Monitor on Psychology - June 2012 - (Page 70)

Candidates weigh in Beginning this month and continuing through the September Monitor, the five candidates for APA’s 2014 president are answering two questions per issue. Balloting begins Sept. 14 and the election closes Oct. 29. For biographical information on each candidate and the candidates’ election statements, see the May Monitor. Q1 What concrete steps will you take during your term to encourage the engagement of early career psychologists (ECPs) in APA (scientists, educators and practitioners)? Q2 What is your vision of the future of psychological science in an era of increasing interdisciplinarity? Paul L. Craig, PhD Independent practice, Anchorage, Alaska Q1 “The Year of Our Youth” is the foundation of my candidacy. This foundation will serve as my litmus test for selecting policy priorities while serving as your president. When elected, I will recruit a working group composed of early career psychologists and members of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) to identify issues of greatest importance to our nascent scientists, educators and practitioners. Based upon input from this working group, I will focus presidential initiatives specifically on promoting the best interest of the youth within our profession. If early career psychologists are flourishing, we will all benefit. Q2 Psychology is a STEM discipline, but should not be viewed as being set apart from other scientific disciplines. When behavior is a dependent or independent variable in any scientific research, psychologists should strive to be involved. Psychology has benefited from embracing interdisciplinarity. Psychologists received the Nobel Prize in 1981 in medicine and 2002 in economics. By embracing an increasingly transdisciplinary future, I envision psychologists receiving the Nobel in other divergent fields of science. To the extent behavior plays a role in any domain of scientific inquiry, psychologists should bring our knowledge and skills to bear on this body of research. Todd Finnerty, PsyD PsychContinuingEd.com, Columbus, Ohio Q1 Quick question: When was the last time you heard of a local get-together for specifically APA members? APA membership should lead to automatic membership in a state association. All objections can be addressed through organizational adaptations. Money and council positions flow to SPTAs, members should also flow to SPTAs. APA’s “severed head” structure unnecessarily inhibits engaging members. You can’t engage members remotely from Washington, D.C., and scientists, educators and practitioners all need local and regional opportunities for mentorship, networking and service. No volunteer should ever be turned away. We’ll increase contacts among ECPs, researchers and practitioners at a local level. Q2 I envision a future where no person or academic discipline is unjustly deprived of the benefits of psychology. William Gibson said, “The future is already here, it is just not yet evenly distributed.” Implementing evidence-based practice is our future; it’s time to evenly distribute it. I started PsychContinuingEd.com and am running now to ensure that all people — no matter where they live, how much they make or who their ancestors were — have access to the best available care. In the future, we’ll need more psychologists, not fewer. This vision reflects our principle of justice; share it with me. Visit www.toddfinnerty.com. MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY • JUNE 2012 70 http://www.PsychContinuingEd.com http://www.PsychContinuingEd.com http://www.toddfinnerty.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - June 2012

Monitor on Psychology - June 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
Give an Hour founder is one of Time magazine’s ‘most influential’
APA treatment guidelines panels are being formed
APA supports ‘Speak Up For Kids’
In Brief
Time Capsule
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Questionaire
APA honors Howell
Science Watch
Science Directions
What you should know about online education
Speaking of Education
Psychologist Profile
Redefining masculinity
Miscarriage and loss
Something for everyone
Candidates weigh in
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - June 2012