Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 8.
Governor Jindal and Pennington Biomedical Research Center announced the new Childhood Obesity and Diabetes Research Program at Pennington’s Baton Rouge-based campus and opened a newly renovated space for the program’s activities. The Jindal Administration provided $6.4 million in funding for the renovated building that houses the new research clinic. The funding has allowed Pennington Biomedical to retain 19 direct jobs for pediatric studies, and to create more jobs in the future as grants are obtained.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 8.
At their September 2013 meeting, the psychology board discussed whether licensees should keep continuing education records. According to the minutes, the Board discussed the issue carefully. Dr. Culross moved to issue a Board opinion that all psychologists should retain continuing education records or certificates for 6 years. The motion passed with all members voting favorably.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 8.
As described in their minutes of December 2013, the members of the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board discussed finances and alternative ways to finance the expenses of the board.
They also considered developing supervision rules for unlicensed individuals practicing under the direction of a Licensed Behavior Analyst.
The members set dates for future meetings as February 4, March 11, April 8, and June 3.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 8.
Armond Alphonse Devezin, Ph.D., age 81, died Friday, December 20, 2013. Dr. Devezin was a licensed psychologist and associate professor at Dillard University in New Orleans. He was a psychologist for the New Orleans Police Department and operated a private practice, Devezin’s Psychological Services.
He was the first African-American president of the Louisiana Psychological Association, and also served as president of the Louisiana Association of Black Psychologists.
A memorial article is to follow.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 6. Source pages: 9.
LSU psychological scientist, Dr. Sean Lane, and his group at the Office of Applied Cognition continue to tease out nuances of lies, liars, and detection
Dr. Sean Lane, Associate Professor at the LSU Department of Psychology, and Co- Director of the Office of Applied Cognition, will be presenting research on some of the complex cognitive science behind lies and deception, at the upcoming conference of the American Psychology–Law Society to be held March 6-8, in New Orleans. The Society is Division 41 of the American Psych- ological Association.
Lane and his team delve into the convoluted nature of humans and their lies, how memory affects lies and truth, and the nuances of detection.
The team includes graduate students, undergraduates, and past graduates, Stephanie Martin, Rachel Dianiska, Kacie Mennie, and Lloyd Moffett. The group works with Dr. Emily Elliot, an LSU colleague and expert in the area of working memory and attention. Dr. Megan Papesh of the LSU faculty will also present at the conference.
“My laboratory studies the cognitive, particularly memory, processes that operate in complex, real-world situations,” Dr. Lane explained to the Times.
“Much of our work focuses on understanding cognitive processes in legal settings,” he said. “For example, we've recently been doing research examining people's memory for their lies.”
In a previous study, Lane and former graduate student Kathleen Vieria examined the difference in false descriptions and false denials, a topic important to forensic interrogators. The researchers examined how the two types of lies were different cognitively. False denials are less cognitively complex and easier to forget, making it harder to hold together during more intense interviewing. Their study was accepted for publication in the J. of Applied Research and Memory Cognition.
For the upcoming conference, Lane, Martin, Elliott, and Mennie will present Working memory capacity and cognitive load influence people’s veracity judgments of interviewees, and also, The impact of cognitive load and WMC on information elicitation and deception detection. Kacie Mennie and others will present research on The effect of maintaining eye contact on information elicitation and deception detection.
Dr. Papesh will present on Context-based criterion shifts in photo-ID verification.
“We will be presenting research on the strengths and weaknesses of a technique designed to enhance the ability to detect deception in interviews,” Lane said. “This line of research is designed to empirically answer questions that have arisen from law enforcement investigators using the tools of cognitive science. In ongoing and future work, we are examining meta- cognition in the context of investigative interviews –with post-doc Sarah Jordan– in laboratory and field studies.”
“One thing we'll be highlighting,” Lane said, “is how individual differences in working memory capacity can influence the interpretation of interviewee's behavior.”
“The conference draws an international group of researchers and practitioners to discuss the latest developments in this area,” said Lane. He explained that most of the research presented can be roughly grouped in forensic psychology, such as clinical determination of competency or prisoner mental health. And, the other topic is psychology and the law, which includes jury decision-making and eyewitness memory.
“One unique aspect of the conference is it's interdisciplinary flavor, as it is common for attorneys, judges, and law enforcement officials to join in the conversation about how psychology should inform public policy,” said Lane.
“Our research is conducted in both the lab and the field, and we attempt to use what we learn to improve performance in real- world settings and to refine basic theory,” Lane said.
Along this line, and with their other work, the group is beginning a collaboration with the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training at LSU to examine ways of enhancing law enforcement training.
Find more about the Office of Applied Cognition at http://www.lsu.edu/psychology/oac/ For information about the American Psychology– Law Society go to http://www.apadivisions.org/division- 41/index.aspx
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
As the mental health profession continues the slide into medication as a primary form of treatment, a small group of family therapists in the Shreveport area work to light candles in the dark.
The group of counselors and family therapists at the Red River Institute is led by outspoken Director Tom Moore. Moore is a family therapist, educator and philosopher, who regularly takes aim at the growing trend to medicate people for their psychological problems, problems that he views originate in interpersonal and cultural contexts.
Moore, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with supervisor status, joins colleagues Howie Brownell, Dr. Katie Garcia, and Dr. Kelly Tyner at the Red River Institute (RRI) in Shreveport, Louisiana. Together they push for a more humanistic, holistic, and less chemical approach to life’s problems.
“It is ironic that in spite of the incredible spike of prescription drug used in our society in the last thirty years,” Moore explained to the Times, “our emotional and psychological ‘dis-ease’ as a society seems to be spiking as well.”
Medical journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee Robert Whitaker’s 2010 book, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America focuses on this disturbing fact. As psychiatry has gained ground, mental illness has skyrocketed.
“I think that the realization of this fact is causing consumers and providers of mental health services to take a fresh look at more traditional views of wellness that are rooted in physical, relational, and spiritual health,” Moore noted. “Chronic imbalances created by cultural and societal stressors erode our emotional and psychological resilience and create vulnerability to depression and anxiety. Since the beginning of time the only tried and true answer to this vulnerability seems to be a collaborative, supportive network of relationships–our ‘village.’” And he said, “The research is clearly showing us that relationships heal—not pills.”
Dr. Katie Garcia is Moore’s colleague at the Red River Institute and formerly the Clinical Director at the Center for Families in Shreveport. Dr. Garcia warns against the mechanic approach so common today. “A person’s mental health is quite unique from other forms of physical, bodily health,” she said. “There is a certain mystery and beauty to it. There are so many aspects to brain and mind that we do not, and cannot, understand.”
Those at RRI try to keep the faith; holding that much of modern malaise is not a problem that stems from, nor can be remedied by, biochemical adjustments. Rather they say, our problems emerge from a toxic disconnection from self, others, and the community. The place to promote the healing is not in a pill but in our relationships.
“According to family systems theory,” said Dr. Garcia, “people cannot be viewed in isolation. When we attempt to treat an individual’s diagnosis or ‘mind,’ we are completely discounting the entire context in which they live,” she said.
“The entire field of marriage and family therapy was originated by psychiatrists who were finding themselves continually frustrated at seeing patients’ symptoms improve in an isolated environment and then immediately relapsing once they were returned to their home environment.”
“Problems stem from difficult relationships,” Garcia said. “Not just problems such as infidelity or parent/child difficulties, but even drug abuse, depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and more–all can be understood through a systems framework by looking at the context in which the behaviors occur.”
“I also believe that problems can be resolved the quickest when these relationships can be discussed openly, with all parties involved, in the context of a therapeutic setting. If any of these are absent, the process can take longer,” she explained.
The group at RRI holds firm to this philosophy, speaking out frankly about what they offer and why it is important to the consumer on their artfully designed webpage, offering news, articles, commentary and resources for professionals. Moore also hosts a frank discussion on his blog, Perspectives for the Postmodern Healer, the philosophy captured by topics like “The Witchdoctor Speaks” and a “Healer’s Manifesto”
The Manifesto lays out affirmations for the family therapist: “I reject the molecular hypothesis as a sufficient summation of the human condition,” and “I practice a traditional ‘healing art’ that is rooted in and utilizes relationship and community.” And, “In my work, I seek to preserve the integrity of the whole person, the uniqueness of the individual, and the sacredness of the human being.”
Another of the Marriage and Family Therapists at the Institute is Howie Brownell. “… we are healers and not mental mechanics,” Brownell said. “We promote healing contexts and not ‘fix’ people like they were broken toasters or machines. We are human and have our unique approaches to the world,” he said. Brownell especially likes a quote from the movie Patch Adams: “’When you work with illnesses you win some you lose some. When you work with people you win every time.’”
Sky-rocketing use of antidepressants
The group is in good company when it comes to their concern about the overmedication of the consumer. One in ten people in the U.S. now take an antidepressant according to the Center for Disease Control. Antidepressants were the most common drug used by adults age 18 to 44. And, once taking the drugs, 60 percent of people continue taking them.
Why the dramatic increase? “The simple answer to that is money,” said Director Moore. Experts suggest that the global market may be $693 billion. “The wide range of problems that the pharmaceutical companies claim these drugs can treat reminds me of the old traveling medicine show peddlers in the mid-1800’s and has led to massive off-label prescribing …”.
“What the research is showing us, however, is that there is much more wishful thinking and sophisticated marketing behind these drugs that real science,” Moore said.
Moore’s views mesh well with scientists who are looking at the issues. Last fall, in a joint conference sponsored by Tulane and the Louisiana Psychological Association, a premier researcher in the area, Dr. Irving Kirsch, Associate Director of the Program for Placebo Studies at Harvard Medical, told the attendees, “The placebo response is about 75 percent of the drug response.” Kirsch’s work also shows that the non-placebo benefits of drugs often make little practical difference for the patient.
Some scientists are beginning to look at the big picture problems for tinkering with the neurotransmitters. In an article about the evolutionary importance of serotonin, “Primum non oncere: an evolutionary analysis of whether antidepressants do more harm than good,” (Frontiers in Psychology). Authors warned that serotonin is involved in many complex, interconnected adaptive processes, explained nutritional biochemist, Cass Nelson-Dooley, of Health First Consulting.
She explained that the authors see serotonin as an ancient system, having evolved one billion years ago and we share it with animals, plants, and fungi. “Serotonin is under tight homeostatic control in the brain, gut, and blood plasma,” she said. “The article shows that SSRI antidepressants affect every major system regulated by serotonin.” While antidepressants have a modest effect on depressive symptoms, there are many risks. The authors suggest that targeting the serotonin system with drug therapy results in a ‘push-back effect,’ to achieve homeostatic equilibrium, that ultimately makes the risks of the medication far outweigh the benefits.”
This relates to other research showing that while depression appears to lift faster, patients tend to relapse, and what should have been a short phase of depression becomes chronic.
“Pharmaceutical companies spend an exorbitant amount of money marketing and advertising,” said Dr. Garcia. “This approach has been tremendously successful with the general population. It is now impossible to watch a television show without seeing an ad for some drug for some mental illness, and if the current drugs you are using are not working, the ad will recommend adding an additional one. The underlying message is- this is what works, and if it is not working, get a stronger dose. I have seen countless clients who have been prescribed psychotropic medications who have seen absolutely no benefits, but refuse to question their efficacy.”
Does the new DSM help or hurt?
With the release of new DSM-5, some critics point to additional problems for consumers of mental health services. In a recent issue of Psychology Today, Allen Frances, M.D., listed a host of concerns, in “DSM5 in Distress.”
“New diagnoses in psychiatry are more dangerous than new drugs,” Frances wrote, “because they influence whether or not millions of people are placed on drugs– often by primary care doctors after brief visits.” Temper tantrums become Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, simple everyday worries become Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and normal grief is now Major Depressive Disorder, “… thus medicalizing and trivializing our expectable and necessary emotional reactions to the loss of a loved one and substitution pills and superficial medical rituals for the deep consolations of family, friends, religion, and the resiliency that comes with time and acceptance of the limitations of life,” wrote Frances.
The theme blends well with the RRI’s concerns. “The stated intent of the manual,” said Moore, “is to provide an atheoretical taxonomy of symptoms that allows health professionals of different disciplines to communicate effectively with one another about their patients or clients. Instead,” he said, “the DSM has been used to classify and label people rather than symptoms. Mental health professionals who practice psychotherapy or family therapy understand how anti-therapeutic this labeling can be, especially for children.”
Dr. Kelly Tyner, Marriage and Family Therapist at the Institute and at the Veteran’s Hospital in Shreveport, agrees.. “I think the original intent of the DSM was to assist mental health professionals in communicating efficiently with one another about what individuals are struggling with. Instead what we have is a method for professionals to explain particular behaviors.”
She views this as limiting rather than helping. “I can't count the number of times I have heard mental health professionals say that they don't work with a particular group of individuals simply based on their diagnosis.”
“The overreach is tremendous,” agreed colleague Garcia, “with such little research to verify its credibility. The language has even evolved, once being referred to as a guide, and now seeming to imply the content as fact. The problem is, these disorders and diagnoses cannot be objectively measured, as diabetes or cancer or high blood pressure can.”
Brownell, thinks it may take a whole new way of making sense of our problems. “… it doesn't help us resolve the problems associated with this ‘thing’ that we call human experience,” he said. “I think that instead of trying to objectify and validate what we do we as practitioners, we should accept that we are wordsmiths and we practice an art form that encapsulates the absurdity that is part of our humanness and must be embraced as such, and not medicalized. “
“We have moved to an isolative type of society,” said Dr. Tyner. “With the advent of the television in main stream America, we have developed more and more ways of isolating ourselves from one another and mentally checking out from what's going on around us. Simply look around you and note the number of people who are interacting with an electronic device instead of the people around them. I'm actually in a conference typing this on my phone right now!! The idea of the village that Tom brings up is an exceptionally important idea. It evokes ideas of interaction and connection and these are things that are vital to emotional health.”
One of the core beliefs for those at the RRI is the value of the relationship, consistent with the newest findings from outcomes researcher and psychologist, Dr. Jeb Brown of the Center for Clinical Informatics. Brown, using new linear modles and very large data bases, has found what is often suspected. “Across the board it is the therapist that explains the outcomes,” Brown said to the Times previously, “not age, not experience, not credentials, or the type of therapy.” This even includes whether medication is helpful. “Therapist effects,” said Brown, “this is what is driving things. It resides with the therapist.”
Efforts to hold both humanistic and scientific strains of the rope together
Therapists at the Red River Institute see their own efforts as connected to their colleagues, their interns, and the larger community. The group stays active and in practice and educational efforts, including conferences, training, their Director’s blog, and (http://www.redriverinstitute.org/) website.
“Our Spring Conference in Shreveport is a celebration of the art of talk therapy,” said Moore, “always accompanied by a bold critique of the mental health profession. We are developing our new website into a hub of reliable information for the independent nonmedical mental health provider,” he said. “We also use our website to keep professionals informed about how they can take political action to prevent the further ‘medicalization’ of the mental health profession through legislation.”
The group also sees the issue within the professional community to be an area for collaboration. “Our mental health community is constantly attempting to answer questions and find treatments when problems arise,” said Dr. Garcia, “and all professions within mental health should be given much credit for their true desire to explain a part of our body that is often unexplainable. I think what is important is for us to be clear and transparent about what we, as a mental health field, know and what we do not know–what we hope to know, and what we can never know,” she said.
“Mental health problems will never have a ‘quick fix,’” she said. “We need to place more value on spending time with our clients in a therapeutic setting and helping them find their own solutions for life’s difficulties and problems.
Brownell points to problems with the culture. “I also believe as Edwin Friedman stated in his book, "A Failure of Nerve" that our culture has anxiety that is related to a collective loss of nerve. It represents a regression or ‘throw back’ to earlier points in world history where we have seen a creativity gridlock, which essentially results in reacting rather than ‘proacting.’ As professionals, we need to, as Friedman offers, rise above the morass that we get caught in so that we're not stuck with our culture in the problematic situations.
And for the family therapists at RRI, it may begin with the basics. In the Witchdoctor blog, Moore reminds his students and readers that all ancient healing disciplines teach that the ‘right action’ flows only from the ‘right motive.’
And, for the professional healer, the motive is always compassion.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 3.
Governor Jindal Comments Popular Duckman Draws Criticism And a Line in Sand With Comments
The popular personality on A&E’s Duck Dynasty, family patriarch Phil Robertson, came under criticism for his comments to a GQ Magazine reporter last month. Duck Dynasty is a show filmed in West Monroe, Louisiana, and is the number one rated reality show.
The comments prompted the gay rights group GLAAD (formerly Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) to complain to the A&E Network about the comments. GLAAD’s Director of News, Ross Murray, wrote on the website, “GQ Magazine’s profile of Phil Roberston included some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT people in a main- stream publication.”
GQ had quoted Robertson as saying, “It seems like, to me, a vagina–as a man–would be more desirable than a man’s anus.” Also, Robertson included homosexuality with adultery, prostitution, and bestiality, saying these behaviors would keep people from inheriting the kingdom of God.
A&E “suspended” Robertson indefinitely. This caused an outcry from the show’s fans. Religious and conservative groups accused A&E of attacking Christian values and free speech.
In a statement posted on the Duck Commander website, Willie Robertson confirmed the Robertsons’ support of Phil, saying that while some of his comments were “coarse,” Phil’s beliefs are grounded in the Bible, not hate.
Willie Robertson also said, “…as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm.”
Phil Robertson defended his comments as coming from the Bible and said he would not back off from his “path.”
On Dec 19, Gov. Jindal released a statement about the suspension, titled, “I Remember When TV Networks Believed in 1st Amendment.”
Jindal said, “Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana. The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with. I don’t agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive. But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment. It is a messed up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended "
On December 27, A&E reversed their decision and lifted the suspension. Governor Jindal released a statement, “Today is a Good Day for the Freedoms of Speech and Religious Liberty”
“I am glad to hear that the folks at A&E came to their senses and recognized that tolerance of religious views is more important than political correctness. Today is a good day for the freedoms of speech and religious liberty.”
“The left is going to have to get accustomed to the fact that it does not have a monopoly on free speech and is not the only group who is permitted to voice its opinion in the public square. The left may control Hollywood, but they don’t control the hearts and minds of a majority of Americans.”
Phil Robertson (center) at family dinner. His comments drew criticism and a suspension from A&E, which was later reversed. About the reversal, Governor Jindal said “Today is a good day for the freedoms of speech and religious liberty.” Photo by Zach Dilgard. Courtesy of A&E.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 16.
Naomi Pittman interprets for a presentation at the Louisiana Counseling Association Convention held last year. Ms. Pittman works with Lighthouse Louisiana, a group providing services, training, employment and advocacy for persons with vision loss and also hearing impairments. Mr. Clinton LaBerge, Deaf Services Manager, explained to the Times that Lighthouse has been providing services in New Orleans since 1915. In 2012 they expanded services to include individuals with hearing loss.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 4.
A recent announcement from Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) said the agency adopted an emergency rule, effective Dec. 1, to comply with federal regulations, and protect Medicaid enrollees' right to choose how they receive their healthcare. The emergency rule prohibits providers from “steering” people to certain plans.
Provider steering as any conduct intended to recommend whether or not to enroll in a managed care health plan or Medicaid fee-for- service (legacy Medicaid), or to enroll in a specific managed care health plan over another health plan. This conduct is prohibited by any health care provider enrolled with Medicaid or a managed care health plan, or any Medicaid contracted managed care entity or health plan, including shared savings plans and capitated plans.
Examples of provider steering include, but are not limited to, offering enrollees incentives for selecting one managed care health plan over another plan, and allowing an enrollee to use a provider's fax, office telephone, or computer to enroll into a specific managed care health plan.
Providers may inform enrollees of the health plans they accept and the benefits, services and specialty care services offered through those health plans. However, they must disclose information on all the health plans they accept.
Through the Bayou Health program, enrollees can now choose to receive their healthcare through one of the five managed care health plans or, when eligible, through the Medicaid fee-for-service program. The Emergency Rule supplements the existing Coordinated Care Network Rule.
Sanctions can include disenrollment from the Medicaid Program, recoup of payments, and fines.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 4.
The Legislative Auditor, Daryl Purpera, found that the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) paid Medicaid fees for individuals who were deceased. A report to John A. Alario, Jr., President of the Senate, and Charles E. “Chuck” Kleckley, Speaker of the House of Representatives, noted “DHH paid approximately $1.85 million in participant fees for 1,727 deceased individuals in the Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership and Bayou Health programs between February 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013.”
The report provided the results of the analysis on Medicaid participant fees paid by the Department of Health and Hospitals for deceased individuals. Purpera’s group obtained payments made by DHH for participants in the Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership and Bayou Health programs and compared them to the listing of deceased individuals obtained from the DHH – Center of State Registrar and Vital Records (Vital Records).
Based on the results of our analysis, DHH does not have a sufficient process in place for identifying deceased Medicaid participants in a timely manner. Since February 2012, DHH has paid the entities administering the plans within the programs $1,849,474 in participant fees for deceased individuals. Of this $1,849,474, Magellan Health Services which is associated with the Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership received $257,964 (14%) and the five entities associated with the Bayou Health program received $1,591,510 (86%), noted the report. Based on the results of our analysis, DHH does not have a sufficient process in place for identifying deceased Medicaid participants in a timely manner.
Ruth Kennedy, Medicaid Director, said she concurred with the report. She also said that the $1.85 million overpayment identified by Purpera’s office “represents a tenth of one percent of the total per member per month (PMPM) premiums paid during the review period…”
She said the office would recoup the payments from the Managed Care Organizations by March 31, 2014.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 5.
Three psychologists are running for the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Psychologists in an election that is currently in progress. These are Dr. Joe Comaty, retired from the Department of Health and Hospitals, Dr. Robin Chapman, currently at St. Thomas Community Health Center, and Dr. Connie Patterson, Professor of Practice in Psychology at Tulane.
Dr. Joe Comaty is a medical psychologist currently working as a consultant in teaching and training. He presents in numerous topics in psychology and medical psychology, as noted in his application. Comaty earned his doctorate in 1992 from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Comaty as served previously on the board and notes that he has “…experience with the national organization of regulatory boards,” and he is “aware of the current and most pressing regulatory issues including the proper regulation of telepsychology; maintenance of competence; masters level practice of psychology; mobility; standards for licensure; and proper supervision ….”
Also running is Dr. Robin Chapman who works in Health Psychology and who graduated with a PsyD degree from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 1990. Chapman was licensed in 2012 in Louisiana according to his application, and before that in Massachusetts. He works in institutional practice, he noted, at the St. Thomas CHC in New Orleans.
Chapman noted that his goal would include advocating for the roles of psychologists in health care, substance abuse, and in the treatment of persons with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Constance Patterson is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Psychology at Tulane. She earned her PhD from Illinois State University in 1999. She completed her internship and postdoctoral education at LSU Health Sciences Center, and was licensed in 2004. She is currently serving on the LSBEP’s School Specialist Task Force.
Patterson noted on her application, “I would like to help facilitate more understanding and coalition among various specialties in psychology. We are increasingly asked to do more with shrinking resources. I believe we can serve our profession and our clients best when we collaborate and share our expertise, and we all have a similar goal of providing excellent prevention, intervention and treatment services to the citizens of Louisiana.”
Ballots were mailed to all licensed psychologists in Louisiana, during the Christmas holiday.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 5.
Members of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists met with representatives of the Louisiana Department of Education recently to discuss the possibility of the “Licensed Specialist in School Psychology.”
“Basically, they gave us their blessing,” said Executive Director of the Board, Kelly Parker, about the outcome of the discussions.
The meeting included Dr. Culross, Executive Director Parker, legislative counsel Deborah Harkins, the Assistant Super- intendent of Special Education, and the management repre- sentative in charge of credentialing at the Department of Education.
Parker told the Times that while it wasn’t a long meeting, it was encouraging. The Department of Education representatives expressed a positive view of the board’s plan, which if it goes forward, will create a school specialist license under the psychology board.
“They said they thought it was a great thing,” Parker told the Times. “We intend on staying in contact with them as the legislation gets drafted and we hope they will actually support us at the table.”
Members of the School Specialist Task Force, created by the psychology board to study issues about school psychology. The Department of Education has given a “blessing” to the idea of the school specialist license. Above (clockwise from bottom) Dr. Rita Culross (looking away), Chair of the board, E. Francoise Parr, President of the La. School Psychological Association, Dr. Steven Welsh, retired Dean from Nicholls, Dr. Carmen Broussard, Professor from Nicholls, Dr. Connie Patterson, Professor from Tulane, and Executive Director, Kelly Parker.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 5.
At the September 2013 meeting of the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, Laura Choate presented an error discovered in the current rules having to do with client confidentiality and client records. The board decided to correct confusing language with an emergency rule, according to the minutes. The emergency rule was published in the October Louisiana Register.
It corrects confusing language in Chapter 21, Section 2105(A)(6)(f).
The section in consideration is “Chapter 21.Code of Conduct for Licensed Professional Counselors,” and “§2105. Confidentiality, Privileged Communication, and Privacy.”
The section reads:
“f. Disclosure or Transfer. Unless exceptions to confidentiality exist, counselors obtain written permission from clients to disclose or transfer records to legitimate third parties. Steps are taken to ensure that receivers of counseling records are sensitive to their confidential nature. If a client who is under the active care of a practitioner licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners is diagnosed with a “serious mental illness” and refuses to sign a release of information in order for the counselor to consult with that practitioner, then the counselor must terminate the relationship in accordance with §2103.11 and refer the client to another mental health professional.”
The Emergency Rule was needed to so that licensed professional counselors disclose or transfer client records in accordance with state law, said the explanation accompanying the Emergency Rule.
The new wording is “A. – A.6.e. … f. Disclosure or Transfer. Unless exceptions to confidentiality exist, counselors obtain written permission from clients to disclose or transfer records to legitimate third parties. Steps are taken to ensure that receivers of counseling records are sensitive to their confidential nature.”
“All existing rules or parts thereof are hereby superseded,” noted the regulation, “and amended to the extent that they specifically conflict with these emergency rules. Existing board rules shall be revised and re-codified at such time as the final board rules implementing Act 173 are adopted.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 6.
Members of the Coalition for Violence Prevention are working with Louisiana Tech professor Dr. Frank Igou and a team of Industrial Organizational (I-O) doctoral graduate students to develop a scientifically based training method for skills in violence risk prediction.
“From the beginning, we have been committed to developing a scientifically rigorous process and product,” said Dr. Mkay Bonner, newest member of the steering committee for the Coalition. “We want something that is more than just ‘feel good.’ We want, as the ultimate goal, a tangible product with appropriate metrics that can make a difference in the real world,” she said.
Often methods and outcomes of continuing professional education are left to chance, even by the large associations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, or the American Medical Association.
This is why the group sought out Dr. Frank Igou, I-O psychologist and professor at Louisiana Tech. He and his research team have been working to develop an instrument that aids in measuring the ability of mental health professionals to estimate if someone might act in a violent manner. And the work also supports the goal of understanding if training has been successful in teaching the skill set needed.
Dr. John Simoneaux, steering committee member, thinks this has been essential. “Rather than simply accepting as truth our assumption that mental health professionals know little about the science of risk assessment,” said Simoneaux, “we asked Frank and his colleagues at Louisiana Tech to help us to identify specifically where those deficiencies might exist.”
“This will hopefully allow us to direct our eventual training efforts to the areas where educational needs are most salient,” Simoneaux said. “Our I-O colleagues know much more about how to correctly approach these concerns, and Dr. Igou has been gracious and generous in his willingness to help.”
The group is developing a set of scientificallly constructed items that will allow mental health professionals to better understand what they know and don’t know about their skill in the prediction of violent behavior. The research team is currently isolating characteristics and content, and beginning to work with Subject Matter Experts to analyze the information. Several hundred characteristics have been reviewed and condensed to prepare for the next phases of the study.
The team from Louisiana Tech, headed by Igou, includes Louisiana Tech graduate students Lindsey Anderson, Bharati Bekwalkar, Scott Hines, Michael Knot, and William Scanu. Scanu is the graduate student team leader.
“We appreciate the work of Dr. Igou and his students who are assisting us with this project,” said Dr. Bonner. “They are incorporating some newer technologies which will facilitate data collection and analysis. Subject matter experts (SMEs) will be contributing their knowledge and experience as well,” she noted.
Igou explained that one software program he would be using was Qualtrics. “Qualtrics performs some statistical procedures in real time,” Igou said, “and we will be able to go in and check progress with SMEs responses at anytime after the survey goes live.”
While necessary for valid training programs, all of this can becumbersome. “Unfortunately, this is very time and effort intensive,” Dr. Bonner explained. “But the end result will allow for greater support from professionals in all fields as well as the public.”
The Coalition came together last year after the Sandy Hook shootings, noting that often violent behavior was related to untreated mental health problems and that many mental health professionals and those in the lay public are ill-equipped to identify the danger and get help.
The Coalition members decided to design training that is scientifically sound and that would be a foundation for community programs to build a safety net so that potentially violent people are accurately identified and given mental health assistance.
“Our hope with Louisiana Coalition for Violence Prevention is to approach this effort as scientists who have a sincere interest in using our knowledge and expertise to solve what we consider to be a significant social ill,” Simoneaux said.
Members of the Louisiana Coalition for Violence Prevention. (Standing left to right) Dr. Bryan Gros, Cindy Nardini, LPC, and Dr. John Simoneaux. The group is currently working with Dr. Frank Igou and doctoral graduate students from Louisiana Tech to design and test a training method that will help mental health professionals deal with people who may become violent.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 5. Source pages: 6.
In their agenda for the December 2013 meeting, the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists noted that under “Committee Reports,” that the committee for Supervision/ Credential Reviews may discuss the issue of supervision by medical psychologists.
The agenda noted, “The board will review credentials and supervision plans of applicants for licensure. The Board may also discuss the issue of Medical Psychologists supervising post doc students.” The two members on this committee are Drs. Darla Burnett and Jessica Brown, who are both Medical Psychologists.
The supervision of candidates for a license in psychology by Medical Psychologists who have dropped their license under the state psychology board, has been a controversial issue in the community. Louisiana is the only state where this is the case.
In a June 13, 2011 decision the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) reversed their October 2010 opinion (#012) that said only psychologists licensed under the LSBEP would qualify as supervisors of students, interns, or post- doctoral individuals who seek licensure as a psychologist.
The reversal came after Dr. John Bolter, a medical psychologist representing the Medical Psychology Advisory Committee (MPAC), and Dr. Robert Marier, Executive Director of the state medical board, sent requests to the Chair, Dr. Joe Comaty, also a medical psychologist, and asked that the LSBEP reconsider their opinion, according to the published statements.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.