Rehabilitation Psychology Annual Conference

Translating Research into Practice

February 27 - March 2, 2014
San Antonio, Texas

The 16th annual Rehabilitation Psychology continuing education program is organized by the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) and the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (Division 22) of the American Psychological Association (APA). As noted on the Division 22 website, Rehabilitation Psychology is a specialty area within psychology that focuses on the study and application of psychological knowledge and skills on behalf of individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions in order to maximize health and welfare, independence and choice, functional abilities, and social role participation across the lifespan. This conference is specifically designed to provide the opportunity for Rehabilitation Psychologists to network and to enhance their knowledge and skills across the broad range of activities that they participate in.

Specific program content is being developed by the program committee for the 2014 Rehabilitation Conference in the areas of: translational research methods; outcomes measurement; evidenced-based practice; diversification of clinical practice; training and supervision; professional development; and legal and ethical issues.

By the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Identify current trends and learn new skills in rehabilitation psychology practice.
2. Discuss recent clinical and research findings and their potential impact on service delivery.
3. Describe the key elements of ABPP/ABRP eligibility, the practice sample submission and review, the oral examination process, and characteristics of effective mentoring.
4. Discuss key issues for training in Rehabilitation Psychology.
5. Understand fundamental issues in ethics, cultural diversity, and evidence-based practice as applied to rehabilitation psychology.

This conference is designed for psychologists in practice and/or academic settings who focus on rehabilitation with individuals having chronic diseases, impairments and / or physical and cognitive disabilities as well as for trainees (students, interns, and postdoctoral residents) with interests in rehabilitation psychology. Program content will be directed at basic, intermediate and advanced skill levels.

Deadline: August 15, 2013

This year the program committee is experimenting with a hybrid model for the conference in which one track will be devoted to peer-reviewed presentations, symposia and workshops and two additional tracks will continue to reflect our more traditional model of high-quality invited presentations. A very select group of submitted abstracts will be chosen. The program committee will give preference to those submissions which reflect the theme Translating Research into Practice and / or cover one of the following areas:

• Ethics
• Military and veteran’s issues
• Research methodology
• Clinical practice issues, including development of clinical skills and utilizing evidence based treatment such as prolonged exposure therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, or acceptance and commitment therapy.
• Business of practice
• Topics of interest to students and early career psychologists
• Sexuality
• Substance abuse

Individuals can request anywhere from one to four hours of presentation time; with four-hour blocks likely being scheduled during the preconference on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Those who submit are reminded of this conference’s emphasis on providing conceptualization of the topic, review at basic or intermediate level, and latest findings / trends.

For additional information about this call, please email Dr. Michelle Meade.

All of those accepted to conduct presentations, workshops and symposia are required to register for the conference and are responsible for their own expenses, including travel and registration fees.

Deadline: November 15, 2013

The Program Committee of the 16th Annual Conference “Rehabilitation Psychology 2014” invites you to submit a scientific poster presentation reflecting original empirical research, novel interventions, innovative program development, or other topics relevant to the practice of rehabilitation psychology. Research that is incomplete at the time of the submission may be submitted under the assumption that the data will be complete and ready for presentation by the time of the conference. Posters and presentations that are purely conceptual (e.g. proposing ideas for future studies or interventions) will not be considered for acceptance.

Please take great care in preparing your presentation abstract as the criteria for acceptance is increasingly selective. We will select award finalists based on the quality of the poster abstracts.