Article archive / April 1, 2011
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
As LPA’s new delegate to APA, Dr. Darlyne Nemeth attended the APA Council of Represent- atives on February 18-20 in Washington, D.C.
“It was an amazing experience,” Darlyne noted. “Being the Louisiana Council Rep is like being a member of the United States House of Representatives. The contents of the agenda for this meeting is 4 inches thick,” she said.
She participated in a variety of the Council activities, including deciding to reduce the dues of full members, adopting guidelines for a variety of issues, and establishing a new task force to create guidelines for psychologists’ use of telepsychology.
Darlyne noted that she was a little unprepared for the coalitions that existed. She explained, “What I didn't understand until I got there was that there were various coalitions, like special interests groups, that met before the council meeting officially began. Being new, I did not understand that I had to pay money to join these coalitions. Therefore, I did not bring a checkbook.” She said that each group requires a fee to join, and so she will bring these issues to the next LPA EC meeting for approval.
Dr. Nemeth expressed her wish for state associations to have more input, saying, “As the APA Council Representative from Louisiana, my elected duty is to represent LPA to the best of my ability. Many major divisions, such as Division 40, Clinical Neuropsychology, have several representatives supporting their agenda. It appears that the state and provincial associations do not have a lot of political influence on council and that is why they have a coalition. I would hope that, in the future, state and provincial associations will have more meaningful input.”
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth is a licensed psychologist, MP and is a specialist in neuro- psychology. She has been internationally recognized for her work with the hurricane Anniversary Wellness Workshops and was named LPA Distinguished Psychologist in 2010.
“I am grateful and humbled to be representing Louisiana in this major event,” she told the Times. And, “I am working hard to meet as many council reps as I can and to put forth a good image for Louisiana,” she said.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth (R) at the APA Council meeting with APA President, Dr. Melba Vasquez. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Nemeth.)
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