Dolores Cimini, PhD, is on the faculty at the University of Albany, where she is an assistant director in the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) center. A New York State licensed psychologist, Cimini has been at the University at Albany since 1989, serving in administrative, clinical/supervisory and instructional roles within the CAPS and in the education department. She directs a model program for alcohol and substance abuse prevention, the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program, and has administered, researched, advocated for and offered services to decrease problems associated with substance use and abuse.
Cimini has been recognized by many national associations for her work, and she comes to the CoA with special acknowledgement for her work in substance use/abuse prevention, individual and cultural diversity, and disability. Cimini serves on the CoA holding the seat from the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest.
What was your motivation to participate in the accreditation process for health service psychology programs? Or, what about service on the CoA captured your interest?
This is a very exciting time for psychology as a profession, as we are “widening the lens” with regard to both the scope and impact of our work. In recent years, both training and practice within health service psychology has expanded to encompass a broader public health approach. We are being encouraged and challenged to move beyond assessment and treatment of individuals to examine the interface between the individuals we serve and the systems and cultures in which they live. With that shift has comes an increasingly wider focus on prevention science as a distinct and valuable body of knowledge that can expand the effectiveness of our practice, and improve the behavioral health and lives of both the individuals we have historically served as well as entire communities. As psychology experiences such a transformative shift, it is likewise a very exciting time to participate in the accreditation process as both a commissioner and in a psychology training site.
You’re finishing your first year as a commissioner; what have you learned about the CoA and what have you taught other commissioners?
During my first year on the CoA, I have had the privilege of meeting and working alongside a number of very dedicated and knowledgeable colleagues and have learned a great deal from them as we have worked together to develop policies and move the accreditation process forward in this transformative time in the life of psychology. Additionally, having the opportunity to review programs for new and continued accreditation by the CoA has opened my eyes to the vast landscape of training and practice in psychology. What I have seen as a commissioner regarding the work that is accomplished within doctoral training programs, doctoral internships, and postdoctoral residencies amazes me and makes me very proud to be a psychologist.
What advice would you give to psychologists in leadership positions and to those who may be future CoA members?
If I were to give one piece of advice to colleagues in leadership positions or to future CoA members, I would ask that we never lose sight of the critical role we play in shaping the future of both psychology as a profession and the students who are our future. We can often get caught up in the day-to-day challenges we experience in our work settings, and we may sometimes ask ourselves if what we have learned in our psychology training is really making a difference. It is especially during these more challenging periods that we consider that we are indeed very important and instrumental in shaping our future by empowering our students with the skills they need to move our profession forward. We need to recognize our individual and collective strengths, celebrate our progress and accomplishments, and “pay it forward” to leave a legacy for our future.
Over the course of your career, how do you feel psychology’s role in society has changed, if at all?
As part of our training as clinical psychologists several decades ago, a great deal of time and attention was focused on clinical assessment and intervention with individuals within a diagnostic and psychotherapeutic environment. Relatively less attention was paid to how we as psychologists might use our knowledge and skills to intervene at the environmental, organizational and community levels to enhance the health and resilience and mitigate the risks faced by the individuals with whom we worked. While no doubt contributing to the well-being of these individuals, we nonetheless did so with the expectation that they would carry the knowledge and experiences back into their lives to address the challenges they faced within their relationships, in school, at work and in other life areas. Over time we shifted our focus to include working directly with the challenging environments that exacerbated the presenting concerns of our patients and clients and which had the potential to contribute to their well-being and resilience.
In recent years, both training and practice across psychology and related professions has expanded to encompass a broader public health approach. For example, professional organizations such as the APA have developed prevention practice guidelines, encouraging us as practitioners to move beyond assessment and treatment of individuals to examine the interface between the individuals we serve and the systems and cultures in which they live. With that shift has come an increasingly wider focus on prevention science as a distinct and valuable body of knowledge that can expand the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of our work, and improve the behavioral health and lives of both the individuals we have historically served as well as entire communities. No matter what our training may be or where our professional interests lie, it is incumbent on each of us to move beyond our comfort zone and gain a more expansive understanding of the complexity, challenges and unexplored opportunities that a comprehensive practice approach within health service psychology may offer us.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I believe that, irrespective of our areas of specialty and focus as psychologists, we are all “public interest psychologists” as we work to address the needs and promote the resilience of the individuals and populations we serve. Informed by my personal experiences of having been raised in a bilingual home and of having a visual disability since age 16, as well as having been exposed to the clear links between our psychological science and its application to public interest work, I have acquired a better understanding of the psychological and social factors that come into play for those who do not share equitably in society’s resources and opportunities. Based on these experiences, I have dedicated my career to promoting social justice on a local, state and national scale. My recent work has focused on serving as the organizing committee co-chair of the National Science Foundation-supported Women with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Project led by APA’s Women’s Programs Office and national-level mentoring of students who are underrepresented in the psychology profession, including students with disabilities, students of color, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. As a member of APA’s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology from 2008-2011, I participated in the development of an updated resource guide for graduate students in psychology with disabilities. My experiences as a former member and chair of the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest have broadened my understanding of the role of multiple identities and life experiences on the strengths and challenges faced by members of our diverse society.
In this time of unrest in our nation as evidenced by violence, health disparities and inequity with regard to societal resources across many areas, I believe that we as psychologists, and the rich diversity that each of us represents, will continue to play an important role in informing and shaping our future as a profession and as a society. I invite all of us to consider how our work in psychology and our rich backgrounds, experiences and perspectives connect to the public interest mission of psychology and can inform our science, our practice, our nation and our world.