EDUCATION AFFAIRS 2019 Critical Conversations in Continuing Education for New Jersey Psychologists

Internal Efforts

The New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor live and homestudy continuing education for psychologists. NJPA maintains responsibility of the live and homestudy NJPA and NJPA co-sponsored programs and content. We take our relationship with APA and our APA sponsorship seriously and strive to continue to work with APA in our shared ongoing commitment to excellence in continuing education.

APA as a CE Resource

In August, NJPA received a copy of a special issue of the APA Professional Psychology: Research and Practice dedicated to conversation around continuing education from Director of the APA Office of CE in Psychology, Greg Neimeyer, PhD. The publication addresses topics such as continuing education best practices, the relationship between continuing education and professional competence, and assessment and outcomes associated with continuing education and interprofessional continuing education. NJPA will continue to use APA resources, such as this recent publication, to further grow the NJPA continuing education programming and standards. NJPA Executive Director and APA Council of Executives of State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Associations (CESPPA) Chair, Keira Boertzel-Smith, is currently working at the national association level to further define and develop the role of the CESPPA liaison to the APA Continuing Education Committee. The goal of this CESPPA liaison role is to ensure that all state associations understand the APA continuing education sponsorship approval and reporting process, and that they have the best chance at maintaining or gaining APA sponsorship approval.

Internally, NJPA created the NJPA Council on Continuing Education Affairs (CoCEA), pursuant to the NJPA mission and following the NJPA strategic plan goals, that is charged with managing NJPA’s continuing education development and program review. NJPA continues to find ways to use technology enhancements and platforms for program review, event management, and organizational tools for continuing education tracking. NJPA continuing education programs are created and provided for New Jersey psychologists to be applied towards the mandatory 40 credits of continuing education related to the practice of psychology; four credits of the 40 credits in topics related to domestic violence and one credit of the 40 credits addressing the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.

Statewide and Virtual Programs

NJPA and NJPA co-sponsored live programs are held across the state of New Jersey: North, Central, and South. NJPA moved its central office space to Livingston, NJ, partially to have access to larger continuing education venue space at a discounted cost to NJPA members. NJPA also provides homestudy learning options for credit in most of our quarterly NJ Psychologist journal publications and will host upcoming recorded programs. So far in 2019, NJPA hosted, or co-sponsored, approximately 35 live continuing education programs and four homestudy learning options.

How NJPA and NJPA Co-Sponsored Programs are Unique

NJPA has the challenge of ensuring that we remain competitive and relevant in the continuing education market for the profession of psychology. What NJPA and NJPA co-sponsored continuing education programs can uniquely offer you:

1. NJPA programs take advantage of our relationship with APA, such as the September 20, 2019 program An Emerging Framework for Healthcare: Opportunities for Psy- chologists - A day with APA CEO, Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD.

2. NJPA looks to our current NJPA advocacy initiatives to create programs related to current New Jersey advocacy issues, such as our planned 2020 continuing education programs on the New Jersey Duty to Warn Law, New Jersey Telemedicine, and the opioid article in this journal.

3. NJPA strives to highlight our collaborative partnership in the New Jersey Inter-Mental Health and Psychological Associations Coalition (IMPAC) through continuing education programs. The goal for IMPAC is for the New Jersey Chapter Association of Black Psychologists (NJABPsi), the Latino Mental Health Association of New Jersey (formerly the Latino Psychological Association of New Jersey), LMHANJ, and NJPA to join together as equal partners to contribute their unique educational acumen, expertise, experience, and perspectives to obtain synergy as a resource to promote equality in mental health care and to zealously advocate for the mental health needs for the diverse population of the state of New Jersey. An example of our efforts was the April 12, 2019 IMPAC Shine a Light on Multicultural Mental Health Awareness in New Jersey continuing education program.

4. NJPA and NJPA co-sponsored continuing education programs are produced, reviewed, and approved by the NJPA CoCEA Programming and Review Committees with the full NJPA membership in mind. I thank our NJPA CoCEA Programming, Homestudy, and Review Committees for their hard work and dedication to developing unique and customized continuing education opportunities that impact psychologists in New Jersey. Their hard work ensures that New Jersey psychologists are enhancing their educational growth and improve their practices for their patients.

Council Members: Past-Chair, Marc Gironda, PsyD; Past Past-Chair, Phyllis Lakin, PhD; Ray Hanbury, PhD; Mark Lowenthal, PsyD; Nathan McClelland, PsyD; Leah Anne McGuire, PhD; Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD; Membership Chair, Randy Bressler, PsyD; Treasurer, Daniel DaSilva, PhD; CODI Representatives, Susan Esquilin, PhD and Abisola Gallagher, EdD.

Programming Committee: CoChairs, Leah Anne McGuire, PhD, and Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD; Phyllis Bolling, PhD; Caitlin Colandrea, PsyD; Peter DeNigris, PsyD; Cassandra Faraci, PsyD; Sangeetha Nayak, PhD; Marcy Pasternak, PhD.

Review Committee: Co-Chairs, Ray Hanbury, PhD and Mark Lowenthal, PsyD; William Coffey, PsyD; Julia Conrath, PhD; Osna Haller, PhD; Martin Krupnick, PsyD; Denise Ricciardi, PsyD; Nancie Senet, PhD.

Homestudy Committee: Chair, Nathan McClelland, PsyD.

On behalf of COCEA, we express our appreciation to our Executive Director, Keira Boertzel-Smith, JD, and to our CE Coordinator, Ana DeMeo and all of the NJPA staff for all of the hard work they do for NJPA’s continuing education. We also thank our current NJPA President, Morgan Murray, PhD, for all of his help and support during 2019.

5. Lastly, attendance at live NJPA and NJPA co-sponsored programs offer opportunities to network with your New Jersey peers before, during, and after our continuing education programs.

We hope to see you soon at an NJPA or NJPA co- sponsored continuing education program. Learn, stay updated on New Jersey laws and regulations, meet your mandatory continuing education requirements, and network with your peers! ❖