Past Div. 18 heroes

Past Div. 18 heroes

Mike Neale

Rather than craft my own comments about Mike Neale, I believe that a better way to pay tribute to him is to use the words of Mary Jansen, Dolly Sadow, Anne Klee and Sandy Resnick whose tributes to Mike Neale were published in the Div. 18 Newsletter (Vol 32, No 3, Fall/Winter 2009). They knew Mike well and admired his many accomplishments. Mike Neale was a servant and advocate for persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI) as well as an exemplary mentor for students and early career psychologists. He died unexpectedly on September 5, 2009.

In that newsletter, Mary Jansen wrote the following about Neale:

“Mike worked tirelessly to promote the adoption of evidence-based services in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where he spent the last several years of his professional career. As a result of his work, the VA’s version of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) or Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) as it is called in the VA, was adopted nationally and became a cornerstone of the VA’s treatment system for veterans with serious mental health disorders. As the national program director for the MHICM program, Mike led the establishment of MHICM teams at VA Medical Centers around the country and insisted that each Medical Center offer the program with fidelity to the evidence-based treatment. He would accept no less for veterans than had been shown to be effective for nonveterans with serious mental illnesses in clinical trials of ACT. As a result of his efforts, the evidence based MHICM program is sited at every major VA Medical Center in the United States. Despite this and other accomplishments, he never promoted himself and few knew of the benefits veterans have reaped because of him.”

“Perhaps of even greater significance, Mike realized the importance of training future generations of psychologists to work with people with serious mental illnesses. He knew how little in-depth training most psychologists receive in this area and he was committed to changing this. In the early 2000s, he was integral to the development of the first version of the APA Proficiency in the Assessment and Treatment of Serious Mental Illness. Once the Proficiency was approved by APA, Mike travelled around the country at his own expense to promote it and to encourage graduate training programs to incorporate the Proficiency competencies into their training programs. Several years later, when it came time to renew the Proficiency, Mike was right there, assisting with the revision and making plans to advocate for its use with even more dedication. I was very much looking forward to working with him to promote its use in graduate training. His energy, creativity and dedication are simply irreplaceable.”

“Dr. Michael Neale also was one of the most ethical people I have ever had the honor to know. He never hesitated to stand up for someone who had been treated unfairly even if it meant that he could be criticized for doing so. When he saw that someone was treated wrongly, he tried to right it—individuals with the courage to take such action are true leaders and are few and far between.  Mike was one of those people. Everyone who knew Mike knew that he would not hesitate to support someone who had been wronged.”

“On a more personal note, for those who didn’t know Mike well, he was also one of the nicest guys on the planet. He was just a darn nice person—kind, compassionate, caring—someone you knew you could always talk to and when you did, you knew he would listen and try to fix whatever was wrong. People like Mike are very rare and hard to come by indeed.”

Dolly Sadow wrote the following:

“Mike Neale was not ‘only’ a brilliant psychologist who helped change the face of treatment for Serious Mental Illness in the VA System. He was also a dedicated, prolific and innovative contributor to Division 18, Psychologists in Public Service. He saw Division 18 as a venue for advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill. He also saw it as a collection of dedicated people, all serving the underserved, and working together to improve the practice of psychology. He embraced those goals.”

“Mike was that rare person who not only has a well thought out and articulated vision, but who also understands the many steps and tedious details needed to make that vision a reality. He worked intelligently, but also tirelessly and persistently and the way that the division operates has been fundamentally changed by his contributions.”

“Mike did it all, but always keeping his eye on the prize: the treatment of people living with serious mental illness. He advocated for innovative evidence-based practices. He raised our consciousness not only through his many APA presentations, but through raising the subject during executive meetings, as well as with students, colleagues and friends. He advocated for more inclusive training in our graduate schools, so that new graduates would actually know how to provide evidence-based treatment and community-based treatment to this population. He wanted our students to be prepared for the work they would actually do in the present mental health field, rather than in the mental health field of the past. His influence was widespread and helped expand the horizons of many of his colleagues and students.”

“Mike was hard working and passionate about the important things, yet that does not encompass all that he contributed to the Division. Mike was also compassionate and kind and fun to be with.  He never hogged the credit, he promoted others, and he stood by people when times were hard. He was a good comrade to all of us whether there was a celebration the division was having or when the division was going through hard financial times. He brought art through his music and poetry to his APA presentations. He brought ‘soul’ in his interactions with his students and colleagues no matter what the topic of the conversation.”

“Mike was a special psychologist, advocate, Division officer, comrade and friend. The gifts he gave us will have long lasting effects. The division as well as each of us is much richer having known him.”

Anne Klee wrote the following about Neale:

“Mike’s professional passion was for improving the lives of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). He was keenly interested in what others were doing in the SMI field—new techniques, creative innovations and especially community advocacy. He sought ways to support the efforts of all staff in the field, even if that just meant serving as a sounding board for new ideas. Staff from the 111 Veterans Health Administration’s Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) programs that he nurtured and mentored always turned to him for guidance and leadership on issues large and small, filling his voicemail and email inbox daily. He never delayed in responding and always shared his knowledge and experience and a few words of encouragement. ‘Let’s talk and see what we can come up with,’ was his reflexive response. In fact, I cannot recall a time when he ever said no to a new idea, new project or a request for help. Mike’s prolific note taking made whatever we said feel important…I always wondered what he did with all those notes.”

“But Mike didn’t just respond to the inquiries of others—his passion for his professional discipline drove him to try to bring others into the fold. He made a point of seeking out junior psychologists working with individuals with serious mental illness and in the public sector, to help them along however he could. Mike sought ways to engage people and asked them if they wanted to get involved. I was one of the fortunate ones to cross paths with Mike early in my career. Out of the blue, he introduced himself to me at APA in Chicago 2002 after a presentation I gave. Small talk about both of us being from Connecticut and having similar professional interests led to a lunch. Lunch led to a connection to Dr. Laurie Harkness—the program director for one of the first MHICM programs. This connection ultimately led me to the VA. But the help and support from Mike didn’t end there. He mentored by journeying with people. My journey with Mike led me to active involvement with Division 18, another of Mike’s passions. If he thought something was good or important to pursue he called you out of the blue and asked if you wanted to serve on a committee or get more involved. He taught us to ask. I’ll never know how many times people said no, but many of us said yes when he asked if we would like to get involved or learn more.”

“One of Mike’s other passions was finding creative outlets for those who work with the SMI population. Mike was a longstanding and core member of a New Haven writer’s group for SMI practitioners and researchers, where in addition to his own literary contributions, he was known for being incredibly responsive to others’ creativity. He nurtured through encouragement and sustenance (such as by bringing home-cooked dishes and candy), and by forwarding pieces he thought might resonate and inspire. His support was touching and remarkable.”

“Serving those with serious and persistent mental illness and working in complex public mental health systems is touch. It tries your patience at times, your sanity at others. But Mike’s positive attitude, guidance and encouragement were inspirational and comforting to us all. He would go out of his way to hear a colleague or friend deliver a presentation at a conference, or travel to New York City to attend a book reading. He championed SMI causes by championing people in the field. His motto was “all advocacy, all the time,” and he practiced what he preached. Always the steady mentor, teacher and friend, his support and encouragement are already sorely missed.”

Sandy Resnick paid tribute to Neale by stating the following:

“I, like many, have admired Mike’s passion, encyclopedic knowledge (who else read the Federal Register?) and tenacity, all poured into a singular quest for improving services for veterans with severe mental illness. But what I admired most and truly strove to emulate was his ability to connect. Mike loved people, and we loved Mike. He had a zest for life that drew us to him, to listen to his stories, to learn from his experiences. He gave of himself generously with no expectation of reciprocation. He brought us watermelon on hot days, wrote us poems to celebrate occasions and was always the first person to say thank you. He helped me to remember what was important in life.”

“Our meetings at the VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) are quieter and a lot less interesting without Mike. The table feels empty without him sitting at his customary place at the end of the table, a packet of Nature Valley granola bars and mug from a local New Haven coffee shop poised next to the notepad upon which he would scribble meeting notes, each page to be added to the ever-growing piles around his desk.  But most of all, when I sit in our weekly meetings, I miss that glance across the table, as our eyes met to ruefully smile over the bureaucratic folly of the day. It will never be the same without him.”

New Div. 18 history webpage

I am pleased to announce that a Div. 18 history webpage has been created. This webpage can be found on the Div. 18 website through our “About” page. A list of podcasts with past presidents can be found on this webpage.

Robert W. Goldberg Memorial History Photograph Collection

I am also pleased to announce that we are planning to establish the Robert W. Goldberg Div. 18 Memorial History Photograph Collection to be integrated into the new history webpage of the Div. 18 website. This collection will include photographs taken of Div. 18 activities by Robert Goldberg, PhD, in the past as well as photographs taken by others in the past and in the future to visually document events in the division’s history.

Rod Baker, PhD, wrote the following summary of Goldberg’s career:  

“Dr. Goldberg began his professional psychology career as staff psychologist at the VA medical Center in Cleveland and Brecksville from 1975-1990. From 1982-2016 he also served as the psychology training director. He additionally served as assistant chief of psychology at the now-named Louis Stokes Cleveland DVA Medical Center from 1990-1998 and as associate chief of psychology from 2005-2016. He retired from the VA in 2016.”

“Dr. Goldberg was chair of the VA Section of Division 18 from 1997-1998, Division 18 president from 2004-2005, and served as the third Division 18 c00-historian and historian from 2010 until his death. During his thirty-year involvement with ABPP, he served their Board of Trustees as secretary ex officio, newsletter editor and historian. From 1994 until his retirement he edited the APPIC newsletter and was secretary on the APPIC Board from 1995-2001.”

“In addition to these formal appointments, Dr. Goldberg was the ubiquitous photographer for many years at meetings of Division 18, VA psychology, ABPP and APPIC. Many of the photos he took over the years are in the VA psychology and Division 18 archives at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron, but you will not find one with the camera around his neck—the photographer rarely gets in his pictures. The above photo of Bob is from his presidency of Division 18 in 2005 when the division first became a co-sponsor of the annual VA psychology leadership conference, and he represented Division 18 and the VA Section at that 2005 conference.”

“In 2018, Bob lost his battle with lymphoma. Cynthia (Cindy) Goldberg, Bob’s wife, was contacted regarding Bob’s collection of psychology professional files and, especially, his many photographs. She later accepted the offer of assistance by Ed Padin-Rivera, a colleague of Bob’s, to help sort through those files and photographs which were then sent in 2020 to Timothy Carmody, the then current Division 18 historian.”

“Approximately 1,000 of Bob’s photographs were collected and initially sorted into four groups. Most of the photographs depicted Division 18 and VA psychology events, but they also included those with APPIC and ABPP event content. The smaller number of the latter photographs were first prepared to send to those organizations in 2020. The photos of VA psychology events were prepared for eventual archiving to be sent to the VA psychology historian in 2021.”

“The Robert W. Goldberg Division 18 Memorial History Photograph Collection will be established to honor Bob Goldberg’s memory and contributions. Although photographs taken of Division 18 activities by Dr. Goldberg in the past will be included in the collection, photographs taken by others in the past and future will additionally be included to visually document events in the division’s history.”

Request for historian stories

If you wish to share any stories or memories that are a part of the history of Div. 18, you are welcome to contact me via email or phone me at (415) 233-1388.