Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
The psychology board has replaced the older juris- prudence exam method, with a new, take-home version, according to the August, 2012 minutes. The rationale behind this move is that psychologists do not memorize laws, but rather reference them, Dr. John Courtney explained to the Times at a recent board meeting. As reported in the August minutes, the new exam was approved and can begin to being used with candidates.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 14.
(Editor’s note: “Webpages” is a feature that highlights the web presence of those in the Louisiana psychology community.)
Dr. Lacey Seymour is the Executive Director of Live Oak Behavioral Psychology. The clinic’s modern website provides the basic information clients will need to help them understand the psychological and behavioral services available to them.
But the website does much more than that. It delights the eye and warms the heart. The magical artwork and themes for Live Oak Behavioral Psychology immediately give the visitor the feeling that here, youngsters are welcomed, valued, and above all, understood.
The message is about growth: we’re going to put down some roots and grow. It’s fun. The message rings sweet and true.
On the home page we find the theme carried on, “Learn. Nurture. Grow.” The page gives concise introduction to the clinic and staff.
“Live Oak Behavioral Psychology offers evidence-based behavioral and psychological services to children in need of therapeutic intervention. Parents want the best for their children and so do we. At Live Oak Psychology, we believe that each child has the potential to grow and develop. Our mission is to help children reach their full potential by providing individualized treatment by well-trained, certified professionals in the field of behavioral psychology and applied behavior analysis. We strive to form close relationships with a variety of service providers including pediatricians, speech and occupational therapists, schools and daycares in order to provide a well- balanced and comprehensive approach to quality care.”
On this page we find that Dr. Lacey Seymour is the Executive Director, licensed psychologist, and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. We also meet Cortney Seymour, MS and LPC.
Navigating around the site is done with a wonderfully cute menu of colorful little hand prints that makes you want to run go get your finger- paints.
On the “about” page, we find the child-oriented themes portrayed with a young girl in a field of dandelions, blowing petals. The topic is “Building Roots,” and the visitor is provided some technical and specific information.
“Dr. Lacey Seymour provides services for both typically developing children and those with special needs. Common problems addressed in therapy include behavioral issues such as non-compliance, aggression, feeding difficulties, communication deficits, tantrums, social skill deficits, anxiety, and toileting issues as well as academic/school difficulties. We also offer psychological testing for a variety of diagnosis including ADHD, Autism, learning disabilities and gifted evaluations. Home based applied behavior analysis (ABA) program design and implementation training is also available. In addition to working individually with children and adolescents, caregiver training is oftentimes an important focus of our treatment approach.”
In the page for services, “Reach the Sky,” the visitor can review some detailed information about what the clinic can provide.
• Psychoeducational assessments to assess for learning disabilities, gifted evaluations, ADHD and other disorders • Developmental testing for Autism • Individual behavior modification and academic interventions with children and adolescents • Feeding therapy for picky eaters • School Consultation/IEP Support • Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy • Social Skills Groups • Parent Training
The staff page offers credentials and backgrounds that potential clients may wish to have as they make important decisions for their children.
“Dr. Lacey Seymour is the Executive Director of Live Oak Behavioral Psychology. She is a licensed psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctorate level (BCBA-D). Dr. Seymour received a Doctorate degree in School Psychology from Louisiana State University. […]”
“Cortney Seymour, M.S., LPC- I, NCC received her Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Louisiana State University. […]”
The site also provides a map, directions, and even the opportunity to see the clinic from Google Earth.
The theme of the growing tree is pleasantly captured and used throughout, while at the same time the visitor is offered direct, concise information and answers about the services and providers.
The Facebook connection extends the information about Live Oak Behavioral Psychology and proves that the theme is carried right into the office space. Photos of the clinic say that it is what we think it is, child-oriented, fun and engaging. A visitor can enjoy the murals of elephants and giraffes and balloons and lakes, and believe that there must be fairy castles everywhere.
The parents will know, and so will the youngsters, that here is a safe and fun place to grow and develop.
Live Oak Behavioral Psychology can be found in Covington, Louisiana. For the webpage go to: http://www.liveoakpsychology. com
(The website was designed by Gatorworks Web Design. Cortney Seymour is Dr. Seymour’s sister-in-law.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
Executive Director, Kelly Parker, of the psychology board reported that 641 psychologists had renewed their licenses for the 2012-2013 period, according to the August minutes.
The total number of lapsed licensees was 29. Four of those lapsed licenses were by medical psychologists and the reasons for the other 25 were unknown, noted Parker’s report in the minutes.
Ms. Parker also reported that 547 renewals were conducted through the online renewal system and 94 were handled through the traditional paper renewal methods.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 15.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center will hold a public health conference, “Play Your Part -Childhood Obesity In Louisiana: Developing an Evidence Based Policy Agenda,” October 24, 2012.
The fifth conference of it kind, the effort is designed for professionals engaged in public health and health care, according to news on the Pennington website. Physicians, nutritionists, physical activity specialists, registered dietitians, nurses, health educators, psychologists, and counselors are encouraged to attend. Also invited are those in healthcare policy, researchers, media, business and civic leaders, and early childhood and school-age educators and decision-makers, according to the announcement.
Speakers include Dr. Robert Newton from Pennington speaking on the Fifth Annual Childhood Physical Activity and Health Report Card for Louisiana’s Children and Youth: Has the Needle Moved?”
Also presenting will be Pennington researcher Dr. Stephanie Broyles, Tulane graduate and biostatistician. She will speak on “Using Evidence to inform Public Policy: Results of Systems Models for Louisiana.”
Berry Burnside from the American Heart Association will speak on “Obesity Policies: Louisiana Legislative Update.”
Learning objectives are for participants to:
• understand the strengths and pitfalls associated with developing public health policy as a tool to improve population health
• comprehend the extent of the problem of childhood obesity in Louisiana
• identify evidence-based public health and policy strategies to achieve demonstrable improvements in obesity-related behaviors, and
• understand the expected potential of policy initiatives at making a change in childhood obesity rates in Louisiana
The announcement noted, “Given the recent emphasis on developing evidence-based public health strategies targeting childhood obesity, the topic of this conference is on the role of public policy at addressing the problem. A specific focus of the conference this year is on Louisiana-specific data and solutions to address childhood obesity.”
Conference sponsors include the BCBS Louisiana Foundation, Louisiana Action for Healthy Kids, and Baton Rouge Coca-Cola.
For more information go to https://www.pbrc.edu/childhood_ob esity_conference/default.htm
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
The psychology board has requested that the state Attorney General expedite an Opinion regarding the practice of applied behavioral analysis.
In the August, 2012 LSBEP minutes, Vice-Chair and Legislative Coordinator, Dr. John Courtney reported that the request regarding the practice of behavioral analysis is being expedited.
Based on an online search of Attorney General’s Opinions, through the end of September, the Opinion has not been issued or released to the public at this time.
Dr. John Courtney, LSBEP Legislative Coordinator, at recent LSBEP meeting.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 15.
The Louisiana Psychological Association will host a CE workshop presented by the American Psychological Association Insurance Trust (APAIT), “Adventures on the Electronic Frontier: Ethics and Risk Management in the Digital Era.” Six hours of CE credit is available for psychologists. The workshop will be held at the Baton Rouge Renaissance Hotel from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Jeffrey Younggren, Ph.D., ABPP, will present. The workshop is designed to help practitioners reduce risk and also cope with potential complaints to licensing boards and ethics committees.
For more information contact LPA at 225.766.0185.
Last year’s LPA Fall Conference featured Dr. Paul Frick, Dr. Rita Culross and Dr. Marc Zimmermann from the psychology board.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
Bryan Gros, PhD, presented the topic “Stop the Bullying Now,” for the Capital Area Human Services District, on September 25, in Baton Rouge.
In the workshop, Gros covered bullying and its effects on youngsters and adolescents, and examined methods for dealing with this common problem. He explained forms of bullying including types in the new “cyber age.”
Dr. Gros’ presentation was part of the Fall Staff Development and Community Training Series.
In spring 2012, the Legislature passed Act 861 defining a program to reduce bullying in public elementary and secondary schools. The legislation required anti-bullying training addressing key issues, such as how to identify bullying and what are the appropriate interventions and remediation.
Dr. Gros is Director, Department of Psychology, Capital Area Human Services District for the Children's Behavioral Health Services. He is also the current president for the Louisiana Psychological Association.
Dr. Bryan Gros recently presented training on anti-bullying. Act 861 added to the regulations in the state to define programs for anti-bully efforts in Louisiana.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 16.
The Louisiana School Psychological Association will host its 32nd Annual Conference, November 7 – 9, 2012, at the Hilton Lafayette, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
This year’s theme will be “Resilience and Reconnection.”
Highlights will include Keynote speaker Dr. Phil Lazarus, Past President of the National Association of School Psychologists. Dr. Lazarus will speak on “Advocating for the Emotional Well-Being of our Nation’s Youth.”
Convention workshops include “Models for Response Intervention for Students with Behavioral Challenges,” presented by Dr. Kristin Johnson. Dr. Johnson, a graduate of Nicholls State University and University of Southern Mississippi, is the Director for the Institute for Evidence-Based Reform.
Tulane psychology professor, Dr. Michael Cunningham, will speak on “Promoting Education Resilience in African American Adolescents.” Dr. Cunningham is the Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellow in the Psychology Department at Tulane. He is Associate Provost for the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching and holds a joint appointment in the African and African Diaspora Studies Program at Tulane, a program at Tulane offering interdisciplinary study relating to Africans, people of African descent, and the context of the African Diaspora.
Tulane psychology professor and Chair of Psychology, Dr. Stacy Overstreet will present, “Building Resilience and Fostering Reconnection among Students with Behavioral Challenges.” Dr. Overstreet's research focus has been on children at risk for maladjustment due to the presence of chronic stressors in their lives.
Dr. John Simoneaux will present “Violent and Aggressive Behaviors Among School Age Populations, Prevention and Intervention.” Dr. Simoneaux is a psychologist and director of Professional Training Resources.
Other presenters will also include Dr. Mark Reinecke, Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago; Jim Comstock Gallagan, Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center; and Dr. Brad Dufrene of University of Southern Mississippi.
For more information go to http://www.lspaonline.org/LSPA conference2011/LSPAConferen ceReview.html
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
The Government Relations Staff of the American Psychological Association sent a notice to members on September 13, 2012 alerting practitioners that CPT code numbers for psychotherapy would be changing for January 1, 2013.
The notice pointed out that this change is a result of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Five-Year Review of psychotherapy codes. The review was conducted by the American Medical Association.
APA had represented psychologists in this activity for a number of years, said the memo.
Also, the authors noted that the 2013 Medicare reimbursement rates would be released in November.
The memo explained that the actual changes would be small; such as the most commonly use code (90806) will change to 90834. But the fundamental services underlying the codes will remain the same. Instead of ranges of time, such as 20 to 30 minutes, the times will be fixed and not a range.
The memo said that the code numbers for psychoanalysis, family psychotherapy, multi- family group psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy would not change.
The authors said that they would provide members with more information and resources over the next months.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 16.
The Southeastern Psychological Association will hold its 2013 Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, in March ‘13. The deadline for submissions is October 9, 2012, according to an announcement from the association. Go to http://www.sepaonline.com/
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
In a Medscape report on September 14, 2012, reporter Larry Hand writes that an article published in the September Annals of Family Medicine, concludes that “individuals with financial conflicts should be excluded from involvement with medical practice guideline writing, regardless of disclosure, and physicians should be discouraged from meeting with drug company representatives.”
The conclusion was based a study by Linda Hunt, PhD, from the Department of Anthropology, Michigan State. Hunt found the practices of prescribers, pharmaceutical marketing, and clinical consultations were “heavily focused” on prescriptions with little or no discussion of other treatments.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 16.
The Crescent City Area Psychological Society meets on the third Friday of every odd numbered month, according to organizer, Dr. Carolyn Weyand. The next meeting will be Friday, November 16. All psych- ologists working and/or living in the New Orleans area are welcome. To get notices about meetings email Carolyn Weyand at carolynweyand@gmail.com
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
In a September press release, The Association for Psychological Science reviewed results from a study by researchers Inbar and Lammers who surveyed nearly 800 members of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Their findings confirm the field’s liberal bias, with only 6 percent of the respondents describing themselves as conservative “overall.”
Also it seems that conservative social psychologists hide their views because they perceive the field as hostile to their values. The more conservative respondents were, the more likely they were to report that they had experienced an intellectually unfriendly climate. Importantly, self-defined liberals did not seem to have the same perceptions of hostility. Liberal respondents were more likely to say that they would discriminate against psychologists who displayed clear conservative views in the context of a paper or grant review, a symposium invitation, and in faculty hiring.
The September issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science includes five commentaries from scholars in the field who explore and discuss these new findings. While some of the commentators question the rigorousness of the methodology used by Inbar and Lammers, they all agree that ideological bias among social psychologists has serious implications for psychology as a scientific discipline.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 16.
Professional Training Resources (PTR) will present “Violence Across the Lifespan” in Monroe, Louisiana, on October 19, 2012. The presentation will be at The Clarion Hotel.
Also in October, PTR will present “Unusual Syndromes and Conditions in Children,” as an online webinar, on October 10, 2012.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 2. Source pages: 9.
The Louisiana School Psychological Association is inviting submissions for paper presentations and poster presentations for its Annual Conference to be held in Lafayette in November, 7 – 9, 2012.
Papers will be reviewed for relevance regarding the conference theme, which this year is “Resilience and Reconnection.”
Presentations related to the practice of school psychology, with importance to the profession, and that can facilitate exchange of ideas, and share scientific contributions in the field, are invited, according to a notice by the LSPA Executive Council. Presenters are encouraged to present relevant data and literature references as part of their work.
The submission deadline is October 8, 2012. Contact LSPA for additional information.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.