Candidates for APA President
Stanley Moldawsky, PhD, (Bronx High School of Science, BS, University of Wisconsin, PhD, clinical psychology, University of Iowa, 1951) Interned St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, D.C., (1949) doing psychodiagnostic evaluations, research, psychotherapy, psychodrama and dance therapy. He was employed half time in the Iowa Counseling Center. He became chief psychologist at the Veterans Administration Mental Hygiene Clinic (195155). While there, he helped create Nebraska Psychological Association serving on its first board. He transferred to East Orange VA Hospital as staff psychologist (195557) and started private practice, which continues to date. He was trained at National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis and is recognized as a training and supervisory analyst by the International Psychoanalytic Association.
He was newsletter editor and the fourth president of the Essex County Psychologists in Private Practice. This group of activists stimulated the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) to become active in seeking licensure which succeeded in 1967. In 1969, he was legislative chair, which passed the second half of the Freedom of Choice Legislation (adding group policies). He served NJPA as President and Council Representative.
Nationally, Moldawsky was elected to APA's Committee on State Legislation and was chair in 1974. The committee wrote the guidelines for licensure at the doctoral level. He was elected to APA's Board of Professional Affairs (chair, 1978). He chaired the Committee on APA/State Association Relations. He helped found Div. 39 (Psychoanalysis) and was elected to its Board for six years. He helped found Div. 42 (Independent Practice) and served as consultant to its board. He was elected to APA Board of Directors (1982-85). He represented Div. 12 (Clinical), 29 (Psychotherapy), 42 and New Jersey on Council from 1976-2000. He represented private practice on APA's Committee on Accreditation and helped write new guidelines for accrediting programs and internships. Div. 42 elected him president in 1997. He currently serves on the Committee for Advancement of Professional Practice and co-chairs Div. 29, 39, 42 Task Force on Managed Care.
Moldawsky helped found the Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and served as visiting professor for 14 years teaching psychoanalytic therapy, supervising dissertations, and supervising students. He served on the executive committee of the faculty. He teaches at the Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy of New Jersey. His awards include ABPP Diplomate in Clinical Psychology; Heiser Award for Advocacy; election to National Academies of Practice; Psychologists of the Year, NJPA (1978); Psychologist of the Year, Division 42 (1988); Psychologist of the Year, Division 29 (1995); APA Award for Outstanding Contributions to Psychology as a Professional Practice (1988); AAP Award for Lifetime Achievement in Advocacy for Psychology; and American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Practice of Psychology (2000).
Moldawsky's candidate statement
I am in full time private practice; am proud to have been involved in the many struggles APA has undertaken to support practice; fighting managed care through lawsuits; supporting legislation aimed at patient protections, especially including the right to sue your managed-care company; and finally by promoting a national public education campaign (which I introduced into Council) on behalf of practice. I want to expand the public education campaign, increase the number of lawsuits, and support legislation that will give practitioners back the right to make clinical decisions.
Corporate America has taken over health care and made it another profit-making commodity. Psychotherapy has been limited and practitioners are hassled rather than supported. Drug manufacturers have assaulted the public with advertising that a pill can cure any and all problems. Relationship has been taken out of therapy and replaced with medication. The healing relationship is fundamental for the practicing psychologist. Listening and trying to understand what pains our patients should never be forsaken. If the relationship is insufficient to contain the anxiety or depression of our patient, it becomes important to relieve the symptoms with meds. The danger is to rely on the medication first rather than the relationship first. Our strength is our training as psychotherapists first. I support prescription privileges for psychologists. They can unprescribe for those overprescribed by untrained physicians. Good training is available for psychologists in psychopharmacology.
We have created a companion organization that will have greater freedom to promote the practice of psychology through lobbying. It will take leadership to ensure that the APA Practice Organization (c)(6) serves not only the needs of practice but all of APA.
Although my clear focus is practice, I will never lose sight of the diverse needs and interests of APA's membership and the public we serve.
