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| Issue April 2012 | Volume 35. No 1 |
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| From the President's Desk |  Natalie W. Gaughf, Ph.D. President
Thank you for the opportunity to lead the Mississippi Psychological Association (MPA) as the 2012 President.
At the American Psychological Association Practice Organization's 2012 State Leadership Conference in Washington last month, I attended a Plenary Session and subsequent Workshop that motivated me. Mary Myers, CAE, is the author of the book, "Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations." Her presentations were obviously appropriate for MPA, but also relevant to other groups with which I am involved. I also believe that these principles can be applied to me as an individual. I would like to share some of the information with you. Ms. Byers described three questions associations (and, in my opinion, individuals) should consider.
First, how do we require less time of our members?
Second, how do we give members more for their dollar?
Third, how can we specialize and consolidate?
MPA takes these questions seriously. In an effort to save you time, MPA is improving our website. The new website will allow us to renew our memberships, find colleagues' contact information in the directory, and get information about upcoming events more efficiently and effectively. For those interested in joining MPA's leadership team, the Executive Committee, the monthly meetings have been streamlined and communication occurs more regularly and more efficiently via conference calls and email.
In addition to the website improvements, MPA has committed to a greater legislative presence. We have hired a lobbyist and have spent more organizational time and resources on legislative issues than in the recent past.
MPA has tightened its budget and intensified its focus. All Executive Council members work toward three goals:
1) increasing student membership and maintaining full membership;
2) increasing MPA's legislative presence; and
3) establishing a new website to support MPA goals and initiatives.
MPA is focused and intent on working for you, the members. The Executive Council is a fantastic group of productive professionals. I appreciate their willingness to get involved and lead, and I would like to thank each and every one of them for his/her support.
MPA is the voice of psychology in Mississippi, and I can honestly and accurately report that the state of MPA is strong and vital. Psychologists across the state are better for the work of this association. |
| Linking for Legislative Action |
MPA Members Attend State Leadership Conference
in Washington, D.C.
Penni L. Smith, Ph.D.
Government Relations Officer
The annual APA State Leadership was held March 10 through March 13 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC. Mississippi was represented this year by several members of the Mississippi Psychological Association -- Dr. Natalie Gaughf (President), Dr. Vicki Prosser (President-Elect), Dr. Suzanne Jourdan (Public Education Coordinator), and Dr. Penni Smith (Federal Advocacy Coordinator/Government Relations Officer). Tracey Curtis, Executive Director of MPA, was also in attendance.
The theme for this year's conference was "Bringing Psychology to the Table: State Leadership in Healthcare Reform." The conference recognized that many changes in health care will occur in 2014 when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect and that it is imperative that psychologists prepare accordingly. Conference programming encouraged State, Provincial, and Territorial Associations (SPTAs) and their leaders to actively advocate to strengthen and expand psychologists' roles in the changing health care system. Tracey Curtis and Drs. Gaughf, Prosser, Jourdan, and Smith attended many workshops and presentations which addressed integrated health care, electronic medical records, state and federal advocacy, and much more. A dinner honoring Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), a longtime supporter of psychology's legislative efforts, was held on March 11.
On March 13, the MPA members went to Capitol Hill to meet with Mississippi legislators regarding important legislation affecting psychologists across the country. We met with office representatives for Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Roger Wicker, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Alan Nunnelee, Rep. Greg Harper, and Rep. Steven Palazzo to request a permanent fix to the substantial growth rate formula that penalizes psychologists and other providers. Further, we asked for psychologists to be added to the Medicare physician definition to stop unnecessary and inappropriate supervision requirements. All of the representatives were welcoming, friendly, and receptive to our concerns and requests. It was a successful and productive conference for all involved and another step in promoting the profession and practice of psychology at our nation's capital.
Dr Penni Smith and Dr. Natalie Gaughf
Dr. Vicki Prosser, Tracey Curtis and her daughter Gabrielle.
MPA shared a table with our Puerto Rican colleagues!
The blooming cherry blossom made D.C. especially beautiful.
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| Early Career Psychology Committee | |
Tips for Successfully Passing the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology
Molly Clark, Ph.D.
Early Career Psychology Chair
In most cases, those who are looking to prepare for the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) have already successfully navigated through graduate school and perhaps internship. In all likelihood, you've heard horror stories or least the occasional licensed psychologists who will not discuss their experience with the EPPP due to perceived Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, people are able to pass this exam and become fully licensed practitioners. So, how do they do it? Well, here are a few tips that may get you started.
1. Know where you want to be licensed.
a. States vary in their licensure laws in what materials you required to submit, when you can take the EPPP, how many times you can take the EPPP, and how often you can take it. Therefore, research state requirements for licensure to give you information on how to proceed, develop a timeline to licensure, and determine how much cost is associated with licensure and materials that you will need to submit.
2. Know the test.
a. Getting information about the EPPP itself can prove beneficial. As of August of 2011, the EPPP consists of 225 total test questions, and 175 questions are included in your score. The remaining 50 items are not scored and are used to construct future tests. There are various sections on the EPPP, and the percentages of questions in these sections vary. For example, assessment and diagnosis comprises 14% of the exam, while research design and statistics make up 8% of the test questions. b. By knowing the domains of content and percentages, you can better structure your study time to allocate more effort toward those sections that will be weighted more heavily on the exam.
3. Study materials.
a. Many companies offer testing manuals, sample tests, workshops, and seminars related to the EPPP. What company should you use and what materials will you need? This is very subjective. However, review all of the materials that are available and consider how you typically learn the best. If you are visual learner, the books and flashcards may be a better resource for you. If you learn better by hearing information, some companies offer an audio version of test material.
b. Taking practice tests and simulating the test environment may prove beneficial. Often, test takers do not suffer from a knowledge deficit, but more test-taking skill deficits. Knowing what types of test questions are difficult for you and picking up on subtle distractors could make a significant difference in your practice test scores. Therefore, a strategy you may employ could be to make an answer sheet that indicates whether you knew the answer or whether you guessed at the answer. This can inform you if you need to re-learn a particular concept or if a distractor seems to contribute to your getting an item wrong.
4. Take it sooner after graduation rather than later.
a. The sooner you take the EPPP after graduate school the better. b. Information about concepts you may not use in your career are still fresh, your test-taking skills are still sharp. Further out from graduate school, you may have to spend more time relearning information and brushing up on test-taking skills.
5. Prepare for test day.
a. Be familiar with the test site and the rules associated with test day. Knowing where your test center is located, how much time it takes to arrive, and how it looks can prevent and relieve some anxiety. No one wants to be rushed or fear being late on test day.
b. Call the test center to see if they provide ear plugs or what noise reduction devices they may have. You may want to check in advance if you can bring your own, if they allow you to have snacks and/or water, and how many breaks you are allotted. In addition, you may want to know if you are able to have scratch paper or if they provide a dry erase board for you to write down information, such as Eriksson's stages of development, prior to taking the test.
6. Take care of yourself.
a. There is much at stake on passing the EPPP, and it can be stressful. Continuing to practice self-care by exercising or engaging in relaxation can be helpful in making sure you are at an optimal state in preparing for the EPPP and on test day. b. Although not passing the EPPP has implications, it is also not the end of the world as we know it. Having a support system in place and a backup plan is not a bad idea. The testing service allows for a breakdown of what sections were missed the most for an additional fee. If you feel that information would be helpful, it may be worth the additional fee.
c. You may choose to talk with others who have taken the EPPP or join an internet group for support. The MPA listserv, APA Early Career Psychology Listservs, and Yahoo groups are just a couple of ways to reach out for support.
In summary, there are many ways to navigate the licensure process. If there was one tip overall that I would recommend, it would be mentorship. ECP's should find a mentor who has been through the process and is open to discuss various strategies. Furthermore, it may be helpful to find a colleague who went through the process more recently, as the EPPP is updated periodically. Finally, keep a positive attitude. People get licensed, and you can be successful! |
| 2012 Convention |
Lisa Yazdani, Ph.D. 
Convention Chair/Immediate Past-President
"Convention Will Be Here Before We Know It!"
Once again, plans are being made for our annual convention. The Convention theme this year is "Innovation in Psychology," and we already have some wonderful programs lined up. The convention will be held September 12 - 14th at the Courtyard Marriott Beachfront Hotel in Gulfport. We have a room block secured, be sure to reserve your room before the deadline of August 10, 2012.
I hope that all of you will be able to attend, as it promises to be a great convention. As a reminder, the Call for Programs went out in February and the deadline for submission is May 1st. If you'd like to offer a program, but miss the deadline, feel free to submit the program to me via e-mail as soon as possible, as there are a few time slots still available. Submission address is: LisaYazdani@MSN.com.
Hotel information is available on the website and registration information along with the program brochure will be available early summer. Hope to see you on the Coast!
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Membership Update | |
Molly Clark, Ph.D.
Membership Chair
Confucius once said, "Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Suffice it to say I absolutely love Psychology and am excited to serve again as the chair of both the Membership and Early Career Psychology Committees.
Our Executive Council set a priority this year to focus on membership in a number of ways. First of all, we want to increase our student and early career psychologists (ECP) membership and participation. Secondly, we want to highlight and expound upon the benefits that we currently offer. Finally, we want to recognize those members who have excelled and continue to give back to the profession.
Part of our mission of MPA is supporting the academic community and promoting psychological practice. Our students and early career psychologists are in need of mentorship, networking opportunities, and an audience to showcase their contributions. While we are a smaller state, provincial or territorial psychological associations (SPTA), MPA offers the perfect venue to those looking to establish a variety of collegial connections throughout the state and to have the opportunity for 1:1 mentorship. MPA has a myriad of opportunities for our students and ECPs to get involved.
I have fond memories of being a student member and reaping a number of benefits from this association. I had a professor who emphasized the importance of psychological association, and without this knowledge, would not have been aware of these opportunities. Therefore, it is my goal to get out, meet and re-establish connections with our academic institutions, students and ECPs in an effort to educate more people about what MPA has to offer.
MPA has made strides to keep up with technological advances that impact our profession, to offer relevant continuing education, and to provide a forum to maintain relationships with others in our guild. However, we have some room for improvement. We want to update our website to make it more user friendly and easier to maintain. We hope to provide more information in our newsletters related to academic, research and practice information, also we want to reorganize our convention so that our members can have more flexible learning opportunities. Finally, we are open to innovative strategies to keep MPA up-to-date and in touch with our members, and we encourage any suggestions to be sent to committee chairs. Better yet, we welcome those who have an interest, and we invite you to join one of our MPA committees.
We know that our members are busy and have had numerous successes that should be celebrated. MPA can serve as a way to let others in our field know what you are doing and to open the doors for collaboration. The MPA listserv and newsletter are excellent opportunities to showcase your work and to let others know about your activities within our guild. In addition, MPA currently offers several awards given yearly at the annual convention. In the past, we have sought nominations for these awards, but are now looking for innovative strategies to engage membership in this process. These awards can be important to include on your vitae and to help an employer understand the value of your work.
In closing, I am open to ideas on how we can strengthen our association and make MPA work for its members. Furthermore, we as association members need to work with one another to promote our profession. I am also enthusiastic about the opportunities that are before us in MPA and hope that we can be a leader among all APA SPTAs.
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| In Memoriam |
William "Bill" Gasparrini, Ph. D. (1951 - 2012)
Dr. William "Bill" Gasparrini, 60, of Biloxi, died Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 at his home surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer. Bill graduated from Greenwich High School in 1969 as a National Merit Scholar. He attended Lehigh University where he earned his Bachelor's in Social Psychology in 1972 and Masters in Social Psychology in 1973. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Florida in 1977. He began his career at the Gulfport V.A. in 1978. He founded Applied Psychology Center in 1983 where he worked until his retirement in September 2011. He was an adjunct psychology professor at USM Gulf Park and Tulane University. He served a five-year term on the Mississippi Board of Psychology from 1997-2002. Bill was also an active member of the Mississippi Psychological Association and did many presentations at our conventions over the years. He was certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He loved being a psychologist and getting the chance to meet so many people and touch so many lives.
Bill had a zest for life. He loved family, travel, and exercising. He was a member of the Gulf Coast Running Club, where he was named Most Improved Runner in 2003 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. He had many notable running accomplishments, including completing the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon, among many others. He was an avid triathlete and completed two Ironman competitions in 2003 and 2004 and numerous Half-Ironman competitions. Bill had many friends and cherished those friendships.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Sue Gasparrini; his daughters, Mary, Amy, and Sarah; and two granddaughters, Sophia and Audry.
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| Public Education Campaign | |
Suzanne Jourdan, Ph.D.
Public Education Coordinator
Did you know that since 9/11/2001, Mississippi National Guard and Reserve members deployed close to 13,000 times and the MS active duty members have deployed close to 3,000 times? These deployments affected 35,000 dependents. Our Service Members and their families face unique and often unprecedented challenges associated with active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. These challenges include:
* an all-volunteer Military, of which over half are National Guard and Reservists;
* extended separations due to longer combat duty;
* increased responsibilities at home, including a majority of spouses who work outside the home while taking care of children, family members, finances, and everything else that comes with running a home without a spouse
* recurring deployments, some Service Members being deployed two, three, or even as many as four times;
* ongoing personal connection with what is happening on the battlefront and at home through videoconferencing, cell phones, ongoing news coverage, and other social media, creating increased anxiety and stress about the well-being of deployed loved ones.
At the request of our MPAPresident, PEC Coordinator Suzanne Jourdan met with Richard Patton representing Army OneSource. It is his job to build military-community partnerships. He is reaching out to community providers with the intent to educate them about the mental health needs of the service members and their families. He provided Suzanne with information about free on-line training "Treating the Invisible Wounds of War", which includes information on the military culture and best practices for identifying, assessing, and treating mental health problems that result from the trauma of war.
Learn more about how you can provide specialized care to Service Members and their Families by taking the online course series: Treating the Invisible Wounds of War.During this initial launch of the awareness campaign, there is no charge for behavioral health professionals to take the three courses.
Course provided by the Citizen Soldier Support Program
Awareness of a Growing Public
Health Issue Relating to Military Service in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
Take this opportunity to earn 3 hours CE credit while learning more about behavioral health issues related to the military
Visit www.aheconnect.com/citizensoldier and enter the referral code: AOSMSBH
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| Disaster Response Network | |
Disaster Response Network Update
Emily Thomas Johnson, Ph.D., BCBA-D
MPA Disaster Response Network Coordinator
As many of you know, the Gulf coast's "tornado season" is the spring, while the southern plains have more tornadoes during May through June. The Atlantic "hurricane season" is June 1 through November 30. As part of our preparation for the possibility of disaster events, we are updating our Disaster Response Network roll to ensure that we as an association are able to respond as smoothly and quickly as possible when the call comes.
In addition to updating the current roll, we are inviting more licensed psychologist to join our efforts. All members of the DRN must attend (in person or via webinar) the American Red Cross's Foundations of Disaster Mental Health (FDMH) training (currently 3.0 hours). This training is offered to our members who are interested in joining the DRN or updating training without charge.
The next Foundations of Disaster Mental Health webinar is scheduled for July 11 from 1:00 to 4:00 CST. To register, please contact Emily Johnson (mpadrn@gmail.com) immediately. The April training filled quickly. We encourage all licensed mental health providers throughout the state to join us at some point in participating in the American Red Cross's FDMH training.
To join MPA's DRN, we require that a volunteer be a licensed psychologist within the association and meet the ARC requirements of response. To be eligible as a Disaster Mental Health volunteer for either local or national relief operations through ARC, an individual must have an active, unencumbered, and unrestricted state license issued by the state or U.S. territory licensing board overseeing the state or territory in which the individual lives. Additionally, the individual must (a) have an independent license (license to practice without supervision) and master's degree as a clinical social worker, psychologist, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychiatric nurse, or psychiatrist OR (b) have a state license or state certification and master's degree as a school psychologist or school counselor issued by a state board of education OR (c) have a state license and a bachelor's degree (BSN) as a registered nurse and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification for psychiatric and mental health nursing to include RN-BC or PMHNP-BC or PMHCNS-BC. DMH professionals are expected to work within their areas of competence when serving the American Red Cross. The licensing of mental health professionals is determined by individual states or U.S. territories whose regulations must be followed by the Red Cross.
For MPA DRN members who have already received training through the FDMH course, but who did not take the Psychological First Aid course, now (while events are infrequent) is the time to plan on getting some extra training in this area. Local ARC Chapters are hosting Psychological First Aid as part of their Spring trainings approximately once a month. Please contact your local Chapter for upcoming trainings.
As mentioned above, we are updating our roll. I encourage all members to contact me at mpadrn@gmail.com (1) if you already a member of the DRN, to confirm that you would like to continue to participate but have not received a direct e-mail; (2) if you are already a member of the DRN but, at the current time, you are no longer interested or unable to assist; OR (3) if you are not a member, but wish to be. Also, if you know of a colleague that is interested or that should be interested, feel free to let me know and we'll attempt to recruit.
Volunteering to serve within the DRN does not commit you to becoming activated should a disaster occur. As a volunteer, you would be contacted in the event of a disaster, but as a volunteer you always have the option of deciding then if you could participate and to what extent you could participate. Volunteering really means a commitment to preparing oneself for future contingencies.
If you have not taken the required ARC course, you can still submit an application to the DRN. That step would put you on the list of those needing the Foundations of Disaster Mental Health course and assist us in knowing who needs to be contacted as this next session is planned.
Please feel free to contact Emily Johnson (mpadrn@gmail.com) or Tracey Curtis (mpassoc@comcast.net) with any questions or comments.
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| Advertisment | |
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| APA Practice Organization - Helping your State Association | |
Tracey Curtis
Executive Director
Dear Members,
I want to inform you of two grants that MPA has been awarded by the American Psychological Association Practice Organization.
MPA applied for a Legislative Grant late last year. This was to help contract a lobbyist. We had raised funds at the Annual Convention; however, there was a shortfall. This award of $8,000 from APAPO allowed MPA to hire the Talon Group. Chip Reno has been working very closely with our Government Relations Officer, Penni Smith. This was a significant award during a tough budget year for APA in general. The hiring of a lobbyist has provided invaluable assistance with our legislative issues, most predominantly our licensure law.
In addition to the legislative grant, we were also awarded $13,000 in February in the form of an organizational grant. This grant was applied for to help pay staff (Tracey Curtis). The CAPP grants are an essential life line for very small state associations such as Mississippi. The grants are applied for yearly by associations across the USA and Canada, and are extremely competitive. During the organizational development application cycle, requests from 24 state associations for funding exceeding the pool Grant money were received by APAPO. This makes our award extremely significant. I had applied for $15,000. However, we were awarded $13,000.
All grants are made possible from funds collected through the practice assessment of licensed psychologists. The awards are made to support promotion of the practice of psychology. These funds are therefore from YOU the members, paying practice assessment to APA. I believe it is important for psychologists to realize that the assessments from APA are going back to your state associations. So thank YOU for paying your assessments and helping give back to your association.
If you are not a member of APA, I strongly urge you to consider joining. MPA is the only voice of psychology in Mississippi. We work for you, we represent you, and we protect your rights to practice. Without these grants, MPA could not continue.
WHO PAYS THE ASSESSMENT
Licensed APA whether, institutional practitioners, private practitioners, or academic practitioners who provide health or mental health services or supervise those who do, pay the Practice Assessment, this supports the work of APA Practice Organization on behalf of professional psychology. The Practice Assessment is included in a separate section in the APA member dues statements. The base Practice Assessment amount is $140 for 2011, as noted on the APA dues statements .
WHY PAY THE ASSESSMENT
As a very small state, the Practice Assessment portion of your APA dues is pooled, and helps support very small (i.e. Mississippi) and small state and territorial psychological associations. This grant money helps to insure that EVERY state has a formed and INFORMED psychological association that manages the profession on a local level. Practice assessment monies can be used to award legislative grants to ALL state associations, and to award organizational development grants to small and very small state associations to help keep a basic office infrastructure in place. APAPO is not able to work alone and stay aware of issues that affect the profession on a state to state to level without every state having a central organization.
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| Enhancing MPA's Voice Through Better Technology | |
B. Heath Gordon, Ph.D.
Website Chair
I want to share with you some of the latest ideas and developments regarding MPA's internet presence and to seek your input on what would be most valuable to you as a member. I hope this email will stimulate some listserve discussion.
Briefly, the Executive Committee has been considering ways to improve MPA's website for quite some time, as internet technology has changed dramatically since the current website was built in 2007. Some of these newer technologies would allow for more efficient management of administrative tasks such as membership renewals, and others would add value to members through improved practice listings and easier notification of issues that affect practice.
I have been asked to assist in this process by leading the charge of researching the latest technologies and resources available to identify those that would assist in more efficiently managing the MPA and increasing the website's relevance for members. Since MPA 2011, I have evaluated multiple web development platforms and membership management programs, communicated with APA web services and Website Chairs from other state associations, and obtained 12 redesign proposals from local and other reputable web developers. These proposals have been reviewed and discussed by our website committee consisting of Drs. Doug Cole, Natalie Gaughf, Vicki Prosser, and Mrs. Tracey Curtis. Four of the proposals have been submitted to the Executive Committee for review.
We have been able to identify that a redesign of our website would cost our organization from $3,500-$5,000, with some time commitment on my part. The cost of the build in 2007 was $4,280, and other larger associations quoted paying between $9,500-$15,000 within the past year or so. As it stands now, there is no room in our annual budget, so the funding of this redesign would have to come from contributions and/or fundraising. It is my hope that others will respond to this email with some ideas for (a) the value of engaging in this endeavor for your practice and (b) how we might obtain the funding to do so.
Below are some of the benefits I have identified that could be obtained by upgrading:
1. New searchable psychologist directory available to the general public and/or providers. One would be able to search by items such as name, region, specialty, insurance accepted and presenting problems;
2. Inclusion of a member and/or public section(s) of the website highlighting academic psychology across the state, allowing for increased emphasis on academic accomplishments, contributions to the state, recent publications;
3. Enhanced membership portal that allows for personal updates of membership directory information, membership renewal, conference/CE registration, (with aspirations for online CE activities by local providers), newsletter archives, group resource areas (e.g., interest areas, academic/research resources, early career area);
4. Enhanced commercial ad space to empower the website to generate income and allow psychology-relevant services to offer discounts to membership;
5. Classified ads section for members or other psychology-relevant services;
6. Listserv archive access and blog capable (if desired);
7. Ability to make the website a dynamic, interactive resource as opposed to displaying static content only.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, please do not hesitate to forward them to me at
Heath Gordon
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| MPA's Day at the Capitol January 25, 2012 | |
Photographs from MPA's Day at the Capitol
Drs. Vicki Prosser, Lisa Yazdani, John Askew, Molly Clark and Tony Calabrese.
Dr. Pamela Banks and two Jackson State University Students.
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