Section updates

Community and State Hospitals Section

Over the past few months, the Div. 18 Community and State Hospitals Section has been working diligently to encourage membership renewals, begun develop an award to recognize outstanding psychology departments housed in state hospitals and brainstorm ways in which the section could better address the organizational, professional and political needs of its membership. Over the next couple of months, heads of hospital psychology departments across the country will be contacted and surveyed to provide better insight into the real-world challenges faced by public service psychologists in this area. Contact Behin Abedi, section representative, for more information about the work going on in the Community and State Hospitals Section.

VA Section

The VA Section works to promote the Department of Veterans Affairs mission through patient care, research, training and consumer activities, and is the only VA-related group open to all VA psychologists. Over the past few months, the VA Section has been working to recruit a new student representative for Div. 18. They also continue to forge ahead with the Members in Action initiative, which links students to Div. 18 psychologist leaders. Students have the opportunity to interview leaders in the field and complete a write up that will be posted on the Div. 18 website. Student ambassadors also post current news and events throughout the week on the VA Section Facebook and Twitter pages. If you are interested in becoming the VA Section student representative, a student leader with Members in Action and/or a student ambassador, please feel free to contact Jodi Bremer-Landau, MA, student representative.

Criminal Justice Section

Members and affiliates of the Criminal Justice Section work primarily with individuals involved in the criminal justice system (e.g., incarcerated, on probation) and with administrators who operate correctional facilities. The Criminal Justice Section aims to improve the mental health treatment provided to offender and ex-offender populations and to improve well-being through treatment, assessment, training, research and advocacy. In early June, the Criminal Justice Section co-sponsored the North American Correctional and Criminal Justice Conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This conference provided a unique and exciting opportunity to learn about criminological and correctional psychology. The section also looks forward to its members contributing to the upcoming 2015 Annual APA Convention in Toronto this August. To stay updated on opportunities in this area, like The Criminal Justice Section on Facebook and check out their newsletter, The Gavel. To learn more about the Criminal Justice Section, contact Ashley Oliver, MS, student representative.

Police and Public Safety

The Police and Public Safety Section reminds students of the following scholarship opportunity. The Award for Outstanding Student Research in the Field of Police and Public Safety Psychology recognizes the most outstanding student research (e.g., dissertation, thesis) in the field of police and public safety psychology in the prior academic year. Quantitative, qualitative and theoretical dissertations are welcome. For information on nomination procedures, please see the Other Opportunities section of this newsletter. If you are interested in learning more about the activities of the Police and Public Safety Section, contact Ryan Roberts, MA, JD.