Web Site of the Month

?Web sites of the month? is a new department to help members better utilize the World Wide Web for their professional needs. It highlights the latest and noteworthy features on APA?s web site (http://www.apa.org), which was recently upgraded into a comprehensive database offering faster and easier access to information. ?Web sites of the month? also spotlights the best in psychology-related sites on the Internet.

The latest at APA?s site

APA Governance Page: (www.apa.org/governance)

APA members now have swift online access to the latest action by APA?s Council of Representatives, Board of Directors and other leadership bodies on its governance page. The site includes the minutes of board and council meetings, agendas for upcoming council meetings, a listing of APA board and committee members, results of recent APA elections, and association rules and bylaws.

Psychology International: (www.apa.org/ia/report.html)

Members interested in international issues should check out Psychology International, the APA International Affairs Office newsletter that has just been added to APA?s web site. Recent newsletter articles have covered such topics as human rights abuses in Hungary?s mental health-care system and Cuban psychologists? struggle to promote social change in their country. The publication also includes information about APA?s Div. 52 (International) and a calendar of psychology-related meetings around the world.

Professional PsychCrawler: (www.psychcrawler.com/plweb-cgi/fastweb?viewform)

An information database available only to APA members, Professional PsychCrawler is the professionals? version of APA?s PsychCrawler, the search mechanism that links members to information in the web site database.

PsychCrawler allows you to search for information on key concepts, such as ?depression? or ?managed care.? It can also expedite online research through an interactive feature known as feedback searching, which allows you to incorporate results from one search into a more refined or targeted follow-up search.

PsychCrawler also features ?advisors??tools that serve as online assistants. As part of the feedback process, you can use the advisors to gain more information about the database?s contents. For instance, the ?relate? advisor can suggest search terms or keywords that you might never have considered: It produces a list of words that are related to the keywords in your current query. And the ?fuzzy match? advisor scans the database for words with spelling similar to that of the query term. It can help you find the correct spelling for a query word or term, and find misspellings or variants of the word in the database.

PsychCrawler also offers field-restricted searching, which allows you to focus your search on one or more specified fields of study, such as psychology or psychiatry.

Professional PsychCrawler can be accessed through the ?online member services? list on the APA site map, or by pointing your browser to members.apa.org/pltst-cgi/fastweb?searchform+PCPro.

Other helpful web sites

National Institute of Mental Health homepage (www.nimh.nih.gov/home.htm)

NIMH is now using cyberspace to share some of its latest discoveries about the causes, treatment and prevention of mental disorders. The home page has lots of information for lay audiences, but is a particularly noteworthy online resource for mental health professionals. Visitors who click on the ?Hot Science? icon can even view PET scans of brain activity in mentally disordered patients both before and after treatment. The site also includes press advisories and information on upcoming meetings and conferences; NIMH contracts, grant programs and policies; and requests for proposals and existing research activities. It also contains telephone directories for NIMH staff, and personnel and employment information.

Psych Central (www.grohol.com/)

Psychologists who want an easy-to-read index of mental health-related web sites can explore Psych Central, created by psychologist John Grohol, PhD. Sites on the list range from the Mood Disorders Homepage and Bereavement Research Network for consumers to the homepages for APA, the American Psychological Society, the Albert Ellis Institute and the Society for Industrial Organization Psychology for professionals. Grohol?s site also includes book reviews (including books for professionals) and an index to mailing lists and newsgroups (subscription-based discussion groups focused on a specific topic).

Behavior Online (www.behavior.net)

Gilbert Levin, PhD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is editor and publisher of this forum for mental health professionals and applied behavioral scientists. The site has several discussion areas, including a general discussion forum, shame and affect theory, classic Adlerian psychotherapy, outcomes assessment and organizational development. It also includes psychology-related games; a link-up to audioPsych, an online continuing education program; and the comic strip ?Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist.? At press time, access to the site was free, but the editors say they plan to begin charging for some services.