 without the printed information and $70 with the printed information, and the cost for nonmembers is $60 without the printed information and $80 with the printed information.

The brochures are also available in quantities of 500 or 1,000, and in quantities of 50 without the printed information only. Contact: The Brochure Project, 3900 E. Camelback Road, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018-2684, (602) 912-5303, fax: (602) 957-4828.

Running Psychologists marks its 20th anniversary

Shortly after he completed the Boston Marathon in 1978, psychologist Ray Fowler, PhD, traveled to the APA Annual Convention in San Francisco and, while on a workout in Golden Gate Park, hatched the idea of an organization for psychologists who enjoy long-distance running.

'I did not know a single psychologist who ran,' says Fowler, now APA?s chief executive officer. 'But looking up at the windows of the huge hotels, I thought, ?There are probably a lot of psychologists who do. If there were only a way for us to locate each other.?'

That longing for athletic companionship inspired Fowler to form an organization known as the Running Psychologists, a group dedicated to promoting running in research and practice and a way for psychologists to stay healthy. The organization hosts a 5K race at APA?s Annual Conventions. (The first was in 1979 in New York City.) This year marks the 20th anniversary of the organization, and the race is being held in the same city where Fowler first conceived it.

Fowler says the interest in the organization was higher than he ever expected when he first sent out announcement inviting psychologists to join. 'I hoped the announcement would attract at least a few dozen members,' he said. 'It never occurred to me that I would get more than that each week for months until the numbers reached 800 and more.'

The group eventually ended up as an official part of APA?s structure when it became a section of Div. 38 (Health), and later many Running Psychologists members were among the founders of Div. 47 (Exercise and Sport).

This year?s Running Psychologists race begins at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16. The starting location was yet to be determined at press time. The entry fee is $20, and graduate students can register at the discounted price of $12. Runners can register at the convention during the Running Psychologists business meeting, at the Division Services booth in the main exhibit area, or at the starting area at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the race. Locations for those sites will be listed in the convention program.

In honor of the Running Psychologists? 20th anniversary, all registrants will receive tyvek jackets instead of the T-shirts that are normally given to participants. Awards will be given to the top three finishers in each age category, in addition to the first three places overall for both men and women.

A postrace breakfast will be served at the finish area, and all finishers will receive a medallion. Also, a Running Psychologists pasta party is planned for Friday evening, Aug. 14.

Typically, about 100 people participate in the annual race. The APA Insurance Trust regularly sponsors the event. Organizers are Art Aaronson, PhD, past president of the Running Psychologists, and Frank Webbe, PhD. Phil Pierce, PhD, is the current president of the organization and Joe Horvat, PhD, is president-elect of the organization.

For more information on Running Psychologists and the annual convention run, contact Frank Webbe, PhD, School of Psychology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32907, (407) 768-8104.

Earn your CE in San Francisco

Enroll now for the 62 workshops being offered for CE credit at APA?s 1998 Annual Convention in San Francisco. The workshops, sponsored by the APA Office of Continuing Education and the APA CE Committee, include sessions of interest to practitioners, academicians and scientists, and many sessions are filling rapidly.

A booklet providing detailed descriptions of each CE session was inserted in the May issue of the Monitor, and the descriptions are also posted on APA?s web page at http://www.apa.org/ce/workshop.html. Members can call (800) 374-2721 to enroll for workshops by phone or download an enrollment form from APA?s web page and fax the form to (202) 336-6151. In addition to convention workshops, three CE workshops offering credit are scheduled for Aug. 9 as part of the International Congress of Applied Psychology. Attendance at the congress is not a prerequisite for enrolling in the workshops.

For more information about all CE sessions, contact Macon Austin in the Office of Continuing Education, (800) 374-2721.

Ethics Code Task Force seeks critical incidents and comments on Ethics Code

The Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF) is moving forward with processes that will culminate in a revision of the 1992 APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (American Psychologist, Vol. 47, No. 12, [December 1992], pages 1597?1611; Also http://www.apa.org/ethics). For details of revision processes prior to the appointment of the ECTF, refer to American Psychologist for annual reports from the Ethics Committee. (The most recent: Report of the Ethics Committee, 1996. American Psychologist, Vol. 52, No. 8, [August 1997] pages 897?905).

The ECTF requests input from the membership regarding this important revision. Previously accepted comments, collected in an ongoing fashion following the publication of the 1992 Ethics Code, will be included with any new comments received as a result of this call. The ECTF seeks (1) feedback on the adequacy of its existing Ethics Code, as well as (2) recommendations for additional principles and standards to address areas currently not covered.

Possible areas for revised or new standards include (but are not limited to) the following: telehealth, electronic databases, and other new technologies; managed-care and other organized systems of care; media psychology; practice in institutional settings (e.g., schools, military, law enforcement); empirically supported treatments; practice with families and groups; supervision; multiple relationships and abuses of power (sexual or nonsexual) with current or former clients and students; forensic activities; and research, teaching, and practice with diverse populations.

For each comment you submit, describe a brief situation of which you have direct knowledge that provides a context for discussing how the components of the Preamble, the six General Principles, and/or one or more of the 109 Standards:

a) enhance or impair the ability of psychologists to conduct their work in an ethical manner,

b) protect (or do not protect) the public,

c) reflect (or do not reflect) the scope of psychologists? work-related activities,

d) are (or are not) clearly understood, and

e) are (or are not) enforceable.

If applicable, suggest wording for specific revised or new principles or standards that would address your ethical concerns.

Examples or descriptions that include personally identifying information about others will not be used.

Return responses to Ethics Code Revision June Call, APA Ethics Office, at the APA address, as soon as practical but no later than June 30. Please, provide your name, address, type of employment setting, gender and ethnicity.

Grants available for foreign institutions that seek access to APA?s literature database

Educational and research institutions in countries that have no access to PsycLIT can apply for grants that provide PsycLIT to the institution for one year. The grant program is offered in cooperation with APA?s CD-ROM vendors?Aries, EBSCO, NISC, SilverPlatter and Ovid. The PsycLIT CD-ROM provides access to worldwide journal literature from 1974 to the present, and English-language book chapters and book literature published from 1987 to the present.

Grant applications are judged on the following principles:

? Institutional setting. Donations are made only when APA is assured that PsycLIT will be controlled by a librarian in an educational or research institution and that the service will be readily available to all students and faculty in the institution.

? Need. Donations are made only to institutions that cannot afford to purchase the lease for PsycLIT. Institutions should provide a statement of need if need is not obviously demonstrated, for example, by location.

? Availability of computer equipment. Donations are made only to institutions that have centrally located computer equipment. The minimum requirements to run PsycLIT are an IBM or compatible 80386 personal computer; 640K of RAM; 10 MB available hard-disk space; MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or higher; MS-DOS CD-ROM Extension 2.1 or higher; one floppy- disk drive; ISO 9660 compatible CD-ROM drive and controller card; VGA monitor; and a parallel port for a printer (if desired).

? Commitment to the program. Donations are made only to institutions that will commit to continue the lease of PsycLIT. Some leases may be extended for one year, but an institution should demonstrate a long-term commitment to purchase PsycLIT annually when the grant lease expires.

? Geographic distribution. APA wants to make the CD-ROM available to the widest possible geographic area, particularly to the developing world and countries with currency restrictions.

Institutions must meet the criteria defined by these principles to qualify for the grant program. Awards will be made to institutions only in countries that do not have access to PsycLIT. PsycLIT is updated quarterly on compact disks that must be returned when the update is completed. The award does not include computer equipment, and all compact disks must be returned when the lease expires.

Institutions are chosen by the Journal Donations Review Committee, a subcommittee of APA?s Committee on International Relations in Psychology. To apply, submit a letter from the institution librarian that outlines the institution?s need based on the donation principles and describes the computer equipment the institution will use to operate the program. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Send applications to the Office of International Affairs, International PsycLIT Donations Program, at the APA address, fax: (202) 336-5919; e-mail

Nominate members for APA committee on disability issues

Research psychologists and practitioners with expertise in disability issues and advocacy are encouraged to apply for positions on APA?s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP), which advocates for the fair treatment of people with disabilities. The committee seeks three new members to serve three-year terms that begin Jan. 1.

CDIP?s mission is to promote:

? The psychological welfare of people with disabilities.

? The inclusion of information about disabilities and disability issues in the education, training and professional development of psychologists.

? The development and implementation of psychological service delivery modes that are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.

? The awareness of disability in psychological research and to encourage specific research activity in disability areas.

CDIP gives strong priority to applicants with a disability or a chronic health condition. The committee also encourages applications from ethnic minorities, gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals with disabilities, and people living with AIDS.

Members are required to attend two CDIP meetings each year in Washington, D.C., with travel and housing expenses reimbursed by APA. Members work on CDIP projects between meetings and are encouraged to attend APA?s Annual Convention each year. Travel and housing expenses for the annual convention are not reimbursed by CDIP.

To nominate, submit the nominee?s curriculum vitae and a letter stating the nominee?s interest in serving on CDIP. Self-nominations are encouraged. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 1. Send nomination materials to Anju Khubchandani, Staff Liaison to the Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology, at the APA address. To request additional information or to request this information in an alternative format, contact Anju Khubchandani at (202) 336-6038, (202) 336-5662 (TTY).

Committee on Psychology and AIDS seeks two new members

Psychologists with expertise in dealing with HIV/AIDS issues as a researcher, practitioner, educator or policy advocate are encouraged to apply for APA?s Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA). COPA seeks candidates with expertise in HIV prevention and treatment for injection drug users, non-injection substance users, adolescents (especially young women of color) and persons living with HIV in rural areas. COPA is also interested in assembling a diverse group of psychologists, and encourages nominations from persons of color and persons who are openly living with HIV. The two-year terms for the new members begins Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31, 2001.

COPA is an ad hoc committee that reports directly to the APA Board of irectors. The committee?s mission is to guide the development and implementation of APA?s organizational response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to pursue the following objectives:

? To educate psychologists and society about the unique ways psychology can contribute to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

? To encourage and support psychologists in their efforts toward eliminating this epidemic through effective strategies of preventive education and intervention.

? To stimulate behavioral research in areas associated with HIV prevention and mental health services for persons affected by HIV/AIDS.

? To link APA, behavioral researchers, medical researchers and community-based organizations to coordinate and improve HIV-related research and mental health services.

? To develop educational resources about HIV/AIDS for APA members and the public.

? To provide guidance and direction for APA HIV/AIDS advocacy activities at federal, state and local levels; and,

? To serve as an oversight committee for APA Office on AIDS activities.

COPA members are required to attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA, and to participate in interim conference calls.

Between meetings, members are expected to work on COPA projects, provide consultation to APA?s Office on AIDS staff and participate in advocacy activities.

To nominate, submit a curriculum vitae and a letter that outlines the nominee?s qualifications and states a willingness to serve on COPA. Self- nominations are encouraged.

The deadline for nominations is Aug. 20. Send nomination materials to Ann Rutherford, Office on AIDS, at the APA address.

Nominate colleagues for seats on APA?s Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns

Nominations of members who are interested and experienced with lesbian, gay male and bisexual concerns are encouraged for two positions on APA?s Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC). The terms for the two new members begin in early 1999. The committee seeks candidates with the following qualifications:

? A continuing commitment to inclusiveness, including bisexual issues, issues of disability, aging and ethnic minorities.

? Expertise in psychological practice with lesbian, gay and bisexual people, particularly state psychological association experience.

? Interest in psychology and the law, especially in the area of emerging issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and communities.

The committee encourages nominations of ethnic minority psychologists and psychologists who are members of other under-represented groups.

The committee?s mission is to:

? Study and evaluate how to effectively address the issues and concerns of lesbian, gay male and bisexual psychologists.

? Encourage objective research in areas relevant to lesbian, gay and bisexual adults and youths, and the social impact of such research.

? To examine the consequences of stereotypes and inaccurate information about lesbian, gay and bisexual adults and youths in clinical practice.

? To develop educational materials for distribution to psychologists and others.

? To make recommendations on the integration of these issues into APA?s activities to further the cause of civil and legal rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual psychologists within the profession.

CLGBC reports to APA?s Council of Representatives through the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. The committee consists of three women and three men who are appointed for staggered terms of three years each. Committee members are required to attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA.

To nominate, submit a curriculum vita and a statement of the nominee?s interest in and qualifications for CLGBC. Self-nominations are encouraged. The deadline for nominations is Aug. 27. Send nomination materials to CLGBC at the APA address.

Members invited to respond to a petition for continued recognition of counseling psychology as a specialty

Div. 17 (Counseling) has submitted a petition for the continued recognition of Counseling Psychology as a professional psychology specialty. A period of public notice and an opportunity for members to comment on the petition is required before the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) will consider the petition. The period of public notice begins May 1. Copies of the petition are available from the Education Directorate. CRSPPP is accepting written comments until July 1.

For more information, contact Martha Braswell, Education Directorate, at the APA address, (202) 336-6140.

Nominate members for APA?s Committee on Women in Psychology

APA members who are interested and experienced in women?s issues are sought for two positions on APA?s Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP) that begin in January. CWP works with APA?s governance, APA membership, Div. 35 (Women) and other groups to collect information about the status of women and explore ways to expand the roles and functions of women in psychology.

CWP membership is divided into four areas of expertise: extensive governance experience, academic experience, clinical experience and science experience. New members are selected based on their qualifications and the slate requirements for that year. This term, the committee seeks at least one member with extensive governance experience and one member who is openly lesbian.

CWP members are required to attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, DC, with expenses reimbursed by the APA, and work an average of 10 hours each month on CWP projects. Members are also encouraged to attend a CWP meeting held during APA?s Annual Convention at their own expense.

To nominate, submit a curriculum vita and a letter from the nominee indicating a willingness to serve on CWP. Letters of nomination should describe the candidate?s specific qualifications relative to the above criteria. Self-nominations and nominations of members who are retired or employed part-time are encouraged. The deadline for the submission of nominations is Sept. 1. Send nomination materials to Susan Houston, APA Women?s Programs Office, at the APA address.

For more information on these news items, contact APA at 750 First St., N.E., Washington, DC 20002-4242.

APA talks to Congress about psychologists? prevention research

U.S. Rep. James P. Moran (D?Va.) (foreground) applauded APA for coordinating a Capitol Hill briefing on the 'Science of prevention: promoting health and well-being throughout life.' Moran, along with Sens. John Chafee (R?R.I.), Bob Graham (D?Fla.) and Rep. Jim Leach (R?Iowa) established the Congressional Prevention Coalition this winter to increase the priority for disease prevention and health promotion in health-care policy.

To help educate Congress about the role psychology plays in prevention research, APA invited several prominent prevention researchers and prevention research funding officials to speak (background, from right to left): APA president and prevention researcher Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, moderated the briefing. Former APA President and University of Vermont Professor Emeritus George Albee, PhD, explained that 'no disease has ever been treated out of existence' and that only effective prevention will work. JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, PhD, of the University of Rochester, spoke about successful prevention programs for children and families. W. Rodney Hammond, PhD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s Division of Violence Prevention (not shown) spoke about applying research to preventing violence.

And Norman B. Anderson, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, discussed how his office tries to coordinate prevention research among the NIH institutes and other federal funding agencies.

The Congressional Prevention Caucus hopes to implement some health promotion and disease prevention policies 'consistent with what APA has been promoting for years,' said Moran, who stopped by the briefing. 'Some of us realize the importance of your profession and your message,' he said 'I hope [APA is] very much a part of the Congressional Prevention Caucus.'

After the briefing, Seligman met with Leach to discuss the role of psychology in prevention, and Hammond met with Rep. Jim Greenwood (R?Pa.) to talk about violence prevention.
-Beth Azar

March raises the nation?s awareness of mental illness

Several thousand people joined 'Walk the Walk: For Lives Touched by Mental Health,' a march organized to celebrate mental health and dispel myths about mental illness. The walk was held May 2 in downtown Washington, D.C., as a kick-off to National Mental Health Month in May. The Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sponsored the event, and APA and other mental health organizations such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the American Psychiatric Association added their support. Several speakers addressed the crowd of mental health consumers, practitioners and supporters before the one-mile trek, such as Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, Nelba Chavez, PhD, the administrator of SAMHSA, and Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger, who spoke about his experience with clinical depression .

Tipper Gore, mental health policy adviser to President Clinton, Rosalynn Carter, chair of the Carter Mental Health Task Force, and Donna Shalala, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, served as honorary co-chairs of the walk. Organizers of the walk hope it will be an annual event.