President-Elect’s column

I am pleased to share with you some of the events that I have been involved with during my tenure as president-elect and also to offer you a few of the plans that I have for my year in office. As I do so, I must acknowledge all I’ve learned about the division in the last year. I also need to acknowledge our past and current presidents - Steve Norton, PhD (past president) and Linda Bodie, PsyD (current president). Not only have they introduced me to the role I will assume, they’ve been wonderful mentors. It will be their example and guidance that I will follow. One of the primary learning’s I’ve had is listening to others, so that decisions can be made based on division membership needs.

One activity I’ve been invited to participate in is the conference calls for the Division 18 journal, Psychological Services. From these calls, I’ve been exposed to the thoughtful guidance that Pat DeLeon, PhD (editor) and Gary Vandenbos, PhD (managing editor) provide. I’ve learned about the growth and development of the journal; submissions and subscriptions are increasing and an ISI rating has been provided.  Such growth is likely due in large part to the capabilities of all on the editorial board – which also includes the current (Phil Magaletta, PhD; Lisa Kearney, PhD; Morgan Sammons, PhD; Michi Fu, PhD; and J. Douglas MacDonald, PhD) and former (Leon Green, PhD) Associate Editors — as they reach out towards contributors. For example, the associate editors have offered presentations that advise potential contributors on the manuscript submission process — Drs. Kearney and Green will be offering one of these presentations at the APA convention. It will be held in the Division 18 suite on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m.; I’d encourage attendance. The presentations I’ve heard provided thoughtful guidance to those with manuscripts in hand or in mind. In addition to this work, the board has also developed plans for special topics of interest to those who work in public settings - posted elsewhere in this newsletter is a call for submissions on secondary trauma and burnout. Please contact Dr. Kearney for more information on this call.

I’ve also been able to work with others on the Executive Board (section chairs, members at large), liaisons to APA committees, the newsletter editors, the Federal Advocacy Coordinator (FEDAC) and the convention programming chairs. Although it would be impossible to mention all that I have learned from these interactions, I will reference a few here. First, due to the efforts of our convention programming chairs, Drs. Jay Supnick and Howard “Howie” Steinberg, we have an outstanding program, with key presentations in the convention center and in the hospitality suite. I would encourage all to review the Division’s program (PDF, 815KB) and attend. In addition to the regular programming, some sessions offer continuing education (CE). Attendance at these sessions and obtaining CE credits helps attendees and the division, as some of the funds generated are returned to the division post-convention. Please don’t forget to endorse our Division as your primary division when you register, since doing so helps to ensure the number of hours we’ll receive in the future.

We have active and growing sections, due to the work of the leaders of each one. As an example, we have a new section that focuses on serving those who are diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness/Severe Emotional Disturbance. This section, currently led by Mary Jansen, PhD, has grown from an idea to one in which members are participating, officers are being selected and activities are being planned. In addition, the Veterans Administration, Criminal Justice, Police and Public Safety, and Indian Country sections are focusing on member benefits, developing new initiatives, offering new benefits, all of which signify forward movement.  I’ve been talking with folks from the sections to learn about current goals, plans and needs.

We have a new CE chair person, Dr. Joseph “Joe” Hansel. Joe is a colleague of mine, and I am very pleased to introduce him to the division. He’s becoming instrumental in managing our CE efforts and is helping our group look towards future programs and jointly offered partnerships. One that I would highlight is a partnership among those who are instrumental to division activities, and a fall conference is being planned as of right now. Please stay tuned to the email list for more information as it becomes available.

I’m working with Marcia Baruch, PhD, and Victor Wolski, PhD, the newsletter editors and Chris Romani, MA, our student representative. We have been recruiting some of our student members to author articles for the newsletter. If you have an idea for topics to include, or if you’re interested in serving as an author, please contact me.

Although I haven’t been intimately involved, I would also like to highlight the work that Kelley Condon has been doing with APA. Our website is almost live, and, in fact, may be by the time this issue goes to print. Based on seeing the mock-ups, I can tell you that it looks fabulous. When we go live, visit and share your reactions.

Even though I’ve been working on advocacy issues, Gil Sanders has been helping with FEDAC distributions. We are fortunate to have his willingness to contribute his time to the professional advocacy efforts that are helpful for the field of psychology. Many of the announcements and requests sent through the FEDAC program ask us to correspond with our political representatives to address issues that impact psychology. Most only take a few moments, please respond to these calls to advocate on behalf of our field and those whom we serve. I’ll be working with Anne Klee, PhD, to continue to coordinate these efforts when she assumes office in August.

I’ve learned that our group has a vibrant membership and many activities going on. I’ve also learned that even though much has been completed, there is more work to do. Although we are fortunate to have many members involved, and I have only mentioned a few in this column, there is a need for others to join in the efforts. This need exists beyond recruiting members, it is recruiting those who will become active and participate, even when they likely have other demands on their time. Given such, one of my initiatives will be recruitment of participants. This will be done though continuing conversations with section chairs to identify priorities, plans and needs, and to help recruit members to achieve them. In addition, I will begin developing an on boarding program for new members, to help them to find a place within the division. Hopefully, their participation will bring as much value to the division as it brings to them. This mutual benefit motivates me to develop new ways of our reaching out and bringing in those who join. Of course my first priority is to strengthen the division, but, long range, the activities we ask new colleagues to contribute must be of benefit to them as well. This will, in part, be a continuation of the efforts Steve, Linda and others have initiated for our ECP and student members. I’ll be working with folks on the mentorship programs, availability of grants and awards, and increased value of our electronic/social network sites.

It has been a great year and although I’ve learned a lot, it is time to implement action. Please share your ideas with me.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you in Orlando.