Highlights for early career and student members

This president-elect update on projects will intersect with what is happening with both the Early Career Psychologists (ECP) and the Student Affiliate group simply because we have been collaborating! Using social networking technology, the following two events will take place at the APA convention and be “broadcast” on Google Hangouts located at Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy

1. Hot Topics in Group Research
Thursday, Aug. 1: 1-2:00 p.m.
Division 49 Hospitality Suite
Hosted by Leann Terry Diederich, PhD (Penn State University) & Lee Gillis, PhD (Georgia College)
Join us in the Division 49 Hospitality Suite (in person, or via Google Hangout) to meet Drs. Dennis Kivlighan and Gary Burlingame who will focus on current hot topics in group research. Join us to:

• Assess your interest in conducting group psychotherapy research at your current setting.
• Speak and network with other group psychologists and students with similar interests & questions.
• Learn from leading experts in the field of group psychotherapy on how to get started.
• Share your ideas about research and how we can support one another in the process.

If you are not in Hawaii for APA, please connect with us for this session via Google Hangout. For more details on how to connect, please email us. Via Google Hangout: 4-5 p.m. (PT) 5-6 p.m. (MT) 6-7 p.m. (CT) 7-8 p.m. (ET)

2. Best Practices for Teaching Group Theory or Practice
Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Division 49 Hospitality Suite
Hosted by Lee Gillis, PhD (Georgia College) & Leann Terry Diederich, PhD (Penn State University)
Via Google Hangout: 5:30-6:30 p.m. (Pacific) 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Mountain) 7:30-8:30 p.m. (Central) 8:30-9:30 p.m. (Eastern)

Working with colleagues in the Society on identifying graduate training in groups, Sean Woodland, and Rosamond Smith supported by Leann Diederich and myself have been collaborating on a survey to find out where group psychotherapy is being taught in psychology, counseling, and social work graduate programs. We have gathered in Google+ hangouts for “face to face discussions” on how to focus this project to gather the most useful information. We are using Fuhriman, A., & Burlingame, G.M. (2001). Group psychotherapy training and effectiveness. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 51, 399-416 as a basis for the survey and are currently discussing ways to include students and faculty in the data gathering since the Furhiman & Burlingame article used only clinical directors.

Finally anyone in the Society with interest in or practice of activity-based group psychotherapy please contact me. I am working to expand the list of our membership who use experiential activities in their group psychotherapy sessions for collaboration.

And, as I said in the earlier column, please feel free to contact me with suggestions questions or anything that excites or concerns you about the society in general or my vision in particular.