Div. 37’s APA 2021 virtual convention program

Div. 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice) has put together an exciting program for the virtual APA 2021 conventionopens in new window. We have 19 hours of programming, which includes four collaborative programs, several symposia and skill-building sessions, as well as multiple invited sessions. All CE-approved sessions will be prerecorded and available to registered convention participants for up to 3 months after the convention. Div. 37 would like to thank our reviewers and student reviewers.

Div. 37 President Elizabeth Gershoff, PhD, has emphasized promoting prevention of violence against children, parenting in a pandemic, innovations in child and family practice, and interconnections among practice, policy, and research. We have several sessions that highlight these themes, such as “Preventing Physical Punishment of Children in Light of APA's Policy against Physical Discipline,” and “Parenting under Pressure: Child and Parent Mental Health and Harsh Parenting during a Pandemic.” Additionally, Mirian E. Ofonedu, PhD, LCSW-C, has organized the collaborative program “Walk-a-Mile Navigating the Justice System: Experiences of Marginalized Youth and Families,” which will familiarize participants with how justice system involved families face challenges related to needed education and mental health services.

Collaborative programs 

Div. 37 has 13 hours of collaborative programming for APA 2021 with collaborations across 15 other divisions. Div. 37 will lead two of our four collaborative programs. Three are approved for CE credit.

Div. 37 symposia

Div. 37 has eight division symposia for APA 2021. Five symposia were approved for CE credit.

Youth Adopted from Foster Care and Their Families in 2020: COVID, Telehealth, and Racial Injustice

Chair: Jill Waterman, PhD, and Audra Langley, PhD
Presentations:

• Impact of COVID-19 on Resource Parents: Unique Challenges and Strengths
• Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Adopted from Foster Care, Their Families, and Their Therapists
• Impact of Telehealth on Psychotherapy: Engagement and Clinical Progress
• The Impact of Racial Injustice and COVID-19 on Youth Adopted from Foster Care and Their Families

Hours: 60 minutes

Parenting under Pressure: Child and Parent Mental Health and Harsh Parenting during a Pandemic

Approved for CE.
Chair: Christina M. Rodriguez, PhD
Presentations:

• Longitudinal Risk and Protective Factors Predicting Child Abuse Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Bidirectional relations between perceived child behavior problems and pandemic parenting
• Experiencing Criticism of Parenting Predicts Poorer Parental Wellbeing during COVID-19

Hours: 60 minutes

Converging Public Health Crises: Preventing Child Maltreatment During COVID-19(Section on Maltreatment)

Approved for CE.
Chair: Karen Appleyard Carmody, PhD
Presentations:

• Remote Implementation of the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program
• The impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of an evidence-based child maltreatment prevention program
• Impact of Virtual Implementation on the Family Connects Program

Hours: 60 minutes

Child Physical Abuse and COVID-19: Dissemination of a Prevention Model During a Pandemic

Approved for CE.
Chair: Kristin L. Dean, PhD
Presentations:

• Relief for At-Risk Families in Isolation: Combined Parent-Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• We are Not Prepared for This: Adapting the Learning Collaborative Model for Virtual Delivery
• Implementing a Prevention and Treatment Intervention for Child Physical Abuse in a Global Pandemic

Hours: 60 minutes

Increasing Access and Equity Through Innovation: WCF's Equity and Effectiveness Scientific Council

Chair: Adam S. Weissman, PhD
Presentations:

• Creating Innovative Pathways to Effective, Equitable Mental Healthcare for All: Introducing WCF
• One Session Treatment for Specific Phobia
• Five-Day Group Intensive Treatment for Anxiety and OCD
• Assessment and Treatment Protocol for Childhood Misophonia

Hours: 60 minutes

Translating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Science into Effective Services

Chair: Kathryn H. Howell, PhD
Presentations:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Translation into Action in K12 Education Settings
• The Childhood Trauma Learning Collaborative: Use of a measure of school culture to address ACEs
• Recurrence of Adverse Childhood Exposures in High-Risk Youth: A Case for Selective Prevention
• Adverse childhood experiences and the transition to university: JoyPopTM app supports resilience
• Resilience following Adversity: Addressing Multigenerational Trauma via Strengths-based Intervention

Hours: 60 minutes

Child Sexual Exploitation

Approved for CE.
Chair: Daniel Bromberg, PhD
Presentations:

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Problematic Sexual Behaviors
• Sexual Exploitation: Gender Issues

Hours: 120 minutes

Racial Disparities in Infant Sleep-Related Deaths: Barriers & Interventions for Promoting Safe Sleep

Approved for CE.
Chair: Amy Damashek, PhD
Presentations:

• Mothers’ Reported Knowledge, Practices, and Barriers to Engaging in Infant Safe Sleep
• The Relation of Maternal Psychosocial Risk Factors to Infant Safe Sleep Practices
• Evaluation of a Safe Sleep Training for Home Visitors and Their Clients
• Addressing Black Infant Mortality: Evaluating a Safe Sleep Train-the-Trainer Program

Hours: 60 minutes

Skill-building

Division 37 is featuring one skill building session for APA 2021.

Parents as teachers: The impact of e-learning on parental burnout

Chair: Beth Trammell, PhD
Description: This session will share practical, evidence-based tips for (1) Acknowledging and normalizing feelings of burnout; (2) Educating on the implications of continued burnout; and (3) Better supporting parents experiencing these symptoms. Participants in this skill-building session will learn strategies related to pairing (parent-child relationship emphasis), effective instruction delivery, effective limit setting, and stress management strategies for parents who work from home.

Hours: 20 minutes

Invited programs

Div. 37 has three invited programs for APA 2021.

*Presidential Symposium

Interdivision Initiative to Prevent Violence Against Children

Chair: Elizabeth T. Gershoff, PhD
Presentations: Psychologists can advocate to reduce violence against children. This symposium will describe a CODAPAR-funded interdivision initiative for advocacy efforts to ban corporal punishment in schools and to promote interventions to reduce violence.
Hours: 60 minutes

*Section on Child Maltreatment

Division 37 Section on Child Maltreatment’s 25th Anniversary and Annual Awards

Chair: Karen Appleyard Carmody, PhD
Presentations: APA’s Division 37’s Section on Child Maltreatment president, past president, and 2021 awardees reflect on the 25-year history of the section and member contributions to child maltreatment research, training, professional practice, and policy.
Hours: 60 minutes

Division 37 Awards

Nicholas Hobbs Award, Distinguished Contribution to Child Advocacy, APF/Division 37 Dianne J. Willis Early Career Award

Chair: Erlanger Turner, PhD
Presentations: Nicholas Hobbs Award, Distinguished Contribution to Child Advocacy, APF/Division 37 Dianne J. Willis Early Career Award.
Hours: 40 minutes

Be on the lookout for our business meeting and socials. We look forward to you joining us virtually this year at APA 2021!