VOLUME 30, NUMBER 8 September 1999
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Mark your calendars:
Proposals on presentations, symposia and other formal sessions for APA's 2000 Annual Convention are due Nov. 15. This deadline for submissions is earlier than in previous years because APA's 2000 Annual Convention will be held earlier next year: Aug. 4-8. Do not send proposals directly to APA. Instead, send them to the APA program chair of the division that best reflects your topic.
For more information, contact the Convention Office at (800) 374-2721, ext. 6020.
Council elects new board members, re-elects treasurer
Members have elected Gerald P. Koocher, PhD, as APA Treasurer and Laura H. Barbanel, PhD, and Nathan W. Perry Jr., PhD, as the two new members of APA's Board of Directors.
Koocher, who has been elected for a second five-year term, is chief of psychology at Children's Hospital in Boston. His term begins Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31, 2004.
Barbanel is director of the graduate program of school psychology at Brooklyn College, CUNY. Perry is a professor of psychology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Barbanel and Perry begin their three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2000 and end their terms on Dec. 31, 2002.
Ballots to elect two new members-at-large of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of APA were sent to members of the 1998 Council of Representatives on July 1. The election closed Aug. 2.
Ballots were tallied by the accounting firm Johnson Lambert & Co. and certified by APA's Election Committee.
New booklet discusses elder abuse
A new APA pamphlet, Elder Abuse and Neglect, offers advice not only on how to detect the problem but on what to do about it.
Begun as a guide for consumers by the Committee on Aging, it has been revised to interest professionals, too, says Weldon Bagwell, APA's officer on aging issues.
One surprising bit of information: Despite the repeated articles and TV shows portraying abuse in the nation's nursing homes, a far greater problem exists in private homes. In fact, according to the guide, most of the abusers are relatives and home caregivers.
Physical abuse can range "from slapping or shoving to severe beatings and restraining with ropes or chains." Just how many people are being abused is uncertain. APA says that an education program for caregivers and potential victims can reduce mistreatment of the millions who experience some form of physical or psychological abuse each year.
The pamphlet also includes a chart listing the indicators of abuse. Physical abuse might be indicated by bruises around the arms or neck, repeated unexplained injuries and a refusal to go to the same emergency department for repeated injuries.
The first step is to recognize that no one of any age should be subjected to violent, abusive, humiliating or neglectful behavior. That means that witnesses should not turn away because it is "a family problem."
Some 11,000 copies of the 20-page brochure have been printed and are available free of charge to the layperson as well as the professional.
Call the Aging Office at (202) 336-6046 or send an e-mail to: www.publicinterest@apa.org.
APA participates in National Recovery Month
APA's Office of Substance Abuse has joined the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) in September to observe the 10th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Recovery Month congratulates those who beat their addictions through a treatment program and honors the people who are committed to helping others overcome their problems.
During the celebration, CSAT, an agency in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, uses radio, television or newspapers, to inform the general public, policy-makers, business leaders and other groups on the importance of substance abuse treatment in fighting alcohol and drug addiction.
CSAT has chosen "Addiction treatment: investing in people for business success" as the theme for 1999's Recovery Month. This year, the Recovery Month campaign will focus on educating small businesses and corporations on the advantages of sponsoring workplace substance-abuse referral programs, and thereby reduce absenteeism, medical claims and disability costs, and improve employee morale and productivity.
According to the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, published by SAMHSA, almost 73 percent of illicit drug users in the United States are part of the American workforce, which equates to 6.7 million full-time employees and 1.6 million part-time employees.
Other agencies such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism will join CSAT to help educate the business world on the value of treatment programs.
APA encourages businesses to maintain substance-abuse treatment programs, but sees this as an opportunity for psychologists to provide treatment and support for counseling. Psychologists can use their training and experience to help clients in a variety of ways.
Although September has been designated as Recovery Month, the Office of Substance Abuse will continue to work on future projects with physicians and other providers, as well as the government to advocate substance abuse treatment in all work situations.
APA's Practice Directorate will also join forces with APA Divisions 28 (Psychopharm-acology and Substance Abuse), 38 (Health), 50 (Addictions) and other state psychological associations to show how psychologists can prove to be a real asset.
To receive a media kit on Recovery Month and other SAMHSA substance abuse programs, please call
(800) 487-4890, web site: www.health.org/recovery99.
Commission receives petition to recognize behavioral psychology as a specialty
APA's Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) has received a petition for recognition by APA of a specialty in behavioral psychology.
This petition is the result of combined efforts and contributions of APA Divs. 25 (Experimental Analysis of Behavior), 33 (Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities), the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and the Association for Behavior Analysis--International.
Prior to CRSPPP's consideration of the behavioral psychology petition, a period of public notice and opportunity for comment is required by CRSPPP's procedures. Copies of the petition will be available upon request during a period of public notice that began on Sept. 1. Written comments may be submitted to CRSPPP until Nov. 1. For more information, contact Martha Braswell, Education Directorate, at the APA address, (202) 336-6140.
Joint meetings for psychology teachers are scheduled this fall
APA's Education Directorate announces three conferences devoted to teachers of psychology for the month of October. These meetings include:
The TOPSS workshop and the Sixth Northeastern Conference for Teachers of Psychology will be held on Friday, Oct. 22. Teachers are also invited to attend a series of invited presentations, symposia, paper presentations and posters that will be included in the programs offered at the NEPA convention at the University of Hartford on Oct. 22-23.
You may register for the TOPSS and the Sixth Northeastern Conference at www.ithaca.edu/beins/nectop/sched.htm, or the NEPA convention at academics.stonehill.edu/psychology/nepahome.htm.
For additional information, contact Martha Braswell, Education Directorate, (800) 374-2721, ext. 6140.
APA funds university sites to develop occupational health psychology curricula
APA's Science Directorate gave awards averaging $21,000 each to Clemson University, the University of Houston and Tulane University for their proposals to develop and implement core curricula for graduate students in occupational health psychology (OHP).
The funds are provided by a five-year cooperative agreement between APA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Occupational health psychology is an emerging specialty within psychology. In the broadest terms, OHP refers to the application of psychology in protecting and promoting the safety, health and well-being of workers, and in improving the quality of worklife. The cooperative agreement builds on earlier efforts by APA and NIOSH to promote research, education and training in the field of OHP.
Michael J. Burke and co-investigator Sue Ann Sarpy will direct the OHP program at Tulane. The grant will finance the development and implementation of two interdisciplinary courses, including a survey course on the principles of OHP and a course on the principles and techniques of health and safety training.
These courses will enhance the course offerings in the psychology department, as well as programs in environmental health sciences, industrial hygiene, occupational health and safety management and health-systems management. Burke and Sarpy hope the two courses will lead to the development of an interdisciplinary master of science degree program in OHP, advanced seminars courses and an interdisciplinary PhD degree program in OHP, respectively.
Lois Tetrick and Barbara Ellis will lead the initiative at the University of Houston to establish a specialty area of graduate study in occupational health psychology in the psychology department. Tetrick will develop a survey course in OHP for graduate students and individuals with a doctorate in psychology who want additional training in OHP. Ellis will also coordinate a series of lectures and workshops for faculty and graduate students to provide the basis for the development of an OHP methodology course. Faculty in the industrial engineering department and the Health Law and Policy Institute will collaborate with the psychology department to support the training program.
The psychology department at Clemson collaborated with the College of Business and Public Affairs and the College of Health, Education and Human Development on their proposal to develop graduate training in OHP. James McCubbin will head the multifaculty effort to develop a graduate survey course in OHP and a research methods course in OHP. The psychology department also intends to organize a concentration of courses to provide an emphasis on OHP for graduate students in industrial / organizational, applied psychology and other related programs outside of the department. The department plans to eventually submit a request to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education for a separate PhD in OHP.
Faculty will develop their programs in 1999 and 2000 in preparation for course offerings in 2000 and 2001. Interested students should contact the primary faculty of the universities. APA will issue a call for proposals for the next funding period in November.
National committee will review APA Committee on Accreditation
The U.S. Secretary of Education is soliciting public comment as it prepares to review APA's status as a main accrediting body in psychology.
This December, the Secretary's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity will review APA's Committee on Accreditation (CoA) petition for continued recognition of its accrediting activities for doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programs in professional specialties of psychology. If CoA meets the U.S. Secretary's requirements, it will continue to be listed as part of a directory of reliable authorities on the quality of postsecondary education and training in general as well as in vocations and professions.
As part of the review, the Secretary requests third-party comments or oral testimony before the National Advisory Committee. For more information on providing third-party comment or on deadlines for submission, contact Cathy Sheffield, Accreditation and Eligibility Determination Division, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, Room 3915, ROB-3, 7th and D Streets, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-5244, (202) 708-7417. Comments must comply with the Secretary's Procedures and Criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, a copy of which may be obtained at the above address.
November teacher workshop to be held in Texas
APA's Education Directorate is sponsoring a one and a half day workshop for high school psychology teachers on Nov. 12-13, in conjunction with the Texas Psychological Association Convention in San Antonio. To receive a brochure for the convention, call toll-free (888) 872-3435, e-mail: tpasrh@bga.com. Pre-registration for the TPA Convention and the Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools workshop will be held through Sept. 30. Registrations postmarked after Sept. 30 must include an additional $25. For additional information about the workshop, contact Martha Braswell in the Education Directorate at (800) 374-2721, ext. 6140.
PsychNET®
APA Home Page
.
Search
.
Site Map
Read our privacy statement and Terms of Use
© 1999 American
Psychological Association
|
|
|