Table of Contents 1 2 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 22 22 23 25 26 36 37 38
Who’s Who in NJPA 2017 Guest Editorial Member News President’s Message Welcome New Members! Executive Director Report Director of Professional Affairs Report Treasurer’s Report Committee on Legislative Affairs Poetry Corner Psychology and the Law Save the Date! Ethics Update Foundation Community Service Project Grants 2016 Foundation Award Recipients Foundation Donations Graduate Students (NJPAGS) Citizen of the Year: Jordan Thomas Psychologist of the Year: Joseph Coyne, PhD Legislator of the Year: Governor Richard Codey Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy Call for Nominations PAC Contributions Sustaining Members
39 Book Review: Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology 41 Annual Business Meeting Minutes 44 NJPA Fall Conference Photos 44 Classifieds
Preparation of Manuscripts All manuscripts submitted for publication should follow APA style. Manuscripts should be edited, proofread, and ready for publication. Please prepare your manuscript in a word-processing program compatible with MS Word using Times New Roman font in 12 point type, left flush. Please submit your manuscript via e-mail to NJPA Central Office and to Jack Aylward at e-mail addresses below. Editorial Policy Articles accepted for publication will be copyrighted by the Publisher and the Publisher will have the exclusive right to publish, license, and allow others to license, the article in all languages and in all media; however, authors of articles will have the right, upon written consent of the Publisher, to freely use of their material in books or collections of readings authored by themselves. It is understood that authors will not receive remuneration for any articles submitted to or accepted by the New Jersey Psychologist. Any opinions that appear in material contributed by others are not necessarily those of the Editors, Advisors, or Publisher, nor of the particular organization with which an author is affiliated.
Winter 2017
Who’s Who in NJPA 2017 www.PsychologyNJ.org
Editorial Board Editor: Jack Aylward, EdD Associate Editor: Craig Fabrikant, PhD Members: Herman Huber, PhD Michael Jaffe, PhD Maria Kirchner, PhD Gianni Pirelli, PhD Anthony Tasso, PhD Staff Liaison: Christine Gurriere
NJPA Executive Board President: Hulon Newsome, PsyD President-Elect: Stephanie Coyne, PhD Past-President: Barry Katz, PhD Treasurer: Peter Economou, PhD Secretary: Phyllis Bolling, PhD Director of Academic Affairs: TBD APA Council Representative: Joseph Coyne, PhD Member-At-Large: Mary Blakeslee, PhD Randy Bressler, PsyD Morgan Murray, PhD Lynn Schiller, PhD Alison Winston, PhD Parliamentarian: Joseph Coyne, PhD Affiliate Caucus Chair: Rosalie DiSimone-Weiss, PhD NJPAGS Chair: Elisabeth Endrikat Latino/a Psychological Association of NJ Rep: TBD ABPsi Rep: Phyllis Bolling, PhD
Central Office Staff Executive Director: Keira Boertzel-Smith, JD Director of Professional Affairs: Barry Helfmann, PsyD Membership Services Coordinator: Danielle Barnes Communications Manager: Christine Gurriere Event Coordinator: Kelly Somers, MA
Manuscripts should be sent to the Editor: Jack Aylward, EdD E-Mail: jackatpcc@aol.com or NJPA Central Office E-Mail: NJPA@PsychologyNJ.org Published by: New Jersey Psychological Association 414 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 211 West Orange, NJ 07052 973-243-9800 • FAX: 973-243-9818 E-Mail: NJPA@PsychologyNJ.org Web: www.PsychologyNJ.org New Jersey Psychologist (USPS 7700, ISSN# 2326098X) is published quarterly by New Jersey Psychological Association, 414 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 211, West Orange, NJ 07052. Members receive New Jersey Psychologist as a membership benefit. Periodicals postage pending at West Orange, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Jersey Psychologist, 414 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 211, West Orange, NJ 07052.
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Guest Editor
Responsibility and Accountability in Today’s Psychology by Gianni Pirelli, PhD
“Intentions do not insulate us from the consequences of our actions.” -Jon D. Harrison
T
here are inherent challenges involved in writing about professional responsibility and accountability to you, my colleagues, not the least of which is avoiding coming across as the paragon of professional or, even worse, moral authority. As such, my goal is to highlight issues for us to consider in the context of our professional regulations, ethics, and practice standards - all of which are inextricably linked to our professional competence. My aspiration is to generate more questions than I answer and, therefore, to start a conversation rather than to end one.
The State of our Society NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has become a household name, although most only know of his taking a knee before the game rather than to end it. Fidel Castro has died and the first commercial flight contemporaneously departed to Cuba. Americans’ trust in the media is at its lowest point in 20 years. Donald Trump is president of the United States of America. Welcome to 2017. Undoubtedly, we are in a time of change and associated uncertainty. One contemporary issue is related to expectations of privacy, particularly given that most of our lives are lived “on the grid” and actively connected to one or more “smart” devices. But, while there is a tendency to view privacy violations as a novel concern, it is probably a safe assumption that such have existed as long as human beings themselves. Fast-forwarding, though, the first American newspaper came to be in the late 1600s, the first successful television demo was in the 1920s, and the Internet was born in the late 1960s. The concept of privacy in these mediums is hardly new; however, we are now at a point whereby our expressed thoughts, photos, and activities can be available to others in real time. As always, with great power comes great responsibility, and there is great power associated with the mere push of a button. One of the most recent and telling examples of where we stand is ReThink, an application that screens for offensive social media messages and suggests the messenger reconsider posting. Its creator, Trisha Prabhu, is a prodigious teenager who has been featured at the White House and won numerous national and international awards, including the MIT Aristotle Award. We are appreciative of Ms. Prabhu and her initiative focused on getting us to think twice. In this context, one emerging theme is that of responsibility and accountability. 2
Think: fact-checkers, WikiLeaks, “Drain the Swamp,” and professor watch lists. For example, controversy circled around a Facebook post made by George Mason University admissions director, Andrew Bunting, as he referred to conservative political opponents as “worthless trash” just after the November election. A similar issue hit closer to home for us when a Rutgers University professor was placed on administrative leave and mandated to undergo a mental health evaluation for tweeting the following in response to the election results: “Will the 2nd amendment be as cool when I buy a gun and start shooting atrandom [sic] white people or no…?” The State of our Field Ostensibly, it may seem that we, as psychologists, are best suited to address social issues. However, such is actually all the more reason we must make it crystal clear to others as to whether we are setting forth a personal or professional opinion. No one would accuse a dentist of such conflation. So, what do our professional regulations, ethics, and practice standards tell us? Per the NJAC, Title 13, Chapter 42: Board of Psychological Examiners, §13:42-1.1 Scope of Practice: a) The scope of practice of a licensed psychologist includes, but is not limited to, the use or advertisement of the use of theories, principles, procedures, techniques, or devices of psychology, whether or not for a fee or other recompense. While our state regulations are rather extensive, they do not include direction on public statements per se. In fact, the only mention of such and of the “Internet” is in the context of advertising. Words such as ‘online’ and ‘social media’ are absent from the regulations. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (EPPCC) are more inclusive in that regard. Namely, Standard 5 addresses Advertising and Other Public Statements that includes “...comments for use in media such as print or electronic transmission, statements in legal proceedings, lectures and public oral presentations, and published materials” (p. 8). The concept is articulated more completely in the fourth subsection: “When psychologists provide public advice or comment via print, Internet, or other electronic transmission, they take precautions to ensure that statements (1) are based on their professional knowledge, training, or experience in accord with appropriate psychological literature and practice; (2) are otherwise consistent with this Ethics Code; and (3) do not New Jersey Psychologist
Guest Editor indicate that a professional relationship has been established with the recipient.” (Standard 5.04 Media Presentations) The standard is quite clear. While it acknowledges the versatility of psychologists, the EPPCC highlights the need to differentiate between personal and professional conduct very early on in the document: “This Ethics Code applies to these activities across a variety of contexts, such as in person, postal, telephone, Internet, and other electronic transmissions. These activities shall be distinguished from the purely private conduct of psychologists, which is not within the purview of the Ethics Code.” (p. 2) The questions are then: When is one functioning as “a psychologist?” and what constitutes “purely private conduct?” In other words, are we ever “off-duty?” I would contend that such is largely determined by the psychologist. Are you oncall 24/7? Do you collect data and engage in supervision at late hours? Do you have a specific time when you respond to e-mails from clients, colleagues, or supervisees? In 1991, the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists was set forth as an aspirational set of practice standards for forensic practitioners. After more than 20 years, the document was revised and published in 2013 by the APA under the new and improved name, the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. See the difference? Let’s take a second look: psychologists versus psychology. This revision was much more than semantic. Rather, it reflected a substantive change in the way in which the Specialty Guidelines defined forensic practice. Specifically, it was no longer the case that someone could self-identify as a “forensic psychologist” or, worse, claim ignorance of forensic practice standards by not defining him or herself as such. Instead, it was now clear that it is your behavior that defines you, not the label you ascribe to yourself. As is articulated in the Specialty Guidelines: “For the purposes of these Guidelines, forensic practitioner refers to a psychologist when engaged in the practice of forensic psychology as described above. Such professional conduct is considered forensic from the time the practitioner reasonably expects to, agrees to, or is legally mandated to provide expertise on an explicitly psycholegal issue.” (p. 7, APA, 2013). In other words, the clock starts when the forensic situation commences, be it 2:00 pm or 2:00 am, Tuesday or Sunday, during regular business hours or on a holiday. So, to the original question: Is a psychologist ever off-duty? I would suggest that the answer is yes, he or she certainly may be, at times. But, it is primarily incumbent upon us to set our parameters. Recently, I expressed my concerns to a colleague because of her routine jumping back and forth between professional and personal posts on social media, without advanced or clear notice. Even as a fellow psychologist, who had known her personally and professionally for over 12 years, it was unclear to me where her professional and personal views began and ended, or if such a delineation existed at all. She quipped, “So, I’m expected to be apolitical?” Certainly not. HowWinter 2017
ever, you just cannot be everything, at least, at the same time. Clearly defined roles are critical; our trust and credibility with the public depends on it. Considerations for Psychologists These issues are applicable to all of us: practitioners, academics, researchers, trainees, and students. We must establish our bounds and, in an effort to initiate such, we may ask ourselves the following types of questions: • Do I engage in psychological services or other professional responsibilities within a confined set of hours only? • Can my clients, supervisees, or students contact me anytime and are they aware of my parameters in this regard? • Is [this] my personal or professional opinion? • Am I opining to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty, or am I simply a psychologist who feels certain? • Are my personal and professional opinions distinguishable by others? • If this is my personal opinion, but I am currently functioning in a professional role, why am I saying it? • If this is a personal forum, am I simply using my professional knowledge and/or credentials to bolster my credibility? • Is there a reason I do not maintain separate, private and personal, accounts? • Would I respond to a question, representing myself as a psychologist, in this forum? • Am I comfortable with this audience viewing my statements, posts, and/or responses as professional opinions and advice? The aforementioned list is not exhaustive, but rather aimed toward getting us to “rethink,” as it were, and to ensure that we are delineating our roles and parameters with transparency, consistent with professional standards. The missteps we make in this smart world are not necessarily indictments on our field, specifically, but a confirmation that we are absolutely human, and provide us with an opportunity to model conscientiousness, awareness, and humility. Such transparency and acknowledgment of limitations reflects tenets of science. However, social science that is not empirically-grounded and consistent with professional standards is simply social activism. There is nothing wrong with social activism or justice pursuits per se, unless and until it is functioning under the guise of science. Thus, the “science versus art” debate in our field is a red herring, as there is simply no room for sloppiness in good science or art. A Final Thought Our ethics and practice standards have been quickly outpaced by our ever changing smart world, but our professional accountability and responsibility extends far beyond the last publication date of our ethics code or state regulations. Confidence and strength comes from being the ones to highlight and explain our own limitations and vulnerabilities, not ignoring, or worse yet, disguising them. The development of opinions is 3
Guest Editor far easier than the wherewithal not to. We are responsible and accountable for what we say and do in our professional roles. However, blurring our personal and professional thoughts and behaviors may lend itself to circumventing our responsibility and accountability. In effect, we may be creating a protected space for ourselves devoid of clear rules and parameters - a limbo, whereby we can rely upon our professional credentials, training, and psychological science to drive our points across all the while sidestepping the great responsibility and accountability inherent to our work - by vacillating between doctor and outspoken citizen. So, in the face of change and uncertainty, we, as psychologists, must demonstrate stability and clarity. ❖
editorial board member for Law and Human Behavior, the Open Access Journal of Forensic Psychology, the Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, and he has taught over 40 post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate courses at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Montclair State University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Pirelli’s research has been cited in amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court and to the New York Court of Appeals and he has two forthcoming books through Oxford University Press: The Ethical Practice of Forensic Psychology: A Casebook and The Behavioral Science of Firearms: Implications for Mental Health, Law, and Policy.
About the Author Dr. Pirelli is a licensed psychologist in New York and New Jersey, wherein he maintains a private practice in clinical and forensic psychology (www.gpirelli.com). Dr. Pirelli is an
The views expressed in the editorial are those of the editor with support of the NJPA editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NJPA leadership or staff.
NJPA Member News Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD presented the following paper: The dream and the nightmare of being a refugee: Mass migration and the feeling of not belonging at the Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society (APCS) Conference entitled Dreams and Nightmares held on October 13-15, 2016 to 10-15-16 at the Rutgers University Continuing Education Conference Center, New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Lijtmaer contributed to the following panel discussions: Other and Otherness at the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education (IFPE) Conference held on October 10-27, 2016 in Pasadena, CA and Black Psychoanalysts Speak movie at the IFPE Conference held on October 27-29, 2016 in Pasadena, CA. Dr. Lijtmaer and wrote Chapter 11, Silent Broken Memories (p.171-173), in Celebrating the Wounded Healer Psychotherapist: Pain, Post Traumatic Growth and Self-Disclosure (2016) Ed. Sharon Farber. Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-138-92672-1. Marshall Mintz, PsyD and Michael Zito, PhD wrote the chapter Ethical Issues in Sport Psychology Assessment (Chapter 3) in the book Assessment in Applied Sport Psychology: Human Kinetics Press (2017, In Press). Dr. Mintz also presented Optimizing the Athlete’s Performance and Mental Health at the Running Summit East presented by Hoka One One for distance runners, coaches, and medical professionals held August 27-28, 2016 at Morristown Medical Center of Atlantic Health System. Dr. Mintz was also appointed to the Medical Advisory Board of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The NJSIAA is made up of 433 accredited public, private, and non-public high schools in the state. The association, while joining with the other 49 state associations, today represents 22,000 schools, more than 330,000 coaches, and almost 4.5 million high school athletes. The Sports Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC), comprised of nationally renowned doctors and trainers, tackles important current issues to help protect student athletes. Peggy Rothbaum, PhD’s, latest book I Have Been Talking with Your Doctor is now available on Amazon or via her website at <http://www.drpeggyrothbaum.com>. Dr. Rothbuam interviewed 50 doctors using questions developed based on professional research literature on doctoring and her personal professional experience working with doctors. Some of the doctor interviewees experienced their own traumas close to the time of their interview, such as their own illness or that of someone close to them, or the death of a family member or close friend. Several of them experienced the death of their own child. Remarkably, they all kept working, each one saying that helping others helped them to cope with their own pain. Dr. Rothbaum hopes that these interviews will expose an intimate portrait of the gravity and urgency of our healthcare crisis. Dr. Rothbaum has also authored or co-authored over 50 publications on healthcare and coping with trauma. She has published Op-Ed pieces in New Jersey’s Star Ledger, The Record, and Courier News, as well as The Daily Oklahoman. She has been a contributor to the national publication, Medical Economics. In addition, she has recently become active in community organizations and has written about them in local newspapers. Frank Sileo, PhD has a new book publishing in February 2017 entitled A World of Pausabilities: An Exercise in Mindfulness (Magination Press, 2017). It is Dr. Sileo’s 6th children’s book. This book will teach children (and adults) about a mindfulness technique of learning how to take a pause, a break, and to be in the moment with an open and curious mind. Both books are for ages 4-12 years old. These books are available on Amazon.com, BN.com, APA.org and other book retailers. 4
New Jersey Psychologist
President’s Message
Our Collective “Why” and How It Unites Us by Hulon Newsome, PsyD
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ithin every psychologist there is a story that begins with the question: “Why did I become a psychologist?” For most of us, “To help others” would be on the list of responses. This is not surprising. We all share the desire to help others achieve physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and behavioral health, and to further understand the human condition. Some pursue that mission through work in private or public settings, as a forensic or child psychologist, or use of a cognitive or psychoanalytical approach. Others carry out this mission in work as researchers and educators, developers of mental health public policy and programs, or as mental health administrators. That’s certainly the reason I began my journey as a mental health professional. And today, after nearly 30 years of working in the behavioral healthcare field, this simple, yet powerful purpose continues to fuel my professional activities. Nothing has deterred me from this singular mission. Not even during those times when our professional organizations, and some of its most prominent members, have lost sight of the profession’s most sacred aspiration: do no harm. Indeed, the motivation to help people heavily influenced my past work as a volunteer with the American Red Cross, first as a member of the Mental Health Response Team, and later as a member of the executive board for the Burlington County, NJ chapter. The desire to help others expanded from community members to my valued colleagues with my commitment to first joining regional and state psychological associations and subsequently as a volunteer psychologist with committee and task force participation and service on the executive boards of both the South Jersey and the New Jersey Psychological Associations. The responsibility I feel toward the betterment of our profession, as well as protecting and expanding the scope of practice of other psychologists, is driven by this desire to help others and to improve how others help others. I know I am not alone. I have worked with countless volunteer psychologists, especially within NJPA who, at great personal and professional expense and without expectation of commendation or remuneration of any kind, selflessly contribute to the effective functioning of our organization. It will be a great honor to serve alongside these remarkably dedicated psychologists as NJPA’s 2017 president. I want to ask all of you: “Why are you a member of NJPA?” During my year as president-elect, I presented this question to numerous members. The answers varied, were always interesting, and forced me to think about the perception of the organization’s value to the respondents. Answers included networking and career opportunities, professional developWinter 2017
ment, and mentoring, among others. One response I received that stands out from the others, and served as the inspiration for this address, was from a psychologist who will remain anonymous. This dedicated and very involved colleague said: “I’m a member of NJPA for what I can do for it, not for what it does for me.” I had two reactions to this remarkable statement. The first was incredulity that stemmed from the interpretation that this individual did not view NJPA as an organization from which many, if any, professional benefits were derived. Clearly, the organization needs to do more in this area. My second reaction, admiration, was based on my perception of the person’s greater sense of responsibility to the organization, its members, and the profession. Annual membership renewal and payment of dues was the expression of that commitment. Regrettably, I did not follow up with this colleague to gain further clarity on this statement. However, I can safely conclude this individual’s presumption of a shared vision with NJPA to help others is the necessary and sufficient reason for membership renewal in the absence of perceived personal benefit. The mission statement of the New Jersey Psychological Association provides a vision for why we do what we do: the advancement of psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health and human welfare in an atmosphere that supports the diversity of its members and the society at large. The emphasis on utilizing our empirically derived knowledge about human (and non-human) behavior to promote health and human welfare embodies the desire to help others. Author and organizational consultant, Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Action (2011) illustrates how effective leaders and inspired members are products of an organization that focuses on why it does what is does. Most organizations spend considerable time and energy developing a mission statement that, once completed, rarely sees the light of day, getting lost in the shadow of “what” the organization does and “how” it does it. There is also waning inspiration and strength of commitment among its members resulting in the few doing the majority of the work for the organization. It is important, however, not to understate the value of the “what” and the “how” to an organization’s success. The list of benefits related to what NJPA does for its members and nonmembers is too long to present here. During my year as your president, I will work with the Central Office, the board, and committees to vigorously promote to our members and the public at large NJPA’s successes, big and small. Sinek believes the “why,” if effectively accomplished, can 5
President’s Message be transcendent and inspirational, taking an organization from good to great. Inarguably, NJPA is a good organization. In order for NJPA to be great, leaders and members must maintain focus on “why” we do what we do; as an organization and as psychologists. As an omnipresent reminder of our commitment to helping others, I propose that we endeavor to give life to our mission statement by bringing it out of the shadows and into our board room, meeting places, listserv discussions, policy and bylaw decisions, and wherever organizational matters reside. I ask you to join me in this effort by joining a committee, task force, or special interest group; attending association sponsored continuing education programs, town hall meetings, or legislative events; giving to the NJPA Foundation
and NJPA Political Action Committee; and, most importantly, respectfully and civilly using your voice to hold your leaders and fellow psychologists accountable to that shared vision. In conclusion, I am reminded that when we listen deeply and speak with empathy as we have been trained to do, we will come to know each other’s individual stories and our collective “why” and, thus, be better able to focus on our mission and the vision it creates. And, lest we forget: “Together, We are NJPA!” ❖ Sinkek, S. (2011). Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Action. Portfolio Penguin.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Licensed 5+ years Darren Aboyoun, PhD Marcia Baruch, PhD Carrie Bashoff, PsyD Elizabeth Frenkel, PhD James Gillock, EdD Francine Handwerker, PhD Jane Healey, PhD Daniel Lee, PsyD Mary Laney, PhD Kathleen McNulty, PhD Amanda Milleisen, PhD Robert Miller, PhD Alice Mills, PhD Gerorgia Noon, PhD Shoshana Sperling, PsyD Licensed less than 2 years Emily Becker-Weidman, PhD Christopher Belz, PsyD Jessica Larsen, PhD 1st year Post-Doctoral Elizabeth Babyak, PsyD Christopher King, JD, PhD
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2nd year Post-Doctoral Bonnie Gordic, PsyD Non-Licensed Doctoral Degree Alyssa Austern, PhD Joseph Connell, PhD Students Antonia Alfeo (correction) Peter Avery Thomas Ballas Tiara Brown Christina Clemons Christina Diaz Jenna Duncalf Karin Gepp Derek Harper Tracy Holland Katherine Jemiola Meenal Jog Patricia Kim Hongmarie Martinez-Carter
Laura McCann Binh-An Nguyen Brenda Osorio Stephen Pappalardo Usha Persaud Katherine Rego Gabrielle Roberts Taylor Schnaper Corianna Elizabeth Sichel Natalie Smith Lauren Todd Jonathan Vogelman Arielle Walzer
New Jersey Psychologist
Executive Director Report
Each Year is a Journey by Keira Boertzel-Smith, JD NJPA Executive Director
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am excited to start a new year and to accept the changes that lie ahead in 2017! My family dynamics are changing, my sense of self is changing, and my work environment is changing due to new individuals becoming engaged in the work of the association and the evolution of association expectations. Change is the only constant in life. My leadership goal for 2017 is to be an impartial and astute observer of the changes taking place in NJPA. I will then ask myself how I can create an environment where everyone feels personal responsibility for creating a stronger professional association for all members. I want to get results by my own example and create a space for others to be inspired to achieve their own greatness. To start the year off, NJPA hosted a half day association orientation designed to provide the NJPA executive board,chairs, and the affiliate presidents with information necessary to become engaged in the work of the association right away, and to empower each individual to serve as an association representative and advocate for NJPA’s mission for a long time to come. Also in attendance was the NJPA Central Office staff, and NJPA Government Affairs Agent, Jon Bombadieri. The more connected we all are at the beginning of the year, the better the year. Input throughout the year is welcomed and encouraged. The NJPA executive board and NJPA chairs, through the organizational structure, can be the eyes and ears of the association helping bring forth the voice of the NJPA membership. Most importantly, NJPA encourages all members to reach out to NJPA to make his/her voice heard! The orientation covered the difference between NJPA, NJPA Foundation, and the NJP-Political Action Committee. NJPA is a 501(c)(6), a not-for-profit organization with the purpose of promoting a common business interest, the purpose of which is to promote such common interest and not to engage in a regular business of a kind ordinarily carried on for profit. The mission of the New Jersey Psychological Association is the advancement of psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health and human welfare in an atmosphere that supports the diversity of its members and the society at large. NJPA is a network of resources for the public and the media, an advocate for psychologists in the state, and an influential presence helping shape mental health policies in New Jersey. NJPA has approximately 1800 members. The NJPA Foundation (NJPAF), a charitable, tax exempt 501(c)(3), is committed through grant making to advancing the psychological health of our New Jersey communities by
Winter 2017
supporting psychological services for underserved children and adults who cannot afford them, by financially supporting the training of graduate students through statewide sites, and by disseminating psychological knowledge to the general public. As the philanthropic arm of NJPA, the Foundation is committed to promoting the psychological health of the diverse people of New Jersey. The NJPA Foundation board of trustees is comprised of NJPA members, public members, and NJPA staff. NJPA and the Foundation are working together in 2017 to find a way to reframe the way NJPA and the Foundation interact in order to create joint visibility for NJPA and the Foundation to gain more NJPA member participation and financial support for the Foundation. NJP-PAC is a voluntary, non-profit political action committee with IRS Section 527 Status. A 527 is a non-profit organization formed under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code that grants tax-exempt status to political committees at the national, state, and local level. NJP-PAC is comprised of a board of trustees, consisting of NJPA members, NJPA staff and government affairs agent, and other contributors, including psychologists, their families, and individuals interested in psychology. NJP-PAC is a separate section entity, and is not affiliated with any political party or other political committee. The purpose of NJP-PAC is to make contributions, from funds received from NJP-PAC contributors, to candidates for office and political committees in New Jersey, who have demonstrated their interest in, and support of, psychology, without regard to party affiliation. NJP-PAC solicits funds to be distributed in such a manner that advances the stature of the profession of psychology in New Jersey, and appoints NJPA members to attend fundraising events to represent the profession of psychology. We also discussed NJPA’s eight affiliate associations: Essex/ Union County Association of Psychologists, Mercer County Psychological Association, Middlesex County Association of Psychologists, Monmouth/Ocean County Psychological Association, Morris County Psychological Association, Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists, Somerset/Hunterdon County Psychological Association, and South Jersey Psychological Association. The eight affiliate psychological associations offer local psychologists and students, living or working within a close geographical radius, the opportunity to meet, network, and socialize with colleagues and to share information, concerns, and ideas. These organizations hold meetings and offer speakers and programs (many include continuing ed-
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Executive Director Report ucation credits). Each affiliate is granted an affiliate representative, non-voting position on the NJPA executive board and an affiliate representative also to serve on the NJPA Affiliate Caucus. The NJPA Affiliate Caucus recommends affiliate members to be NJPA executive board Members-At-Large that are then voted on by the entire NJPA membership. The orientation covered NJPA’s governing documents such as the bylaws, the association’s operation manual, mission statement. We covered the role of board members. Board members are tasked with setting NJPA policy, priorities, goals, and future planning consistent with the NJPA mission and the association bylaws. By accepting this position, each board member agrees to the commitment of time, energy, and effort required in fulfilling his/her duties and fiduciary responsibilities to the executive board and to the association at large. All members are welcome to attend executive board meetings as guests. The NJPA website’s “Members Only” page has all important board policies and procedures linked for all members to review. We discussed the role of the executive director who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of NJPA, including, but not limited to, hiring, directing, supervising, and evaluat-
ing all NJPA employees and paid consultants. As an employee of the executive board, the executive director, or his/her designee, shall carry out the policies and directives of the executive board; be a non-voting ex-officio member of all committees and governing bodies of the association; act as the executive director for the NJP-Political Action Committee and the NJPA Foundation; and assume other duties as designated by the executive board. The executive director reports to the executive board as a whole. The day was also filled with fun icebreakers, a social lunch, and introductions from the board, Central Office Staff, committee chairs, affiliate and foundation representatives. Outside the small group of Central Office staff and NJPA consultants, all association work is done by NJPA member volunteers. As a volunteer-run organization, recognition is important. I want to start this year with a thank you in advance to all NJPA volunteers and the NJPA staff for all of their hard work toward the betterment of this association. I thank members for renewing their NJPA membership and for their contributions to this professional community. NJPA is here to serve you in your professional development. I hope to help facilitate a mutually rewarding relationship for all involved in the association! ❖
NJPA MEMBERS LISTSERV Do you want to make new connections, collaborate with colleagues whenever you’d like, and belong to a community of informed professionals? Our Members-Only interactive listserv is the place for you! Participate in dynamic discussions on professional practice matters, insurance and managed care issues, the latest regional, state, and national happenings in psychology, and exchange information on helpful resources, best/better practices, and attention-worthy news. NJPA monitors this forum to gauge members’ concerns and uses it as a conduit in the development of services and resources. How do I enroll? By using the NJPA Member LISTSERV, NJMEMBERS@LISTS.APAPRACTICE.ORG, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use that can be found on the NJPA website. To enroll, send an email to njpa@psychologynj.org. IF YOU WISH TO UNSUBSCRIBE, DO NOT EMAIL THE LISTSERV. Instead, email njpa@psychologynj.org to be removed. What happens once I am subscribed? You will receive a welcome message from the listserv with instructions on how to post a message, how modify your settings, such as receiving a “digest” version (a single daily email with all messages instead of individual emails), or how to unsubscribe in the future. Give it a try today! QUESTIONS? Feel free to call us anytime at 973-243-9800.
NJPA MEMBERS LISTSERV
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New Jersey Psychologist
Director of Professional Affairs Report
Director of Professional Affairs Report by Barry Helfmann, PsyD
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would like to give an update on the hot topic calls I receive as part of my work as Director of Professional Affairs for our association. In this position, for the past 11 years, one of the joys of my work is speaking with psychologists throughout our state. The call volume increased significantly over this time period. Presently, we receive about 1000 calls per year. I receive calls from permit holders, newly licensed, early career, and late career psychologists. The calls include insurance issues, ethical concerns, starting a practice, closing a practice, complex clinical issues, technology developments, and sometimes just plain hand holding. During 2016, a number of issues seemed to be “hot topics.” As technology has surpassed practice, the issue of telehealth is front and center. Many members want to know what they are allowed to do in terms of phone sessions, HIPAA compliant platforms, and the entire issue of interstate practice. I am very happy to report that this issue might be resolved in 2017. There is legislation in New Jersey that, if passed, will cure the problem. On the national scene there are proposals that will also settle the issue. There are valid concerns about third party payor abuses including denial of needed treatment, payment problems, and the entire future of our fee for service model. The passage of our medical necessity legislation would go a long way to resolving these abuses. Yet we are all aware how difficult a battle this is to pass in our legislature. We are also monitoring the legal success around class action suits in California on medical necessity abuses.
There is an entire area that has to do with release of information on many fronts causing members to be uncertain on how to proceed. Of course, we all need to follow the rules and regulations of the New Jersey Board of Psychological Examiners. When we add HIPAA requirements for covered entities, it further complicates the matter. I often advise members to get legal advice, as the Board of Examiners has recommended. This is especially true on collection matters. Finally, within the 2017-2019 licensing period, all psychologists will be required to amass 40 hours of CE credits. The final approved version of CE requirements from the Board of Psychological Examiners will be out after the required comment period, review of the comments, and the final regulations drafting. As we look forward to 2017, I expect these issues to continue to be of importance to our members. Additionally, there are two related matters that I anticipate will come up. With a new administration, the continuance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in doubt. What will modify or replace it remains to be seen. This is especially important for all those who might lose coverage under a new plan. The second aspect is Medicaid. The new reimbursement rates are enticing members to enroll. Medicaid is a key component of the ACA. We will monitor this development very closely. Finally, on the national scene, there is much talk about integrative care. This presents great opportunity and challenge for mental health providers. When we throw in the likelihood of moving from a fee for service to a performance based model, the future looks unclear. ❖
The Publication Committee of NJPA is seeking out new members interested in joining the editorial board of the NJ Psychologist. Responsibilities include three meetings, occasional participation as a liaison editor for special sections, editing input, and working with other committee members in contributing ideas and suggestions for maintaining and advancing the professional image and intellectual integrity of the literary flagship of the New Jersey Psychological Association. For further information, contact either Christine Gurriere at Central Office at NJPAcg@PsychologyNJ.org or editor Jack Aylward at jackatpcc@gmail.com
Winter 2017
9
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer’s Report 2016 by Peter Economou, PhD
T
he New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) continues to be financially healthy. As a state psychological association, supported by membership dues, your commitment to the field of psychology is crucial to the viability of NJPA. Thank you! The dedication and commitment of the NJPA staff including Keira Boertzel-Smith, JD, Marion Medow (our bookkeeper), and the finance committee have been instrumental in ensuring that NJPA continues to function efficiently. In this report you will learn about actions of the finance committee such as the NJPA financial policies, the conservative approach to budgeting, non-membership dues revenue, our relationship with the NJPA Foundation, technological enhancements, and goals for 2017. The finance committee is made up of executive board members and is charged with overseeing the financial aspects of NJPA. This includes the budget, discussions with bookkeeping, and oversight of the financial policies. The financial policies have been edited, streamlined, and approved during 2016 to ensure that the processes are consistent and efficient. In terms of budgeting, the finance committee has approached the budget conservatively projecting lower income amounts and larger expense amounts. This is often why the budget might be presented and approved with a ten thousand dollar deficit (such as the approved budgets of 2016 and 2017). While our goal is to develop and approve a balanced budget, we do not want to do so by simply cutting expenses. Our goal is to improve the non-membership dues so that we are not solely reliant on membership dues.
The topic of non-membership dues has been an agenda item for NJPA and all of its committees. The staff is working hard to develop strategies and events that can generate new revenue streams for NJPA. Of course workshops, education, and the advancement of psychology are at the core of these ideas. Moreover, some business ideas such as advertising and sponsorships are viable. We are also working directly with the NJPA Foundation. Actually, the NJPA executive board approved a $20,000 budget line for the Foundation. The board unanimously approved this arrangement and expressed their dedication to the mission of the Foundation. The current conversation centers on how NJPA and the Foundation can collaborate and increase revenue. Another exciting improvement at NJPA is technological enhancements including media equipment to enhance the boardroom and to permit new platforms for communications within NJPA. This will include a wireless conference room, camera, microphones, monitor, computer, Zoom call in numbers, a speaker, and training how to use the equipment. Lastly, as I enter the third year of my three-year term as treasurer, I am grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to ending it. For 2017, I am hopeful that I will leave the treasurer position with NJPA in a strong financial position, and that new relationships will be established to ensure increased non-membership revenues and the future of psychology in New Jersey. ❖
CAROLYN F. AL PER, PSY.D. is pleased to announce a second psychotherapy office location 138 W. 25th Street Suite 602 New York, NY 10001 NY License #009481-1 NJ License #3303 908.789.7178
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alperpsyd@gmail.com
New Jersey Psychologist
The Legislative Agenda
The History and Future of Prescribing Psychology by The NJPA Committee on Legislative Affairs (COLA) and Virginia Waters, PhD, COLA RxP Resource Guest
A
t the end of 2016, NJPA was made aware of an NJ.com article that covered prescriptive authority for psychologists, but the article was full of inaccuracies. NJPA has been publically fighting these inaccuracies, presented by the opposition, in the media and legislature. As we continue our public fight for the expansion of the profession of psychology to include prescription authority, COLA wanted to distribute, to our members, a summary of the history and facts about the proposed expansion of the profession of psychology. As with any expansion of practice, all psychologists may not choose to take advantage of the proposed opportunity. The goal will be to make it available for those current or future psychologists who want to take advantage of the expansion of professional work and for patients who need quality mental health care. Arguments Against Expanding the Profession of Psychology to Include Prescribing Medication: • The medical society has historically opposed the expansion of the scope of practice by any profession that encroaches on their perceived monopoly on medical care. • The classical medical arguments, those used in the past against other professions seeking an expansion in their scope of practice, have been revived. Whether it’s nurses using a stethoscope or taking blood pressure, or an optometrist prescribing eye drops, or dentists prescribing antibiotics, each expansion was described as leading to horrible outcomes. The fear tactic is an emotional argument and lacks a data base; consequently it merely delayed progress at the expense of patients. • The guild protectionism of the medical society fails to take into consideration the welfare of the patient by ignoring the shortage of care providers. • Opposition to expanding the profession of psychology to include prescribing medication often point to the inadequate education earned by a prescribing psychologist. As pointed out below, that argument is flawed. • Psychologists will prescribe outside their specialty. This argument is incorrect since the 2016-2017 Legislative Session Assembly Bill A2170 / Senate Bill S2259 limits psychologist to prescribing in their specialty, and only with the approval and consultation of the patient’s physician of record. Complicating the presentation of this argument and underlying the failure of our opposition to clearly and accurately represent the data some
Winter 2017
psychologists are also nurse practitioners who have the ability, based upon their training, to prescribe for other medical conditions. Why Fight for Prescriptive Authority for Psychologists?: • We are currently facing a critical shortage of trained mental health prescribers. • Wait time surveys have shown that it is weeks, and sometimes months, for a patient needing medication to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. • This shortage is worse for patients with Medicare, Medicaid, and network based insurance plans. • The 2016-2017 Legislative Session Assembly Bill A2170 / Senate Bill S2259 enhances collaborative care by involving both the patient’s primary care physician and their psychologist. • Experience has revealed that prescribing psychologists prescribe for a smaller percentage of their patient population than psychiatrists in similar settings, reducing the number of medications prescribed. Psychologists are also likely to take patients off of medications that are unnecessary or redundant. • Psychologists have been trained primarily in non-pharmacological interventions, adding psychopharmacology makes it just one additional tool in their tool box. Psychiatrists and other medical prescribers have been trained in the medical model where pharmacology is the primary treatment modality often to the exclusion of other non-drug related treatments. History of Prescribing Psychology: • The Prescribing Psychology movement began with the Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP) in the military. In 1991, the Department of Defense (DOD) began a demonstration project that trained psychologists to be prescribers. In 1994, the PDP graduated its first two participants. In 1996, the APA Council adopted a model curriculum. The project lasted until 1997 when it had successfully accomplished its goals. However, there was significant pressure on the DOD from the medical establishment to end the program and, as soon as the program ended, they painted it as a failure. Contrary to this propaganda, the military continued to use the prescribing psychologists they trained and over time expanded their use. Today there are prescribing psychologists in all
11
The Legislative Agenda
•
• •
•
•
branches of the military and some have been decorated for their actions in the global war on terror. Prescribing Psychology then moved beyond the military setting and, in 2002, a bill was passed enabling specially trained psychologists to prescribe in New Mexico and, in 2004, psychologists gained the right to prescribe in Louisiana. During that time, psychologists also gained the right to prescribe in Guam and the Indian Health Service. At each step in the development of the Prescriptive Psychology movement, the organized medical opposition argued that prescribing psychology was unsafe for patients and psychologists were not properly trained and therefore should not be allowed to prescribe. Incidentally this was the same argument they used to oppose every profession that attempted to expand their scope of practice. This approach was not successful, witness the expansion of services offered by nurses, physician’s assistants, podiatrists, and optometrists. Instead it merely delayed the evolution of patient care. Intellectually dishonest and ironic in this approach is the underlying fact that delaying patients’ needed care is what is harmful. Psychologists continue to fight for their right to prescribe and two more states, Iowa and Illinois, passed legislation enabling prescription privileges by psychologists although the regulations in these states are yet to be completed. During the evolution of prescribing psychology, an interesting fact was often overlooked. Louisiana initially passed prescribing legislation that made the prescribing psychologist seek concordance with the patient’s primary care provider prior to writing a prescription and/or changing a dosage. Subsequently, with the support of the Louisiana medical association, prescribing psychologists were granted unsupervised prescriptive authority and the concordance provision was eliminated. After years of working with prescribing psychologists, the physicians they worked with, recognizing their competence, took a stand to improve patient care by eliminating needless duplication of service.
Proposed Mandatory Education for Prescribing Psychology: • To be licensed in the state of New Jersey, a psychologist must have an earned doctoral degree in psychology or a related field. Attaining a doctoral degree in psychology typically takes at least four to five years of graduate education beyond the bachelor’s degree. • Additionally, the psychologist must complete at least two years of supervised training/internship, pass a national examination, and a New Jersey Jurisprudence examination.
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• The 2016-2017 Legislative Session Assembly Bill A2170 /Senate Bill S2259, identical bills, require that a psychologist pass an examination in psychopharmacology and complete additional supervision focused specifically on direct clinical service in psychopharmacology. • The requirements of the 2016-2017 Legislative Session Assembly Bill A2170 / Senate Bill S2259 set the educational bar for prescribing psychologist significantly higher than for other non-physician prescribers. • Prescribing psychologists, given their specific focus on mental health issues, have training in psychopharmacology in excess of those primary care medical providers who currently prescribe 70-80% of psychotropic medications. ❖
POETRY CORNER Beneath the Condemnation Beneath the condemnation Resides a firm foundation
Forged in the furnace of such abuse Feeling rejected as filthy refuse
To nurture the spirit of recovery
Requires transparency of you and me Revisiting scenes of insult and pain Engenders fear it will happen again
Our task is to root out the guilt and the shame To realize now that it is not the same
The strength and the courage to peer deep within Removes the feeling and the stigma of sin
From out of the shadow can resplendently shine A resurrected life that is truly divine
©Marshall S. Harth 17 March 2010 0530 Key West
New Jersey Psychologist
Psychology and the Law
Transfer of Juveniles to Adult Court: The Old and the New by Philip H. Witt, PhD, ABPP, Private Practice, Somerville; Sean P. Hiscox, PhD, Private Practice, Somerville; and Barry J. Serebnick, Esq, Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, PA Context round the turn of the 20th century, legal reforms led to the courts acting as parens patriae toward juveniles to ensure that they received rehabilitative services that might be available in the juvenile correctional system but not in the adult correctional system. In the 1960s, a landmark US Supreme Court decision, Kent v. United States (1966) provided guidance along the lines of which many states modeled their statutes regarding transfer of juveniles to adult court. In Kent, the court wrote that juvenile transfer should be based on consideration of the following (see also, Witt, 2003): 1. the severity and nature of the juvenile’s offense, 2. community protection from further harm by the juvenile, 3. the maturity and sophistication level of the juvenile (in the sense of criminal sophistication), 4. the juvenile’s legal history and prior response to juvenile system supervision, and 5. the likelihood of the juvenile’s rehabilitation with resources available to the juvenile court.
A
The Old In New Jersey, prior to 2015, the statute governing transfer of juveniles to adult court (in New Jersey, such is called “waiver,” given that the juvenile court “waives” jurisdiction of the individual) required (NJSA 2A:4A-26) the following, influenced by Kent: • that the juvenile was 14 years or older at the time of the commission of the offense; • that the juvenile committed one of a specified list of serious crimes, typically crimes involving violence against persons; • that the likelihood of rehabilitation of the juvenile by the age of 19 with the resources available for the juvenile court, substantially outweigh the reasons for waiver. Forensic mental health professionals in evaluating juveniles under this old waiver statute focused on rehabilitation potential. Reports would typically conclude with a statement along the lines of: “It is my opinion with a reasonable degree of professional certainty that the juvenile can [or cannot] be rehabilitated by his 19th birthday with the resources available to Winter 2017
the courts.” Frequently, experts would use a structured juvenile risk assessment scale, such as the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2006 ) or a similar scale specifically designed to parallel the legal criteria for juvenile waiver evaluations, such as the Risk-Sophistication-Treatment Inventory (RSTI; Salekin, 2004). The New Juvenile justice reform in the State of New Jersey moves at a glacial pace. In 2002, the legislature removed consideration of “rehabilitation” from the waiver equation for juveniles sixteen years of age and older, requiring the State merely to demonstrate “probable cause” that those juveniles were involved in the alleged crimes. Almost immediately, certain stakeholders in the juvenile justice system perceived that this change had given the State (prosecutors in particular) too much power and authority in the waiver decision. After 13 years, an attempt has now been made to limit this power. In 2015, New Jersey enacted a new version of the transfer statute, NJSA 2A:4A-26.1 Now, the statute reads that “the court may deny a motion by the prosecutor to waive jurisdiction of a juvenile delinquency case if it is clearly convinced that the prosecutor abused his discretion in considering the following factors in deciding whether to seek a waiver….” Those factors are similar to the factors in the previous version of the statute, such as the “age and maturity of juvenile,” “degree of criminal sophistication,” and “evidence of mental health concerns, substance abuse, or emotional instability of the juvenile….” The previous waiver statute had a specific question: Can the juvenile be rehabilitated by his 19th birthday? This is an issue about which an evaluator could well give an opinion. The new statute does not have such a question around which an evaluator could obviously integrate his or her findings, however. In fact, the new statute has a clearly non-mental health question: Has the prosecution abused its discretion? This question is a legal one, beyond a mental health expert’s purview. The issue for a mental health evaluator, then, is how to analyze and integrate the various factors in the statute that do have mental health relevance, given that the new statute is silent regarding rehabilitation. 13
Psychology and the Law
References Borum, R., Bartel, P., & Forth, A. (2006). Manual for the Structured Assessment for Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources. Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541 (1966). Salekin, R. (2004). Risk-Sophistication-Treatment Inventory: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Professional Assessment Resources. Steinberg, L & Scott, E.S. (2003). Less guilty by reason of adolescence. Developmental immaturity, diminished responsibility, and the juvenile death penalty. American Psychologist, 58, (12), 1009-1018. 14
Witt, P. H. (2003). Transfer of juveniles to adult court: The case of H.H. Psychology, Public Policy & Law, 9, 361-380. Witt, P.H. & Dyer, F.J. (1997). Juvenile transfer cases: Risk assessment and risk management. Journal of Psychiatry and Law, 25, 581-614. About the Authors Philip H. Witt, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., is a forensic psychologist in Associates in Psychological Services, P.A., in Somerville, NJ. He is a diplomate in forensic psychology of the American Board of Forensic Psychology, where he previously served on the examination faculty. He is a past president of the New Jersey Psychological Association and of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. Sean Hiscox, Ph.D., specializes in forensic psychology and is a principal at Somerset Psychological Group in Somerville, NJ. He conducts forensic evaluations and is a consultant in a range of areas for juveniles and adults, including waiver to criminal court. Barry J. Serebnick, Esq., is the retired Director of the Juvenile Division of The Monmouth County Prosecutors Office, where he spent 17 years supervising the prosecutions of all juveniles in Monmouth County. He lectures frequently throughout the State of New Jersey on topics of juvenile justice. He is currently “Of Counsel” with the law firm of Helmer, Conley and Kasselman, P.A. with offices throughout New Jersey; and, he devotes a significant portion of his practice to defending juveniles.
SAVE DATE the
Conclusion An expert’s report conclusion should include an analysis of the risk the juvenile poses to the community and then attempt to place the juvenile in one of three groups of juvenile offenders: early starters-life course persistent, late starters-adolescent limited, and conflict/reactive teen offenders (see e.g., Witt and Dyer, 1997, pp. 592-595). Usually, a juvenile who accumulates many risk factors is an early starters-life course persistent offender that often includes the diagnosis of Conduct Disorder. In contrast, a juvenile who accumulates few risk factors is more likely to be a late starter-adolescent limited offender, with a more favorable prognosis for desistance of delinquent behavior than the early starter group. The concluding section should include an analysis of the specific mental health-relevant factors listed in the statute. These factors, noted above, are relevant for the forensic mental health expert in determining risk to the community and likelihood of successfully managing the offender in the juvenile justice system. In terms of statutory factor (d), age and maturity of the juvenile, the evaluator should be aware that the established literature documents pervasive developmental immaturity in juveniles across multiple domains, including cognitive, psychosocial, and neurobiological. In a seminal article, Steinberg and Scott (2003) contended that juveniles should not be held to the same standard of criminal responsibility as adults, because (p. 1016) “[o]ngoing research on the links between brain maturation and psychological development in adolescence has begun to shed light on why adolescents are not as planful, thoughtful, or self-controlled as adults, and, more importantly, it clarifies that these ‘deficiencies’ may be physiological as well as psychological in nature.” Under the new statute, juvenile waiver evaluations are no longer being performed to convince a judge to waive or not to waive a juvenile. Instead, the evaluation’s primary audience is now the prosecutor, to whom the evaluator will attempt to demonstrate that (in the appropriate case) the juvenile is not dangerous, or barring that, the juvenile can be managed and rehabilitated within the juvenile system. Given the amount of work a prosecutor must do to prepare and file a waiver motion, it is unlikely that a prosecutor can be persuaded to withdraw the motion once filed. The time for persuasion, if indicated and applicable, is early, before the prosecutor has filed the motion. An evaluation is likely to have the most impact as part of negotiations for either voluntary waiver under NJSA 2A:4a-27 or as part of a juvenile plea prior to the prosecutor’s filing a waiver motion. ❖
Therapy in the New World: How to Evaluate Success
Friday, February 17, 2017 APA Woodbridge (formerly Woodbridge at Metropark) 120 S. Wood Ave, Iselin, NJ 08830 8:30-9:00am Registration and light breakfast 9:00am - 12:30pm Program
Spring Meeting – Program Content to Come! Friday, May 5, 2017 Eisenhower Conference Center 80 Beaufort Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039 8:30am - 9:00am Registration and light breakfast 9:00-12:30 Program
Fall Conference
Friday, November 3, 2017 Town Hall and Awards Saturday, November 4, 2017 Conference Time and location TBD
New Jersey Psychologist
Ethics Update
Defining Competence by Khaya N. Eisenberg, PsyD
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colleague of mine recently shared a dilemma with me. He had been asked to run a group for transgender teens, and didn’t know whether to agree to do it. “I’ve been in practice for thirty years,” my colleague noted, “and I did have a little training on gender identity issues at my previous job. But I just don’t know if it’s adequate.” His colleagues and clients were encouraging him to take the plunge. The nearest group for transgender teens was some distance away, and the demand for a local group was growing. This raises an important ethical question. Our ethical imperative to do no harm mandates that we practice within the limits of our competence. But how do we know when we are correctly recognizing that the demands of a case exceed our level of expertise, and when we are turning away individuals who would benefit from our services because of misplaced insecurity? According to the APA Ethics code, Principle D, “Psychologists recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the processes, procedures, and services being conducted by psychologists.” Clearly we cannot be cavalier about turning down a client who has few alternatives for treatment and thus restricting their access to psychological services. On the other hand, there are serious risks involved when one chooses to practice outside the boundaries of his or her competence. For example, individual therapists who decide to see couples are not always prepared to address the issues of confidentiality and communication that often arise in marital therapy. Marital therapists, for their part, may overestimate their ability to diagnose and treat sexual dysfunction, or to recognize and address domestic violence. The APA Ethics Code addresses this issue at length in Standard 2.01, Boundaries of Competence: “(a) Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience.” Unfortunately, the limits of competence are difficult to discern. How do we begin to assess whether we are competent to treat a case? We are not objective about our own skills, and the definition of competence itself is multifaceted and complex. Additionally, as psychology becomes more differentiated and specialties proliferate, we do not always have clear guidelines for which practice areas or populations require Winter 2017
specialized training and which are within the grasp of most experienced and skilled psychologists. Perhaps we need to define competence in order to assess its limits. An article by Overholser & Fine (1990) defines clinical competence as a multidimensional construct with five domains: knowledge, clinical skill, technical skill, judgment and problem-solving, and interpersonal attributes. The first domain, knowledge, includes familiarity with the current literature as well as the ability to recognize the limits of one’s knowledge and expertise. Knowledge also involves the ability to respect the limitations of clinical techniques (i.e., not being the person with a hammer to whom everything looks like a nail). The second domain, clinical skill, refers to the ability to establish and maintain an appropriate therapeutic relationship. Competence in this area includes but is not limited to rapport-building, awareness of one’s countertransference, the ability to communicate with a wide range of clients, and the ability to maintain an appropriate professional relationship with clients. While the first two domains are arguably basic, the last three require more sophistication. Technical skill, the third domain, includes the ability to use special procedures or techniques, and can also involve the ability to work clinically with special populations. The fourth domain, judgment and problem-solving, refers to the ability to apply knowledge and clinical skills to assess or treat a particular client and individualize treatment to meet the needs of particular clients in particular situations. Finally, the domain of interpersonal attributes includes personality characteristics, social skills, and emotional problems that may affect one’s professional functioning. This definition of competence could provide us with a road map for assessing our competence in taking a case. When deciding whether to take a case, there are several questions we can ask ourselves in an effort to assess our competence. First, with regard to knowledge, what do we know about this problem or this population? Is this a common issue to which we were exposed in our training and/or throughout our years of practice? Can our existing skill set be appropriately applied to this problem or population, or is it necessary to master a new body of knowledge? Is this an area that can be learned through a conference, a book, or specialized supervision, or would a more comprehensive effort be required? From assessing our knowledge, we can move into assessing our technical skill. Does this client require a particular 15
Ethics Update treatment technique, and if so, is it one that is familiar to us? Does this client come from a population we have worked with, or are there aspects to this client’s background or clinical presentation that are new for us? The other questions are more broadly relevant and more complex requiring the ability to honestly evaluate deeper aspects of our competence. Seeking and accurately processing feedback from our clients and colleagues may well be a part of this process. With regard to our clinical skills, are we generally able to form strong therapeutic alliances with most of our clients, and what challenges might present themselves in this particular case? Are we usually able to remain selfaware and mindful of possible boundary crossings, or do we have a high ratio of being blindsided by our clinical and ethical mistakes? With regard to judgment, what is our track record for making the right decision with regard to challenging situations that arise in our cases? Finally, we need to reflect honestly on our own emotional state. Is something going on in our lives that could interfere with our ability to function
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optimally, particularly with a client who presents an unfamiliar challenge? Are there personal triggers which could be activated by the nature of this case? Answering these questions necessitates careful self-examination. Additionally, relying exclusively on our own perspective may be insufficient; consultation, supervision, and possibly therapy may be indicated. The question of whether we are competent to take a case is difficult and multilayered, and the answer may fluctuate as new developments arise. At the same time, providing a structure for exploring our competence with regard to a particular case may be a good first step toward staying within ethical boundaries in this important area. ❖ Correction: In the Fall 2016 issue of the NJ Psychologist, the article Should You Become the Treating Clinician of a Client Who You Evaluated? was written by Lucy Sant’Anna Takagi, PsyD and Khaya Eisenberg, PsyD.
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New Jersey Psychologist
Foundation
Community Service Project Grants: Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Regional Diagnostic Treatment Center (RDTC) Game-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) The NJPA Foundation identifies exemplary programs that provide psychological services to those who cannot afford it and trains doctoral students to work with these underserved populations. We invite applications from programs across the state of New Jersey, with the goal of identifying and supporting model programs from each county. If you are interested in applying for a Community Service Project Grant, visit <www.psychologynj.org> for the Community Service Project Grant Application.
Jenna Duncalf, MS, Katherine Jemiola, MS, Brenda Osorio, MA, Corianna Sichel, and Beyza Sinan, MS, pre-doctoral externs in the Game-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GB-CBT) track at the Metropolitan Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center (Metro RDTC) in Newark, New Jersey, are the proud recipients of 2016-2017 Community Service Award provided by the New Jersey Psychological Association Foundation (NJPAF). As pre-doctoral externs at the RDTC, Ms. Duncalf, Ms. Jemiola, Ms. Osorio, Ms. Sichel, and Ms. Sinan are completing psychosocial evaluations and providing evidence-based therapy to children and adolescents who are victims of maltreatment. All externs receive extensive group and individual supervision by a licensed psychologist and mental health clinicians. The RDTC is located within Wynona’s House, a child advocacy center serving hundreds of children annually by coordinating cross-systems collaboration to provide access to legal, health, and mental health services, as well as community resources, for children in Essex County. Many of these children reside in underserved, low-income communities with a high incidence of community violence, and face significant barriers in accessing quality mental health treatment. As extern therapists, Ms. Duncalf, Ms. Jemiola, Ms. Osorio, Ms. Sichel and Ms. Sinan are being trained in trauma-focused treatment and specifically GB-CBT, an evidence-based treatment that incorporates play into traditional cognitive-behavioral and trauma-informed techniques to address the symptoms experienced by families impacted by abuse. The treatment is delivered in group and individual formats, addressing trauma symptoms while developing personal safety skills, knowledge of abuse, and parenting strategies. By the completion of their placement in May, the externs will have co-facilitated a total of eleven groups, as well as provided individual and family treatment to multiple children and adolescents with trauma histories. Additional information about each individual extern is presented in the below paragraphs. Ms. Duncalf is a third-year doctoral student in the SchoolClinical Child Psychology program at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University. Ms. Duncalf’s clinical inWinter 2017
terests include the implementation of evidence-based treatments with children and caregivers to improve overall functioning, child-caregiver relationships, and quality of life. Ms. Duncalf is interested in risk and resilience, parent training, school consultation, and treatment of disruptive behaviors and complex trauma. She is also a member of the Ferkauf Anxiety Research Lab. Her work at the RDTC has allowed her to develop her clinical skills related to assessment, trauma, forensics, and childhood traumatic grief. It has also provided Ms. Duncalf the opportunity to deepen her understanding of the complexities involved in collaborating with social services agencies. This will enhance her ability to advocate for children and families with trauma histories in the future. Ms. Jemiola is a third-year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology program at Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Ms. Jemiola’s clinical interests include delivering evidence-based treatment to at-risk children who have significant histories of abuse and neglect. Her work in the RDTC’s GB-CBT program has allowed her to expand her clinical skills in both individual and group settings, as well as to learn to advocate for children and families with diverse needs. In addition to treatment outcomes for children and adolescents with histories of trauma, her research interests include opioid abuse and overdose, with an emphasis on barriers to successful treatment entry and factors that contribute to recovery. Ms. Osorio is a third-year doctoral student in the Combined School and Clinical Psychology Program at Kean University. Ms. Osorio is interested in working with youth of lower socioeconomic status and their families. Specifically, 17
Foundation she is interested in providing the best available evidence-based treatment to target their needs. Ms. Osorio is particularly interested in how diversity and culture contribute to the presentation of various child trauma symptoms. Thus far, the GB-CBT externship at the RDTC has allowed Ms. Osorio to expand her experience in working with diverse clients who present with an array of symptoms. In addition, it has given her the opportunity to work in an environment in which it is critical to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team format. Ms. Osorio’s interests in the area of child abuse and maltreatment have grown profoundly, as she is now able to advocate for the psychological wellbeing of children and families impacted by trauma. Ms. Sichel is a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology in New York University’s Department of Applied Psychology. Her research and clinical interests center around the broader social contexts and mental health outcomes associated with trauma and marginalization. Additionally, Ms. Sichel is currently involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-informed interventions for youth at risk for involvement in gangs and the juvenile legal system. Ms. Sichel views the GB-CBT externship as equipping her with concrete, evidence-based clinical skills, as well as allowing her to gain experience working within a system of care to advocate for children and families with significant trauma histories.
Ms. Sinan is a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Seton Hall University. She is involved with research in bicultural identity, wellbeing, and language brokering. Additionally, she co-created and coleads an international buddy program at her university, pairing domestic students with international students. This program aims to foster meaningful cross-cultural friendships as well as to create a sense of cohesion and integration on campus. Her clinical interest is also in working with diverse and underserved populations, across the lifespan. Ms. Sinan is developing her skill-set at GB-CBT by learning about the issues that children with abuse histories face, as well as how to implement evidenced based treatments to meet their needs. The aforementioned externs travel from various distances, utilizing personal and public transportation in order to gain experience working with a diverse population of families with trauma histories. The grant funding provided by NJPAF is of tremendous help to all of the pre-doctoral externs in the GBCBT track, as it offsets the significant cost of their commute and allows them to work with a population to which they are committed to helping. The externs are incredibly grateful to NJPAF for their support and look forward to continuing to grow as professionals specializing in treating underserved youth with trauma histories. ❖
Foundation Award Recipients Graduate Student Initiated Research Awards
A fundamental component of the New Jersey Psychological Association Foundation’s mission is to support the training of psychologists. One way they meet this goal is by providing funding for student-initiated research and projects addressing psychological issues that have significant impact on community health. Through the generosity of individual contributions, we are able to offer four awards and scholarships for innovative family, school, and community projects.
The NJPA Foundation Scholarship for Research on Diversity Issues An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Participating in Social Support Groups on the Psychosocial Functioning of Transgender Adolescents. by Aishah Manuel Rutgers GSAPP
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The NJPA Foundation Award for Research into Causes and/or Treatment of Social Problems Self-Regulation for Smoking Cessation by Yasmine Omar Rutgers GSAPP
New Jersey Psychologist
Foundation
The NJPA Foundation is committed to advancing the psychological health of our New Jersey community by supporting psychological services for children and adults who cannot afford them, by supporting the training of new psychologists, and by disseminating psychological knowledge to the general public. The Foundation’s work would not be possible without the generous donations of our colleagues in NJPA. The NJPA Foundation is committed to advancing the psychological health of our New Jersey community by supporting psychological services for children and adults whoiscannot afford them, bythe supporting training of new psychologists, by disseminating knowledge The NJPA Foundation most grateful to all of followingthe colleagues who have contributedand so substantially to ourpsychological efforts in 2016 (includes to allthe general public. The Foundation’s work31). wouldOur notheartfelt be possible without generous donations of our colleagues in NJPA. contributions processed by December thanks to all the of you. The NJPA Foundation is committed to advancing the psychological health of our New Jersey community by supporting psychological services for The NJPA Foundation most grateful to all of followingthe colleagues who have contributed and so substantially to ourpsychological efforts in 2016 (includes to all the children and adults whois cannot afford them, bythe supporting training of new psychologists, by disseminating knowledge President: Matt Hagovsky, PhD contributions processed by December Our thanks to all the of you. general$1000 public. The Foundation’s work31). would notheartfelt be possible without generous donations of our Friend colleagues in $99 NJPA. Angel and over up to (cont.) Supporter $100-$249 (cont.) Alice Nadelman, PhD Antonio Burr,PhD PhD Mahalick Foundation David Panzer, PsyD Mark Cetta, President: Matt Hagovsky, PhDgrateful to all of theClaudia The NJPA Foundation following colleagues to our efforts Hulon Newsome, PhDwho have contributed so substantially Kim Busichio, PhD Mathias Hagovsky, PhDis most Pascale, PhD Michelle Chabbott, EdDin 2016 (includes all Supporter $100-$249 (cont.) Angel $1000 processed and over by December 31). Our heartfelt Friend up to $99 (cont.) Rose Oosting, PhD Diane Cabush, PsyD contributions thanks to all ofPsyD you. 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Rosalind Dorlen, PsyD KarenCox, Cocco, Doris PhD Mark PhDPhD Daniel Watter, EdD John Lagos, PhD Ralph George Sanders, PhD David Rosenthal, PhD Karen Constantino, Cohen, PsyDPhD William Shinefield, PsyD Sharon Craig, PhD Bonnie PhD, PsyD Robin Peter Schild AnneStainton, Rybowski, PhD Patron Markham, $500-$749 Roger Cooper-Fleming, Colonna, EdD PsyD Ann PhD Shelia Dancz, PhD Contributor $250-$499 Daniel Watter, Mark Cox, PhD PhD Doris Carol Schueler, Salvador, Richard Klein, EdD EdD PhD Louise Conley, Martha Temple, PhD PsyD Michelle Farber Daniel, PsyD Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Sharon Craig, PhD William PsyD George Shinefield, Sanders, PhD PhD John Lagos, PhD Ralph Constantino, Joanne VanNest, Daniel DaSilva, PhDPhD Rosemarie Ciccarello, PhD Contributor $250-$499 Shelia Dancz, PhDPsyD PsyD Ann PhD PsyD PeterStainton, Schild Bonnie Markham, PhD, PsyD Robin Cooper-Fleming, Peggy Van Raalte, Deborah Dawson, Stephanie Coyne, PhD Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Michelle Farber Martha Temple, PsyD EdD Doris Schueler, PhD Daniel Watter, EdD Mark Cox, PhD Daniel, Barbara Von Klemperer, Dennis DeCicco, PhD PsyD Ellen DiMeglio, PsyD PhD Rosemarie Ciccarello, PhD Daniel DaSilva, PhD Joanne VanNest, PhD William Walsh, Shinefield, PsyD Sharon Craig, PhD William PhD Laura DeMarzo, EdD Rochel David, PhD Stephanie Coyne, PhD Deborah Dawson, Peggy Van Raalte, PsyD Ann Stainton, PhD Contributor $250-$499 SheliaDemetriades, Dancz, PhDPsyD Virginia Waters, PhD Helen PsyD Peter Economou, PhD Ellen PsyD PhD Dennis DeCicco, PhD PsyD Barbara Von Klemperer, Martha Temple, PsyD EdD NancyDiMeglio, Boyd-Franklin, Michelle Farber PhD Daniel, Amy Wechsler (Shimalla, Wechsler, Lepp & Ruth DeNatale, Alfredo Lowe, PhD Rochel David, PhD Laura DeMarzo, EdD William Joanne Walsh, VanNest, PhD Rosemarie Ciccarello, PhD Daniel DaSilva, PhD D'Onofrio, LLP) PhD Mary Ann DeRosa, PhD Daniel Moss, PhD Peter Economou, Helen Demetriades, PsyD Virginia Waters, PeggyWelt, Van Raalte, PsyD Stephanie Coyne,PhD PhD Deborah Dawson, Aaron PhDPhD Jane Dewey, PhD PsyD Alfredo Lowe, PhD Ruth DeNatale, Amy Wechsler (Shimalla, Wechsler, Law Lepp & Barbara Von Klemperer, EdD Ellen DiMeglio, PsyD Dennis DeCicco,PhD PhD Denise Wennogle (NJ Collaborative Daniel Diamant, PhD Supporter $100-$249 Daniel Mary DeRosa, PhD D'Onofrio, LLP) PhD William Walsh, RochelMoss, David,PhD PhD LauraAnn DeMarzo, EdD Group) Doreen DiDomenico, PhD Jeffrey Axelbank, PsyD Jane PhDPhDPsyD Aaron Welt, PhD Virginia Waters, PhD Peter Economou, PhD HelenDewey, Demetriades, Nina Williams, PsyD Charles Dodgen, Judith Bernstein, PsyD Supporter $100-$249 Daniel Diamant, PhD PsyD Denise Wennogle (NJJD Collaborative Amy Wechsler (Shimalla, Wechsler, Law Lepp & AlfredoBeyer, Lowe, PhD Ruth DeNatale, PhD James Wulach, PhD, Meredith Domingues, Carole EdD Jeffrey Axelbank, Doreen DiDomenico, PhD Group) D'Onofrio, LLP) Daniel Moss, PhDPsyD MaryDorogusker, Ann DeRosa, PhD Beth PhD Mary Kelly Blakeslee, PhD JudithBlum, Bernstein, Charles Dodgen, Nina PsyD AaronWilliams, Welt, Jane Dewey, PhDPhD Friend up toPhD $99 Frank Dyer, PhD Carol PsyDPsyD Carole Beyer, EdD Meredith Domingues, James Wulach, DeniseAita, Wennogle (NJJD Collaborative Law Supporter $100-$249 Daniel Edelman, Diamant, PhD Daniel PsyDPsyD Randy Bressler, PsyD Derek PsyDPhD, Mary Kelly Blakeslee, PhD Beth Dorogusker, Group) Alberti, PhD Jeffrey Axelbank, PsyD Doreen DiDomenico, Lynn Egan, PsyD PhDPhD Monica Carsky, PhD Michelle Carol PsyD Frank Dyer, PhDPsyD Friend up toPhD $99 Nina Williams, PsyD JudithBlum, Bernstein, PsyD Charles Dodgen, PhD Laura Eisdorfer, Joseph Coyne, PhD Betty Allen, Randy PsyD Daniel Edelman, PsyDPsyD Derek Aita, PsyDPhD, JD James Wulach, Carole Bressler, Beyer, EdD Meredith Domingues, Donna English, PhD Richard Dauber, PhD Rika Alper, PhD Monica Carsky, PhD Lynn PsyD MichelleAppleheimer, Alberti, PhD PsyD Mary Kelly Blakeslee, Beth Egan, Dorogusker, Robert Evans, PhDPhD Patricia DeSear, PhD PhD Annette Joseph Coyne, PhD Laura PsyD Betty Allen, PhD Friend up to $99 CarolEconomou, Blum, PsyD Frank Eisdorfer, Dyer, PhD Karen Faherty, PhD Nick EdD John Aylward, EdD Richard Dauber,PhD PhD Donna PhD Rika Alper, Derek Aita, PhD PsyD Randy Esquilin, Bressler, PsyD Daniel English, Edelman, PsyD Roberta Fallig, PhD Susan Vicki Barnett, PsyD Patricia PhDPhD Robert Evans, PhD Annette Appleheimer, Michelle Alberti, PhD Monica DeSear, Carsky, PhD Lynn Egan, PsyD Shapar Farzad, PhD Kenneth Freundlich, Shari Becker, PhD, JDPsyD Nick Economou, EdD Karen Faherty, John EdD PhD BettyAylward, Allen, PhD Joseph Coyne, PhD Laura Eisdorfer, PsyD Bud Feder, PhDPhD Thomas Frio, PhD Leslie Becker-Phelps, Susan Esquilin, PhD Roberta Fallig, PhD Vicki PsyD Rika Barnett, Alper, PhD Richard Dauber,PsyD PhD Donna English, PhD Michael Feldman, PhD Milton Fuentes, Wendy Bedenko, PsyD Kenneth Freundlich, Shapar Farzad,PhD PhD Shari Becker, PhD,PhD JD PsyD Annette Appleheimer, Patricia DeSear, PhDPhD RobertFiedler, Evans, Nancy Marc Gironda, PsyD Roderick Bennett, Thomas Frio, PhDEdD Bud Feder, PhDPhD Leslie Becker-Phelps, John Aylward, Nick Economou, Karen Faherty, Jennifer Figurelli, PhD Luise Gray, PsyD Sharona Benoff,EdD PhD PhD Milton Michael PhD Wendy Bedenko, Vicki Barnett, PsyD SusanFuentes, Esquilin, PhD Roberta Feldman, Fallig, PhD Rebecca Fine, PsyD Stanley Hayden,PsyD PhD Janet Berson, PhDPsyD Marc Gironda, PsyD Nancy PhD Roderick Bennett, PhD Shari Becker, PhD, JD Kenneth Freundlich, ShaparFiedler, Farzad, PhD Michael Fiore, PhD Allen Hershman, PhD,PhD PsyD Jeffrey Bessey, PhD Luise Gray, PsyD Jennifer Figurelli, Sharona Benoff,PhD PhD PhD LeslieBobrove, Becker-Phelps, Thomas Frio, PhDPhD Bud Feder, PhD Joan Fiorello, PhDPhD Christine Hudson, Philip Stanley Hayden, PhD Rebecca Fine, PsyD Janet Berson, PhD Wendy Bedenko, PsyD Milton Fuentes, MichaelFishbein, Feldman, PhD Gerald PhD Lisa Jacobs, PhDPsyD Phyllis Bolling, PhD Allen Hershman, PhD, PsyD Michael Fiore, PhD Jeffrey Bessey, PhD Roderick Bennett, PhD Marc Kelly, Gironda, Nancy Fiedler, PhD Pamela Foley, PhD Mary PhDPsyD Alice Bontempo,PsyD Christine Hudson, Joan Fiorello, PhDPhD Philip Bobrove, PhD Sharona Benoff,PhD PhD LuiseKestler, Gray, PsyD Jennifer Figurelli, Mark Forest, PhD Lisa PhD PhD Thomas Boyle, Lisa Jacobs, PhDPhD Gerald Fishbein, PhD Phyllis Bolling, PhD PhD Janet Berson, Stanley Hayden, PhD Rebecca Fine, PsyD James Fosshage, PhD Deirdre Kramer, Isabel Brachfeld, EdD Mary PhD Pamela Foley, Alice Bontempo,PsyD Jeffrey Bessey, Allen Kelly, Hershman, PhD, PsyD MichaelFrankenstein, Fiore, PhD PhD PhD William Kathleen Krol, PhD Cynthia Bratman,PhD PsyD Lisa Kestler, PhD Mark PhD Thomas Boyle,PhD PhD Philip Bobrove, PhD Christine Hudson, Joan Forest, Fiorello, PhD PhD Sharon Freedman, Phyllis Lakin, PhD PhD Joseph Braun, Deirdre Kramer, PhD James Fosshage, PhD Isabel Brachfeld, EdD PhyllisBrent, Bolling, PhD Lisa Jacobs, PhD Gerald Fishbein, PhD Carol Freund, PhD Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD Laura PhD Kathleen Krol, PhD William Cynthia Bratman, Alice Bontempo,PsyD Mary Kelly, PhD PamelaFrankenstein, Foley,PsyD PhD PhD Antonia Fried, Bonnie Lipeles, PsyD Richard Brewster, PsyD PsyD Phyllis Lakin, PhD PhD Sharon Freedman, PhD Joseph ThomasBraun, Boyle,PhD PhD Lisa Kestler, Mark A Forest, PhD PhD Carol Friedman, Neal Litinger, PhD Merrilea Brunell, PhD Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD Carol PhDPhD PhD Laura PhD EdD IsabelBrent, Brachfeld, Deirdre Kramer, PhD JamesFreund, Fosshage, Lorraine Gahles-Kildow, John LoConte, PhD Charles Buchbauer, PhD Bonnie PsyD Antonia Fried, PsyD Richard Brewster, PsyD CynthiaBudesa, Bratman, PsyD Kathleen Krol, PhD William Galasso, Frankenstein, Joseph PsyDPhD N. JohnLipeles, Lombardi, PsyD Regina PsyD Neal Litinger, Carol A Friedman, PhD Merrilea Brunell,PhD PhD PhD Joseph Buonadonna, Braun, Phyllis Lakin, PhD PhD Sharon Freedman, PhD Lew Gantwerk, PsyD Neil Massoth, Joseph John PhD Lorraine Gahles-Kildow, PhD Charles Buchbauer, Laura Brent, PhD Ruth LoConte, Lijtmaer, PhDPhD CarolGarson, Freund, PhD Eliot PhD Nancy McWilliams Antonio Burr, PhD PhD N. John Lipeles, Lombardi, PsyD Joseph Galasso, PsyD Regina Budesa, PsyD Richard Brewster, PsyD Bonnie PsyD Antonia Fried, Jill Gentile, PhDPsyD Stanley Messer, PhD Kim Busichio, PhD Neil PhD Lew PsyD Joseph Buonadonna, Merrilea Brunell, PhD PhD NealMassoth, Litinger, CarolGantwerk, A Friedman, PhD John George, PhD Barry Mitchell,PhD PsyD Diane Cabush, PsyD Nancy McWilliams PhD Eliot Garson, PhD Antonio Burr, PhD PhD Charles Buchbauer, John Nadelman, LoConte, PhD Lorraine Gahles-Kildow, PhD John Caliso, PhD Alice PhD Marie Geron, PhD Stanley Messer, PhD Jill Gentile, PhD PsyD Kim Busichio, PhD Regina Budesa, PsyD N. John Lombardi, PsyD Joseph Galasso, Winter 2017 Dorothy Cantor, PsyD Hulon Newsome, PhD Siobhan Gibbons, EdD Barry Mitchell, PhD PsyD John George, Diane PsyD PhD PhD JosephCabush, Buonadonna, Neil Massoth, Lew Gantwerk, PsyD Carolyn Carbone-Magnero, Rose Oosting, Leslie Gilbert, PhD PhD Alice Nadelman, PhD Marie Geron, PhD John Caliso, Antonio Burr,PhD PhD Nancy McWilliams PhD Eliot Garson, PhD
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Foundation Friend up to $99 (cont.) Lorraine Gahles-Kildow, PhD Larry Gingold, PsyD Joseph Galasso, PhD PsyD Ronald Gironda, Lew Gantwerk, PsyD James Glynn, PsyD Eliot Garson, PhD PhD Elizabeth Goldberg, Jill Gentile, PhDPhD Dustin Gordon, John George, PhD Bonnie Gorscak, PhD Marie PhD Bryan Geron, Granelli, PhD Siobhan Gibbons, EdD Santa Gregory, PhD Friend up to $99 Leslie Gilbert, PhD(cont.) Ricardo Grippaldi, EdD Larry VivianGingold, Guze PsyD Ronald Gironda, Judith Halle, PhDPhD James Glynn,PhD PsyD Osna Haller, Elizabeth Goldberg, Diane Handlin, PhD PhD Friend up to $99 (cont.) Dustin PhD YvonneGordon, Hansen, PhD Larry Gingold, PsyD Bonnie Gorscak, PhD Sue Harris, PhD Bryan Ronald Gironda,PhD PhD JeffreyGranelli, Harrison, PhD James Glynn, PsyD Santa Gregory, PhD Graham Hartke, PsyD Elizabeth Goldberg, PhD Ricardo Grippaldi, EdD Steven Hartman, PhD FriendGuze up to $99 (cont.) 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PhD EdD Susan Herman, Lauraine Hollyer, PhDPhD Glendessa Insabella, Marsha Heiman, PhD Barbara Holstein, Judith Herschlag, PhD Owen Issacs, EdDEdD BarryHolstein, Helfmann, PsyD Nancy Hicks, Russ PhD William Ivory, PsyD PhD John Hennessy, PhD Nathan Margery Honig, PhD DeborahHilton, Jacob,PsyD PsyD Kenneth Herman, EdD Ann Nikola Houston, Linda Hochman, PhD Jane Jacobus, PhD PhD Susan Herman, PhD Lauraine Hollyer, PhD Paul PhD JohnHoward, Janko, PhD Judith Herschlag, PhD Barbara Holstein, EdD Ellen EdD ElenaHulme, Jeffries, PhD NancyHolstein, Hicks, PsyD Susan Huslage, PhD Russ PhD Thomas Johnson, EdD Nathan Hilton, PsyD Rebecca Hye, PsyD Margery Honig, PhD Arthur Joseph, EdD Linda Hochman, PhDPhD Ann Nikola Houston, Glendessa PhD Nancy Just,Insabella, PhD Lauraine Hollyer, PhD Owen Issacs, EdD Paul PhD HeidiHoward, Kaduson, PhD BarbaraIvory, Holstein, EdD William PhD Ellen EdD TamarHulme, Kahane, PsyD Russ Holstein, PhD Susan PhD Deborah Jacob, PsyD Jeffrey Huslage, Kahn, PhD Margery Honig, PhD Rebecca Hye, PsyD PsyD Jane PhD RobinJacobus, Kanen, Ann Nikola Houston, PhD John Janko, PhD Glendessa Insabella, Elissa Kaplan, PhD Paul Howard, PhD Owen Issacs, EdD Elena PhD PhD Paula Jeffries, Kaplan-Reiss, Ellen Hulme, EdD William Ivory, PhDEdD Thomas Johnson, Sarah Karl, PhD SusanJoseph, Huslage, PhD Arthur EdD Deborah Jacob, PsyD Robert Karlin, PhD Rebecca Hye, PsyD Jane PhD Nancy Just, PhD SusanJacobus, Kasper, PhD Glendessa Insabella, John Janko, Heidi Kaduson, PhD PhD Roberta Katz,PhD PhD Owen Jeffries, Issacs, EdD Tamar Kahane, PsyD Elena PhD Charles Katz, PhD William Ivory, PhDEdD Thomas Johnson, Jeffrey PhD TerenceKahn, Kearse, PhD Deborah Jacob, PsyD Arthur Joseph, EdD Robin Kanen, PsyD Alex Kehayan, EdD Jane Jacobus, PhD Elissa PhD Nancy Just,PhD PhD Randi Kaplan, Kell, John Janko, PhD Heidi PhD PhDPhD Paula Kaplan-Reiss, EileenKaduson, Kennedy-Moore, Elena Karl, Jeffries, Tamar Kahane, PsyD Sarah PhDPhD Ilene Kesselhaut, EdD Thomas Johnson, EdD Robert Karlin, PhD Jeffrey Kahn, Kyung Sil Kim,PhD PhD Arthur Joseph, EdD Robin Kanen, PsyD Susan Kasper, PhD Diane Klein, PhD NancyKaplan, Just, PhD Elissa PhD Roberta Katz, Kenneth Kline,PhD PhD Heidi Kaduson, PhD PhD Charles Katz, PhD PhD Paula Hilary Kaplan-Reiss, Knatz, Tamar Kahane, PsyD Sarah Karl, PhD Terence Kearse, PhD Laura Kogan, PsyD Jeffrey Kahn, PhD Robert Karlin, Alex Kehayan, EdD Robert Kornhaber, PhD Robin Kell, Kanen, PsyD Randi PhD Susan Kasper, PhD Peter Krakoff, PhD Elissa Kennedy-Moore, Kaplan, PhD Roberta Katz, PhD Eileen Lainie Kreindler, PsyD PhD PaulaKesselhaut, Kaplan-Reiss, PhD Charles Katz, PhDEdD Ilene Kenneth Kressel, PhD Sarah Karl, PhD Terence Kearse, PhD Kyung Kim, PhD Martin Sil Krupnick, PsyD Robert Karlin, PhD Alex Kehayan, EdD Diane Klein, PhD Stephen Kuwent, PsyD SusanKell, Kasper, PhD 20 Randi PhD Kenneth Kline, Raina Lamade,PhD PhD Roberta Katz,PhD PhD Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD Hilary Robin Knatz, Lang, PsyD Charles Katz, PsyD PhDEdD Ilene Kesselhaut, Laura Kogan, Norman Lavinson, PhD
Friend up to $99 (cont.) Beth Leiderman, Diane Klein, PhDPhD Kenneth Kline, PhD Ilana Lev-El, PsyD Hilary Knatz, PhD Bernard Levine, PhD Laura RobertKogan, Levine,PsyD PhD Robert Kornhaber, Neal Leynor, PhD PhD Peter Krakoff, PhD Barbara Lino, PhD Lainie Kreindler, PsyD Marc Lipkus, PsyD Kenneth PhD KatharineKressel, Loeb, PhD Friend up to $99 (cont.) Martin Krupnick, PsyD Rona LoPresti, PhD Beth Stephen Kuwent,PhD PsyD MarkLeiderman, Lowenthal, PsyD Ilana PsyD Raina Lamade, PhD Mark Lev-El, Lyall, PsyD Bernard Levine, PhD Robin PsyD MarilynLang, Lyga, PhD Robert Levine, PhDPhD Norman Lavinson, Christopher Lynch, PhD Friend up to PhD $99PhD (cont.) Neal Stephen Lawrence, PhD DavidLeynor, MacIsacc, Barbara Lino, PhD Beth Leiderman, PhD Susan MacKinnon, PsyD Marc Lipkus, Ilana Lev-El, PsyD EdD Heather MacLeod, Katharine Loeb, PhDPhD Bernard CorneliusLevine, Mahoney, Rona Robert Levine, PhD DanielLoPresti, Mahoney, EdD Friend up toPhD $99PsyD (cont.) Mark Lowenthal, Neal RogerLeynor, Maitland, PhD Beth Leiderman, PhD Mark Lyall, PsyD Barbara Lino, PhD Howard Mangel, EdD Ilana Lipkus, Lev-El, Marilyn Lyga, PhD PhD Marc PsyD Margery Manheim, Bernard Levine, PhD Christopher Lynch, PhD Katharine Loeb, PhD Charles Mark, PsyD RobertMacIsacc, Levine, PhD David Rona ShirleyLoPresti, Matthews,PhD PhD Neal Leynor, PhDPsyD Susan MacKinnon, Mark FrankLowenthal, McElroy, PhDPsyD Barbara Lino, PhD EdD Heather MacLeod, Mark Lyall, PsyD Robert McGrath, PhD Marc Lipkus, PsyD Cornelius Mahoney, Marilyn PhD PhD BrendanLyga, McLoughlin, PhD Katharine Loeb, PhD Daniel Mahoney, EdD Christopher Lynch, PhD Kenneth McNiel, PhD Rona MacIsacc, LoPresti, PhD Roger Maitland, PhD David PhD Gail McVey, PsyD Mark Lowenthal, PsyD Howard Mangel, PsyD EdD Susan PsyD LaurenMacKinnon, Meisels, Mark Lyall, PsyD EdD Margery Manheim, PhD Heather MacLeod, Samuel Menahem, PhD Marilyn Lyga, PhD Charles PsyD Cornelius Mahoney, PhD Barbara Mark, Menzel, PsyD Christopher Lynch, PhD Shirley Matthews, PhD Daniel EdD EdwardMahoney, Merski, PsyD David Maitland, MacIsacc, PhD Frank PhD Roger PhD Wilda McElroy, Mesias, PhD Susan McGrath, MacKinnon, PsyD Robert PhD Howard Mangel, EdD Marvin Metsky, PhD Heather Manheim, MacLeod, PhD EdD Brendan McLoughlin, PhD Margery Bea Landman Mittman, PhD Cornelius Mahoney, PhD Kenneth McNiel, PhD Charles Mark, PsyD Rachel Modiano, PsyD Daniel Mahoney, EdD Gail McVey, PsyD Shirley Matthews, Norine Mohle, PhDPhD Roger Maitland, PhD Lauren Meisels, PsyD Frank PhD SharonMcElroy, Ryan Montgomery, PsyD HowardMcGrath, Mangel, PhD EdD Samuel Menahem, Robert Sally Morcos, PsyDPhD Margery Manheim, PhD Barbara PsyD Brendan McLoughlin, Caridad Menzel, Moreno, PhDPhD CharlesMerski, Mark, PsyD Edward PsyD Kenneth McNiel, PhD Robert Morrow, PhD Shirley Matthews, Wilda Mesias, PhDPhD Gail McVey, PsyD Rosemarie Moser, PhD Frank McElroy, PhD Marvin Lauren Meisels, PsyD MorganMetsky, Murray,PhD PhD Robert McGrath, PhD Bea Landman Mittman, Samuel Menahem, PhDPhD Lorna Myers, PhD Brendan McLoughlin, Rachel Modiano, PsyDPhD Barbara Menzel, PsyD Elizabeth Nadle, PsyD KennethMerski, McNiel,PsyD PhD Norine Edward Gerald Mohle, Nathan,PhD PhD Gail McVey, PsyD Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD Wilda Mesias, PhD Susan Neigher, PhD LaurenMetsky, Meisels,PhD PsyD Sally Marvin JanetMorcos, Nelson, PsyD PhD Samuel Menahem, PhDPhD Caridad Moreno, PhD Bea Landman Michael Nover,Mittman, PhD Barbara Menzel,PhD PsyD Robert Morrow, Rachel Modiano, Timonthy O’Connell, PhD EdwardMohle, Merski, PsyD Rosemarie Moser, PhD Norine PhD Ilyse O’Desky, PsyD Wilda Mesias, PhD Morgan Murray, PhD Sharon Montgomery, PsyD JenniferRyan Oglesby, PhD MarvinMyers, Metsky, PhD Lorna PhD Sally PsyD SusanMorcos, Orshan, PsyD Bea Landman Mittman, Elizabeth Nadle, PsyD Caridad Moreno, PhD PhD James Owen, PsyD RachelMorrow, Modiano, PsyD Gerald PhD Robert PhD BehnazNathan, Pakizegi, PhD NorineNeigher, Mohle, PhD Susan PhD Rosemarie Moser, PhD David Panzer, PsyD Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD Janet Nelson, PhD Morgan Murray, PhD Michelle Papka, PhD Sally Morcos, PsyD Michael Nover, PhD Lorna Myers, PhD Susan Parente, PsyD Caridad Moreno, PhD Timonthy O’Connell, PhD Elizabeth Nadle,PhD PsyD James Peluso, Robert Nathan, Morrow,PsyD PhD Ilyse Gerald PhD Pilar O’Desky, Perez-Ortega, PsyD Rosemarie Moser, PhD Jennifer Oglesby, PhD Susan PhD JoanneNeigher, Perry, PsyD Morgan Murray, PhD Susan Orshan, PsyD Janet Nelson, PhD Mark Pesner, PhD Lorna Myers, PhD James PsyD Michael Nover, PhD DamianOwen, Petino, PsyD Elizabeth Nadle, PsyD Behnaz Pakizegi, Timonthy O’Connell, PhD Vincenza Piscitelli,PhD PsyD Gerald Nathan,PsyD PhD David Panzer, Ilyse O’Desky, PsyD Lisa Pithers, PhD Susan Neigher, Michelle Papka, PhD Jennifer Oglesby, PhD Jessica Poggioli, PsyD Janet Nelson, PhD Susan PsyD Orshan, HerbertParente, Potash,PsyD PhD MichaelOwen, Nover,PhD PhD James SharonPeluso, Press,PsyD PhD Timonthy O’Connell, PhD Pilar PsyD Behnaz Pakizegi, AdamPerez-Ortega, Price, PhD PhD Ilyse O’Desky, PsyD Joanne Perry, PsyD David Panzer, PsyD John Rathauser, PhD Jennifer Papka, Oglesby, PhD Mark Michelle PhD DariaPesner, Ratych, PhD PsyD Susan Orshan, Damian Petino,PhD PsyD Susan StevenParente, Reed, James Peluso, Owen, PsyD Vincenza Piscitelli, James PhDPsyD Jeryl Rempell, PhD Behnaz Pakizegi, PhD Lisa Pithers, PhD Pilar Perez-Ortega, PsyD AnnaMarie Resnikoff, PhD David Panzer, PsyD Jessica Poggioli, PsyD Joanne Perry, PsyD Louis Richmond, PhD Michelle Papka, PhD Herbert Potash, PhD Mark Pesner, PhD Alisa Robinson, PhD Susan Parente, PsyD Sharon Press, Damian Petino,PhD PsyD Lori Rockmore, PsyD JamesPrice, Peluso, PhDPsyD Adam PhD Vincenza Piscitelli, Paul Rockwood, PhD PilarPithers, Perez-Ortega, John Rathauser, Lisa PhDPhDPsyD Barbara Rosenberg, PhD
Friend Friend up up to to $99 $99 (cont.) (cont.) Bart PhD MarkRossi, Pesner, PhD Stephen Sacks, PsyD Damian Petino, Vincenza Piscitelli, PsyD Debra Salzman, PhD Lisa Pithers, Komal Saraf, PhD PhD Jessica Poggioli, Lynn Schiller, PhDPsyD Herbert Potash, PhD Louis Schlesinger, PhD Sharon Press, PhD John Schmerler, PhD Adam Price, PhD PhD Kenneth Schneider, Friend up to $99PhD (cont.) JohnSchottland, Rathauser, PhD Paul Bart PhD DariaRossi, Ratych, PsyD Margot Schwartz, PsyD Stephen Sacks,PhDPsyD Steven Reed, Richard Schwartz, Debra Salzman, PhD Jeryl Rempell, PhD Jeffrey Segal, PsyD Komal Saraf, PhD AnnaMarie Resnikoff, PhD Nancie Senet,PhD Lynn PhD Friend up to $99 (cont.) LouisSchiller, Richmond, PhD Sarah Severino, PsyD Louis Schlesinger, PhD Bart PhD PhD AlisaRossi, Robinson, Leslie Shanken, PhD Lori Rockmore, John Schmerler, PhD Stephen Sacks, PsyD David Siegman, PsyD Paul Rockwood, PhD Kenneth Schneider, PhD Debra Salzman, PhD Richard Silvestri, PhD Barbara Rosenberg, Paul Schottland, Komal Saraf, PhDPhDPhD Jane Simon, PhD Friend up to $99 (cont.) Lori Rosenberg, PsyD Margot Schwartz, PsyD Lynn Schiller, PhD Jeffrey Singer, PhD Bart Rossi, PhDPhDPsyD Richard Schwartz, Louis Schlesinger, PhD Leonard Sitrin, Stephen Sacks, Jeffrey Segal, PsyD John Schmerler, PhD Karen Skean, PsyD Debra Skinner, Salzman, PhD Nancie Senet,PhD Kenneth Schneider, PhD Pierce PsyD Komal Saraf, PhD Sarah Severino, PsyD Paul Schottland, PhD Laura Skivone, PhD Lynn Schiller, Leslie Shanken, PhD Margot Schwartz, PsyD Marjorie Slass,PhD PsyD Louis Siegman, Schlesinger, PhD David PsyD Richard Schwartz, PsyD Andrea Lynn Sollitto, EdD John Schmerler, PhD Richard Silvestri, Jeffrey Segal, PsyD Jeffrey Spector, PsyD Kenneth Schneider, Jane Simon, PhD Nancie Senet,PhD Patricia Steen, PhD PhD Paul Schottland, PhD Jeffrey Singer, PhD Sarah Severino, PsyD Jakob Steinberg, PhD MargotSteinke, Schwartz, PsyD Leonard Sitrin, PhD Leslie Shanken, PhD David PhD Richard Schwartz, PsyD Karen Skean, PsyD David PsyD BrendaSiegman, Stepak, PhD Jeffrey Segal, PsyD Pierce Skinner, PsyD Richard Silvestri, PhD Cheryl Sterling, PhD Nancie Senet,PhD Laura Skivone, PhD Jane Simon, PhD Deana Stevens, PsyD Sarah Severino, PsyD Marjorie Slass, PhD PsyD Jeffrey Singer, Ronald Striano, PhD Leslie Shanken, PhD Andrea Lynn Sollitto, Leonard Sitrin, PhD Ira Sugarman, PhD EdD David Skean, Siegman, PsyD Jeffrey Spector, PsyD Karen PsyD Jerrold Surasky, PhD Richard Silvestri, PhD Patricia Steen, PhD Pierce Skinner, PsyD Dolores Switaj, PhD Jane Simon, PhD Jakob Steinberg, PhD Laura Skivone, PhD David Szmak, PsyD JeffreySteinke, Singer, PhD David Marjorie Slass, PhD PsyD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Leonard Sitrin, PhD Brenda Stepak, PhD Andrea Lynn Sollitto, John Tarpinian, EdD EdD Karen Skean, PsyD Cheryl Sterling, PhD Jeffrey Spector,PsyD PsyD Laurie Terres, Pierce Stevens, Skinner, PsyD Deana Patricia Steen, PhD Andrew Thomas, PsyD Laura Steinberg, Skivone, Ronald Striano, Jakob PhD Barbara Tocco, PhD EdD Marjorie Slass, PsyD Ira Sugarman, PhD David Steinke, PhD Anthony Todaro, PhD Andrea Lynn Sollitto, Jerrold Surasky, PhD EdD Brenda Stepak, PhD Mary Toolan, PsyD JeffreyTracy, Spector, PsyD Dolores Switaj, PhD Cheryl Sterling, PhD Carol PhD Patricia Steen, PhD David Szmak, PsyD Deana Stevens, PsyD Meryl Udell, PsyD Jakob Steinberg, PhD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Ronald Striano, PhD Elizabeth Vergoz, PhD David Steinke,PhD PhD John Tarpinian, EdD Ira Sugarman, Curtis Waechtler, PhD BrendaTerres, Stepak, PhD Laurie Jerrold Surasky, PhD Jonathan Wall,PsyD PsyD Cheryl Sterling, PhD Andrew Thomas, PsyD Dolores Switaj, PhD Melissa Warman, PhD Deana Stevens, PsyD Barbara Tocco, EdD David Szmak, PsyD Seth Warren, PhD Ronald Striano, PhD Anthony Todaro, PhD Luciene Takagi, Ida Welsh, PhD PsyD Ira Sugarman, PhD Mary Toolan, PsyD John Tarpinian, EdD Norbert Wetzel, ThD Jerrold Surasky, PhD Carol Tracy, PhD Laurie Terres, PsyD Michael Wexler, EdD Dolores Switaj, PhD Meryl Udell, PsyD Andrew Thomas, PsyD E. Belvin Williams, PhD David Szmak, PsyD Elizabeth Vergoz, PhD Barbara Tocco, EdD Alison Winston, PhD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Curtis Waechtler, PhD Anthony Todaro, PhD Mary Winzinger, PhD John Toolan, Tarpinian, EdD Jonathan PsyD Mary PsyD Philip Witt,Wall, PhD LaurieWolkin, Terres, PsyD Melissa Warman, PhD Carol Tracy, PhD Joan PhD Andrew Thomas, PsyD Seth Warren, PhD Meryl Udell, PsyD Guy Woodruff, PhD Barbara Tocco, EdD Ida Welsh, PhD Elizabeth Vergoz, PhD Christopher Wright, PhD Anthony Todaro,ThD PhD Norbert Wetzel, Curtis Waechtler, Richard Zakreski, PhD Mary Toolan, PsyD Michael Wexler, EdD Jonathan Wall, PhD PsyD Kelly Zanetich, Carol Tracy, PhD E. Belvin Williams, PhD Melissa Warman, Michael Zito, PhD PhD MerylWarren, Udell, PsyD Alison Winston, PhD Seth PhD Kara Zlotnick, PhD Elizabeth Vergoz, PhD Mary Winzinger, Ida Welsh, PhD PhD Amanda Zoneraich, PsyD CurtisWitt, Waechtler, PhD Philip PhD ThD Norbert Wetzel, Jonathan Wall, PsyD Joan Wolkin, PhD Michael Wexler, EdD Student Lunch Melissa Warman, Guy Woodruff, PhDPhD E. Belvin Williams, PhD Rhonda Allen, PhD Seth Warren, PhD Christopher Wright, PhD Alison Winston, PhD Judith Bernstein, PsyD Ida Welsh, PhDPhD Richard Zakreski, PhD Mary Winzinger, PhD Joseph Coyne, Norbert Wetzel, ThD Kelly Zanetich, Philip Witt, PhDPhD Stephanie Coyne, PhD Michael Wexler, EdD Michael Zito, PhDEdD Joan Wolkin, Laura Demarzo, E. Belvin Williams, PhD Kara Zlotnick, PhD Guy Woodruff, PhD Peter Economou, PhD Alison Esquilin, Winston, PhDPhD Amanda Zoneraich, PsyD Christopher Wright, Susan PhD Mary Winzinger, PhD Richard Zakreski, PhD Roberta Fallig, PhD PhilipZanetich, Witt, PhDPhD New Jersey Psychologist Student Lunch Kelly Janie Feldman, PsyD Joan Wolkin, PhD Rhonda Allen, PhD Michael Zito, PhD Jennifer Figurelli, PhD Guy Woodruff, PhD Judith Bernstein, PsyD Kara Zlotnick, PhD Kenneth Freundlich, PhD
Foundation Friend to $99(cont) (cont.) StudentupLunch Thomas Frio, PhD Mary Winzinger, PhD Philip PhD PhD DanielWitt, Gallagher, Joan LydiaWolkin, Golub, PhD Guy Woodruff, PhD PhD Mathias Hagovksy, Christopher Wright, Lawrence Hall, PhDPhD Richard Zakreski, Osna Haller, PhD PhD Kelly Zanetich, PhD PhD Raymond Hanbury, Michael Zito, PhDPsyD Jane Hochberg, Kara Zlotnick,PhD PhD Lisa Jacobs, Amanda Zoneraich, David Krauss, PhD PsyD John Lagos, PhD Student MargaretLunch Lundrigan, PsyD Rhonda Allen,PsyD PhD Susan Marx, Judith Bernstein, PsyD Stanley Messer, PhD Joseph Coyne,, PhD Barry Mitchell PsyD Stephanie Coyne, Norine Mohle, PhDPhD Laura Demarzo, EdD Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD Peter Economou, PhD Joan Glass Morgan, PsyD Susan Esquilin, PhD Sandra Morrow, PhD Roberta Fallig, PhD Janie Feldman, PsyD Jennifer Figurelli, PhD Kenneth Freundlich, PhD Thomas Frio, PhD Daniel Gallagher, PhD Lydia Golub, PhD Mathias Hagovksy, PhD Lawrence Hall, PhD Osna Haller, PhD Raymond Hanbury, PhD
Student Lunch Lunch (cont) (cont.) Student Morgan Murray, PhD Jane Hochberg, PsyD Lisa Jacobs, Zahida Nagy,PhD PhD David Krauss, PhD Ronald Newman, PhD John Lagos, PhD PhD Hulon Newsome, Margaret Lundrigan, David Panzer, PsyD PsyD Susan Marx, PsyD Francesca Peckman StanleyRafanello, Messer, PhD Nicole PhD Barry Mitchell , PsyDPhD Gianine Rosenblum, NorineSchlesinger, Mohle, PhDPhD Louis SharonShaffer, Ryan Montgomery, PsyD Arline PhD Joan Glass Morgan, PsyD Ronald Silikovitz, PhD SandraLeigh Morrow, PhD Laura Smith, PhD Morgan Stepak, Murray, PhD PhD Brenda Zahida Stevens, Nagy, PhD Deana PsyD Ronald Newman, PhD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Hulon Newsome, PhD Virginia Waters, PhD David Panzer, PsyD Aaron Welt, PhD Francesca Peckman James Wulach, PhD, JD Nicole Rafanello, PhD Gianine Rosenblum, PhD Louis Schlesinger, PhD Arline Shaffer, PhD Ronald Silikovitz, PhD Laura Leigh Smith, PhD Brenda Stepak, PhD Deana Stevens, PsyD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Virginia Waters, PhD Aaron Welt, PhD James Wulach, PhD, JD
Tributes South Jersey Psychological Association on behalf of Dr. Joe Coyne for his presentation on 12/2/2016 In Memory of Sheila Welt Toby Kaufmann Lynn Mollick Susan Neigher David Rosenthal, PhD Mickey Spett Steven Sacks Lynn Schiller, PhD Amy Weschler New Jersey Collaborative Law Group From Your Friends at Morris Psychological Group: Daniel DaSilva, PhD Richard Dauber, PhD Kenneth Freundlich, PhD Hayley Hirschmann, PhD Carly Orenstein, PsyD Francine Rosenberg, PsyD Jeffrey Singer, PhD Joanne VanNest, PhD Larisa Wainer, PsyD Jayne Walco, PhD Daniel Watter, EdD
Foundation Fundraising The New Jersey Psychological Association Foundation is a 501(c) (3) corporation and all donations [less any goods and services received] are tax-deductible and go directly to supporting a psychologically healthy community.
Annual Appeal Why I Give and Why You Should Consider Giving Too Dear Fellow Members, I am writing this as an individual member of NJPA and not as a member of the board. I am embarrassed to admit that I only recently became familiar with what the Foundation actually does, even though I have been an active member of the association. I urge everyone to go to the NJPA website and read about the great work of the Foundation, the philanthropic arm of NJPA, which is committed to raising funds to support programs that promote the psychological health of people in our community. The Foundation supports the research and training of graduate students who work with underserved populations in New Jersey. When I thought about that description and when I heard about the projects that the Foundation supports, it also struck me that the Foundation is also, in very concrete ways, a social justice part of NJPA in that it is committed to providing community mental health services to underserved populations. The good work that the Foundation does is dependent on member support so I hope this is one bandwagon we can all jump on. Please read about the work of the Foundation on the NJPA website and please consider donating to their worthwhile efforts. Stephanie S. Coyne, PhD Member Since 1994
Winter 2017
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New Jersey Psychological Association of Graduate Students (NJPAGS)
Anxiety and the Graduate Student by Elisabeth Endrikat, NJPAGS Chair
I
am excited for this opportunity to be the 2017 NJPAGS chair. As both NJPA and NJPAGS experience an impact in terms of membership numbers, my vision for this year is to continue to strengthen our organization in order to promote future growth. This vision is consistent with the NJPA Foundation’s motto, “To build a dream, you need a foundation.” I am motivated to work collaboratively and improve NJPAGS. My vision, in part, is for better communication and coordination of events between NJPA and NJPAGS. In this way, there can be a mutually beneficial arrangement and we all can learn from each other. I would like NJPAGS to continue its involvement with NJPA conference planning, mentoring program, and “Coffee and Conversations.” We will continue
to host social events that involve NJPAGS, ECPs, and NJPA board members so that learning can continue. As an aspiring school psychologist, I am a strong supporter of Lev Vygotsky’s focus on the importance of collaboration with peers. NJPAGS is a community of lifelong learners working towards a shared goal of promoting the field of psychology. We share and build upon each other’s expertise in all subfields of psychology. When experiencing challenges associated with graduate study in psychology, NJPAGS members benefit from their connections with peers. NJPAGS encouraged me to take charge of my career and has helped me stay inspired and motivated throughout my graduate training. ❖
Citizen of the Year
Citizen of the Year: Jordan Thomas Introduction by Barry Katz, PhD
I am proud to present the Citizen of the Year Award to Jordan Thomas, an individual who has made a substantial impact on access to mental health services. As an adolescent, Jordan was seeking therapy for issues going on in his life at that time. Jordan had to overcome barriers that many of our clients have had to endure. In addition to the barriers that face many of our clients, Jordan had an additional barrier. This was coming from home. Jordan’s mother would not consent for Jordan to have access to treatment for problems, many of which stemmed from home. Many teenagers would have given up on trying to overcome such barriers, and resign themselves to the unfortunate conclusion that help is just not available for them. But not Jordan; Jordan utilized the assistance of those around him. Jordan utilized the help of those at the Boys and Girl’s Club of Hudson County, and challenged these barriers. Jordan was able to overcome the barriers that stood in his way, and obtain the help that he needed at that time. 22
This would be a substantial accomplishment, but what Jordan and those who stood with him did next is nothing short of incredible and truly inspiring. Jordan was able to get the New Jersey legislature to enact a bill to allow adolescents to seek mental health treatment, even if they did not have parental consent. This is extremely important in that in many circumstances, where there is parental abuse or neglect, the parent will attempt to restrict access for the abused or neglected to seek help. This bill was to do away with that barrier. Jordan spoke to the legislature. He utilized his own experiences to get the legislators to understand the very real need that this bill would fulfill and the potential harm that could befall our youth, should this bill be ignored. In doing this, Jordan not only helped to advocate a need for himself, but put himself on the line to be a pioneer to help ensure that mental health services remain available to all who need it, especially vulnerable youth. Bill A-3435 that is designated as the “Boys & Girls Clubs Keystone Law” was passed by both houses of the New Jersey senate on 1/11/6 (36-0) and signed into law on January 19, 2016. It is my honor to present the NJPA Citizen of the Year Award to Jordan Thomas. ❖ New Jersey Psychologist
Psychologist of the Year
Psychologist of the Year Address Joseph Coyne, PhD NJPA Fall Conference, October 22, 2016 As some of you may have noticed, our dearly beloved NJPA Listserv has occasionally has had a few fits and starts of contentious dialogue. About two and a half months ago, I received an early morning email request from President Katz requesting we talk sometime during the day. Since I had been talking to Barry around that time two to three times a week, I figured something was breaking again which would require our attention. Unfortunately, it was a practice day Raymond Hanbury, PhD presents so, after about three to Joseph Coyne, PhD with the four back-and-forths by Psychologist of the Year Award email, I finally told him, at 8:00 pm, I was headed home and he could call any time up to 1:00 am. When the phone finally rang at 11:00 pm, it was Barry, who was apparently at the airport picking up his daughter. So, after the niceties, I asked: “What’s up?” It was at this point that Barry told me I had been selected for this honor. I was, quite literally, struck speechless since that was not just the very last thing I thought I was going to hear – it literally never entered my mind. SO, that said, I want to thank NJPA for this great honor and I want to thank those who I suspect were the perpetrators of my nomination – some of whom I believe are with us today. Most of all I want to thank my family who is with me here today – I want to do this now because if I try to do it later I will never make it through it. • my son Ryan who came in from Chicago • today I will miss my daughter-in-law Sarah who literally just got off a plane from Rome, as well as our seven-yearold Lila whom I miss always • my daughter Kelly who came up from Brunswick, GA, especially since she just spent a week in a motel in North Carolina after being evacuated from her home in GA in the teeth of the recent hurricane • and, of course, my best friend and partner, Stephanie, who has stood by me all these years! I want to say just three words: “Now and forever!” So, what to say? Stephanie reminded me some time ago that I Winter 2017
have a hard act to follow in Dr. Aaron Welt, last year’s recipient – and I agree – who can forget his humorless, obtuse, and wandering comments that ….. Oh wait! I’m sorry!! That was Ray Hanbury’s speech several years ago!! Aaron, you were great! So, like I said, what to say? Well, first, I thought perhaps an exposition on some of finer points Keesey’s rendering of Parliamentary Procedure would be in order – you know, such things as the dreaded “disappearing quorum.” But, I was afraid I might again bore my colleagues to death. Next I considered a dramatic reading of the last agenda for the APA Council of Representatives might thrill you all, but thought better that it might actually render you senseless by the end. Then it occurred to me that I wanted to talk to you … well, about YOU! The people in this room – my colleagues and my friends. After receiving my degree in 1981, I got involved in some local activities in Bergen County and with the State of New Jersey. In 1986, I got a call from someone at NJPA asking if I wanted to become a member of COLA, the Committee on Legislative Affairs and I said yes. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into … I felt adrift for quite a while trying to learn how laws were made and how lobbying was done, but I had two great guides, Gordon Boals and Stan Moldawsky and stuck with it long enough to become their COLA secretary. Gordon and I would often show up early for meetings and sit around and … well .. talk about practice and talk about life. That was my first glimpse that being involved in NJPA was .. well, work … but also something more. The “something more” was the relationships I saw emerging,relationships that might be valuable and lasting. Some of you here today I have not met yet. Some of you I know only by name or by face . It’s getting to the point where you really DO need to wear your name tag PLEASE. Some of you I have known, maybe not well, but certainly for a long time. And some of you are good friends and still others among my very dearest friends. So, today I want to tell you about YOU. What is great about NJPA is its members. We are all dedicated to helping others and we all have survived the Scylla and Charybdis of the experience of doctoral education and the licensing process in a state known for the rigors of that process. We all are possessed of the so-called “righting reflex” – our tendency to want to fix things, to put them to rights, and, hopefully in the process, alleviate suffering in those around us. Our tradition goes back many millennia – to the ancient temples and sacred spaces where those in need were brought so that the shaman might invoke the spirits that would bring healing. At the end of each day, we need to remember that we are 23
Psychological of the Year just a few thousand among the nine million residents of our state and we have only ourselves to rely on – well, maybe with a little help from APA once in a while. So what sustains us? I have an answer and it is simple – it is right here in this room – our relationships that we have formed through being members of this association. Things have been difficult lately – we’ve had a bumpy year - we don’t always agree, that’s for sure, and sometimes we use strong terms and even say things that may be hurtful and off-putting. (By the way, does this sound familiar to anyone?) But we always managed to muddle through – for the good of the association – well, yes, but more! With having learned something new and valuable along the way! We have to remember that we are all in ”practice” – the practice of becoming better at what we do, the practice of fine-tuning our listening skills to the people we work with, the practice of developing that most precious of all skills. Carl Rogers named it years ago – the skill of “empathic attunement.” I have believed for a long time that there is a central gift I can bring to any encounter and I still struggle with it every week. I struggle with trying to “suspend myself to serve you.” What I’m thinking about you, the way I’m judging you, the way I’m diagnosing you in this moment is completely irrelevant. Rather, what are YOU saying, what are YOU experiencing, what is YOUR reality – that is what is truly valuable. I know I have received from NJPA far, far more than I have ever given. All I have to do is look around this room and see examples looking my way right now. There’s not enough time to get to all of you so if I leave someone out – it’s not that I didn’t think of you. But let me mention just a few and please raise your hand, if you are able, so that everyone can see … YOU. • Dr Jeff Kahn who suffered with me through the preparation and first version of the examination for APA’s Certificate of Proficiency in Alc/DA Tx, friend before and friend ever since • Dr Phyllis Lakin, past-president, now co-chair of the CE Committee, passionate in her beliefs, never one to hold back an opinion, and a great dinner companion • Brett Bersano – excuse me – DOCTOR Brett Bersano, our NJPAGS Rep –now ECP rep to the Northeast Counties Affiliate – full of new energy and ideas • Dr. Barry Mitchell – past-president who was one of our first Parliamentarians and who invited me to sit next to him at board meetings so that I could begin to learn from him – always so kind and welcoming • Dr. Zahida Nagy – another NCAP member who brings a calm demeanor and enhances our ability to think about diversity in NJPA • Dr. Marc Gironda – Marc is part of the future of NJPA - I know because his dad, Dr. Ron Gironda and I were grad-school classmates at Fordham • Dr. Jim Wulach – lawyer and psychologist – past-president and unwaveringly generous source and giver of knowledge to us all • Dr. Dennis Finger and Dr. Laura Shack-Finger – charm24
ing, bright, wonderful to be with – both have served NJPA in a variety of roles over the years – dear friends – and a little known fact, Dennis loves milk and was the chair of the Joe Coyne for President campaign the same year I was the chair of the Dennis Finger for President campaign – seemed like a good idea at the time - we both lost! • Dr. Cari Moreno – brilliant, witty, dedicated, the current president of NCAP who brings cultural insights together with sensitive wisdom • Dr. Matt Hagovsky, past-president and now leader of the NJPA Foundation, the charitable arm of NJPA, a person you just want to spend time with – and a post-hypnotic suggestion to all of you – “He will ask for money! You will ALL say YES!” • Dr. Marshall Harth, thanks for the way you greet me each time I see you! • My NJPAGS mentee – Michelle Pievsky – whom I haven’t seen in several months and who is here today with her physician husband Dan and her new baby Joshua Abraham. Michelle has already had several papers published and presented at the APA Convention - I am so glad to have the chance to work with such a rising star • Dr. Judith Bernstein – spouse to our equally esteemed Dr. Don Bernstein – let me tell you a brief story that Judith doesn’t know about – (story) • Dr. Ken Freundlich – Five years ago I didn’t know Ken – I met him when he was treasurer of NJPA and over these years know him as a dedicated, calming, and balanced influence – the association is greater for his sacrifice and I am greater with a new friend • Dr. Joan Fiorello who always takes such good care of me at NCAP meetings by hiding an everything bagel just for me • Dr. Ozzie Haller, we met many years ago, we took the Proficiency Exam together and, now as Ozzie says, “We do drugs together.” She has become like my sister when I am missing my own sister • And, Dr. Ray Hanbury and his wife Pat – Ray holds the Certificate of Proficiency with Jeff, Ozzie, and me – he & I spent many a late night on the phone talking about some clinical issue or another – he has always been there for me when I need to debrief some traumatic treatment issue – Ray, you’re like a brother to me and you know that – but I’m still right about the speech thing. Finally, a special thank you to my APA Council senior and mentor Dr. Neil Massoth who could not be here today but sends regards and says he is doing well. I knew in my first Council meeting I would be OK because about halfway through the day, as the same person was approaching the mike for the fifth time, Neil slipped me a note which said: “Now would be a good time for a bathroom break.” You – all of you in this room – are NJPA. And, for our new members, our students, and our ECPs, stick around – you too will get back more than you give. I thank you for letting me serve you in some small way and thank you even more for all that you have given to me. ❖ New Jersey Psychologist
Legislator of the Year
Legislator of the Year: Governor Richard Codey Introduction by Mathias Hagovsky, PhD
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s COLA Chair, I have the honor of presenting NJPA’s Legislator of the Year Award for 2016 to Governor Richard Codey. Governor Codey began his career in state government in l973 when, at the age of 26, he became the youngest person to ever be elected to the state legislature. After four terms in the Assembly, he was elected to the New Jersey Senate in l981 and, beginning with the 211th legislative session in January 2004, was elevated to the role of senate president. It was later that year he assumed the responsibility of Governor upon Governor McGreevey’s resignation. Throughout his 30-plus years in public service, Governor Codey has become one of New Jersey’s fiercest advocates for mental health, with the goal of making New Jersey a safer and healthier place for children and families a constant priority. On the morning of his first day as governor, he announced the creation of a panel of mental health professionals and advocates empowered to develop a master plan for educating schools, employers, and others who deal with the mentally ill.
He boosted mental health spending by $40 million dollars, and established a $200 million dollar trust fund to create 10,000 permanent housing units for the mentally ill. He is sponsor of SJR-62, a resolution which designates May of each year as “Mental Health Awareness Month.” Governor Codey has also signed landmark legislation requiring GPS tracking of sex offenders, and he sponsored a package of laws giving New Jersey some of the toughest tools in the nation to crack down on Internet predators. He launched an unprecedented school security audit of all 3578 public, private, and charter schools in the state, which led to improved safety and security measures throughout New Jersey. He also made New Jersey the first state to require chemical plant security measures to protect against terrorism. The list of Governor Codey’s accomplishments is long and far-reaching…well beyond the 27th District he so capably has served. He has supported and/or sponsored legislation on smoke-free environments, organ and tissue donations, raising the minimum wage, safeguarding against identity theft, post-partum depression, college scholarships….and so much more. So today, in appreciation and with grateful thanks for all that you have done for the people of New Jersey, particularly those whose lives are impacted by mental health issues, the New Jersey Psychological Association is proud and honored to present you, Governor Richard J. Codey, with our 2016 Legislator of the Year Award. ❖
PSYCHOLOGIST OF THE YEAR Recognize and nominate a fellow member who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession of psychology through demonstrated excellence in practice, research, or teaching. Recipients will be selected by the Nominations Committee and Psychologist of the Year Subcommittee based upon how well they meet the criteria of the award.
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Awarded to a non-psychologist who has made significant contributions to the ideals of mental health or social welfare. Recipients will be selected by the NJPA Executive Board based upon how well they meet the criteria of the award. Nominations should consist of several paragraphs detailing why this individual deserves the honor and the CV of the nominee. Supporting documentation may also be enclosed. Please take the time to think of someone you admire and/or appreciate that you wish to nominate.
The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2017. Entries should be forwarded to: New Jersey Psychological Association 414 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 211 West Orange, NJ 07052 www.njpa@psychologynj.org
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Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy
The Use of Meaning in Therapy: Special Section Introduction by Thomas C. Barrett, PhD Professor, College of Saint Elizabeth
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ew aspects of human functioning are more profoundly impactful than living with a sense of meaning and purpose in life. The empirical evidence strongly suggests that those who see themselves as having a cause beyond themselves, a relationship or a mission to fulfill, seem blessed with greater health and well-being. Certainly, the construct of meaning offers potential for significantly increasing the effectiveness of psychotherapy. In this special section, my colleagues and I will present five articles that explore the use of meaning in treating different populations, and in helping ourselves become more effective therapists. I’ll begin with a discussion of the use of meaning in treating adults, focusing a bit on the theoretical background of this approach and how it can inform therapy with adults. Next, Michelle Barrett, the Psychology Department chair at the College of Saint Elizabeth and a licensed psychologist in
Madison, NJ, will discuss the use of meaning in working with parents. Then, Brendan McLoughlin, a licensed psychologist at the Center for Clergy and Religious in Denville, NJ, and a Catholic priest, will discuss the use of meaning in working with clergy and caregivers. The fourth article is by Li Faustino, a licensed psychologist practicing in Chatham, NJ and New York City. She will discuss the use of meaning in working with clients experiencing grief and loss broadly defined. Finally, Chloe Bland, assistant professor of psychology at the College of Saint Elizabeth, and a distinguished social psychologist with expertise in racial issues, will discuss how we can find meaning through the inward journey associated when dealing with race. This difficult process of self-exploration is necessary to become ethical and effective psychologists in working with diverse individuals. ❖
The Use of Meaning in Treating Adults by Thomas C. Barrett, PhD Professor of Psychology, College of Saint Elizabeth
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s a result of a convergence of several factors, the past few decades have seen a dramatic resurgence of interest in the construct of meaning as an element in effective psychotherapy. Meaning has been described loosely as a sense of purpose in life, along with a sense of fulfillment in working toward deeply valued goals. Logotherapy, or “therapy through meaning” (Frankl, 1978, p.19), was born of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. Frankl (1978) subsequently described an age of meaninglessness and he noted the symptoms of our “existential vacuum” (Frankl, 1978, p. 26) as depression, aggression, and addiction. Those symptoms certainly have not disappeared from our society. Perhaps our current environment of cynicism, uncertainty, and violence is creating an ongoing context for a need to discover meaning or a foundational sense of who we are and what we want our futures to be. But very clearly, the renewed focus on the meaning construct stems in part from the impressive body of empirical research documenting the association between meaning and purpose in life, and enhanced mental health outcomes. The presence of meaning has been repeatedly shown to contribute to psychological and spiritual well-being, and to be associated with reductions in depression and anxiety (Steger, 2012). Further, the lack of meaning in life has been associated 26
with suicidal ideation and substance abuse in American adolescents (Galek, Flannelly, Ellison, Silton, & Jankowski, 2015). In addition, researchers (Galek, et al., 2015) have found that a belief that life lacks meaning was associated with higher levels of such symptoms as social anxiety, paranoia, and obsession. At the same time, Makola (2015) found that giving South African HIV/AIDS health educators an intervention based on Frankl’s logotherapy (including five ways meaning can be found, and practical ways to apply logotherapy to one’s life) resulted in higher levels of meaning and lower levels of depression. At the same time, (Garcia-Alondete, et al., 2014) found that meaning in life was negatively correlated with depression, hopelessness, and suicide risk among Spanish Borderline Personality Disorder patients. Given their finding, these authors suggested the importance of utilizing the meaning in life concept to help with evaluating for suicide risk and of including therapeutic interventions focused on enhancing meaning in life with these patients. The use of meaning in therapy is usually attributed to the seminal work of Viktor Frankl who, in nine days in 1945 following his release from Auschwitz, penned Man’s Search for Meaning, in part because he thought it might be helpful to people prone to despair (1984). This short volume inspired a New Jersey Psychologist
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy sea of change in how we conceptualize therapy. Simply put, Frankl observed that “…those most apt to survive the camps were those oriented toward the future” (1978, p. 34). That is, he noted: I thereby understood the primordial anthropological fact that being human is being always directed, and pointing, to something or someone other than oneself: to a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter, a cause to serve or a person to love. (Frankl, 1978, p. 35) This “height psychology” (Frankl, 1978, p. 29) was said to supplement “depth psychology” (“Drives and instincts push but reasons and meanings pull,” Frankl, 1978, p. 52). The therapist’s task was to guide the patient to a discovery of his/ her personal meaning, not to teach a meaning. While Frankl’s logotherapy laid the foundation for meaning-centered treatment, the development of Positive Psychology brought the meaning construct into a more clear and current focus. Positive Psychology didn’t afford the meaning construct the same center-stage role advocated by Frankl, but it certainly drew attention to its importance, as well as to the value of future-mindedness. For example, Positive Psychology research has established that meaning (“…belonging to and serving something that you believe is bigger than the self,” Seligman, 2011, p. 17) is an element of psychological well-being. Seligman’s (2011) acronym PERMA recognizes the close association between having a sense of meaning and purpose (“M”) and the experience of well-being. The other elements are positive emotion (“P”), engagement (“E”), positive relationships (“R”), and accomplishment (“A”). To have well-being, to flourish, individuals require PERMA. In this context, meaning and purpose can define the future we want, and possibly give us the strength and hope to deal with the past and the present. Wong (2015) has articulated a meaning-centered therapy based on logotherapy that is integrative. That is, it can incorporate other therapeutic orientations such as CBT, and existential-humanistic therapy. In addition, it is described as a positive approach in that, by helping clients to become absorbed in what is deeply important to them, they are better able to transcend their problems and experience a sense of fulfillment. His Meaning Therapy emphasizes the development of an effective therapeutic relationship marked by empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness. In addition, the approach employs a range of techniques including: 1. Socratic dialogue involving basic existential questions encouraging patients to look within themselves for answers (e.g. What is the point of all my striving? What special mission has my experience and gifts prepared me to do?). 2. De-reflection or redirecting patients’ attention from their problems to a more positive perception of values (e.g. If everything went well in your life, what would it look like? Is there any person or cause in your life you would be willing to die for?). 3. Fast-forwarding techniques used to help patients become aware of the consequences of their behavior. The patient could be advised to imagine him/herself five years in the future if he/she didn’t make any changes. This approach seeks to cultivate high self-worth in patients Winter 2017
by identifying to whom they matter the most, or by helping them develop their signature strengths. Moreover, it seeks to encourage patients to adopt a big picture point of view, looking at their immediate concerns from a more universal, or long-range perspective. The use of meaning in therapy with adults is appropriate for a broad range of patient complaints and conditions. It is perhaps most useful in working with patients who are experiencing genuine crises of meaning such as betrayal, death of a loved one, or the diagnosis of a serious illness. At these existential moments, the “Who am I? Why am I? What’s the point of it all?” questions become paramount. Nonetheless, I have also found a meaning and purpose construct helpful with other, more routine clinical concerns such as coping with financial hardship, living in a difficult marriage, or having to make a painful career choice. All of these issues have the common need for the patient to make a choice based in personal meaning or value: a choice of how to act, what direction to pursue, what attitude to have. Eliciting the patient’s sense of meaning or purpose in life provides the foundational worldview for that choice and transforms the context from threat to opportunity. In the following case vignette, based on a disguised composite of several cases, I will attempt to illustrate how this meaning-centered process unfolds. Mary was a 43-year-old married mother of three boys who presented for individual therapy complaining of depression and a chronically unhappy marriage. Two prior attempts at marital therapy had been unsuccessful and Mary was frustrated, dysphoric, and generally sick and tired of being sick and tired. After 15 years of marriage to an insensitive workaholic, she faced the prospect of choosing between staying in a loveless relationship or divorcing. She was feeling torn in large part because she genuinely believed in family and wanted to raise her sons in a two parent home. She feared a divorce from their father would leave them resentful toward her for ending the family. In working with Mary, I felt we were able to establish a solid therapeutic relationship fairly quickly. Within that context, we discussed at length her depression, frustration, and sense of being torn as to what she wanted in her future. She told me the many reasons why separating from her husband would make her life miserable, including the very real fear that it might hurt her sons. But when I asked her to imagine her future if she stayed with her husband and to describe what that would look like, she would get frustrated and dismiss the option. She said she had wasted a lot of time and that she knew she had a right to be happy just once. After some months of therapy, I asked Mary if she would like to try the Obituary exercise. I asked her to imagine that she was dying at a ripe old age of 92 years. As she lay on her deathbed, a newspaper reporter asked to interview her in order to write her obituary. What would you say, I asked, if the writer wanted to know your greatest accomplishment? What would you say if asked about your most important life lesson? What would you say if asked what legacy you wanted to leave your sons? Mary answered each question in turn, giving voice to her love for her sons and her hope that she was 27
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy a good mother. But when I asked the next question – What would you say if asked what was your biggest regret? – she bristled and fairly spit out “That I wasted my life being afraid.” She later added that she knew in her heart that she wanted her freedom and that she would forever regret giving into anxiety. Mary’s sessions continued for some time and we frequently talked about the ways that her anxiety and sense of suffocation were opportunities allowing her to develop her self-worth and her sense of being free. She told me that she was proud that she could be a role-model of courage for her sons and that, whatever the price of their parents’ divorce might be, they would forever remember that their mother faced her fears and did what she could to be happy. For me, Mary’s treatment illustrates how a core sense of meaning or purpose can serve as an inner gyroscope, pointing out a direction to travel as we transcend our immediate pain and work on creating a desired future. ❖ References Frankl, V.E. (1984). Man’s search for meaning. New York, NY: Washington Square Press. Frankl, V.E. (1978). The unheard cry for meaning: Psychotherapy and humanism. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Galek, K., Flannelly, K.J., Ellison, C.G., Silton, N.R., & Jankowski, K.R. (2015). Religion, meaning and purpose, and mental health. Journal of Religion and Spirituality, 7, 1-12. Garcia-Alandete, J., Salvador, J. H. M., & Rodriguez, S.P. (2014). Predicting the role of the meaning in life on depression, hopelessness, and suicide risk among Spanish Borderline Personality Disorder patients. Universitas Psychologica, 13(4), 15-25. Makola, S. (2015). The effectiveness of a meaning-centered intervention in protecting the well-being HIV/AIDS health educators. Syst Pract Action Res, 28, 37-49. Seligman, M.E.P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Atria Paperback. Steger, M.F. (2012). Experiencing meaning in life: Optimal functioning at the nexus of well-being, psychopathology, and spirituality. In P.T.P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for Meaning: Theories, research and applications (2nd ed., pp.165-184). New York, NY: Routledge. Wong, P.T.P. (2015). Meaning therapy: Assessments and interventions. Existential Analysis, 26, 154-167.
It’s Not a Race: Revisiting the Role of Meaning and Purpose in Parenting by Michelle McCoy Barrett, PhD
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he APA’s 2014 Stress in America Survey: Paying with our Health (released February 4, 2015) stated that, while stress levels were trending downward, there were three groups whose stress was increasing: One of those groups was parents. The survey revealed that parents (defined as having children under the age of 18 living at home) reported higher levels of stress than non-parents (5.7 vs. 4.7 on 10 point scale) and were more likely to say that stress impacted their physical health and emotional well-being. Eighty-two percent of parents said they had experienced at least one symptom of stress in the past month. Nearly half of parents (49%) surveyed said they had lost patience with their children in the past month when they were feeling stressed. This information comes as no surprise to psychologists who treat parents in their practices. We see parents who are stressed, exhausted, overwhelmed, and unhappy. It appears that the joy of parenting has somehow been replaced by the competitive sport of parenting. This paper will explore what it means to be a parent in today’s world and examine how a loss of deeper meaning and purpose is related to the increasing level of stress many parents are feeling. When considering the sources of parental stress, many look
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to the impact of “Helicopter Parenting” a term developed by Foster Cline and Jim Fay in 1990 to describe a parent who is overly involved in their child’s life. In her book, How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare your Child for Success (2015), Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on her experience as dean of freshmen at Stanford University to describe the impact of overparenting on today’s youth. She describes how parental micromanaging has left young adults unequipped to deal with typical struggles and inevitable disappointment. The effect of having one’s parents handle problems and smooth over distress is young adults who lack successful coping skills, confidence, and autonomy. This dynamic seems particularly true in affluent families. Helicopter and competitive parenting occurs most in families that have enough money and resources to grapple with these topics, as opposed to parents whose main concerns are meeting basic survival needs. It seems that many parents are immersed in a competitive world that begins the moment a child is born. When visiting my new nephew in the hospital, I overheard two fathers talking as we stood at the nursey. They were comparing their newborns’ APGAR scores. And so it begins, I thought. The reality is, it’s very difficult to avoid getting pulled into this New Jersey Psychologist
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy world because we all want the best for our children. If the core of a parent’s job is to raise individuals who are good human beings, can take care of themselves and others, and feel worthy of love, how would one measure that success? Would it be how many sports teams they are on, or instruments they play, or how good their high school/college applications will look? How does this pressure affect the way parents see themselves and understand their role? Often, parents forget about their own growth and development. As psychologists we know that emotional development continues throughout the lifespan. In the same way that we would encourage a teenager to grow in his/her developmental tasks (e.g., separation, individuation, identity), we also want to encourage our adult patients, especially those in the parenting heavy years, to grow developmentally. Vignette 1 I was recently speaking with a friend, a 40-year-old mother of three, who was describing how much she was enjoying coaching volleyball. She had played in high school and college and was finding tremendous joy in coaching young girls. She felt that she was giving something back and helping them recognize something important in themselves. She went on to say that she felt conflicted because although her daughter was on the team, she rarely played due to other sport commitments. She stated that she was enjoying coaching other people’s children, but felt a bit guilty that it was taking time away from her family. Her daughter actually preferred other sports to volleyball and my friend supported her choosing the sports that she liked best. She said that, while she loved being a coach, she felt guilty coaching a team that didn’t really involve her children. I suggested that she might want to think of coaching as something that was just for her. It was clear that she was invigorated by it and was, no doubt, an excellent coach who was making a positive difference in young girls’ lives. She found the suggestion helpful and admitted that she had never thought about it that way and said, “I guess everything doesn’t have to be about them all the time.” This example reminded me of Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation phase of middle adulthood. To be generative, one is concerned about the next generation and eager to find ways to share one’s gifts and strengths. This can be accomplished in several ways including ones’ work, volunteering, and parenting. Erikson emphasized creativity in this stage. It seems that remaining creative and engaged in life is key to the generative stage. Individuals, especially parents, can often forget how we are still growing developmentally and need to be mindful of our own growth and engagement in life. For many parents, that sense of engagement is fulfilled in our family lives, but it does not and should not have to end there. A certain degree of narcissistic investment in one’s children seems natural. A child’s accomplishment can feel like the parent’s accomplishment. What children do and who they become can feel like a reflection on how well or poorly parents have done their job. While this is a natural way to think, we know it doesn’t work that way. Each child is a unique human Winter 2017
being that parents nurture, raise, and to some extent shape, but children are who they are. It is not uncommon to meet parents who are unable to see the child that they have before them, but instead see the child that they wish or need to have. Vignette 2 To preserve the patient’s confidentiality, I am using a composite of several actual cases, each of which has been thoroughly disguised. Sam is a 10 year old boy presenting with anxiety. He is a bright boy who excels in school and has friends. Sam has always been temperamentally anxious, but over the last two years his symptoms, primarily somatic, have increased. Sam’s parents are married and appear to be loving and involved parents. During the first meeting, it was clear that a major area of stress for Sam was his involvement in sports. Sam’s dad, Jim, was a natural athlete growing up and assumed that Sam would be the same. Jim enlists Sam for sporting teams each season and he coaches many of them. Sam has told his parents that he hates sports and does not appear to possess his father’s natural athleticism. Sam complains of severe stomachaches on game days and appears miserable while playing. Jim becomes extremely frustrated with Sam, at times screaming at him on the field, and believes that Sam just needs to practice more. This has led to arguments with his wife, who he believes “babies Sam when it comes to sports.” While Jim is proud of his son for being gifted academically, he nonetheless feels that Sam can and will be an athlete like he was. This vignette highlights how difficult it can be to see one’s child for who he or she and not who we wish or expect them to be. Often parents struggle with parenting the child that they have, not the child that they assumed they would have. I believe that we, as psychologists, have a unique opportunity to help parents access what is truly important and meaningful about their roles. Parenting is one of the most challenging, rewarding, and complex experiences that taps into almost every vulnerability that human beings possess. With respect for this role, we can help parents find opportunities for developmental growth in and outside of their families and potentially more joy in that role. We can help patients notice when there is a pull to get swept up in a culture of comparisons and help them get in touch with what their true purpose is. In thinking about the meaning and purpose in parenting, I believe Kahil Gibran’s “The Prophet” says it beautifully. On Parenting And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. 29
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. ❖
References Erikson, E. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton. Erikson, E., Erikson, J.M., & Kivnick, H.Q. (1986). Vital involvement in old age. New York: Norton. Foster, C., Fay, J. (1990). Parenting with love and logic: Teaching children responsibility. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. Gibran, K. (1923). The prophet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Lythcott-Haims, J. (2015). How to raise an adult: Break the trap of overparenting and prepare your child for success. New York: Henry Hold and Company.
Caring For The Caregiver Providing a sense of purpose and meaning to enhance resilience in the life of the priest/minister/caregiver by Rev. Brendan McLoughlin, PhD Center for Clergy & Religious, Denville, NJ
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he life of the priest, minister, or caregiver tasked with the responsibility of providing spiritual leadership to meet the diverse needs of today’s congregation or community can be daunting, especially in the light of the varied roles currently demanded by that leader’s calling. [For simplicity’s sake, the term ‘priest’ hereafter will serve as an indicator for priest/minister and caregiver]. The challenge is all the more critical in light of the competing influences that direct attention away from the things of the soul to matters mundane and secular. Overshadowing all of this are the cultural obstacles (language, values, and attitudes) confronting the current crop of neophyte priests, many of whom come from outside the United States yet who nonetheless, are eagerly desirous of serving the communities of faith in their new culture. Just as the effective clinician takes time to be in tune with that inner world of his or her self, so too must spiritual caregivers care for themselves as they aspire to carry on the task of healing, encouraging, and directing the faithful. The all-too-common fantasy that the priest should not experience personal problems or, if so, should be readily able to resolve them by virtue of his calling, is comparable to placing such a highly unrealistic expectation on a therapist or a mental health processional. In my own professional work as a trained psychologist with Roman Catholic priests, old and young, the presenting problem has rarely focused on what might be called explicit spiritual matters, for example the priest’s prayer life or the erosion of his faith. Invariably, the trigger is the individual’s problematic sense of self, his stage of life crisis, or a health-related issue. Because the Roman Catholic priest is single in marital
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status and a care giver by profession, he is frequently called on by his siblings to be primarily responsible for the care of his aging parents. Emotional support for him is often withheld by others as he grows old in his own life cycle, as loneliness sets in and his emotional resilience wanes. It is understandable then, that giving voice to personal frailty on his part (as in psychotherapy) could be perceived in his own eyes and in those of others as an admission of failure. Further complicating matters is the risk that many priests face in being frequently identified with the establishment. Such a stereotypical identification often puts a wedge between priests and the average believer. Thus, if giving life essentially describes the mission of today’s priest, then surely experiencing a deeper sense of meaning and purpose can only enhance the emotional resilience required to maintain his effectiveness in ministry and in maintaining a personal sense of wellbeing. The late James Hillman (1996) would apply the “acorn theory” in this instance, by proposing that each life is formed by a particular image, one that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny, just as the mighty oak’s destiny is written in the tiny acorn. Essentially, Hillman believed that there is more to life and to each individual than can be explained by the traditional “either/or” categories of genetics and environment, or nature vs. nurture. His method used the “extraordinary” as a way to inspire the “ordinary” into reflecting on the “blueprints” that give unique direction to a person’s life (Hillman, 1996). With this framework as a backdrop, it is understandable that the unfolding of the priest’s journey has as much to do with exploring his hidden gifts (charisms) as it does in acNew Jersey Psychologist
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy cepting the negative in his personality. A more tangible way of cracking open “the acorn” might best be described in an individual’s efforts to plumb the depths of what C.G. Jung called the True Self as opposed to the False Self. The False Self could also be called the small self or ego, while the True Self is the soul (Rohr, 2013, p. 38). As stated above, the fundamental needs of the priest mirror that of his lay counterparts in terms of grappling with personal issues, ranging from mid-life transition to the fear of being seduced by the allure of the False Self. According to O’Connor (1981), the False Self holds no less attraction for the priest than it does for the lay person. Disillusionment creeps in when a sufficient period of time has elapsed to see that earlier hopes and dreams have not been realized. “This often coincides with the ever-increasing sense of awareness of the aging process itself – the mirror doesn’t lie” (O’Connor, 1981, p. 37). Some speculate that men in particular naturally gravitate toward the external world in the form of activity or material success, thus seeking meaning in a secular life while, by contrast, for the priest, the spiritual realm may fail to provide the same degree of tangible fulfillment thus leading to feelings of disillusionment. What is then called for in psychotherapy, according to O’Connor (1981), is promoting the priest towards an attitude of inward reflection and a firm belief that events and phenomena in the outside world are only half the picture (O’Connor, 1981, p. 39). It is in the therapeutic setting that this redirection can be exquisitely examined and its implementation nurtured for the priest who has had the courage to become a patient in psychotherapy. Of equal relevance in exploring this topic, is the degree to which the emotional resilience of the priest can be maintained over the course of his ministry. Connected to this is how the therapist’s approach can foster emotional resilience in addition to supporting a sound spiritual base for the priest. Barrett (2010) and his colleagues explored the correlation between spirituality, religion, and emotional health (2010, pp. 21-33). The authors, referencing the works of Pargament (1997) and Plante (2009), not only make a strong case for the recognition of the spiritual aspects of the patient’s life, but also stressed the need for the clinician’s openness if resiliency is to take hold. Without the personal experience of adversity, the priest will not know his full capacity for resilience. Research with children completed by the eminent developmental psychologist, Norman Garmezy (1918-2009) and summarized by Konnikova (2016) confirmed that it is the elements in an individual’s background or personality that ultimately determine success regardless of the challenges being faced. A longitudinal study completed by Werner (2004) on Hawaiian children, confirmed Garmezy’s perspective on resilience. While some contributing elements had to do with blind luck, an emotionally resilient child who had a strong bond with a supportive caregiver, parent, or other mentor-like figure, did better than others who were not so fortunate. Werner (2004) additionally found that emotional resilient individuals were far more likely to report having sources of spiritual and religious support than those who were bereft of the same. Bearing this empirical finding in mind, it would appear that Winter 2017
the priest has a distinct advantage in his moments of crisis for his foundation in the faith; his spirituality should naturally bolster his emotional resilience and his ultimate chances of regaining and maintaining his psychological equilibrium. To provide effective treatment for the priest who is a patient in psychotherapy, it is first incumbent on the clinician to be mindful of the patient’s stage of life. This has less to do with age than with the life experience and maturity of the individual being treated. As Jung succinctly stated: “One cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning; for what was great in the morning will be of little importance in the evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie.” (Jung, 2014, p. 35). In the first half of life, the young priest is faced with the task of what Rohr (2011) terms, the creation of a proper container for his life and a need to answer three essential questions: “What makes me significant?,” “How can I support myself?,” and “Who will go with me?” (Rohr, 2011, p. 1). The task, according to Rohr, in the second half of life is to “find the actual contents that this container was meant to hold and to deliver” (Rohr, 2011, p. 1). It is not unheard of that, even after completing a six-year seminary formation program, the young priest can still be burdened with concerns about identity, security, sexuality, and gender, in other words, questions typical of adolescent/early adult life. With these essential needs of the patient in mind, the empathic clinician may be the first to explore meaningful perspectives on these perplexing experiences with the patient thus making the therapeutic encounter fulfilling. The therapist might do well being in tune with the emotional wounds carried by many aspirants to the seminary in recent decades, a high percentage of whom may have what Rohr (2013) called “father wounds,” (p. 30) that can take the form of an absent or emotionally unavailable or abusive father. Compounding matters is the more recent public scandal over issues of pedophilia and the subsequent attempts at “cover-up” by the hierarchy within organized religion. The result, in Rohr’s (2013) opinion, is “a generation of seminarians and young clergy who are cognitively rigid and ‘risk adverse’… who seem preoccupied with titles, perks, and the externals of religion; and frankly have little use for the world beyond their own control or explanation.” (Rohr, 2013, p. 44). This first stage of life is characteristically adverse to personal change and growth. In its place, the young priest expends energy trying to change other people in his congregation. In an effort to find his authentic inner authority, the young priest has to experience a type of inner death. Clearly, to go forward at this point there is a demonstrated need for a guide, a friend, or a therapist who can get one through this challenging stage. This is the time, usually between the ages of 35 and 55, when the False Self can be put aside and the authentic self (True Self) can be discovered. Entering the Second Half of life is the goal of every authentic priest desiring to be formed in the image of a prominent religious figure, such as Jesus Christ, and who wishes to be a source of inspiration for others. One need only have a passing familiarity with historical figures such as Jesus Christ, Gandhi, Buddha, or the Saints of Christianity to know that the 31
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy inward journey comes at a price. This concept of “dying to the Self” has little appeal in this modern era, but nonetheless has poignant application when focusing on the maturation of the priest and his ability to be emotionally resilient. “The ego self is the self before death; the soul is real only after we have walked through the death of our ever fading False Self and come out larger and brighter on the other side.” (Rohr, 2013, p. 62). Functioning in the True Self is authentic since it is a conscious act unlike the False Self that is largely fueled by unconscious patterns. Because the True Self is not moral perfection nor psychological wholeness as Rohr (2013) points out, the therapist’s role in treatment is to nurture the life of the patient and not to feel intimidated when matters pertaining to spiritual growth surface. Otherwise, every therapist would not only have to be a practicing person of faith, but would need a degree in theology! The purely empirical therapist who denies a role for the transcendent in life has no way of naming something as “true,” whereas the psychologist who is open to a deeper sense of meaning will have found an absolute reference point that is both utterly with us and utterly beyond us at the same time. It is in this process of discovering the True Self that the deeper meaning of one’s life becomes clear and emotional resilience is maintained for the remainder of the earthly journey. In conclusion, this perspective should not be perceived as original for over 60 years ago Rollo May (1953) championed the same vision with his words; “For the fact that
at some instant…we have been able to see truth unclouded by our own prejudices, to love others without demand for ourselves…the fact that we have these glimpses gives a basis of meaning and direction for all our later actions.” [Italics added] (p. 103). ❖ References Barrett, T. (2010). New Jersey Psychologist, 60, 21-33. Hillman, J. (1996). The Soul’s Code – In search of character and calling. New York: Random House Inc. Jung, C. (2014). The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Konnikova, M. (2016). How People learn to become resilient. New York: The New Yorker Magazine, 2,11, 2016. May, R. (1953). Man’s Search for Himself. New York: W.W. Norton &Company. O’Connor, P. (1981). Understand the Mid-Life Crisis. New York: Paulist Press. Rohr, R. (2011). Falling Upward – A spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Rohr, R. (2013). Immortal Diamond – The Search for Our True Self. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Werner, E.E. (2004). What can we learn about resilience from large scale longitudinal studies? In Handbook of Resilience in Children.” (pp. 107-123) New York: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publications.
A Discussion of Meaning in the Treatment of Grief and Loss in Psychotherapy. by Li Faustino, PhD Private practice, Chatham, NJ
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ne of the most painful, yet richest, clinical experiences a psychologist can witness is the process of grief and loss. The construct of meaning in that treatment, that is finding meaning in a loss and a sense of purpose within the context of the loss, is at the center of the depth and fullness of the process. It may be discussed explicitly with the patient or held as a conceptualization by the therapist. For the patient, that exploration is closely linked with a healthy resolve of the loss (Worden, 2009). While the literature shows that people in distress from a loss eventually naturally cope by looking for meaning (Kubler & Kessler, 2014), recently there has also been a focus on the individuality of that process (Chu, 2016; Neimeyer, 1991; Worden, 2009). The individualized approach to grief treatment delineates that each patient’s 32
experience of loss will be unique to them. Their ability to absorb the loss and make new meaning of their life after it will be a product of their level of resiliency, ego framework, and family and cultural contexts. A very broad definition of loss is that which is gone when a circumstance changes. While losses like those due to death and divorce are easily identifiable, many patients do not identify other changes as a loss, particularly if they are traditionally “happy” occasions like winning the lottery or having a baby. Also, “smaller” losses may be overlooked or minimized by patients such as a stolen bike. So commonly in clinical settings, emotional healing is hindered by the patient’s own judgment and desire to not feel anything in a situation they deem not worthy of emotion. They may feel guilty for their emotions (ex: why New Jersey Psychologist
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy am I upset over a stolen bike when there are bigger problems in the world?). Thus, it can be a helpful intervention to simply identify that a loss has occurred, validating their feelings so they can begin to process it. A less broad definition of loss might require that there be some level of distress (conscious or not). In this article, various types of losses will be described, as well as how exploring meaning is so central to the grieving process. Constructing meaning can begin at any point, but usually the early stages of grief are dedicated to taking in the new information (the loss). At first, people can be overwhelmed by a loss and have difficulty taking it in completely (Kubler & Kessler, 2014). For example, people describe feeling like their recently passed spouse may return home from work. Or they stay too busy to think about their loss by planning a funeral, managing finances, or packing for a move. At this stage, little exploration of meaning occurs while the person needs time to cope. This “denial” is a necessary strategy that allows time for the person to take in the magnitude of the change. In the clinical setting, they may use this time to talk about what happened or to describe the details of the event repeatedly. Verbalization is important as they become more acclimated to what has occurred. Some people get stuck at this point and have difficulty addressing feelings about the loss. Sometimes people are made to feel, by others, that they should be getting over their loss. The clinical setting is important for allowing a safe environment for emotions such as sadness, despair, helplessness, and anger. Eventually, they may experience myriad emotions and cognitive changes. Often this is when a search for meaning begins to take place. They start to search for a purpose after their loss and position themselves for a new understanding of their life and the way the world works. With a loss, the implication is that one’s life will be irreversibly different after the change than it was before (Kubler & Kessler, 2014). One then must re-construct their reality and often a new sense of themselves in this new world. After losing her spouse, a widow that transforms herself and starts a new life is finding a meaning, new purpose, and a new definition of self. For some with fragile ego states, this type of transformation can be quite difficult. How do patients make meaning? This process is beautifully organic and distinct to each individual. Often it begins as patients ask themselves questions such as “Why, when he was so young?” “What am I supposed to do now?” (Schwartzberg & Halgin, 1991). Sometimes the person can construct meaning by gaining a better understanding of what happened or find a positive outcome, despite the loss. A patient of mine who just went through a break-up spent a lot of time in therapy disparaging her ex-partner. At one point I asked her “Why did you stay?” After some discussion, she realized a pattern of staying too long in unhappy relationships. This led to an exploration eventually leading us to her low self-worth and difficulty protecting herself in relationships. Finding meaning in losses that are not relationship-related is also essential for healthy processing. I saw a 19 year old female client right after she lost the entire contents of her home in a hurricane flood. When she came to therapy, Winter 2017
her family was in the midst of sorting through their belongings and emptying their house and had just sent her back to college. She understood there was little she could do to help her parents. Water had destroyed everything. They were throwing everything out and the environment was dangerous with broken glass and destroyed items in their home. However, back at school she was unable to focus on her work. In therapy she kept repeating that she wanted to go home and be with her family even though there was no place in her house to sleep or even sit down. I asked her to tell me what she lost. She began to list items. She remembered where she got each thing and told stories about mementos from childhood and jewelry she shared with her mother. She shared memories like having her first kiss on her couch. Then she described that the house itself was built by her grandfather. Evidently, he had built the house with such expertise that after the flood, her house was the only one left with an intact foundation. All the other houses on her block had been completely washed away or were to be demolished. I pointed out the foundation of her house could be symbolic of a still meaningful connection she seemed to have with her family. It made sense to both of us that she return to be with them for a while. While I did not get an opportunity to work further with her, she did begin to build an understanding and an appreciation beyond the initial loss of the items in her home. A very different kind of loss is one that comes from a grand change. This type of loss is often overlooked because the focus is on the change such as relocating, getting a new job, or having a baby. While positive occurrences are not usually distressing in themselves, when problems do arise, it can usually be linked to distress associated with the change (such as losing a previous way of life). I see many examples of this with patients with bipolar disorder and depression. After battling these illnesses for years, some people have great difficulty staying well even after their symptoms have subsided. One patient of mine described her illness as “the evil I know.” After recovering, some patients appear to mourn their illness. While they are not minimizing the suffering they experienced, they find that facing life as a “well person” means addressing issues that there had been no time or ability to address while they were ill. They often look for meaning in having their illness, as well as searching for fulfillment in their new life. I work with a teenager with a severe psychotic bipolar disorder. Previously, he had difficulty staying with therapists and had multiple hospitalizations. At first, he tried to shock me with the content of his delusions. However, I was never unhinged by him and we still work together, often analyzing his psychosis. We have built a strong relationship and over time he has learned how to keep himself stable, out of the hospital, and relatively symptom free. However, at this point, the therapy got more challenging. Without his illness in an acute state, it seemed he felt lost about what to do in therapy. We tolerated several sessions together with long awkward silences. He would gloss over family issues or distressing incidents as if they were not important. He focused instead on the possibility of having another illness. It was almost as if he missed his symptoms. Eventually, he was able to say that talking about symptoms was 33
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy easier than talking about feelings. Slowly, the therapy started to turn back toward his family and he was able to describe their interactions. As it turned out, his family environment was abusive and toxic. He lamented one day that being well was better than being sick, but in some ways being sick was easier. He realized that his illness kept him distracted from his father’s hostility and his mother’s passivity. Our work in therapy has now turned toward accessing and tolerating his feelings about his family. This case is a fascinating display of using meaning in the loss of his illness and resolving the abuse. ❖
Kubler-Ross, E. & Kessler, D. (2014). On grief and grieving: finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss. New York: Scribner. Neimeyer, R.A. (1999). Narrative strategies in grief therapy. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 12, 65-85. Schwartzberg, SS. & Halgin, R.P. (1991). Treating grieving clients: the importance of cognitive change. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 22(3), 240-246. Worden, J.W. (2009). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner, 4th edition. New York: Springer.
References Chu, H. Y., (2016). The meaning of death: A phenomenological study of Chinese adults who have lost a loved one. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B:The Sciences and Engineering, 77(1B)(E).
An Inward Journey to Find Meaning by Chloe G. Bland, PhD Assistant Professor, College of Saint Elizabeth
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umans strive to find meaning. It occurs at a physiological level. Our brains re-order nonsensical information to help us understand the world. Gestalt psychologists often talk about the principle of closure; our ability as humans to fill in missing information so we can see shapes we recognize, or find meaning despite speech errors (Ormrod, 2016). This striving occurs on a psychological level as well. We fill in gaps in our own understanding to create meaning (Ormrod, 2016). We are often unaware the process is occurring. In this essay, I illustrate my own journey to find meaning as a white woman coming to terms with my whiteness and its implications. I use meaning to shift the filter through which I experience the world and interact as a psychologist more empathically. My Own Racism I am a white, middle-class, privileged, educated, employed mother of three, and the wife of a white, privileged and wellemployed man. We are home owners in a wealthy town in New Jersey. Many of my local friends consider themselves white, privileged, educated, and wealthy. Our church is largely white, as is my children’s school. We have low crime rates, high test scores, and even higher property taxes. I am indistinguishable from many of my middle-class white peers. I am no more enlightened nor am I more bigoted than anyone in my community. It is probable that my privilege has as much to do with my success as any natural ability. My father has a PhD, my mother has an MA, and I was guided di34
rectly into academia. I was given the code at birth: I knew the words to say and the insider tricks. I am lucky in that my privileged white family is passionate about social justice. However, we did not discuss race explicitly. As I grew up and went through graduate school, I became increasingly aware of race and the skewed lens through which I experienced the world. My interest in racism began in college where the focus of the school was social justice in all its forms. I always thought of myself as forward thinking and non-racist. One day I said something racist in a classroom about the brutality of a nation after hearing about a Taliban raid. I was called out by the professor and I cried because I wanted to stop the conversation. Of course, my comment was not intentionally racist. However the lens through which I saw the world was skewed by my existence in communities dictated by white-norms. Therefore, my thoughts and subsequent words reflected the implicit racism in which I was immersed. I felt ashamed when I realized I was racist and acting on my implicit bias. Later, I realized my reaction of wanting to stop the conversation was indicative of implicit racism and white fragility. I shut down people of color to avoid the shame of feeling racist. That shame rocked my self-concept; I was not who I thought was. Either my self-concept needed to change to acknowledge my racism, or I needed to change my experiences, beliefs, actions, and thoughts. I needed to make meaning out of my life as a white woman. After graduation, I again found myself on the wrong side of history. I worked as a protective-diagnostic case worker (PD New Jersey Psychologist
Special Section: The Use of Meaning in Therapy caseworker). As a white, middle-class, childless, 21 year-old PD caseworker, I went into homes to diagnose child abuse and neglect – with a Bachelor’s degree and a minor in psychology. All of my cases were in the low income housing projects and all the cases were non-white families living in poverty with few resources – except one. I had one case in which a wealthy white father on the upper east side of Manhattan was accused of child endangerment. The family immediately hired an attorney and the case was closed within one day without any agency contact with a family or community member. Once again I was a perpetrator of values I abhorred and if I continued to live an unexamined life, I was going to remain on the wrong side of history. This realization led me to McIntosh’s essay on white privilege (McIntosh, 1989) and helped me start a journey toward the right side of history while living with white-skin privilege. RacISM = Race, It Shouldn’t Matter Since that first job as a PD caseworker, I have taken classes on racism, read books on racism, listened to people speak about their experiences of racism, taught classes on the psychology of racism, given workshops on micro-aggressions, and attended conferences to combat racism. However, I am still trudging down the road toward the right side of history, still not quite there. As I write, I am looking out my front window onto my neighbor’s gorgeously manicured lawn in a sleepy wealthy town filled to the brim with privilege. My conversations with people in this town rarely focus on social justice, especially not on racial justice. There are times when I try to insert my views, but they are never met with much interest. The people I know are worried about different things. Our reality is the shock of a bike stolen from an open garage easily replaced by its owner. If I am to be honest, it is nice here, and I am consumed by this peaceful reality. I do not want to rock the boat. I do not want to call out my friends and neighbors, or myself, I do not want people to ostracize my kids. In short, I do not want to give up my privilege. Racism is a scary word for people in my community. People here are generally nice, well intentioned, and do not consider themselves racist. Yet, racism still exists. It exists in what I say and do not say, in what I teach and do not teach my children, and it exists in the norms I help create and enforce. I often hear friends and community members saying, “Race shouldn’t matter,” or “I don’t see color,” or “we are beyond race in this country now that we have elected a black president.” These things are said because people are trying to be “not racist.” However, the very racism I try to avoid is present in my avoidance. In fact, the very sentiment, “race, it shouldn’t matter” can be considered the definition of racism in 2016. Today, my racism still looks like a well-intentioned woman with white skin privilege who means to do no harm, but denies the racial realities faced by people of color. In the moments when I chose to not give up my privilege and not rock the boat, that is where I can find my own racism today. A friend told me that she didn’t shop at my favorite grocery store because it is too “dark.” I said, “Really? I never noticed Winter 2017
the lack of light.” She looked at me and winked, “no, I mean dark – like the people in there are dark.” I felt like I was hit in the gut, and I wanted to vomit, yet I stayed silent. This is where my racism thrives today; in my fear of rejection, in my fear of rocking the boat, in my fear of giving up my own privilege, and in my choices to remain silent. I often feel powerless to make large-scale changes. However, I do take action when I can, and as a professor, I often take cues from my students. I worked with a group of students on the following action that may have opened a few hearts and eyes. If nothing else, it brought tremendous meaning to my students and to my own life and helped me to make meaning of tragedy. I created The Sunflower Project as a campus activity. I printed an article from the online magazine Gawker (Juzwiak & Chan, 2014) that displayed the faces and stories of 69 unarmed people of color killed by police from 1999-2014. I felt that if these faces and stories were of white children, white mothers, white fathers, or white grandmothers there would be uproar within my privileged community. I surmised that on an unconscious level, my white community saw these faces and stories as different and removed from their own lives. I wanted to humanize these unarmed people of color to my community. I felt certain they would feel moved to take action when they realized the truth. With Juzwiak’s permission, I used these pictures and stories as the foundation of my Sunflower Project. I asked that visitors spend time looking at all of the faces, reading each story, and allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the repetition, sadness, and tragedy represented by the stories. When visitors felt moved, they wrote the name of one victim on black electrical tape with a silver pen. They then had an opportunity for a moment of silence while wrapping the tape around the stem of a sunflower. From a distance, the flowers look joyful and non-threatening. However, upon closer examination each beautiful flower represents a life. When we see beauty, a part of our heart opens – even for just a slight moment. My aim is that while the heart is open to the beauty of the flowers, the reality of being a person of color will enter into the consciousness of the participants. My experiences and actions are examples of how I try to move toward a place of less bias in my professional life. Each choice I make to step away from silence and toward confronting my own bias helps me make meaning of functioning as a psychologist with white-skin privilege. ❖ References Juzwiak, R., Chan, A. (2014). Unarmed People of Color killed by police, 1999-2014. Gawker. Retrieved from: http://gawker.com/unarmed-people-of-color-killed-by-police-1999-2014-1666672349. Markus, H.R., Moya, P.M.L. (2010). Doing Race. New York, NY: W.W. Norton. McIntosh, P. (1989). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Peace and Freedom Magazine, pp. 10-12. Ormrod, J.E. (2016). Human Learning, 7th edition. Boston, MA: Pearson. 35
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations are currently being solicited for positions on the 2018 NJPA Executive Board. All candidates for elected office in the New Jersey Psychological Association must meet the following criteria: 1. Full Member, in good standing, for at least two years. 2. Evidence of volunteer involvement in NJPA for at least one year. 3. No pending ethical or legal violations. Volunteer yourself or nominate a colleague to serve. Submit a prepared statement of nomineeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s qualifications along with this form and recent CV, and return to the Central Office by June 9, 2017. Members of the Executive Board have the responsibility to govern the association, and set policy and priorities. In addition to these major roles, each board member has specific responsibilities. Important Note: Material for Executive Board meetings is sent electronically. Board members must be able to access these documents.
BOARD OPENINGS:
Please print the name of the person you nominate on the line after the position title and print and sign your name at the bottom of the form. Check if you know the member is willing to serve. As stated in the NJPA bylaws, all NJPA elections shall follow the policies and procedures set forth by the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee that were approved by the executive board.
PRESIDENT-ELECT Candidates for President-Elect must have served on the Executive Board or in a leadership position in an Affiliate organization, or chaired a committee, special interest group, Task Force, or resource group, or had an active role as a committee, SIG, task force, or resource group member of NJPA within the last seven years. Term of office:
January 2018 to December 2018 as President-Elect; January 2019 to December 2019 as President; January 2020 to December 2020 as Past-President.
Willing to serve _______
Responsibilities: Serve as a voting member of the executive board and perform the duties of president in the event of absence or incapacity of the president. Serve as member of the Executive Committee, Personnel Committee, Nominations & Leadership Development Committee, Finance Committee, Governance Committee, and Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and become fully familiar with the affairs of the association. Attend board meetings, board retreats, and committees of the board meetings. Represent the board on the Committee of Legislative Affairs, the NJPA Foundation, and Affiliate Caucus. Attend COLA meetings, NJPA Foundation meetings, work with NJPA affiliate organizations, and attend other meetings at the request of the president. Attend the APA Practice Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE (General Membership) - 1 seat open
__________________________________________ Term of office:
January 2018 to December 2020
Willing to serve _______
Responsibilities: Serve on the executive board as a voting member, appointed to committees of the board and Membership committee or Committee on Continuing Education Affairs, as determined by the president. Attend board meetings, board retreats, and committees of the board meetings, and other committee meetings as assigned. Represent the broader constituency of NJPA. Participate in all discussions and decision-making of policy, priorities, and planning for NJPA.
TREASURER _______________________________________________________ Candidate for Treasurer must have familiarity with finances, budgets, and investments. Term of office:
January 2018 to December 2020
Willing to serve________
Responsibilities: Fiscal management and oversight of investment accounts, ensure that priorities are reflected in the annual budget, chair Finance Committee, serve on Executive Board, as a voting member, Personnel Committee, Committee on Continuing Education Affairs, and Executive Committee. Print name of nominator
Signature Return this form and the statement of qualifications of the nominee(s) to: NJPA, 414 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 211, West Orange, NJ 07052 Fax: 973-243-9818 or email: njpa@psychologynj.org Deadline: June 9, 2017
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New Jersey Psychologist
Thank You For Your Generous Contributions in 2016! Make your online donation today! www.psychologynj.org.
Hulon Newsome, PsyD 2016 President, NJP-PAC
Daniel DaSilva, PhD 2016 Treasurer, NJP-PAC
The Political Action Committee (“NJP-PAC”) is a voluntary, non-profit political action committee comprised of New Jersey Psychological Association (“NJPA”) members/psychologists, NJPA staff and government affairs agent, and other contributors. NJP-PAC is a separate entity, and is not affiliated with any political party or other political committee. The NJP-PAC makes contributions, from funds received from NJP-PAC contributors, to candidates for office and political committees in New Jersey who have demonstrated their interest in and support of psychology, without regard to party affiliation. NJP-PAC, Inc. thanks and acknowledges the following individuals who have given generously to the 2016 PAC campaign (includes all contributions processed by December 31).
Leadership Circle ($1000 and over) Cammarano & Layton
Mark Singer, EdD
Rosalind Dorlen, PsyD
Platinum ($750-$999) Bonnie Markham, PhD, PsyD
Virginia Waters, PhD Gold ($500-$749)
Mathias Hagovsky, PhD
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Jeffrey Axelbank, PsyD Steven Barnett, PhD Vicki Barnett, PsyD Beata Beaudion, PhD Judith Bernstein , PsyD Monica Blum, PhD Randy Bressler, PsyD Monica Carsky, PhD Karen Cocco, PhD Stephanie Coyne, PhD Mark Cox, PhD Daniel DaSilva, PhD Ruth DeNatale, PhD Patricia DeSear, PhD Richard Dauber, PhD Lynn Egan, PsyD Donna English, PhD Guity Fazelpoor, PsyD Bud Feder, PhD Ellen Fenster-Kuehl, PhD Pamela Foley, PhD
Thomas Frio, PhD Milton, Fuentes, PsyD Cheryl Futterman, PhD Daniel Gallagher, PhD Eliot Garson, PhD Marie Geron, PhD Marc Gironda, PsyD Risa Golob, PsyD Luise Gray, PsyD Osna Haller, PhD Stanley Hayden, PhD Allen Hershman, PhD, PsyD Jane Hochberg, PsyD Maurenn Hudak, PsyD Christine Hudson, PhD Debra Kaplan, PsyD Mary Kelly, PhD Ilene Kesselhaut, EdD Lisa Kestler, PhD Linda Klempner, PhD Steven Korner, PhD
Ruth Lijtmaer, PhD Tamara Sofair-Fisch, PhD David Szmak, PsyD
Daniel Watter, EdD Aaron Welt, PhD Nina Williams, PsyD
Bronze ($100-$249) Kathleen Krol, PhD John Lagos, PhD Robert Levine, PhD Neal Leynor, PhD Bonnie Lipeles, PsyD Marc Lipkus, PsyD Neil Litinger, PhD N. John Lombardi, PsyD Alfredo Lowe, PhD Nancy McWilliams, PhD Leslie Meltzer, PhD Joan Morgan, PsyD Marsha Morris, PhD Daniel Moss, PhD Jacquline Napper, PsyD Gene Nebel, PhD Hulon Newsome, PsyD Jennifer Oglesby, PhD Marilyn Oldman, EdD Rose Oosting, PhD
Susan Parente, PsyD Francesca Peckman, PsyD Mark Pesner, PhD Lori Pine, PsyD Debra Roelke, PhD Robert Rosenbaum, EdD Debra Salzman, PhD George Sanders, PhD Louis Schlesinger, PhD William Shinefield, PsyD Barbara Starr, EdD Ronald Striano, PhD Tamsen Thorpe, PhD Joanne VanNest, PhD Peggy Van Raalte, PsyD Barbara Von Klemperer, EdD Seth Warren, PhD Skye Wilson, PhD Richard Zakreski, PhD Michael Zito, PhD
Copper (up to $100) Janet Berson, PhD Carole Beyer, EdD Sharon Boyd-Jackson, PhD Karen Cohen, PsyD Robin Cooper-Fleming, PsyD Laura DeMarzo, EdD Ellen DiMeglio, PsyD Charles Dodgen, PhD Laura Eisdorfer, PsyD Kali-Roy Eklof, PhD Joan Fiorello, PhD Muriel Fox, PhD Antonia Fried, PsyD Carol Ann Friedman, PhD
Winter 2017
Lorraine Gahles-Kildow, PhD Larry Gingold, PsyD Elizabeth Goldberg, PhD Diane Handlin, PhD Jeffrey Hawkins, MA Ann Nikolai Houston, PhD Elaine Hyman, PsyD Elissa Kaplan, PhD Paula Kaplan-Reiss, PhD Kenneth Kline, PhD Deirdre Kramer, PhD Ilana Lev-El, PsyD Barbara Lino, PhD Neal Litinger, PhD
John LoConte, PhD Lisa Lyons, PhD Heather MacLeod, EdD Neil Massoth, PhD Robert McGrath, PhD Leslie Meltzer, PhD Edward Merski, PsyD Lauren Meyer, PsyD Tamerra Moeller, PhD Norine Mohle, PhD Morgan Murray, PhD Susan Neigher, PhD Vincenza Piscitelli, PsyD Richard Rapkin, PsyD
Steven Reed, PhD Katherine Rhoades, PhD Laura Richardson, PhD Barbara Rosenberg, PhD Kenneth Schulman, PhD Sarah Severino, PsyD Pierce Skinner, PsyD Shawn Marie Sobkowski, EdD Mary Ellen Stanisci, PhD Brenda Stepak, PhD Deana Stevens, PsyM William Walsh, PhD Michael Wexler, PsyD Timothy Wright, PsyD
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Thank you 2017 Sustaining Members! Thank you 2017 Sustaining Members! By advancing your level of membership to Sustaining Membership status,
you haveBy generously demonstrated additional of your professional association. advancing your level of your membership to support Sustaining Membership status, We thank you for your commitment and dedication yourprofessional organization! you have generously demonstrated your additional support oftoyour association. We thank you for your commitment and dedication to your organization!
Jennifer Abbey, PhD Jennifer Abbey,PsyD PhD Mitch Abrams, Mitch Abrams, PsyD Amy Altenhaus, PhD Amy Altenhaus, Jessica Arenella,PhD PhD Jessica Arenella, PhD Mark Aronson, EdD Mark Aronson, EdD Jeffrey Axelbank, PsyD Jeffrey Axelbank, Jack Aylward, EdDPsyD Jack Aylward, EdD Thomas Barrett, PhD Thomas Barrett, PhD PhD Leslie Becker-Phelps, Leslie Becker-Phelps, PhD Margaret Beekman, PhD Margaret Beekman, PhD Roderick Bennett, PhD Roderick Bennett, PhD Philip Bobrove, PhD Philip Bobrove, PhD Alice Bontempo, PsyD Alice Bontempo, PsyD Michael Boyle, PhD Michael Boyle, PhD Randy Bressler, PsyD Randy Bressler, PsyD Richard Brewster, PsyD Richard Brewster, PsyD Natalie Brown, PhD Natalie PhD PhD CharlesBrown, Buchbauer, Charles Buchbauer, Antonio Burr, PhD PhD Antonio Burr, PhD Diane Cabush, PsyD Diane Cabush, Dina Cagliostro,PsyD PhD Dina PhD KarenCagliostro, Cocco, PhD Karen LouiseCocco, Conley,PhD PhD Louise Conley, PhD Francine Conway, PhD Francine Conway,PhD PhD John Corbisiero, John Corbisiero, PhD Joseph Coyne, PhD Joseph Coyne, PhD Stephanie Coyne,PhD Stephanie Coyne,PhD Kathleen Cullina-Bessey, PsyD Kathleen Cullina-Bessey, PsyD Richard Dauber, PhD Richard Dauber, PhD Phyllis DiAmbrosio, PhD Phyllis DiAmbrosio, PhD John Diepold, PhD John Diepold, PhD Charles Dodgen, PhD Charles Dodgen, PhD Rosalind Dorlen, PsyD Rosalind Dorlen, PsyD PsyD Daniel Edelman, Daniel Edelman, Lynn Egan, PsyDPsyD Lynn Egan, PsyD Irene Erckert, PhD Irene PhD SusanErckert, Esquilin, PhD Susan Esquilin, PhD Sean Evers, PhD Sean Evers, PhD Roberta Fallig, PhD Roberta Fallig, PhD Ellen Fenster-Kuehl, PhD Ellen Fenster-Kuehl, PhD Christine Fingeroth, PsyD Christine Fingeroth, PsyD Michael Fiore, PhD Michael Fiore, PhD Resa Fogel, PhD Resa Fogel, PhD Pamela Foley, PhD Pamela Foley, PhD 38
Kenneth Frank, PhD Kenneth Frank, PhD Thomas Frio, PhD Thomas Frio, PhD Marc Geller, PsyD Marc PsyD PhD DawnGeller, Gemeinhardt, Dawn Gemeinhardt, Leslie Gilbert, PhD PhD Leslie PhD RonaldGilbert, Gironda, PhD Ronald Gironda, PhDPhD Elizabeth Goldberg, Elizabeth Goldberg, Gary Goldberg, PhDPhD Gary Goldberg, PhD Wayne Goldman, PhD Wayne Goldman, PhD Lois Goorwitz, PhD Lois Goorwitz, PhD Ora Gourarie, PsyD Ora Gourarie, PsyD Lisa Greenberg, PhD Lisa Greenberg, PhD Susan Grossbard, PsyD Susan Grossbard, Lori Rayner Grossi,PsyD EdD Lori RaynerGurfein, Grossi,PhD EdD Hadassah Hadassah Gurfein, PhD Mathias Hagovsky, PhD Mathias Hagovsky, Osna Haller, PhD PhD Osna Haller, PhDPhD Steven Hartman, Steven Hartman, PhD Douglas Haymaker, PhD Douglas Haymaker, John Hennessy, PhDPhD JohnNikolai Hennessy, PhD PhD Ann Houston, Ann Nikolai Houston, PhD Christine Hudson, PhD Christine Hudson, PhD Jennifer Jackson, PhD Jennifer Jackson, Lisa Jacobs, PhD PhD Lisa Jacobs, PhDPsyD Alison Johnson, Alison Johnson, Nancy Just, PhDPsyD Nancy Jeffrey Just, Kahn,PhD PhD Jeffrey Kahn, PhD PhD Paula Kaplan-Reiss, Paula Kaplan-Reiss, PhD Sarah Karl, PhD Sarah PhD RobertKarl, Karlin, PhD Robert Karlin, PhD Barry Katz, PhD Barry Katz, PhD Charles Katz, PhD Charles Katz, PhD Toby Kaufman, PhD Toby Kaufman, PhDPsyD Thomas Kavanagh, Thomas Kavanagh, PsyD Maureen Kelley, PsyD Maureen Kelley, PsyD Richard Kessler, PhD Richard Kessler, Lisa Kestler, PhDPhD Lisa Kleinman, Kestler, PhD Joel PhD Joel Kleinman, Steven Korner, PhD PhD Steven Deirdre Korner, Kramer,PhD PhD Deirdre Kramer, PhD David Krauss, PhD David Krauss, PhD Phyllis Lakin, PhD Phyllis Lakin,PsyD PhD Robin Lang, Robin Lang, PsyD Roman Lemega, PhD Roman Lemega, PhD
Ilana Lev-El, PsyD Ilana Lev-El, PsyD Robert Levine, PhD Robert Levine,PhD PhD Neal Litinger, Neal Litinger, PhDPhD Rebecca Loomis, Rebecca Loomis, Alfredo Lowe, PhDPhD Alfredo Lowe, PhD Mark Lowenthal, PsyD Mark Lowenthal, PsyDPhD Geraldine Lucignano, Geraldine Lucignano, PhD Marilyn Lyga, PhD Marilyn Lyga, PhD Daniel Mahoney, EdD Daniel EdD CharlesMahoney, Mark, PsyD Charles Mark, PsyD Neil Massoth, PhD Neil CarolMassoth, McCrea,PhD PhD Carol McCrea, PhD John McInerney, PhD John McInerney, PhD Marshall Mintz, PsyD Marshall Mintz,PsyD PsyD Barry Mitchell, Barry Mitchell,PhD PsyD Bea Mittman, Bea Mittman, PhD Noreen Mohle, PhD Noreen Mohle,PhD PhD Lynn Mollick, Lynn Mollick, PhD Ruth Mollod, PhD Ruth Mollod, Sharon Ryan PhD Montgomery, PsyD Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD Caridad Moreno, PhD Caridad Moreno, PhD Sandra Morrow, PhD Sandra Morrow, PhD Daniel Moss, PhD Daniel PhD MorganMoss, Murray, PhD Morgan Murray, PhD Susan Neigher, PhD Susan RonaldNeigher, Newman,PhD PhD Ronald Newman, PhD Hulon Newsome, PsyD Hulon CherylNewsome, Notari, PhDPsyD Cheryl Notari, PhD Rose Oosting, PhD Rose Oosting, PhD Carly Orenstein, PsyD Carly PsyD David Orenstein, Panzer, PsyD David Panzer, PsyD Nicole Paolillo, PsyD Nicole Paolillo, Michelle Papka,PsyD PhD Michelle Papka, PhD Francesca Peckman, PsyD Francesca Peckman, PsyD Mark Pesner, PhD Mark Pesner, PhD Lisa Pupa-O’Sullivan, PhD Lisa Pupa-O’Sullivan, Nicole Rafanello, PhD PhD Nicole Rafanello, PhD Richard Rapkin, PsyD Richard Rapkin, PsyD Gina Rayfield, PhD Gina Rayfield, PhD Steven Reed, PhD Steven Reed, PhD Ann Reese, Phd, PsyD Ann Phd, PsyD EllenReese, Reicher, PhD Ellen Reicher, PhD AnnaMarie Resnikoff, PhD AnnaMarie Resnikoff, PhD
Marion Rollings, PhD Marion PhDPhD BarbaraRollings, Rosenberg, Barbara Rosenberg, PhD Edwin Rosenberg, PhD Edwin Rosenberg, PhD Lori Rosenberg, PsyD Lori AnneRosenberg, Rybowski, PsyD PhD Anne CaroleRybowski, Salvador,PhD PsyD CaroleSchueler, Salvador,PhD PsyD Doris Doris Schueler, PhD Margot Schwartz, PsyD Margot Schwartz, Nancie Senet, PhDPsyD Nancie Senet, PhD Eileen Senior, PsyD Eileen Senior, PsyDPsyD William Shinefield, William Shinefield, PsyD Tamara Shulman, PhD Tamara Shulman, PhD Nancy Sidhu, PhD Nancy PhDPhD RonaldSidhu, Silikovitz, Ronald Silikovitz, PhD Karen Skean, PsyD Karen Pierce Skean, Skinner,PsyD PsyD Pierce Skinner, PsyD Milton Spett, PhD Milton Spett, PhD Alice St. Claire, PsyD Alice Claire, PsyD JakobSt. Steinberg, PhD Jakob Steinberg, PhD Deana Stevens, PsyD Deana Stevens, PsyD Vincent Stranges, PhD Vincent Stranges,PhD PhD Benn Susswein, Benn Susswein, PhD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Luciene Takagi, PsyD Anthony Tasso, PhD Anthony Tasso, PhD H. Augustus Taylor, PhD H. Augustus Taylor, Tamsen Thorpe, PhDPhD Tamsen Thorpe, PhD Barbara Tocco, EdD Barbara Tocco, EdD Elizabeth Vergoz, PhD Elizabeth Vergoz, Jayne Walco, PhDPhD Jayne Walco, Jonathan Wall,PhD PsyD Jonathan Wall, PsyD Melissa Warman, PhD Melissa Warman,PhD PhD Beth Watchman, Beth Watchman, PhD Virginia Waters, PhD Virginia Waters, PhD Daniel Watter, EdD Daniel Watter, Allen Weg, EdDEdD Allen Weg, EdD Ida Welsh, PhD Ida Welsh, Aaron Welt,PhD PhD Aaron Welt, PhDThD Norbert Wetzel, Norbert Wetzel, ThD Nina Williams, PsyD Nina Williams, PsyD Christopher Wright, PhD Christopher Wright, James Wulach, PhD,PhD JD James Wulach, PhD, JD Stanley Zebrowski, PhD Stanley Zebrowski, PhD Michael Zito, PhD Michael Zito, PhD New Jersey Psychologist
Book Review
Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology Luyten, P., Mayes, L., Fonagy, P., Target, M., & Blatt, S. (Eds.) (2015). New York, NY: Guilford Press. By Anthony F. Tasso, PhD
Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Fairleigh Dickinson University
T
he diagnosis and classification of mental disorders poses an inherent challenge to clinicians of all theoretical persuasions and levels of experience. Neophyte and seasoned clinicians alike frequently struggle with diagnostic interrater reliability. What aspects of a patient’s clinical presentation (e.g., affect, mood, thoughts) a therapist focuses on also varies, typically as a function of the practitioner’s theoretical orientation or the patient population. This lack of fail-safe psychodiagnostics creates yet another barrier: Implementation of the most effective psychotherapeutic treatment techniques. Psychoanalytic theories experience their own struggles. For one, concerns have been raised about the oft-amorphous approach to tailoring treatment to particular disorders. Additionally, many within the psychoanalytic community have been less than receptive to the natural science model, thus stymieing their ability to allow research findings to guide the classification and treatment process. This has been a problem, which has unfortunately accentuated the chasm between science and practice. Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology (Guilford Press) is a highly productive addition to the literature. Edited by Patrick Luyten, Linda Mayes, Peter Fonagy, Mary Target, and the late Sidney Blatt, this text brings together exemplary researchers and clinicians to parse a range of psychopathologies and accompanying treatment techniques of choice. The contributing authors are able to beautifully integrate theory with research that powerfully illuminates the breadth and depth of psychological and neuroanatomical structures underlying various mental health conditions. As such, this book serves as a mutually facilitative tool for scientists and practitioners – both informing and informed by the laboratory and consulting room. Part I of Handbook provides a broad overview of the main psychoanalytic models (i.e., drive, ego, object relations, and self psychology theories) and addresses key concepts that unite these diverse psychoanalytic approaches (i.e., developmental focus, the role of the unconscious, ubiquity of transference, person-centered, cognizance of human complexity, emphasis on one’s inner world, the normality-abnormality continuum). The differing goals of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, longer-term psychodynamic therapy, and psychoanalysis proper are discussed, with attention to how transference, countertransference, free association, intrapsychic-interpersonal clinical focus, and frequency vary based on the type of treatment. The book examines development as well as the attachmentpsychopathology link, with aggregate data denoted insecure Winter 2017
attachment styles’ relevance to a range of conditions as well as its significance to interpersonal and intrapsychic difficulties among clinical and nonclinical populations, while developmental factors (incorporating drive theory and object relations as well as genetics and neurochemistry) shed light on a host of healthy and unhealthy functions. Neuroscience, once deemed disparate from clinical psychology, has often had an antipathetic relationship with clinical psychoanalysis given the applied versus scientific ethos of the respective fields. However, recent decades have witnessed a rapprochement, with attention to affect, levels of awareness, memory, and the unconscious demonstrating a growing body of empirical evidence pointing to the neuroanatomical underpinnings of psychological and cognitive processes. Assessment and classification, central to all clinical work, is examined within the text. With an eye on developmental milestones and dimensional (rather than categorical) classifications, the authors discuss clinically useful personality organizations (i.e., neurotic, borderline, psychotic) that allow for an idiographic perspective of the patient. The concept of defense mechanisms, born out of psychoanalytic theory and now embraced by most theoretical modalities, is explored as a means to facilitate the diagnostic process. Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology highlights higher-order defense mechanisms as well as lower-end, more primitive defenses that radically distort reality, and examines these processes across the developmental lifespan (e.g., adolescents’ coping with parental tension and their own affect tolerance; domestic violent perpetrators’ reliance on more immature defenses; the difference between the healthy use of humor and avoidance in elder persons’ coping with the inevitability of physical and mental deterioration). Part II covers adult psychopathology. The multilayered aspects of depression are analyzed. Moving beyond mere phenotypic symptoms, the authors focus on Sidney Blatt’s empirically identified distinction between anaclitic depression (characterized by interpersonal dependency and feelings of being unloved and unwanted) and introjective depression (characterized by self-criticism, inferiority, failure and guilt, and the propensity to anger). The text trawls the depression research data and highlights evidence indicating that psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis yield effective treatment results. Upon investigation of matching treatment techniques with particular subtypes of depression, the literature suggests that supportive analytic techniques are complementary for anaclitically depressive patients, while more 39
Book Review expressive and exploratory approaches are a good fit for introjectively depressed persons. Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology also investigates anxiety disorders, first parsing the nosology of anxiety, then discussing the roles of early conflictual relationships along with the utility of the well-researched Manual of Panic Focused Dynamic Therapy for the treatment of panic conditions. Three disorders commonly deemed to be outside the purview of psychoanalytic treatments – obsessive-compulsivity, substance abuse, and psychosis – are reviewed within the book. OCD, perhaps more than any mental health condition considered to be under the ownership of behavioral and cognitive interventions (to the extent where it is deemed near anathematic to psychoanalysis), is examined, with considerable detail on the inner experiences of those inflicted. The authors illuminate the roles of moral and relational concerns (with specific attention to attachment-related anxiety) and conclude with compelling data suggesting a relationshipcentered subtype of OCD. Substance use disorders have also long been considered to be a questionable fit for psychodynamic conceptualizations and treatments despite the widely accepted self-medicating hypothesis having its roots in Freud’s theorizing that substance abuse is a means to quell psychological distress. The authors review the empirical literature on psychodynamic therapy for abstinence and harm reduction goals, and underscore how such approaches are adept at meeting addicted patients’ therapeutic needs. Psychosis, once a bedrock of analytic theories but now rarely considered outside of biomedical circles, is studied in this text. The book discusses Freud’s early postulations that severe narcissistic and autoerotic factors are causal of psychosis, to ego psychology’s emphasis on ego deficit and defense. The authors coalesce neurochemistry etiologies (e.g., forebrain and limbic functioning, dream processes) with Klein-Bion theory of psychosis (e.g., persecutory and annihilation anxieties) to form a comprehensive conceptualization of psychotic processes. The Handbook explicates conditions long ripe for analytic application. Somatic conditions, in which psychological processes attack the physical body, are studied in the text, with evidence implicating attachment (specifically the distrust of others as a source of information), as well as identifying predisposing (e.g., genetics, emotional abuse, neglect), precipitating (e.g., relational and occupational stressors), and perpetuating (e.g., heightened stress resulting in compromised mentalizing capacities) factors theoretically and empirically linked to somaticizing propensities. The underpinnings of eating disorders are also studied, with a focus on, among other factors, family constellations vis-à-vis eating habits, while personality disorders, a cornerstone of psychoanalytic treatments, are comprehensively covered in three separate chapters. As is true across the entire text, the focus here transcends the DSM’s limited ability to impact the consulting room by leaning on ego, self, and object relations approaches to personality pathology. Dependency is subjected to a thorough investigation, with a spotlight on the roles of anger and hostility amongst many dependent persons. The text plumbs dependent persons’ family of origin, showing how the etiological confluence of 40
overprotective or authoritarian parenting can beget a belief in personal ineptitude and subsequent relation-seeking and performance anxieties, with a compensatory proclivity for capitulation during conflicts. A look at borderline personality disorder closes this section, with a prospective diathesis-stress model of causality as well as how transference-focused and mentalization-based interventions components are identified as empirically supported treatments for this complex disorder. Part III addresses childhood and adolescent psychopathologies. The authors move from Spitz’s early observation of infantile depression to Winnicott’s poignant reflections of the baby’s inability to exist without mother and the mother’s inability to exist without baby. This segues into child-parent psychotherapy, including the University of Michigan’s innovative clinical approach of simultaneously treating both parent and child in attempts to ameliorate the distress of each. Psychoanalytically informed treatments for childhood externalizing disorders are looked at, with an emphasis on attachment theory in both etiology and treatment. Analytically informed work with parents and families closes this section, with an excellent overview of ways in which to foster parent and familial mentalizing processes to facilitate greater family health and communication. Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology ends with a section on psychodynamic psychotherapy process and outcome research. Often erroneously deemed lagging beyond other modalities in terms of scientific backing (a belief commonly perpetuated in analytic and nonanalytic circles alike), the authors overview the roles of randomized control trails along with effectiveness studies and the balance between internal and external validity. The contributing authors summarize the extant scientific support for psychodynamic treatments for a range of disorders including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. The book closes by offering suggestions for the future of psychodynamic theory and treatment, underscoring here-and-now treatment techniques along with a plea for readers to embrace psychological science. Clinicians and researchers alike seeking resources will surely appreciate this book with user-friendly information on diagnostic, conceptual, and evidence-based information. Solidly analytic though not monolithically so, Handbook of Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology is truly a comprehensive psychopathology compendium that could have a profound ability in the treatment of a range of disorders. Anchored in both laboratory-based and clinical research, the text leans on psychological science to illuminate psychiatric conditions and processes. Far from a recrudescence of earlier well-received texts, Editors Luyten, Mayes, Fonagy, Target, and Blatt bring together a group of exemplary scholars who beautifully draw upon cutting-edge science along with newer concepts to explicate a range of psychopathologies. Regardless of the reader’s level of experience or theoretical preference, this is a text that will surely aid the clinician in the trenches of the consulting room as well as the scientist wedded to the laboratory. ❖
New Jersey Psychologist
Annual NJPA Business Meeting
ANNUAL NJPA BUSINESS MEETING NJPA FALL CONFERENCE WOODBRIDGE HOTEL at METRO PARK OCTOBER 24, 2015
(Approved at the October 23, 2016 Business Meeting) I. Welcome and Call to Order – President Kenneth Freundlich, PhD called the meeting to order, welcomed NJPA members to the annual business meeting, and thanked members for participating in the Diversity Town Hall that was held immediately prior to the annual Business Meeting. II. Approval of Minutes – Secretary Stephanie Coyne, PhD Motion #1: To accept the Minutes of the October 25, 2014 Annual NJPA Business Meeting, as presented. Approved / Unanimously III. President’s Report - Dr. Freundlich reported on the following: A. Update on 2015 issues and actions 1. Governance Committee has been working on re visions of policies including: i.) Policy governing the Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Board Mem bers - revisions have been proposed such as having the past-president serve as liaison to the Council of Former Presidents and further work is needed; ii.) Policy on Executive Responsibilities and Decision Making - covers job descriptions and who does what; and iii.) Policy for Submission of Board Agenda Items by NJPA members. In addition, the committee is creating a Vetting, Training, and Mentoring Policy and NJPA Representative guidelines for members in volved on decision-making committees at the state level. This policy will include qualifications (relevant training and experience, etc.), as well guidelines for designated members participation on such committees and their responsibilities to NJPA. The goal is to have these poli cies ready for an executive board vote at the November and December, 2015 board meetings. 2. Nominations and Leadership Development Com mittee is developing a Leadership Academy for members in leadership positions. B. Transparency Issues have been emphasized this year particularly in light of the findings of the Hoffman report released by APA. The board has been addressing member concerns by posting board meeting agendas on the NJPA website prior to the board meeting and posting the minutes shortly after the meeting. Members are reminded that they are welcome to attend board meetings. In addition, the board is developing a process for NJPA members to submit items for the board agenda. Winter 2017
C. Diversity - A Diversity Advisory Group has been formed to work with the board. The Town Hall meeting held this morning arose from the work of the Advisory Group and is the beginning of an ongoing process to address issues of diversity and inclusiveness within NJPA. D. Commitment to Early Career Psychologists (ECPs) Efforts are being made to actively reach out to the ECP community and Dr. Peter Economou is working to re-energize the ECP Committee. Dr. Jeff Singer and Dr. Freundlich, along with members of their practice, hosted an Open House for ECPs. Efforts have led to new initiatives to foster a more welcoming atmosphere for ECPs including having ECPs wear stickers with the NJPA logo to identify themselves at conferences and encouraging the engagement of seasoned NJPA members and ECPs in meaningful dialogues. E. Strategic Plan will sunset in 2016 and a new plan will need to be developed by the board. An initial step in this process will be a survey of the NJPA membership to elicit their concerns and priorities for the association. IV. Director of Professional Affairs Report – Director of Professional Affairs, Barry Helfmann, PsyD, reported on the following: A. Member consultations - Dr. Helfmann receives approximately 800-1000 calls for consultations each year. The primary issues raised by members involve 1) Teletherapy - inquiries about what is happening at the national level and how this may affect practice in New Jersey. Dr. Helfmann noted that it looks like there will be national approval for teletherapy in the near future whereby it would be possible to continue working with a patient who moves to another state by using HIPAA-approved secure devices; and 2) Clinical Case Challenges - issues include difficult cases, ethical issues especially with child custody cases, insurance problems, release of records, HIPAA compliance. Calls regarding insurance complaints have declined recently. B. Legal Updates - In the Aetna case regarding the use of the Ingenix database that was settled, the settlement was thrown out by a judge and that action is currently being appealed. A similar case with Cigna is awaiting the resolution of the Aetna case, while the Horizon-State Health Benefits case was resolved with a settlement of $5000 for NJPA. A dispute between lawyers held up this settlement but the appeals court supported the NJPA settlement. 41
Annual NJPA Business Meeting C. Medical Necessity Bill - NJPA’s bill that called for practitioners (rather than insurance companies) to define medical necessity using the following definition of medical necessity adopted from that used in Illinois, was voted out of committee. The insurance industry argued against this bill claiming that this would cost an additional 64 million dollars. NJPA asked for, and is awaiting, documentation supporting this claim. However, since 90% of the claimed increase in cost would be for inpatient treatment, NJPA amended its bill to limit the scope to outpatient care only. Senator Gordon, our sponsor for the bill, has agreed with this amendment and the bill will be introduced in the next legislative session. NJPA will continue to work with legislators through our mental health coalition to move the bill through the legislature V. Executive Director’s Report – New Executive Director Keira Boertzel-Smith, JD, introduced herself to members and reported on the following: A. Executive Director’s Position - Ms. Boertzel-Smith noted that her goal is to build trust and collaboration with the members and described the major responsibilities of her job including 1) overseeing the day-to -day operations of NJPA, the NJPA Foundation, and the NJPA PAC; carrying out the policies and directives of the executive board; interacting with the membership; interacting with the larger community of affiliate associations, other state associations, and APA; building professional development opportunities, and communicating the value of NJPA both within and outside of the professional community. B. Central Office Matters 1.) The retirements of two long-term central office staff members occurred this year: Jane Selzer as Executive Director and Susan Beatty as Member Ser vices Manager, and a new staff member, Kelly Somers, has been hired as Office and Event Coordinator Membership Services. 2.) A new association management system, Member clicks, has been adopted in Fall, 2015. 3.) Expansion of non-dues revenue includes the ex pansion of advertising, Affinity benefits, Career Corner, grants, and crowd funding. 4.) The NJPA Foundation (NJPAF) has joined the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers that will be an important resource for grantmaker education and a support for NJPAF’s philanthropic agenda. The goal for NJPAF is to broaden our outreach and mental health support. 5.) Our new Governmental Affairs Agent (GAA), John Bombardieri, has been working to advance our legislative priorities and has involved more members in representing NJPA at important legislative events. 6.) A new accounting firm, Cullari Carrico, LLC has been hired. The contract for the GAA, John Bom bardieri, has been extended to December 31, 2015 to coincide with our fiscal year. COLA officers, Dr. Helfmann, and Ms. Boertzel-Smith will conduct a 42
formal review of his services at that time. Work is be ing done on procedures for monitoring the perfor mance of all consultants. 7.) Membership numbers 1850. Efforts to sustain and increase membership will focus on students, ECP’s, and understanding member diversity. C. Strategic Plan Goal - Advocacy The strategic plan goal of Advocacy is being addressed as follows: 1.) Legislative efforts include: i.) RxP - application has been submitted for 2015 RxP CAPP Grant from APA and 2014 follow-up report has been submitted; ii) Mandatory Continuing Education bill - awaiting the Governor’s signature; iii.) Bill on Medical Necessity definition - has been amended and will be introduced in the next legislative session. 2.) Regulatory efforts - Board of Psychological Exam iners (BoPE) regulations sunset in July, 2016 and only small adjustments are anticipated. Dr. Barry Katz, NJPA president-elect, appeared before the BoPE to discuss suggested changes in regulations. Dr. Dennis Finger, the NJPA board liaison, keeps the board informed on BoPE matters. Two NJPA members, Dr. Anne Farrar-Anton and Dr. Sean Evers, are now mem bers of the BoPE. 3.) Legal affairs - Dr. Barry Helfmann created a 7/10/15 Friday Update blurb for his DPA report. 4.) Public Relations - Efforts have included media splashes aimed at getting NJPA’s name into the public domain and John Bombardieri, our GAA, has created a media distribution list for NJPA to promote psychology on an ongoing basis, including promotion of the Fall Conference Legislator of the Year (Senator Loretta Weinberg) and Citizen of the Year (Dr. Richard Labbe). Radio station 101.5 has been interested in information for their “Mental Wellness Segment.” D. Strategic Plan Goal - Professional Development - Successful programs and upcoming projects include: 1.) Events - i.) New Practitioner Workshop - Complete the Puzzle: Creating, Growing, and Maintaining a Successful Ethical Practice on 9/21/15 - income $870; ii.) ICD-10 Webinar - income $5310; iii.) Q &A with Dr. Neil Massoth on 10/8/15; iv.) 10-week Supervisor Training Course to start on 11/15/15; v.) Surviving Today’s Private Practice: Everything You Need to Know: An Ethical Legal Practice Check-up on 12/4/15 2.) ECP Investment - Efforts include networking at the Fall Conference. Promotion of benefits of NJPA membership for ECPs, the development of the Mentoring Program (which is included in the 2016 dues statement), and the development of the Leadership Academy. An ECP meeting is scheduled for 11/15/15 and Dr. Peter Economou will kick start the next chapter in their NJPA history. E. Strategic Plan Goal - Communicating the Value of NJPA 1.) NJPA Brand - A new website system is being developed and will include testimonials and images to add the human element. New Jersey Psychologist
Annual NJPA Business Meeting 2.) Enhance Utilization of Social Media - The NJPA and NJPAF Facebook page have been launched. Christine Gurriere, Communications Manager has created an Editorial Calendar for social media and press release topics. 3.) NJPA Representatives - Having members serve on public boards and panels have increased NJPA’s outreach. NJPA members serving in this capacity include the following Behavioral Mental Health Advisory Board in Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in DHS Frank Weiss, PhD (COLA) Medicinal Marijuana Program Review Panel - Raymond Hanbury, PhD ABPP (COLA) and Stephen Garbarini, PsyD Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services - NJ Adult Suicide Prevention Council - Jonathan Krejci, PhD Southern New Jersey Developmental Council - Hulon Newsome, PsyD Division of Children and Family Conference - Alan Lee, PhD (PPCW) Latino Psychological Association – NJ Conference Deirdre Waters, PhD (Diversity) 4.) “Tour of New Jersey” Affiliate Meetings Attendance - Dr. Barry Helfman, Dr. Barry Katz, and Ms. Keira Boertzel-Smith have been visiting local affiliate association meetings to communicate with members at the grass-roots level. Visits include: EUCAP 10/4/15; Mercer 10/16 (COLA); NCAP 11/1/15; South Jersey 11/13/15; and Morris date TBD. F. Strategic Plan Goal - Professional Community 1. The Governance Committee and the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee have been working on policy development. 2. The Town Hall on Diversity was held today. 3. APA Medicaid Advocacy - State Initiatives - Dr. Jeff Axelbank/ John Bombardieri and his partners are meeting with legislators regarding bill A3717 which provides for full recognition of licensed psychologists and increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain evidencebased behavioral health treatments. Advocacy efforts are addressing i.) Defining Market Rate - suggestion is to make the rate the same as Medicare; ii.) Defining evidence-based treatment as services provided by state licensed mental health professionals; iii.) Increasing access to care by including services rendered by interns and students, when supervised by a licensed psychologist, as reimbursable by Medicaid; and, iv.) Forgiving student loans for work with Medicaid patients. 4.) Building the NJPA Delegate List for the 2016 State Leadership Conference to be held by APA February 27 March 1, 2016.
Winter 2017
VI. Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer, Dr. Peter Economou, reported that NJPA is in good financial shape and that the association is operating with a profit. A conservative approach is being followed in drawing up the budget and in managing expenses. NJPA has engaged the services of a new accounting firm, Cullari Carrico, LLC, and they are more accessible to us and have a good sense of who NJPA is. Income has been down this year primarily in the area of programming because of the changes in central office staff and the move to a Spring Meeting rather than a conference. Members are reminded that ideas for workshops/programs are welcomed especially in light of the well-attended Diversity meeting today. It has been noted that some committees do not always spend the funds allocated to them and this is being monitored. VII. Election Update - Chair of the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee, Sean Evers, PhD, reported that the results of the election for the 2015 Officers and Board are: President-Elect: Hulon Newsome, PsyD Secretary: Phyllis Bolling, PhD Member-at-Large (Membership): Mary Blakeslee, PhD Member-at Large (Affiliate): Stephanie Coyne, PhD VIII. Adjournment – Dr. Freundlich Motion #2: To adjourn. Approved /Unanimously Motion Summary: Motion #1: To accept the Minutes of the October 25, 2015 Annual NJPA Business Meeting, as presented. Approved / Unanimously Motion #2: To adjourn. Approved / Unanimously Respectfully Submitted, Stephanie S. Coyne, PhD NJ License #2867 NJPA Secretary 2015
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NJPA Fall Conference
NJPA Fall Conference
Town Hall Meeting: Microaggressions: Why We Need to Listen Facilitated by the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Director of Professional Affairs, Barry Helfmann, PsyD and NJPA President-Elect, Stephanie Coyne, PhD
NJPA Membership Coordinator, Danielle Barnes and Executive Director, Keira Boertzel-Smith
Classified Ads The NJ Psychologist accepts advertising of interest to the profession. The minimum rate for Classified Ads is $75 for up to 50 words, $1 for each additional word. For display ad information, email inquiries to NJPAcg@PsychologyNJ.org ATTN: Christine Gurriere, or call 973-243-9800. The NJ Psychologist is mailed on or about the 10th of February, May, and November. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement by NJPA.
OFFICE SPACE
Cherry Hill Office for rent P/T--small office and waiting room (with rest room), ample parking; available immediately; hourly rental or flat monthly rate; Call Dr. Sidney Cohen: 856-428-1685. ❖ Maplewood 14 X 14 furnished (or unfurnished if preferred) office sub-let in quiet historic professional building with ample parking. Minimum one-year sub-lease. Office ideal for solo private practice attorney, alternative health care professional, or mental health professional. Office is adjacent to additional 500 sq. feet which includes long hallway (for office privacy), kitchen, reception area with fax, waiting room, and private staff bathroom. Utilities and Wifi internet included. $950/month. Sublet can be secured by up to two sub-letters should you have a partner with whom you want to share the space. Available January 1, 2017 or possibly sooner if there is urgency of time. 44
Please contact John LoConte at locodrjohn@aol.com or call my office at 973-762-7162. ❖ Morristown Office space available for rent in beautiful downtown Morristown to licensed psychologist. 1 or more days available. Lovely office in small suite with private waiting room. Quiet, safe, wonderful location. 1-block walk to downtown Morristown with many shops, restaurants, theatre, library. Short walk to train station. Easy highway access. Convenient, easy parking. Call Dr. Julie Steinberg, 973-993-9550. ❖ Waldwick Office for rent in small, well cared for professional building. Share waiting room, bath, kitchen with other psychologists. Possible referrals Call or text (201) 321-0333. ❖ New Jersey Psychologist