Dr. Pauline Wallin

Greetings, fellow 42-ers.

On January 26-27, your Division 42 Board of Directors held its annual winter meeting in Charlotte, NC, a non-stop flight from many areas of the country – which kept travel time to a minimum for most of us. Incidentally, did you know that the Charlotte airport is famous for its super-friendly-and-fun-but-not-intrusive ladies’ restroom attendants? (Google it.) Everyone leaves the restroom with a smile on their face.

We were booked at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel (recommended by Sally Cameron, executive director of the North Carolina Psych Association), just a quick shuttle ride from the airport. Of course, we all got a huge warm, gooey DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie on arrival, and some were even lucky enough to get an extra cookie from the van driver on the way from the airport to the hotel – a sweet start (or two) before getting down to business.

Our Friday evening 3-hour dinner meeting began with introductions, each of us relating one thing about ourselves that others probably didn’t know. What happens in Charlotte stays in Charlotte, but I can tell you that while no deep secrets were revealed, not all of your esteemed board members were perfect angels in elementary school.

Now to the important business, with a few highlights from our board meeting over the two days (official minutes will soon be available)…

Developments that may affect our practice and income

Our Advocacy Committee, led by Dr. Peter Oppenheimer, has been monitoring developments in APA. One issue is the consideration of creating accreditation standards and/or endorsing credentialing for people with Master’s degrees in psychology. Last August a work group of APA staff was assigned by the Executive Management Group (EMG) to do a literature review, and to explore parameters and implications. APA Council will examine the findings and then consider whether or not to create policy statements on these issues.

Dr. Oppenheimer emphasized that it is important that the EMG Workgroup respond to questions asked by the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP) regarding the implications of these issues for practicing psychologists, and that the Council and the Association address these issues in a transparent fashion.

The Advocacy Committee has also been active in challenging APA’s treatment guidelines for PTSD. These guidelines omit effective treatment modalities that don’t fit within the randomized controlled trials (RCT) model of the Institute of Medicine. If insurance companies deem these limited guidelines (focused on cognitive therapies) as the “gold standard” of treatment, they may refuse to pay for psychoanalytic or other less quantifiable, yet effective therapies. The ultimate losers will be the public, whose options for affordable in-network treatment will be curtailed. Furthermore, if the RCT model is exclusively applied to the development of treatment guidelines for other psychological conditions, the access problem will widen.

At the time of this writing, APA Council has not met to address the above concerns. Our Advocacy Committee and our five APA Council representatives will keep you posted. Watch for further discussion of these issues on the Division 42 listserv.

Dr. Alex Siegel of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) gave us an update of the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), created in 2015 to facilitate telehealth and temporary in-person practice of psychology across state lines. Three states have already approved PSYPACT through legislation, and eight others have introduced legislation to approve it. The program will become active when it is approved by seven states. For more information, see asppb.net/page/PSYPACT.

Division 42 finances

Division finances are in good shape, thanks to prudent budgeting and investment, overseen by our treasurer, Dr. Gerry Koocher. Our nest egg has also benefitted from the rising stock market.

Our new journal, Practice Innovations, under the expert guidance of editor Dr. Jeff Zimmerman, has already made a profit during its first year. Practice Innovations is included with your Division 42 membership, and the content is geared to clinicians who work in private practice. We hope you find the articles interesting and useful. If you’d like to write for the journal, submission guidelines are here: apa.org/pubs/journals/pri.

Diversity issues and beyond

Diversity Committee co-chair Dr. Armand Cerbone engaged the Board in a heartfelt discussion that drilled down to the personal experiences of stigmatized people. He reminded us that stigmatized populations are “under-reported and understated, and they have extra work to do at every stage of development.” Dr. Cerbone added, “No matter where you are in the country, psychologists need to appreciate where geographic and population differences impact treatment delivery or reception.” The Diversity Committee is working on increasing collaboration with other APA divisions.

New resources for Division 42 members

Our Student/Early Career Professionals Committee, chaired by Dr. Amy Van Arsdale is working diligently to finish a Resource Guide with lists of readings and other materials of interest to those who are contemplating or just starting a private practice. If the guide is not already posted on our new Member Resources web page, it will be soon. division42.org/resources/member-resources.

Speaking of the Resources page, it’s a new Division 42 web page set up to collect intake forms, practice templates, letters of introduction, book recommendations…all the types of resources that members routinely ask for on our community listserv. Don’t you think it’s much more convenient to have these centrally available on demand? Please share your favorite resources, and find those contributed by colleagues here: division42.org/resources/member-resources.

Division 42 thanks you

Thank you for being a member of the Division 42 community. Our Membership Committee, led by Dr. Judy Patterson, is currently conducting surveys to better understand what our members need from the Division. If you receive a survey, please do fill it out, because your feedback will help determine the types of programs and services offered in the future.

We also welcome your participation in division activities. Each and every one of our members has something unique to contribute. If you’d like to get more involved, please consider joining a committee that fits with your interests. division42.org/about/2018-committees.

Pauline

p.s. Division 42 welcomes new members. Please encourage your colleagues to join at division42.org/membership.