THE MISSISSIPPI PSYCHOLOGIST

NEWSLETTER OF THE

MISSISSIPPI PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION In This Issue

From the President's

Desk

Convention Wrap Up

MPA Members Honored

Executive Director's

Report

Region 1

Region 2

Region 3

Region 4

APA Council

Invited Submission

Submit an Article

Fall 2015

From the President's Desk

Emily Thomas Johnson, Ph.D., BCBA-D

MPA President

Looking at this Year - And Beyond

Looking at the end of my year as MPA President, Iwant to express my deepest gratitude for ourmembers and supporters of Psychology within and outside of our state.Without the support of others, we could not have made the inroads inmultiple areas that we walked this year. Additionally, I want to send mylove to all of those volunteers that have joined me on this journey and

have provided ongoing feedback and leadership this year. It has not beentaken for granted. We began this year with a legislative session that again highlighted thatwe must be constantly on our guard for those who are looking to encroachon the scope of practice of psychology. While this has occurred in otheryears, it seemed this year that these attempts came from many moresides than in the past. It additionally highlighted how we, aspsychologists, must continue to engage in the education of ourcommunity and professional worlds regarding our applicability andnecessity in behavioral health and mental health initiatives. We must takeback psychological practice and highlight for others how it is psychologythat has led to the advances in mental health and not other professions.Other professions are utilizing methods and research bases that havetheir roots in psychology. We must continue to highlight the value of theadvanced instruction and experience level of psychologists compared toother professions. That being said, we must also look forward. We must continue to supportstudents who are educated within our state and provide them with theawareness of our state and its needs. We have vibrant communities withwonderful histories in Mississippi that are still in dire need ofpsychological practitioners within an hour's drive. We must reach out topost-doctoral interns and highlight the benefit of expanding thepsychological practice in this area instead of moving away at the end ofinternship. We must work with our colleagues and administrators todevelop business plans that include the consistent reimbursement ofpsychologists for services provided at a rate that makes long-termprofessional commitment viable. We must establish clearly our benefitand value to insurance and other reimbursement agencies to compensatethose providing psychological services throughout the span of practice.We must reach out to our colleagues and spend time in conversation asmany of our colleagues are in communities without "like thinkers" and arein need of collegial discussions. One of the ways that MPA has attemptedto encourage this is social events coinciding with convention. However,there is a larger need. We understand that not all of our members are ableto get away from practice for our annual convention. We are reaching outto you to assist in these endeavors and ask you to provide us with moreideas for how to grow psychology in Mississippi. We all understand thatthe need is great and those in practice are few. However, I believe in our science and know that you do as well. Let'smove forward in building our profession together.

66th Annual Convention Focus on Success

Molly Clark, PhD, ABPPPast President and 2015 Convention Chair

The 66th Annual Convention Focus on Success wasincredibly....well, successful!

If you were unable to attend, you missed some wonderful continuingeducation sessions, a great venue, outstanding food, and camaraderiewith new and longstanding members. We were also successful inattracting students from our colleges and universities around the State ofMississippi. While we were only able to award 4 student poster winnersthis year, I am proud to say that the competition was tremendous as theresearch was outstanding. To further illustrate this point, all 4 winnerswere from different colleges and universities.

This year's silent auction was dedicated to our government relations fund.As Dr. Foster and Mr. Reno explained in our luncheon plenary,involvement in advocacy is essential for the profession of psychology inMississippi. Due to your generosity, over $1600 was raised and will beused to help promote our legislative efforts.

This success would not be possible without the dedication of ourExecutive Director, Amy Wilson, our executive council, our speakers andall of our attendees. I want to mention a few folks who worked very hardbehind the scenes to make the convention successful. First of all, I wantto thank Sara Jordan and John Askew for all of their work to ensure thatthe educational programs and posters were peer reviewed. Secondly, Iwould like to also thank our academic members who make it their goal tosupport their students at MPA. Finally, I want to say a special thanks toall of those listed below who were our silent auction donors and those whopurchased items to support our advocacy efforts.

CD Gaston, PhDJim Herzog, PhDSara Jordan, PhDMolly Clark, PhDRuth Shoemaker, PhDEmily Johnson, PhDPenni Foster, PhDNatalie Gaughf, PhDPearson In closing, it has been an honor to serve MPA. I look forward to continuedservice and hope that all of our members will remember to strive to do oneadditional activity, service and/or donation to MPA to ensure thatpsychology continues to have a voice in Mississippi.

MPA Members Honored With Awards at66th Annual Convention

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss .- At the 66th Annual Convention of the MississippiPsychological Association, three members received awards recognizingtheir contributions to the profession and to Mississippi, including theDistinguished Teaching of Psychology Award, the Kinloch Gill Award, andthe Distinguished Practitioner Award. One member was awarded MPAFellow status. Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award Dr. Karen Christoff, a professor at the University of Mississippi, receivedthe Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award. This award is presentedto the MPA member who has demonstrated outstanding performance as auniversity, college, or internship teacher. "Dr. Christoff has been a wonderful teacher and mentor to me," saidFernando Alessandri, a former student at the University of Mississippi."She was quite consistent in her behaviorism. I appreciated that it wasnever just 'theory' or 'academic' for her but something she modeled."

Distinguished Practitioner Award Dr. Angela Herzog of Jackson received the Distinguished PractitionerAward. This award is presented to the MPA member who has madedistinguished and significant contributions in the area of practice. "For well over 25 years, Dr. Angela Herzog has been an active member ofMPA," said Dr. Lisa Yazdani of Byram. "In addition to running a thrivingindependent practice and remaining active with MPA at the state level,Angela is also doing an outstanding job of representing Mississippi as ourCouncil Representative."

Kinloch Gill Award The recipient of the Kinloch Gill Award was Dr. Beverly Smallwood. Thisaward is presented to the MPA member who has demonstratedexcellence and distinction in contributions and service in the area ofpublic interest and public service activities.

Dr. Penni S. Foster commented that as the founder of The Hope Center inHattiesburg, as a motivational speaker and champion for public educationregarding health and coping that, "Dr. Smallwood has made a positive andprofound impact on the profession of psychology in the state, both for hercolleagues and the residents of our state. Her initiative, activeengagement and outreach to others is admirable."

Dr. Mardi Allen Awarded MPA Fellow Status The MPA Fellow invitation reflects MPA's desire to recognize individualswho have been leaders and representatives of the Association and thosewho have advanced the discipline of psychology in the State ofMississippi. Offering outstanding contributions or performance in the field

of psychology.

Dr. Jim Herzog, also an MPA Fellow expressed this regarding Dr. Allen,"It is hard to find a more deserving nominee for Fellow Status in MPAthan Dr Mardi Allen. She has been a leader in national psychologyorganizations and the Mississippi Board of Psychology, and other dutiesin which she made an exceptional and outstanding contribution to the fieldof psychology, particularly professional practice, this organization,psychology as a scientific field, and consumers of psychological servicesin Mississippi."

Dr. Mardi Allen obtain her Doctorate in School Psychology from theUniversity of Southern Mississippi in 1987 after completing an APAapproved clinical internship in Salt Lake City under the direction of Dr.Sam Goldstein in 1986.

Dr. Allen has served two terms on the Board of Psychology, includingChair twice, thus her leadership roles served the field by refinement of oralexaminations and improving the reliability of the licensure process, as wellas advocating to legislators on several bills essential to the practice ofpsychology. Dr. Allen continues to serve as an advisor to the MississippiBoard of Psychology, overseeing investigations into complaints andrehabilitative efforts of psychologists who have been sanctioned by thisbody.

Dr. Allen was very active as President and later as a board member ofASPPB. Dr. Allen served as a congressional fellow in the APAcongressional fellowship program on Capitol Hill. She is a past HeiserAward recipient for exemplary legislative advocacy service. Weappreciate Dr. Allen for her outstanding contributions to the field ofpsychology in Mississippi.

Executive Director's Report

Amy Wilson, PhDExecutive Director I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the Fall inMississippi. I can't believe that I have had the honor ofserving as your Executive Director for almost twoyears. I have truly enjoyed communicating with manyof you via phone or email, but I must say that theConvention in September was a wonderful opportunity for me to get toknow some of you better. The pride you have in your discipline andenthusiasm you have for the profession was quite apparent! I hold the profession of psychology in high regard and am inspired by theeducation and work you have invested in reaching the distinction of beinga Psychologist. I hope I can continue to support the profession byexpanding the public's knowledge of not only mental and emotional

issues, but also by clarifying the practice of psychologists in our state. As the year end draws close, I hope you will take the time to renew yourmembership in MPA and renew your desire to become an activecontributor to MPA in 2016! Best regards,

Amy Wilson

Your Region Representatives would like to hearfrom you! Let them know how they can represent

you or assist you with MPA related needs.

Region 1

Philip G. Cooker, PhDRegion 1 Representative 662-801-1664cooker@olemiss.edu

Region 2

Heath Gordon, PhDRegion 2 Representative/Website Chair

Region 2 Counties:Sharkey, Issaquena, Warren, Humphreys, Yazoo,Hinds, Holmes, Madison, Rankin, Attala, Leake,Scott, Winston, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee,Kemper, Lauderdale Dear Region II Members, As we close out 2015, I would like to seek feedback on Region 2activities and interests in an effort to identify any goals for our region'sfuture. What is going well? What would you like to see different? Are thereany goals you would like for us to consider as a region and/orassociation? Are there any professional collaborations we might consider?I welcome any thoughts and suggestions and look forward to hearing fromyou. Thank you in advance. Best, Heath601-368-4116Brian.Gordon2@va.gov

Region 3

Sara S. Jordan, PhDRegion 3 Representative

Reflections and a Look toward the Future As we gear up for our annual MPA Leadership Retreatnext week, I find this is a fitting time to reflect on both ouraccomplishments for the past year and areas for continued growth as anorganization and in my specific role as your Regional Representative. Inmany ways this has been a busy and productive year for MPA. This hasalso been a busy year in my professional life, having assumed the dutiesas Director of Clinical Training for the clinical psychology doctoral programat USM. This year was certainly one of the most active years in recent memory interms of legislative issues impacting our profession. Throughout the firstquarter of the year, there were many decisions to be made requiring rapidaction to be taken. It underscored for me the critical importance of MPA inmonitoring and responding to these issues that come up quickly, andoften, unexpectedly. Prior to serving on the Executive Council, myunderstanding of the legislative process was limited to an amalgam of12th grade U.S. Government class and a childhood episode ofSchoolhouse Rock (anyone else remember "I'm Just a Bill"?). We have a small organization that operates on a shoestring budget in apoor and relatively small state in terms of population. While we haveabout 400 licensed psychologists in this state, only about half aremembers of MPA. In this environment, there is a lot of work that needs tobe done that often rests on the shoulders of a small group of individuals.It strikes me that a few active and vocal individuals can have a significantimpact on the laws that are adopted in our state. While diffusion ofresponsibility becomes easier and easier the more busy we all become, itis critical that we remain vigilant regarding legislative activity in this state.To that end, I am very appreciative for the involvement and leadershipshown by Dr. Emily Thomas-Johnson and Dr. Penni Foster over the pastyear. I am pleased to see the quality of the offerings at Convention continue toincrease and to see the active participation by so many of our long-timemembers. I am proud that we have adopted a peer review process forevaluating conference submissions and have taken steps to insure thatour Continuing Education activities are consistent with APA guidelines.I'm also excited to see a new generation of psychologists becomeinvolved, renewed activity by academic psychologists, and the impressiveresearch being conducted by our student members. Please continue toencourage active involvement by newer members and students withwhom you interact.

Membership remains the lifeblood of our organization. As you meet andinteract with new psychologists in your local area and organizations,please mention MPA to them. To maintain the vitality of our organization,we need to continue to retain and recruit new members. I look forward toreviewing the survey data obtained at convention when the leadershipmeets next week. If you are located in Region 3 (the Hattiesburg area)and know of new psychologists to our area, please send me their namesso that I, too, can make contact and get to know them. With respect to areas of continued improvement, we could do better inimplementation of the COHORT program, as we have struggled to get thisprogram off the ground. It is a great opportunity to give back to thecommunity, reduce stigma, and give a more public face to psychology asa profession. I have been unable to identify anyone in my Region willing tocoordinate speakers and venues for delivery of the five topic wellnessseries developed and spearheaded by Dr. Bill Martin. If you are willing toassist with this effort, please contact me (sara.jordan@usm.edu). Inclosing, I encourage you to answer the challenge put forth at convention,to consider how you can add that single degree of effort to help maintainthe vitality of MPA and the profession of psychology as a whole. Sara S. Jordan sarajordan@usm.edu

Region 4

Bill Martin, PhDRegion 4 Representative The MPA Executive Council has identifiedNovember 6 for our annual planning retreat.This will produce our priorities and plans for thecoming year. There are numerous important issues, both identified andlikely, that will impact both psychology in general and the MPA inparticular in the coming year. But the part of that puzzle that is missing is input from the trenches, fromthe various practitioners dealing with day to day concerns that influenceyour practice. Please take a few moments to let me know your concerns,your observations, your hopes and wishes for how MPA can better serve,better represent you. My hope, my vision, is that MPA can be more than a host of an annualconvention, can be more than a provider of CE. That we can truly be yourspokesperson is my goal. For that to be realized we need your situationalawareness and your guidance. Bill Martin

228 369.4602WLM1843@gmail.com

FREEMEMBERSHIP

One-year first-time student membership If you are interested, complete and mail themembership application found athttp://mpassoc.org/membership-renewal/. Be sure to include the name of your school, name ofyour program, and name of your department chair.

APA Council

Angela Herzog, PhDAPA Council Representative In light of recent issues facing the AmericanPsychological Association regarding their allegedinvolvement in activities which might constitutecollusion with the government utilizing forms ofinterrogation in the war on terror, an independent reviewwas commissioned which produced results necessitating variouschanges. As a consequence of looking at the various roles of APA in thepublic eye and in the interest of psychologists, the need to addressdifferences between the c-3 APA mission as a charitable organization forthe discipline of psychology in its role of service in the public interest, asdistinguished from the mission of the c-6 APAPO to serve the disciplineof psychology in the interest of the practitioner became apparent. The APA Practice Organization (APAPO) is governed by the APAPOBoard of Directors and was established as a companion organization toAPA. The Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice(CAPP) is the only governance committee created within the APAPO bythe APAPO Board of Directors. According to its bylaws, CAPP's purposeis to identify, plan and implement projects important to the protection,defense, and enhancement of professional practice and recommend to theAPAPO Board of Directors the needed funding for such projects. In 2014 the Council of Representative voted to remove CAPP from amongthe APA governance Boards and Committees and to remove all of its C-3functions. At the same time, CAPP amended its electoral process fromelection as one of the APA Boards and Committees by vote of the APACouncil of Representatives, to one of direct nomination and election ofCAPP members by all APAPO Practice Constituents (members). CAPPnow functions only in the c-6 role, and serves as the oversight board forthe APAPO and as an advisory group to the APAPO Board of Directors. Itis of significant benefit to practitioners for the CAPP to no longer serve

the c-3 duty and obligation to APA governance. For psychologists engaged in practice in any setting, involvement in theAPA Practice Organization is a commitment to advocacy for theprofession. The mission of APAPO is to provide protection, defense andenhancement of our professional identity and practice viability through theactivities of CAPP, who advises the APAPO board of directors regardingneeded efforts and prioritized funding for projects that strengthen andsustain the profession. Members of APAPO - those who have paid the APAPO membership dues- are now eligible and invited to participate in the process of nominatingand electing governance leaders for CAPP. The goal of the changes forconstituents to nominate and vote on members of CAPP replaces theprevious role of the Council of Representatives. This is a significantchange which aspires for constituent members to increase theirengagement and take more ownership through their involvement indetermining the leadership of those in positions to make decisions aboutthe focus and operations of APAPO. These changes for CAPP havefacilitated increased opportunities to understand, focus on, and respond tothe needs of the practice community. The organizational changes to CAPP and APAPO undergird theorganizational mechanism for their exclusive commitment to serving theneeds and interests of professional psychologists, with its mission toadvance and protect the professional and economic interests of practicingpsychologists. For those interested in further information about the issues of APA rolesin advising the government on interrogation issues, documents areavailable at www.apa.org/independent-review/. Regarding structuralchanges at APA and APAPO and their roles for the field of psychology,go to www.apapracticecentral.org. Regardless of the status or setting of those involved in the practice ofpsychology, your participation as an APAPO constituent is considered bymany as part of one's professional responsibility. Our involvement withAPAPO is indeed confirmation of an individual's commitment to the goodof all of us.

Invited Submission

Patrick H. DeLeon, PhD, JD

THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS WE CANNOT SOLVE TOGETHER

This summer I was invited to the Florida Psychological Association (FPA)annual convention. It was extremely exciting to see President Lori Buttsfocus her Town Hall luncheon on the unprecedented changes occurringwithin the Florida health care environment. As speaker after speakerdescribed what they have been doing over the past several years - for

example, utilizing telehealth/telepsychology within the VeteransAdministration (VA) or working within the judicial system - it becameevident that FPA is well positioned to capitalize upon the monumentalchanges envisioned by President Obama's Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act (ACA). Steve Ragusea and his son Tony, both ofwhom were formally recognized at the subsequent awards ceremony,discussed the maturing Florida prescriptive authority (RxP) task force -which is being actively supported by Illinois/Florida resident Beth Rom-Rymer. "Illinois has been a great success story for RxP. Over 640psychologists throughout the state came together to lobby for our bill. Wenow have over 50 psychologists in training and two licensed prescribingpsychologists on our licensing board." Forensic, neuropsychology, andactive involvement in public education were several of the topicsaddressed throughout the convention.

The enthusiasm and energy demonstrated by the FPA membership werevery refreshing and reminded me of Katherine Nordal's charge at thisyear's annual State Leadership Conference: "To be innovators we need toshake off some old ways of thinking about traditional practice models. We need to shake off the negative attitudes some of our colleagues haveabout what's happening in health care. That world is changing. Healthcare is moving ahead - with or without psychology. We need to thinkdifferently about our professional roles and the way we provide services. Too many psychologists are stuck in the traditional 50-minute therapybox. And that box is way too confining." My message was thatpsychology has become one of our nation's bone fide healthcareprofessions. We must adapt to the healthcare environment of tomorrow.

An underlying foundation of the ACA is fostering the importance ofproviding patient-centered, best-practice oriented, holistic care within aninterdisciplinary collaborative model. To be successful, psychology mustlearn what other disciplines are doing. FPA's leadership and membershiphave clearly expressed their faith in the profession's ability to adjust to thenew healthcare environment and FPA is nicely positioning itself to moveinto that quickly emerging future in order to seize the opportunities thatwill evolve. The Legal Profession: Dina Shek is the Legal Director of Hawaii'sMedical-Legal Partnership (MLP) at the Kokua Kalihi Valley FederallyQualified Community Health Center (FQCHC) on Oahu, Hawaii -- whichseeks to address the holistic needs of a number of traditionallyunderserved residents from throughout the Pacific Basin region, thePhilippines, and Native Hawaiians. "'I can't imagine practicing medicinewithout a lawyer on my team!' stated Dr. Alicia Turlington, MLP MedicalDirector, in the national Community Health Forum. She continued: 'I thinkI'd be practicing substandard care. Not asking questions about housing,benefits and food would feel wrong, but so would asking if I couldn't doanything about it. Our lawyers help me treat those things.'

"In 2004, Dr. Barry Zuckerman and other MLP advocates published 'WhyPediatricians Need Lawyers to Keep Children Healthy.' As a law student

at the time, this helped inspire me to start Hawaii's first MLP for Children. Now in our seventh year, our MLP addresses systemic advocacy issueswhile building on our work that provides free legal services on-site atcommunity health clinic settings. Co-location is not enough, however -the key is integration. Integration means listening to patients' stories,promoting their self-advocacy skills, and supporting community-led policyefforts. True collaboration means building relationships with providers,discussing trends and policy changes, and sharing stories of success andpossible solutions. At times, building trust with patients means doingthings that don't necessarily appear 'lawyerly' - such as completing HeadStart applications, making food bank referrals, and reviewing clients' mail. People then will trust you with a food stamp termination letter or theemployment discrimination story burdening a single mother's soul.

"By collaborating at the place where low-income people get theirhealthcare, MLP attorneys provide 'legal care' to enhance health andfamily well-being. HRSA now recognizes the value of legal care, andrecently included 'legal services' as an 'enabling service' eligible forcommunity health funding. Pediatricians frequently uncover health-harming legal needs, but doctors are limited in their capacity to addressnon-medical problems. The MLP model ensures that health centers canaddress all the most pressing needs of their patients. Dr. Turlington'swords merit repeating: 'I can't imagine practicing medicine without alawyer on my team.'"

The MLP for Children is a project of the William S. Richardson School ofLaw and is the leading clinical project for the Health Law Policy Center. Appropriately, the late-Chief Justice Richardson was Native Hawaiian andhas authored some of the most far-reaching legal decisions affectingNative Hawaiians and their cultural relationship with the land. CurrentlyMLPs exist in 235 health institutions in 38 states, with a nationalnetwork. The American Bar Association and American MedicalAssociation have passed national resolutions in support of this model. Dina has expanded her efforts to another Hawaii FQCHC, one serving anextraordinary number of Native Hawaiians in rural Oahu, as well asdeveloped ongoing discussions with the Hawai'i Primary CareAssociation. Twice-weekly free legal advocacy clinics are hosted, as wellas numerous professional training and educational workshops forhealthcare providers, including students in nursing, social work,psychology, and medicine.

Clinical Pharmacy: Following up on a National Governors Association(NGA) 2015 policy paper, "The Expanding Role of Pharmacists in aTransformed Health Care System," the National Alliance of StatePharmacy Associations (NASPA) convened a workshop to developrecommendations for what elements of collaborative practice authorityshould appropriately be defined under state law and/or regulations, andwhat should best be left to be determined between pharmacists and otherpractitioners when developing their specific collaborative practicearrangements (CPA). Noting that state laws and regulations authorizingCPAs are highly variable, the underlying key issues were: What is in the

best interest of the patient and, Is the recommendation aligned withpharmacists' considerable education and training? The participants felt"Any practitioner with prescriptive authority may collaborate withpharmacists using a CPA." Further, "All prescription drugs, includingcontrolled substances, may be included within pharmacists' collaborativepractice authority." The workgroup took the approach that rapidinnovation in education, training, technology, and evidence-basedguidelines necessitate a collaborative practice framework that is flexibleand facilitates innovation in care delivery.Art Kellerman, Dean of America's Medical School at USUHS, recentlyTweeted: "U.S. healthcare system wastes more $$ each year oninefficient/inappropriate care than we annually spend on defense."

There are no problems we cannot solve together and very few that we cansolve by ourselves. Aloha,

Pat DeLeon, former APA President - Division 42 - August, 2015

Submit an Article

Natalie W. Gaughf, PhD, ABPP Communications Chair

The Mississippi Psychologist is the MississippiPsychological Association's (MPA) newsletter for itsmembers, associates, and friends of psychology.

If you are a member of MPA or have an interest in psychology in the stateof Mississippi, we invite you to submit an article. Please contact theCommunications Cair for submission guidelines.

Note: Publication of an article does not necessarily represent the positionor policy of MPA or the MPA Executive Council. Opinions expressed aredeemed to be the sole responsibility and position of the author. As aservice, MPA may provide a listing of groups, meetings or activities. TheMPA Psychologist has no way of determining the quality or substancethereof and therefore accepts no responsibility for them. MPA does notendorse any advertiser unless otherwise specified.

nwgaughf1@umc.edu