Commission receives petitions to consider new proficiency and new specialty
APA's Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) has received two petitions for APA to recognize forensic psychology as a specialty and psychopharmacology as a proficiency of professional psychology.
The forensic psychology petition is the result of combined efforts and contributions of the American Board of Forensic Psychology and APA's Div. 41 (American PsychologyLaw Society). Copies of the petition are made available for review and comment during this period of public notice that began on Sept. 1.
The psychopharmacology petition is the result of combined efforts and contributions of APA Divs. 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse), 31 (State Psychological Association Affairs), 42 (Independent Practice), 50 (Addictions) and 55 (American Society for the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy).
Prior to CRSPPP's consideration of these petitions, a period of public notice and opportunity for comment is required by CRSPPP's procedures. Copies of the forensic psychology petition have been made available for review and comment during this period of public notice that began on Sept. 1; the psychopharmacology petition has been available for review and comments since June 1.
Copies of either petition are available upon request. The petitions are also available on APA's Web Site at www.apa.org/crsppp. Written comments may be submitted until Nov. 1. For more information, contact Martha Braswell, Education Directorate, at the APA address, (202) 336-6140; e-mail.
Membership to consider bylaw change
Members will be voting this fall on an amendment for dues-exempt status of APA members. APA's Council of Representatives approved the submission of the proposed bylaws change.
This ballot will be sent to APA's voting membership with the Apportionment Ballot on Nov. 1. Below is the revised bylaw: Bracketed text is to be deleted.
BYLAW ARTICLE XIX, Dues and Subscriptions, Section 6
6. Any Fellow, Member, or Associate member who has reached the age of 65 and has been a member of the Association for at least twenty-five years, [or regardless of
age or length of membership, who has been adjudged totally and permanently disabled,] shall be exempt from further payment of dues upon informing the Central Office of his/her eligibility. Although such members shall be exempt from paying dues, they shall retain other rights and privileges of the Association. The subscription price to be charged to such members for publications of the Association shall be determined by Council. (For purposes of this Subsection, membership in the American Association of Applied Psychology prior to its amalgamation with the American Psychological Association shall be counted.)
APA/Minority Fellowship Program applications available
APA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is now accepting applications for its Fellowship Programs in psychology and neuroscience. The programs, which seek to increase the knowledge of ethnic-minority mental health, provide financial support to individuals pursuing doctoral degrees.
The fellowship programs are the:
• MFP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Fellowship, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is geared to those pursuing careers as practitioners or researchers specializing in the delivery of mental health services to ethnic-minority populations. Trainees receive training in both mental health and substance-abuse services. Students specializing in clinical, school and counseling psychology are encouraged to apply.
• MFP Mental Health Research Fellowship, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is geared to those pursuing careers as researchers specializing in mental health issues of concern to ethnic-minority populations. Students who specialize in psychopathology, community, social, developmental, educational, health, aging and cognitive psychology or related areas are encouraged to apply.
• MFP HIV/AIDS Research Fellowship, funded by NIMH, is geared to those pursuing careers as research scientists in HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS Research Fellowship is funded as a subspecialty under the Mental Health Research Program.
• MFP in Neuroscience Predoctoral Fellowship and the MFP in Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellowship, funded by NIMH, support students pursuing careers in neuroscience. MFP in Neuroscience also co-sponsors the month-long Summer Program in
Neuroscience, Ethics and Survival at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., every June or July.
MFP Fellowship applications are available from Sept. 1 through Jan. 15. You may download an application from the MFP Web site at www.apa.org/mfp, request an application via e-mail at MFP or write to APA/MFP Fellowship at the APA address.
Eligible applicants must be American citizens or permanent residents; enrolled full-time in a doctoral program at the time the fellowship is awarded (mental health and substance abuse services applicants must be in an APA-accredited program); and must demonstrate a commitment to a career in psychology or neuroscience related to ethnic-minority mental health.
In other news, MFP will sponsor its Third Annual Summer Institute on Aging, funded by the National Institute on Aging. Held in July, this one-week institute introduces students to research on aging in the field of psychology through didactic seminars, multimedia exercises and exposure to experts in the field. The institute is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors and first- and second-year graduate students interested in ethnic-minority aging research. Summer Institute on Aging applications will be available beginning Jan. 1 and accepted through March 15. To receive a copy of the application, you may download an application from the MFP Web site after Jan. 1, request an application via e-mail or write to the APA/MFP Fellowship at the APA address.
New members for Minority Fellowship Program
advisory committee sought
APA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) seeks three new members for its advisory committee to serve three-year terms.
MFP administers federally funded training programs for doctoral students in psychology, such as mental health and substance-abuse services, mental health research and the ethnic gerontology.
MFP advisory committee members attend meetings in March each year to select new MFP Fellows, review the progress of continuing Fellows and nominate graduate Fellows for awards. Each December the committee holds a retreat to review the MFP program; review, update or revise MFP program materials (i.e., publications and brochures); develop and review programming for upcoming APA Annual Conventions; and review the MFP application and selection process in anticipation of the March committee meeting.
Self-nominations or nominations from third parties are welcome. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 1. Psychologists with expertise in school psychology, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention and treatment are encouraged to apply. To nominate a new member, send a letter of support and a curriculum vitae to MFP at the APA address.
Apply now for the
200102 APA Congressional Fellowship Program
APA's Congressional Fellowship Program is seeking four psychologists to serve as special legislative assistants on the staff of a member of Congress or congressional committee for one year. One fellowship position is dedicated to HIV/AIDS-related policy. The program is intended to encourage more effective use of scientific knowledge in government and broaden the perceptions of the research, practice and governmental communities about the value of psychology-government interaction.
Activities may include conducting legislative or oversight work, assisting in congressional hearings and preparing speeches and briefing materials. Prospective fellows must demonstrate competence in scientific or professional psychology, display sensitivity toward policy issues and show a strong interest in applying psychological knowledge to national issues.
Applicants must hold APA membership (or application pending) and a doctorate in psychology at the time of application, with a minimum of two years' postdoctoral experience preferred.
Congressional Fellows will begin their one-year appointments on Sept. 4, 2001. Fellows receive a stipend ranging from $48,500 to $61,200, depending on years of postdoctoral experience. Up to $3,000 is allocated for relocation to the Washington, D.C., area and for travel expenses during the year.
Interested psychologists should submit a curriculum vitae and a personal statement of 1,000 words addressing the following: the applicant's interest in the fellowship and career goals, potential contributions to the legislative process and desired learning from the experience.
Applicants should include three letters of reference specifically addressing the abilities related to the fellowship. All application materials must be received by Dec. 15.
Send all materials to APA Congressional Fellowship Program, Public Policy Office, at the APA address.
For more information, contact the Public Policy Office at (202) 336-6062; e-mail: PPO.
Online APA journal requests articles
Prevention & Treatment, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by APA, welcomes submissions of major empirical and theoretical research on prevention, the outcome of psychotherapy and social and environmental interventions, biologically oriented therapy and the combination of such interventions. Articles published in Prevention & Treatment offer rewarding benefits, including:
• Great exposure, since it is the second widest read APA journal with more than 10,000 hits per month.
• Fastest publication and distribution of all APA journals.
• Articles released in their own "special issue."
• Peer commentary and author rejoinder.
• Immediate response from
readers as soon as an article is published on the Web site.
• Publicity generated via press releases to science writers via APA's Public Communications Office.
• Abstracts automatically archived into the PsycINFO database.
• Full text automatically archived into the new APA Full-Text Article database.
• Continuing Education credits available to readers.
• Data on number of times article viewed or read provided as needed for tenure review.
To submit a manuscript, send an
e-mail attachment. To read or subscribe to this free
online journal, visit http://journals.apa.org/prevention.
APF awards scholarships
The American Psychological Foundation (APF) has recognized Su Yeong Kim with the $3,000 Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship, and Timothy J. Loving with the $2,000 Clarence Rosecrans Scholarship.
The Matarazzo Scholarship recipient, Kim, is enrolled in the doctoral program of the department of human development at the University of CaliforniaDavis. She was selected as the top winner among the 19992000 COGDOP scholars for her research proposal on adjustment patterns among 300 Asian immigrant families in the United States. Her study will address two questions: Do the variables of cultural brokering, acculturation and family conflict contribute independently to adjustment among adolescent immigrants? What are the processes that link these variables to adjustment in this population?
Loving, of Purdue University, winner of the newly established Clarence Rosecrans Scholarship, will examine perceptions of nonmarital romantic relationships by friends of relationship participants as compared with the perceptions of the relationship participants themselves. In addition, he hopes to discover why female friends have shown themselves to be more accurate in predicting the outcome of couples' relationships than are male friends. APF awards these scholarships to students who show merit and evidence of need. Each graduate department of psychology that is a member in good standing of COGDOP is invited to nominate one candidate or more, relative to department size, for a research scholarship. Recipients can use the scholarships for books, supplies, scientific research or travel to a scientific meeting.
Nominations sought for psychology and AIDS committee
APA's Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA) is seeking nominations for a new member whose term will begin on Jan. 1 and end on Dec. 31, 2003. COPA, an ad hoc committee that reports directly to the APA Board of Directors, develops and implements APA's organizational response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including:
• Educating psychologists and society at large on the various and unique roles psychology can contribute to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
• Encouraging and supporting psychologists in their efforts toward eliminating this epidemic through effective strategies of preventive education and intervention.
• Stimulating behavioral research in a variety of areas associated with HIV prevention and mental health services for persons affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Facilitating linkages among APA, behavioral researchers, medical researchers and community-based organizations to coordinate and improve HIV-related research and mental health services.
• Creating educational resources about HIV/AIDS for APA members and the public.
• Providing guidance and direction for APA HIV/AIDS advocacy activities at federal, state and local levels.
COPA members are required to attend two committee meetings per year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA, and to participate in monthly conference calls. Between meetings, members are expected to devote a substantial portion of time to COPA projects, provide consultation to APA Office on AIDS staff and participate in advocacy activities as needed.
The committee seeks to involve a diverse group of psychologists, including persons of color and individuals who are living with HIV. COPA is particularly interested in candidates with expertise in the following areas: HIV/AIDS public policy; HIV treatment and prevention for older persons living with HIV; and HIV treatment and prevention for persons living with HIV who reside in rural areas.
Nomination materials should include the nominee's qualifications, a curriculum vitae and a letter from the nominee indicating willingness to serve on COPA. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Nominations and supporting materials should be sent to Robert Beverly, Office on AIDS, at the APA address. All materials must by received by Sept. 15.
--M. WATERS
