Article archive / April 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 8. Source pages: 5, 16.
I believe as much today as I did when I began my career that it is still very good to be a psychologist. Doom and gloom verbiage regarding our profession was just as prevalent thirty years ago as today. If being a psychologist were not a good thing, we would not be fighting constant battles to keep lesser trained persons from doing what we do. What we don't do very well is promote our profession. One of my goals is to initiate a far reaching
statewide public relations campaign enlisting the help of a branch of our profession that has gone underutilized, the organizational/industrial psychologist. I feel certain that APA would provide support for such a campaign.
Nothing that has been done since I became an LPA member has altered the percentage of licensed psychologist who are LPA members. During our list-serve debate over the past few months someone said to me that the "membership issue" is an organizational/industrial psychology issue not a clinical psychology issue. I will make a concerted effort to increase membership and that will mean a change in philosophy.
I will do all I can to keep the newspaper that resurfaced under Dr. Levy's presidency flourishing. I will use the newspaper and every other means available to communicate with and be responsive to the membership.
Concerning the Medical Psychologists and Act 251, I will do all I can to demonstrate that being a member of LPA is important to all psychologists. Many of us, including my opponent in this election, Dr. VanGeffen, have put in many hours on proposed byla ws changes that will increase the membership involvement and representation on the executive committee (EC). The recommended changes are designed to create more transparency. If elected, my EC will approve any and all legislative initiatives with the understanding that some details are handled on the fly by the appointed legislative chair.
Medical Psychology is an option for all psychologists in Louisiana and in the opinion of some very astute and talented psychologists that position was made stronger by Act 251. It is time to move on to other issues. Many sates are attempting to eliminate the year of supervision for ne wly graduated PhDs w hich is an onerous burden for the ne wly graduated trying to gain employment. This is a legislative issue we need to assess. I have proposed that we address the issue in the legislature of psychologists becoming coroner’s officers. If elected, these are t wo of many issues I would bring for ward for debate.
Dr. Van Geffen and I share the qualification of experience within LPA. In this time of change, especially on the EC if the bylaws changes are approved, such experience will be valuable. I have retained, even during this period of debate, a very good relationship with the community of psychologists in this state. As president-elect serving on the EC and as president I will remain determined to keep all of us together.
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