Date: June 15, 2001
Contact: Pam Willenz
Public Affairs Office
(202) 336-5707

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION'S 109th ANNUAL CONVENTION TO BE HELD IN SAN FRANCISCO AUGUST 24-28, 2001

Best-Selling Author Mary Pipher, PhD To Give Keynote Address

Preventing School Violence, Using Computer Technology To Improve Health And Helping People Overcome Addictions to be Major Themes

WASHINGTON - Helping educators make school classrooms safer for learning, using computers and other technology to improve the physical and mental health of people of all ages, and finding more effective ways to treat people with addictions will be prominent themes of the 109th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA).

More than 1,500 symposia, invited addresses, paper, poster and other sessions will be devoted to a wide range of psychological issues ranging from brain impairment caused by the increase in Ecstasy use among young adults, how attention deficit disorder affects college students, to the effects of father absence on school-age children and the effectiveness of abstinence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. Other sessions will feature the health consequences of not expressing emotions and how combining psychological and drug treatments can help people with medical conditions like obesity and nicotine dependence.

Other presentations will include how virtual exercise might offer similar psychological benefits to actual exercise, how prevalent road rage is with middle-aged drivers and how laughter and other positive emotions can help in the

bereavement process. Predicting stress-related symptoms in teenagers and how psychology can help improve athletic performance and reduce injuries will also be featured.

Best-selling author and psychologist Mary Pipher, Ph.D., will use her keynote address to talk about her upcoming book, "The Middle of Everywhere: The World Comes to Nebraska." The book explores the major cultural transformation taking place in her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, as hundreds of immigrants and refugees settle into this previously homogeneous and insulated community. Dr. Pipher's books have made the New York Times best-seller list many times, including 1994's "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls," which spent nearly three years on the best-seller list.

APA President Norine G. Johnson, Ph.D., chose healthy families, healthy communities and healthy workplaces as a major theme for the meeting. Experts in these areas will speak about preventing violence in the family and workplace, improving relationships in schools and in families, the role of psychology in promoting healthy living and ways to overcome the stress in our lives.

Another notable speaker will be Albert Ellis, Ph.D., known as the father of rational-emotive behavior therapy.

The press facilities for the convention will be in the Pacific Heights Room, Second Floor, in The Palace. The pressroom will open for on-site media registration on Thursday, August 23, from noon to 4:00 PM and during each day of the convention from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM (except Tuesday, August 28, when it will close at noon). Convention papers will be available, as will be working space, telephones, fax machines, phone lines for data transmission and APA staff resources. The press area will also be the site of any news briefings held during the convention.

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