CONGRATULATIONS!

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary 

to Drs. Jim & Angela Herzog 

February 28, 2011

In February, the psychology licensing bill was successfully passed by both chambers of the MS State Legislature!   Final changes to the bill must be agreed upon by the Senate and House of Representatives before the bill becomes law.  MPA will keep you updated on the final stages of this successful legislative effort as they happen.

Penni Smith, Ph.D.

Government Relations Officer/Federal Advocacy Coordinator

Would you like to serve on the Editorial Board of The Mississippi Psychologist?  I'd like to have Editorial Board members from various areas of the profession in our state.  If you are interested, contact me, Beverly Smallwood, at 601-264-0890 or BevSmallwd@aol.com.

Lisa Yazdani, Ph.D.

Message from the President 

2011 is off to a great start
,and the State of the Association is strong!  O.K., so maybe the State of the Union address rubbed off on me a little.  Nonetheless, this statement is true.  MPA has a very energetic group of professionals in leadership positions this year, and the enthusiasm is contagious! 

Here's what's been happening so far:

In November, the Executive Committee gathered in Clinton for an annual leadership retreat.   While many topics were addressed, the issue of how to support psychologists in this economy came to the forefront.  In an effort to improve communication with third party payment sources, a new task force was established.   Dr. Ed Manning was appointed as chair of the task force and he will be recruiting others to help in this effort.  Many thanks to Dr. Manning for his willingness to get involved!

On January 11^th, psychologists from around the state joined together for one of the best "Days at the Capitol" that MPA has yet hosted.  Numerous lawmakers stopped by to share a bite of breakfast and chat with us about renewing our licensure law.  The day was a huge success! Not only were we able to educate lawmakers about our licensure law, but we were also able to disseminate mind-body wellness materials and inform them of the vast resources we have to offer in improving health care.  Many took part in this day, but special thanks are due to Drs. Natalie Gaughf, Penni Smith, and Molly Clark for the time and effort they put into working on the licensure renewal and the Day at the Capitol.  They are an outstanding group of professional women!

The Day at the Capitol was just one of the many activities that the Executive Committee has outlined for the year.   Let's look ahead to what is planned for later this year.

In May, during National Mental Health Month, MPA will sponsor several events to increase public education regarding mind-body health.  The Public Education Campaign Committee will lead the way in these efforts, and we'd love to have psychologists from all regions of the state involved.  Our membership is a talented group, and this is a great time to share your knowledge and expertise with the community.  Look for more information regarding this on the listserv in the near future.

Dr. Vicki Prosser and Dr. John Askew are developing a great CE line-up for the year, and more information regarding those offerings will be forthcoming.  In addition, Dr. Emily Johnson is working to improve our community partnership with the Red Cross so that disaster responses are handled in an increasingly smooth manner.  We have already had members of the MPA Disaster Response Network involved in responses to tornados and house fires this year.

In an effort to increase student participation in MPA, our leadership is seeking opportunities to speak with interns and psychology students at all levels of training.  We have members willing to speak to students regarding career opportunities and ways to get involved in the field.  One has but to ask, and we will jump at the opportunity.  Contact me for more information.

The annual convention will be held in Biloxi from Sept 21 -23.  The theme is:  "Looking to the Future:  Increasing Opportunities for Psychologists and Improving Access for Consumers".  Plan to attend.  Better yet, plan to present!  Invite your colleagues and students to attend as well.

So, there's a lot going on, and many ways to be involved!  I encourage every psychologist in the state to become actively involved in some aspect of MPA.

I'd like to address just one other topic before closing.   Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about other professional groups encroaching on the traditional roles and practices of psychologists.  Given that the principles of psychology touch all aspects of life, it's not really surprising that others are trying to use the research and techniques we've developed to apply to their own disciplines.   With everyone else trying to do what we are trained to do, do we throw up our hands, give up our practice, and go running into other professions? OR, do we stand our ground, promote our knowledge and skills, educate the public about what we can offer, and lead the way in providing health care services to the public?

I think the better choice is obvious.  In a time when the health care system in our country is being bombarded with challenges, we, as psychologists, are in an ideal position to take the lead in promoting health care at all levels.    We have a professional identity that is well-grounded in research.  We are the only health care providers under the Mississippi statue who are licensed to practice psychology.  And, we, as an association are "the organized voice of psychology in Mississippi".    Let's take the lead!

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

BUILD STRENGTH AND IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

BOARD CERTIFICATION IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Lisa Grossman, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP; Robert Yufit, Ph.D. ABPP; &

Christopher Ebbe, Ph.D., ABPP 

WHY HAVE BOARD CERTIFICATION?

Board Certification in psychology represents a significant effort on the part of the psychological profession to assess and certify the competence of individual psychologists to practice.  Over the last fifty years, in its eagerness to expand as a profession and to ensure financial opportunities for practitioners, organized psychology focused more on licensure than on doing its own certification.  However, licensure has turned out to be much more a guarantor of safety to the public than it is a guarantor of actual competence.

The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) has been evaluating and certifying the competence of Clinical Psychologists since 1947 (well before the push for licensure), and it is now the parent organization for thirteen separate boards of examination in various specialty areas of psychology, all conforming to the same high standards for evaluation and examination.  These specialty areas are Clinical, Counseling, School, Clinical Health, Group, Psychoanalysis, Forensic, Clinical Neuropsychology, Couple & Family, Organizational & Business Consulting, Clinical Child & Adolescent, Cognitive & Behavioral, and Rehabilitation Psychology.  For example, the examining board for Clinical Psychology is the American Board of Clinical Psychology (ABCP), which has certified more than 3600 Clinical Psychologists over the years.

Becoming Board Certified in Clinical Psychology is similar to Board Certification in medical specialties; it is a key marker of the psychologist's competence to practice in the specialty of Clinical Psychology.  ABPP is not a part of the American Psychological Association but has close working ties with APA in terms of defining specialties in psychology.  As an indication of ABPP's commitment to quality, ABPP Board Certification involves a comprehensive evaluation of both credentials and competence, with the highest standards and with a face-to-face examination on actual work samples, which forms a reasonable basis for attesting to the psychologist's actual competence in daily work.  This is a claim that most state licensing boards, particularly those that no longer use an oral exam, cannot make.  (There are other organizations offering Board Certification, but none of them have the continuity and professional acceptance that ABPP has, and only a few evaluate work samples, most of them without face-to-face contact.)  ABPP Board Certification seeks to guarantee high quality practice by those attaining Board Certification.  This is a standard higher than state licensure but still within the reach of most psychologists.

ADVANTAGES OF BOARD CERTIFICATION IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

There are many advantages to being Board Certified in Clinical Psychology:

• acknowledgement of the  attainment of a rigorous, independent certification by one's profession of one's clinical competence.
• often an advantage for job applicants and can provide an edge over those who are not Board Certified.
• recognition by federal employers of Clinical Psychologists, such as the U.S. Public Health Service and Department of Defense, including extra salary benefits;
• recognition of Board Certification by 36 states as an aid to reciprocity of licensure
• twenty percent discount in annual premiums for professional liability insurance by a major malpractice carrier;
• recognition of competence by many universities, hospitals, health service system agencies, insurers, and by the informed public;
• enhanced credibility as an expert witness;
• greater credibility with staff when working in medical settings;
• preference for Board Certification by some provider panels;
• vehicle through which Board-Certified Clinical Psychologists may be heard regarding mental health policy issues;
• access to a readily accessible pool of other knowledgeable and competent Board Certified Clinical Psychologists for consultation, referral, and ongoing learning;
• eligibility for Fellow status in the American Academy of Clinical Psychology, including professional visibility through the Academy's website directory.

Most Board-Certified Clinical Psychologists are motivated to gain certification not just by the practical benefits, but also by their belief in high standards for practice.  Most report surprise and satisfaction with the collegial and learning atmosphere surrounding the examination process in Clinical, and most report that the examination (and preparing for it) was a significant learning experience.

REQUIREMENTS FOR BOARD CERTIFICATION IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Requirements for certification include licensure and three years of clinical experience, one of which may be pre-doctoral.  (A formal post-doctoral program can be counted as two years.)   This experience must include two years supervised by a Clinical Psychologist.  There is now an option for starting the application process while still in school and submitting work samples before licensure. 

After the applicant's credentials are approved, a statement of professional goals and orientation and videotaped work samples in two of four areas are submitted--assessment, intervention, consultation, and/or supervision/management.  Once the work samples are found to be adequate, the professional statement and work samples form the basis of the three-hour oral examination by a three-member panel, along with ethical and professional issues. Areas assessed are science base and application, assessment, intervention, consultation, supervision/teaching/management (if applicable), interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethical and legal foundations, and professional identification. All cogent theoretical orientations are acceptable, as long as the candidate can articulate a rationale for his/her activities.

SENIOR OPTION

ABPP also offers a "senior option" requiring the same credentials and at least fifteen years of professional experience.  Instead of the usual videotaped work samples, senior candidates submit a record of (and examples of) their professional accomplishments in teaching, research, supervision, consultation, client care, management, etc., and these form the basis of the oral exam (along with ethical and professional issues).  

CANDIDATE COMMENTS

Here are two responses by Board Certified Clinical Psychologists when they were asked to comment on the examination.  

"I especially enjoyed the process of working for the examinations and the orals themselves. It was a great opportunity to pull my thoughts together and then to discuss two of my cases with excellent and respectful colleagues. The combination of professional excellence and mutual respect despite widely differing theoretical perspectives and educational backgrounds is immensely gratifying in our often fractured and politicized field."

"Tell them that the Board does not represent the highest possible level of expertise in the field, appropriate only for the most experienced psychologists and professional superstars. It is not at all elitist, as some people imagine. The standards are high, but not elite, and the process is mostly an inspiring and enjoyable one."

Those who become Board Certified in Clinical Psychology have the opportunity to become Fellows of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology, an organization of Board Certified psychologists in the specialty of Clinical Psychology who have joined together to promote high quality services in Clinical Psychology, through encouraging high standards and ethical practice in the field and through encouraging others to seek Board Certification.  The Academy also provides member services, promotes the value and recognition of Board Certification in the specialty of Clinical Psychology, and encourages those qualified by training and experience to become candidates for Board Certification.  Member services include the on-line directory, on-line continuing education opportunities, the Academy's on-line journal, and notices in hometown newspapers upon achieving Board Certification.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BOARD CERTIFICATION

You are invited to learn more about Board Certification via the websites of ABPP (www.abpp.org) and the Academy (www.aacpsy.org).  Questions may be addressed to contact@aacpsy.org.  The Academy can appoint a mentor to advise and help the applicant through the application and examination processes.  (In 2010, APA's Division 42, Independent Practice, is providing its own mentoring help to Division members applying for the senior option.)

Author Information:

Dr. Lisa Grossman, J.D, Ph.D., ABPP is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in Chicago, Illinois.  She has served on the American Psychological Association Board of Directors, chaired the Board of Professional Affairs, chaired the Committee on Professional Standards and Practice, and was a member of the Policy and Planning Committee as well as the Committee on Legal Issues. Dr. Grossman also served as President of Division 31: State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Affairs and most recently as President of Division 42: Psychologists in Independent Practice. She is also Past President of the Illinois Psychological Association and has represented the state of Illinois on APA's Council of Representatives for six years.  She received the 2010 American Psychological Association's award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice.  She is currently on the Board of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology.

Robert Yufit, Ph.D., ABPP, is in independent practice in Chicago and is also Assoc. Prof. in Northwestern Univ. Medical School's  Div. of Psychology, is Consulting Editor of the Journal of Suicide & Life Threatening Behavior, is Past President of the American Assoc. of Suicidology, and a  Board Member of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology.  

Christopher Ebbe, Ph.D., ABPP, is ABPP Board Certified in Clinical Psychology.  He received his Ph.D. in 1971 from the Univ. of Missouri at Columbia, spent seven years in the Air Force as a psychologist, and had a thirty year career in public mental health treating clients and training future psychologists.  He is currently President of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology.

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Suzanne Jourdan, Ph.D.

Public Education Coordinator

As the new Public Education Campaign (PEC) Coordinator, I'm excited to let you know what opportunities you have to share the information psychologists have to offer everyone.  In addition to the Resilience and Mind-Body Campaigns which are continuing, we hope to use the information from the Stress in America Survey to educate the community and promote health.  If you haven't had  a chance to do so, please look at the full survey results and press kit at www.stressinamerica.org.
 
 One highlight from Stress in America 2010 are that overweight and obese individuals feel more stressed than healthy weight individuals.  Even children who carry too much weight are more burdened with stress.  Given that Mississippi has the reputation for being one of the most overweight states and has such a high percentage of overweight children, this means that even the youngest in our community are feeling the impact of stress. 
 
While Americans acknowledge that their stress levels are high, they also report having difficulty practicing healthy behaviors.  This is where we can do a lot to educate the public on how to manage stress, how to make healthy choices, and how to get support in maintaining those choices. 
 
This year, the PEC is going to focus on May, National Mental Health Awareness Month, to target community education on Mind-Body health.  We'd like as many MPA members as possible to get involved.  You can do this by contacting local YMCA's, churches, clinics, police departments, schools, etc. and scheduling a free talk.  Or, if you need more ideas about how to do this, please contact me (suzjourdan@gmail.com) and I'll be glad to help.  There are some great brochures and Powerpoint presentations already developed at the APA Helpcenter. MPA will coordinate efforts and record the number of talks we give, so we also want to know who you're talking with and what exactly your topic is.  Call me for more information - and get involved!

DRN Update January 2011

Emily Thomas Johnson, Ph.D.

Busy Fall and Winter for MPA DRN

The Disaster Response Network has been active over the last few months.  We were pleased that in our fall MPA Annual Convention, a trauma/disaster track was available for participants.

We honored Dr. Bill Martin, past DRN Coordinator, with the Kinloch Gill Award.  

The Kinloch Gill Award is presented to the MPA member who, over his/her career, has demonstrated excellence and distinction in contributions and service in the area of public interest and public service activities.  Psychologists may be recognized for professional contributions which significantly benefit the public, or which make a difference to special populations such as handicapped, disadvantaged, or minority groups.  Dr. Martin was recognized for his extensive work in disaster response and preparedness.  Congratulations Dr. Martin!  Very well deserved!

Members from the DRN have also assisted the American Red Cross (ARC) in response to two tornadic events which hit Mississippi. On November 30, tornadoes hit central Mississippi in the area that previously suffered a hit in April 2010. This included Yazoo, Attala, Oktibbeha, Smith, Monroe, Tippah and Alcorn Counties. Additionally, the Starkville area was hit that morning. On New Year's Eve, three of tornadoes ripped across the central portion of the state causing damage to 7 counties. The value of the work our volunteers do to help survivors of these tragic events is immeasurable.  

In addition to tornadoes, house fires are frequent personal disasters in our state.  Dr. Lisa Yazdani assisted with the ARC response to two house fires in the Jackson area, including providing support and crisis intervention. Thanks, Lisa, for your untiring work on behalf of our profession.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We are all busy.  However, volunteering our time and expertise when people need is most is so valuable.  We especially need volunteers outside Jackson. Please consider adding your name to the volunteer list today! For more information, please contact Dr. Emily Johnson at ETJPhD@gmail.com.

 
Rural Health
Scott A. Cardin, Ph.D.,

The American Psychological Association's Committee on Rural Health (CRH) has promoted the establishment of a grassroots network of state, provincial, or territorial level representatives.  These representatives are tasked with serving their respective areas to fulfill and work toward the mission of improving rural healthcare. This mission seeks to expand the depth and breadth of psychological services by extending services to rural and remote communities and by increasing psychologists' awareness of rural perspectives and issues. Since 2009, I have acted as Mississippi's Psychological Association's Rural Health Coordinator.  

he purpose of this article is to introduce the topic of rural health to our members who otherwise may not be aware of our association's civil service and collaboration with other regional and national organizations. Likewise, this article serves as a public announcement asking our members to be mindful of issues influencing overall healthcare, specifically issues stemming from rurality, deficient access to healthcare, poverty, and even logistical issues which may function as barriers to care.  

CRH's mission statement is broad and multi-faceted. Noting that communities are diverse and have varying needs with respect to rurality and its impact on overall health issues, CRH promotes flexibility in the approach that each local Rural Health Coordinator takes. However, while promoting flexibility CRH lists two overarching goals for which the organization encourages focused efforts: 1) to aide in "connecting psychologists with internships and jobs in rural and frontier areas" and 2) to aide in finding ways "to integrate psychologists into primary care organizations."  

Since becoming the RHC in 2009, I have been working toward accomplishing those goals on several fronts. One front takes the form of networking and coordination. I have been networking within and outside of our state. Much of that work first was geared toward gaining a better understanding of simply how to be our RHC, what the expectations were, and how they have been met by other RHCs. In addition to learning how other state RHCs are serving, a significant benefit of such networking is in keeping abreast of national and regional issues which could influence rural health.  

That work has slowly shifted to focused efforts in connecting with experts in rural mental health. This latter networking effort has been beneficial in that doing so has helped answer the "how" questions, those questions which we are required to ask when attempting to implement systematic improvements and change.  A graduate student volunteered and assisted in creating a spreadsheet wherein community clinics identified as serving rural communities are listed. Such a listing can later be used in identifying and coordinating continued networking and collaboration of services.  

Another front takes the form of looking for grant and research opportunities within our state and catchment areas. In my day job, my colleagues and I were awarded grant funding to examine underutilization of services in the medical center where I work. More specifically, the focus of that grant was on examining barriers and facilitators to service use for rurally living Veterans. We are in the data collection stage of that project and are looking toward additional funding opportunities to extend our research efforts.  Namely, we want to establish a Rural Mental Health Research Lab at our medical center and to fund face-to-face interviews wherein we can obtain phenomenological data.  All of this will hopefully help us gain a better understanding of issues faced by rurally living individuals.  

A link between the above-mentioned fronts is that part of my research efforts also includes monthly mentoring team meetings comprised of several experts in rural mental health research and clinical practice. Such mentoring and networking serves to increase the reach of our rural mental health-focused research efforts.  

Another front takes the form of bringing a rural mental health and rural health focus to the psychological training offered in our state. My work in this area includes aspects of my role as the Director of Training for our APA-approved internship program at the medical center where I work. We have a growing emphasis on rural mental health in our training program. As with our grant, we have also met with recent success in applying for and being awarded recurring funding from the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) for a general postdoctoral training program with a major emphasis on Rural Mental Health. Our medical center was 1 of 10 hospitals in this country to be awarded a new postdoctoral training program. Further, this new program which will start this coming summer/fall is one of the few rurally focused training programs in our country. The goal of this postdoctoral fellowship training program will be to train fellows in rurally-focused mental health services and extenders of said services. The fellow will be actively involved in our ongoing research efforts, and hopefully, will assume a professional position in an area of the country wherein said skill set can be readily used.  

As RHC, I will: 1) continue to network and search for opportunities to outreach and educate across disciplines regarding rural health issues and concerns, 2)  continue to be active in educating and training graduate-level and post-graduate-level psychologists in issues related to rural mental health, 3) continue to be active researching issues related to rural mental health, 4) continue to be active looking for opportunities for MPA to work in a coordinated effort with other organizations for the purpose of infusing and extending rural health services in our state.   

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to describe some anticipated work I will soon undertake as your RHC. Very recently an opportunity for a collaborative grant through the Office of Rural Health was announced. A benefit of networking is that I did not have to check and recheck websites announcing such opportunities. The call for grant applications identifies goals for the grant which match the potential product of an idea which I have been working on already. The grant due date is listed as May, 2011. The idea I had already been working on, and now the idea which I will write into this grant proposal, basically will ask the grant funding agency to assist MPA in orchestrating collaborative relationships with other regional organizations and clinics serving rural populations in such a manner that we then can actively facilitate participation of those clinics in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Forgiveness Program.  Thereby, we will extend the depth and breadth of mental health services we proudly provide to Mississippians living in remote and rural areas of this state. 

.

Dear Colleagues:

As a member of the National Register Board of Directors, I am happy to inform you that the National Register is currently accepting applications to serve on the Board of Directors. We have positions open for psychologists and public representatives for four-year terms beginning on January 1, 2012.

• Psychologists who apply must be current Registrants. There is no minimum number of years of practice experience, and we encourage applications from early career psychologists. To learn more about and apply for the open psychologist positions, please click here.
• Public representatives who apply should have significant experience in marketing, business or finance. To learn more about the responsibilities and recommend a colleague for the open public representative positions, please click here.

The deadline to apply is April 15, 2011. Elections take place during the National Register Board of Directors meeting in June. Applicants will be informed of the results of the election shortly after the meeting.

If you are interested in serving on the National Register Board of Directors, we encourage you to act on this opportunity.

Regards,

Patrick O. Smith, PhD, ABPP