Monitor on Psychology - December 2011 - (Page 68)

PA I D A D V E RT I S E M E N T 2011 CUMMINGS FOUNDATION P S YC H E A W A R D P R E S E N T E D Boards (ASPPB). That’s because states often have different requirements when it comes to the kinds of pre-graduation practicum experiences doctoral students can substitute for the postdoc. In an effort to solve such problems and bring consistency to the field, ASPPB has developed guidelines for practicum experience for licensure — another outgrowth of APA’s policy shift. “Up to that point, licensing boards hadn’t really required applicants to show any practicum hours,” says DeMers, explaining that ASPPB developed the guidelines with consultation from various education and training groups. “But if you were going to count practicum hours as part of your required hours for supervised experience for licensure, then licensing boards were going to need to have some standards about what practicum experiences were going to be acceptable.” That development worries many in the field, says Belar. “In the U.S., the social contract between an independent profession and the government is that the profession determines its own education and training requirements,” she says, pointing out that licensing requirements for other health professions don’t include state rules and regulations regarding specific parts of the curriculum. “The state’s involvement in those matters may reflect the public’s lack of confidence in the profession’s own quality assurance mechanisms — something that could pose significant problems for psychology.” APA’s policy shift has also made banking credentials through a service such as ASPPB’s Credentials Bank or the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology more important than ever, says DeMers. “Given the inconsistency in licensure requirements, it’s all the more reason you need to be able to document what experiences you’ve had because you don’t know where your career’s going to take you,” he says. “You don’t know what you’re going to have to document down the road.” Others believe the APA policy change should be reversed. Among them is Emil Rodolfa, PhD, a former ASPPB board member who helped craft the practicum guidelines. He believes the change has done more harm than good. “If there was ever a time when we could get agreement from everybody about what the standards are and then all change at the same time, then we could do something like this,” says Rodolfa, who directs counseling and psychological services at the University of California at Davis. “Until that happens, this is just going to create increasing problems for individuals who want to get licensed.” For Belar, the solution is to work toward consistency in states accepting psychology’s standard of education and training for entry into practice — graduation from an APA-accredited doctoral program. n Rebecca A. Clay is a writer in Washington, D.C. 68 Monitor on psychology • DeceMber 2011 THE NICHOLAS & DOROTHY CUMMINGS FOUNDATION presented the 2011 Cummings PSYCHE Award to Dr. John Caccavale, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Professional Psychology Providers, at the NAPPP meeting held in San Diego, CA, on October 15, 2011. The award was conferred on Dr. Caccavale by Cummings Foundation board members, Dr. Janet Cummings and Andrew Cummings. The Award, presented at the Cummings Foundation sponsored luncheon, was attended by 70 guests and included Dr. Nicholas Cummings and Dorothy Cummings. The award is a 12 pound statue of the Greek Goddess Psyche that was sculpted by the celebrated San Francisco artist Maxi Harper and is accompanied by a prize of $50,000, which is the highest amount of any prize offered in professional psychology. Dr. Janet Cummings, in announcing the award, stated, “Dr. Caccavale was selected as the 2011 recipient because he has performed spectacularly in promoting programs and awareness in a profound and enduring advancement of psychotherapy, as the first-line intervention in behavioral care (i.e., mental health as behavioral care).” Besides his work as executive director of NAPPP, Dr. Caccavale is the chair of the Truthindrugs Campaign, Dr. Cummings, in discussing the award, told the audience that, “The key word is ‘spectacular,’ and as such, every recipient of the Award must meet this stringent criterion.” In accepting the award, Dr. Caccavale stated, “While I am deeply honored to receive this recognition, this award tells as much about the Cummings family as it does about those selected for the honor.” Dr. Caccavale went on to tell the audience about the life long commitment that the Cummings family has made to professional psychology and to promote quality behavioral healthcare for patients. Dr. Caccavale also acknowledged his colleagues in stating that, “In a room filled with so many bright lights, it is not easy to be seen as shining.” Dr. Caccavale joins a prestigious list of past recipients of the award that include: Arnold A. Lazarus, Ph.D.; Aaron T. Beck, M.D.; Leonard L. Stein, M.D.; Don Lipsitt, M.D.; Simon H. Budman, Ph.D.; Morris F. Collen, M.D.; Donald A. Block, M.D., Alex Rodriquez, M.D.; Susan McDaniel, Ph.D.; Michael Hoyt, Ph.D.; Joseph Evans, Ph.D.; Anne E. Kazak, Ph.D. and Barbara Ann Cubic, Ph.D. For more information about the Cummings Foundation, go to foundation’s website., www.thecummingsfoundation.org. http://www.thecummingsfoundation.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - December 2011

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Willpower Pioneer Wins $100,000 Grawemeyer Prize
Single-Sex Schooling Called Into Question by Prominent Researchers
Maternal Depression Stunts Childhood Growth, Research Suggests
For Boys, Sharing May Seem Like a Waste of Time
Good News for Postdoc Applicants
In Brief
Treatment Guideline Development Now Under Way
Government Relations Update
Psychologist Named Va Mental Health Chief
The Limits of Eyewitness Testimony
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Deconstructing Suicide
Questionnaire
A Focus on Interdisciplinarity
A Time of ‘Enormous Change’
The Science Behind Team Science
Good Science Requires Good Conflict
A New Paradigm of Care
Speaking of Education
Science Directions
New Labels, New Attitudes?
Psychologist Profile
Early Career Psychology
Unintended Consequences
Better Options for Troubled Teens
Saving Lives, One Organ at a Time
New Journal Editors
APA News
Division Spotlight
Guidelines for the Conduct of President-Elect Nominations and Elections
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011