Article archive / November 2023

Originally published: November 2023. Volume 14, No. 11. Source pages: 5.

Drs. Moore and Sam will be attending ASPPB’s Annual Meeting on April 27 – 30, 2023 […] Rolling out early Registration of Assistants […] Work on 2023 Required Board Member Trainings: Sexual Harassment 
Training, Cybersecurity Awareness Training, Ethics Training, Safe Driver Training

Reported on major meetings/Appearances: ASPPB BARC Meeting, January 30, 2023; Meeting with Elizabeth Duncan, LDOE March 2, 2023; LSSP Committee Meeting Marcy 9, 2023; Legislative Committee Meeting, March 13, 2023; Continuing Professional Development Committee Meeting – March 17. 
22023 […] Virtually attended the Legislative Taskforce on Remote Operations – March 
24, 2023

b. Audit Results 2021 and 2022 – Reported that there were no findings on the 2021 Financial Audit. Reported that there was one finding on the 2022 audit that board members and a student worker did not complete required trainings.

$385,278.71- Budgeted $391,274 The Board has collected 99.1% of the total projected budget.
Although ATAP fees are budgeted to be collected within this FY $10K it is not anticipated that we will collect the original amount budgeted due to time it took to promulgate the rule. However, we are over budget on Total renewal fees, temporary registrations are up, disciplinary judgements, mailing lists and miscellaneous income.

$278,524.51 – Budgeted $440,856 Overall expenses are at or below the budgeted amount. Significant on this report is the expenditure for Rulemaking. Publication of the Notice of Intent (1st publication) for $5,942; and publication of the Final Rules (2nd publication) will be assessed in May. Should substantive changes occur, republication of the Notice of Intent will be required. […]

As of March 31, 2023: The budget is stable and the board has funds to operate through the end of FY 2022-23. The Board's cash on hand is reported to be $250,287.77, with an additional $36,492 in receivables (this total does not include debt owed to the Board in matters older than 2 years old: $40,622.25 (P16-17-11C – Eric Cerwonka), $119,991.98 (P15-16-03C – Eric Cerwonka), and $63,952.29 (P12-13-10C, P13-14-04C, P13-14-05C Glenn Ahava). Your budgeted expenses for FY 2022-23 are estimated to be: $440,856. There are three months remaining in this fiscal year, and the majority of expenses, particularly contracts, are either at or below what is expected. Therefore, the board should end the year at or just over budget. The Board has met their rulemaking goals in FY 2022-23. This should have a positive impact on revenue. The Board is well staffed, with three full-time employees. Staff is catching up on work that was backlogged. Regarding software development for its licensing management system, the Board has obtained 3 bonified estimates to consider.

Roll out new rules and regulations, with outreach communications and training. Focus on adopting new processes and procedures to implement Legislative Performance Audit recommendations including adopting a disciplinary matrix. Implement financially sustainable options for technology to be utilized in the application and renewal process which may either counter (or reduce) the cost of employees, workload and related expenses for processing applications, and/or counter (or reduce) the cost of real-estate needed to store paper files. Consider setting a goal to achieve and maintain a reserve balance to cover deferred liability plus unexpected expenses (e.g. hearing costs, lawsuits, major technology developments, moving) plus 3-6 months of operating expenses. Consider creating policy guidelines for Board approval to tap your reserve and then rebuild that amount. 3. Continuing Professional Development Committee – Dr. Harness and Dr. Sam reported a productive committee meeting on March 17th where forms were developed to implement regulations for preapproval of activities; that the frequently asked questions section of the website was being updated and that a power point training was being finalized. 5. Legislative Oversight Committee – Dr. Gormanous reported that the Legislative Oversight Committee including Ms. Monic, Mr. Wagner, Dr. Holcomb, Mr. McNeely and himself met on March 13th to discuss potential low hanging fruit that could be addressed in this legislative session. 6. Supervision/Credentials Committee – Dr. Moore reported that she will be contributing to the 2023 Regulatory Update/Training Series to provide education related to the changes in supervision and rules. She also wanted to acknowledge how helpful Jalynne Brown has been to the application review process.

7. Complaints Committee – Attorney Wagner presented the Compliance Report to the Board as follows: REPORTING PERIOD: 1/18/23 – 4/21/23

CURRENT: • Total number of Requests for Investigation (RFI) received since last report: 5 o Board-initiated RFI’s since last report included in total RFI’s above: 1 Total number of cases closed since last report: 18 
Total number of open cases: 18 
[…]

8. Jurisprudence Examination Committee – Dr. Holcomb reported that he ran statics on questions and is working on revisions. Dr. Gormanous stated validity inferences needed to be laid out. Dr. Sam requested that the questions with more than one answer have a clarifier to indicate that more than one answer is required. The Board discussed Dr. Sam’s request, no action was taken.

9. Public and Professional Outreach Committee – Dr. Gormanous recommended that the Board engage in implicit messaging as a subtle form of outreach.

LSBEP Election Results for the Seat 2023-2028/report to the Louisiana Psychological Association. – Dr. Gormanous opened the election results and summarized the election report certified by Simply Voting Inc. as follows: Turnout: 250 (30.7%) of 814 electors voted in this ballot. Votes for Shawanda M. Woods-Smith, Psy.D. totaled 162 (100.0%); 250 electors Abstained 88 (35.2%).

Review and discuss current Board Meeting Schedule including impacts on application workflows and licensing – The Board discussed the current meeting schedule. Dr. Moore brought up concerns about license delays. Dr. Holcomb stated that the concerns of the individuals who contacted the board had no delays due to the board’s schedule that impacted them or their supervisees. Dr. Harness stated that it was her preference that the board continue with the quarterly meeting schedule as is current policy. Dr. Gormanous stated that under the current policy Senator Hewitt’s bill [related to virtual meetings] would not apply. Dr. Harness moved that the board continue with quarterly meetings as they are now scheduled. Following an opportunity for discussion, the motion was put to a vote. The motion passed by majority roll call vote of the members present as follows: In favor: (4) Gormanous, Harness, Sam and Holcomb; Against: (1) Moore; Abstained: (0); Absent: (1) McNeely. 
Ms. Monic recommended that the Board consider a contract with former board members if they will be regularly utilizing them to conduct Oral Examinations. The Board will discuss this at the July Meeting.
ACTION: Add discussion for Oral Examiner contract to July agenda.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 1, 6.

Researchers from Louisiana Present at Am Psych Assn

Louisiana psychological scientists and researchers from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Tulane University New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans presented at the August national conference of the American Psychological Association. Presentations included the following.

Louisiana State University

Mary E. Barnes, Matthew L. Willis, and Katie E. Cherry, PhD of LSU Baton Rouge, authored “Memory Self-Efficacy in Oldest-Old Adults.” According to the abstract: Subjective perceptions of memory play an important role in cognitive adaptability in later life. Self-reported memory is typically assessed using objective surveys. Few studies have examined what older people may by James Glass have to say about their own memory in

everyday life. In the present research, authors examined older adults’ memory self- efficacy appraisals using a mixed method approach that included objective and subjective measures. Participants were young-old (60-74 years), old-old (75-89 years) and oldest-old (90 + years) adults in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study.

Kamile Geist, PhD, and Eugene Geist coauthored “The Impact of Music-Based Strategies on Caregivers and Infants At-Risk Families.” According to the program: It is well known that engaging in the arts throughout the lifespan can positively impact long-term health and well-being (Fancourt & Perkins, 2018). The evidence of the positive impact on public health with families at risk due to trauma, substance abuse, and low socioeconomic status is building.

Tulane University

Aditi Morumganti contributed to the “Compounding Structural Vulnerabilities Faced by People Living with HIV and Cancer in Vietnam.” In contrast to the robust subsidized HIV-related health care services provided in Vietnam, cancer care presents a significant cost burden, said the author. Further, people living with HIV have higher rates of many cancers, and thus are a group that disproportionately bears these high costs. Participants reported that the current health care infrastructure in Vietnam leads to later diagnosis of cancer and poorer cancer prognoses. Costs of cancer care were discussed as a major concern. In general, participants also noted that HIV care tends to be siloed from other medical care, including cancer care.

Aditi Morumganti also coauthored a presentation for “A Qualitative Exploration of Sociocultural Perceptions of Cancer and Their Interplay with Stigma," and “Cancer Stigma and Discrimination in Employment and Housing in Viet Nam.”

The author noted in the abstract that, "Living with HIV can threaten one’s ability to achieve […] cultural capabilities due to perceptions of people living with HIV as contagious, engaged in immoral or illegal activity, and unemployable. On the other hand, taking HIV treatment and maintaining employment were seen as enabling people living with HIV to retain social standing."

And, "Cancer patients can face multilevel stigma related to their cancer and its treatment, including discrimination in employment and housing. This discrimination has significant social, economic, and emotional effects, yet remains underexplored in many contexts, including Viet Nam. As cancer incidence continues to rise in Viet Nam’s aging society, comprehensive interventions for cancer patients and public education against cancer stigma will be increasingly necessary."

Tochukwu Awachie coauthored with Heidi P. Breaux, DSW of Louisiana State University on the “BIPOC Trans and Nonbinary Liberation: Practice and Advocacy Strategies.” This was for Transgender and gender nonconforming and Ethnic Minority Studies.

Tochukwu Awachie collaborated on the “Generic and Culturally Relevant Coping May Mediate the Reasons for Living – Suicide Resilience Link.” According to the abstract: African American women historically have shown impressive resilience to suicidal behavior. Authors focus attention to the association between suicide resilience and reasons for living or culturally-relevant factors that may explain the association, since both constructs are protective factors for suicidal behavior.

Tochukwu Awachie presented “Personhood & Power: The Therapeutic Value of Embracing AfroDiasporic Cosmologies in Clinical Spaces.” Author noted limitations of mainstream psychology in service of Black therapy clients and offered recommendations for more culturally-enriched psychotherapy. Mainstream or Western psychology posits Eurocentric philosophies and theories as standards against which cultural psychology, the psychology of people of the global majority, is contrasted (Sutherland, 2011). African psychology is a protest psychology that centers African ways of knowing and being and reclaims African images and narratives from Euro- American discursive contexts (Nwoye, 2015).

Michael Cunningham, PhD and Ramal R. Rauf, BS, presented on the “Dimensions of Racial Identity: Protective Factors for African American Girls.” This research examined the relationship between stressful life events and mental health challenges among African American female adolescents, and how that is moderated by dimensions of racial identity. Authors identified these relationships among 245 African American female adolescent participants at a school in the southern United States. The linkages between SLEs and mental health challenges are assessed through the lens of Spencer’s PVEST framework.

Tulane University Health Sciences Center

Sangkyu Kim and S. Michal Jazwinski collaborated on “Memory Self-Efficacy in Oldest-Old Adults.” The abstract noted: Subjective perceptions of memory play an important role in cognitive adaptability in later life. Few studies have examined what older people may have to say about their own memory in everyday life. In the present research, we examined older adults’ memory self-efficacy appraisals using a mixed method approach that included objective and subjective measures. Participants were young-old (60-74 years), old-old (75-89 years) and oldest-old (90 + years) adults in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study (LHAS).

Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

Stephanie M. Grant, PhD, presented on the “Co-creating anti colonial learning spaces: Building communities of resistance.” The author noted: This session will be focused on exploring the tenets of the collaborative, non- hierarchical, anti-colonial approach to collective learning through community while providing a direct model of a session with participants. We will briefly review the tenets of an anti-colonial learning collaborative as well as findings from the initial 8-session learning collective completed in the summer of 2022 (approximately 10 minutes) and proceed to model a sample learning session with participants. This content will serve as the cornerstone of a non-hierarchical discussion around anti-colonial approaches to knowledge dissemination and community building.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 2.

Aunt Lee by J. Nelson

My Aunt Lee turned 105 last month.

In 2018 we celebrated her 100th birthday, joining the multitudes of relatives and friends that gathered at her home on Sibley Lake in Natchitoches, where she lived by herself (Uncle Bill died some years ago), surrounded by books (she retired from teaching and from her job as Librarian at Northwestern) and walls of photos of her five children, grandchildren and greats.

She's watched the disappearance of outhouses, pedal operated sewing machines, and party-lines. She's put away her black & white television, manual typewriter, and encyclopedias. She lived through the Great Depression and WWII, witnessed a cure for polio, and watched the moon landing.

Like everyone else, her life has not been without its tragedies. When Lee was eight years old, her father died in an accident, described in the headline in a 1926 issue of the Shreveport Times – "Auto Plunges from Highway, Man Drowned." Coushatta, Dec.19 (Special).– Charles Hunter, 27 years old, of Creighton, was drowned at 6 o'clock Sunday night, his wife was severely bruised and shaken and the 14 months old baby was lacerated about the head, when the automobile in which they were riding plunged over an embankment two miles from of Creighton, pinning Hunter beneath the car which landed in a ditch filled with water. He was drowned before aid could be summoned. The wife and baby escaped death by being thrown free from the car as it plunged over the embankment.

Aunt Lee has always expressed her emotions freely, including about the accident, and how her father, Charlie, was playing chicken with a friend, Jeter Adams, on Highway 1 south of Shreveport, when one of them miscalculated and turned stupidity into tragedy, making a widow of my grandmother, Julia, and giving my mother, the 14 month-old, a scar at her hairline to remember her father.

Lee details of the stories of a young widow with three little girls, coping with losses and change, embraced by the close-knit relationships of a rural, farming community, of men who worked long days in the fields and women who sat in a quitting circle or shelling peas together on the front porch. And at all times, shared a connection to others at church on Sunday mornings.

In his Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression, author Johann Hari shows that mental illness is social. "You need to have a community," he writes. He quotes the World Health Organization who says, "…the presence or absence of mental health is above all a social indicator…". The rise in suicide and mental illness, Hari writes, is not because we need more pills, but because we are suffering from a "… social and spiritual imbalance in how we live."

She thinks nothing about her age, she said, or death for that matter. I asked Aunt Lee once if she was afraid of dying, and she said, "I don't give it a second thought."

Her key to a long life is living it in "a wholesome way." She seems to have lived a life of balance, with equal measures of faith, family, community and her meaningful contributions to it all.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 3.

On September 19, the Louisiana

Workforce Commission announced that federal data shows Louisiana once again hit its lowest ever unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate is 3.3%, the lowest in history, and the number of unemployed individuals is 68,814, also the lowest in history, said officials.

"Louisiana is not only consistently breaking records for low unemployment, we are ahead of the nation," said Governor John Bel Edwards.

"Louisiana's record-low unemployment rate of 3.3% is well below the national rate of 3.8%, and it's a testament to the talent and work ethic of our people.

"When I took office in January 2016, the unemployment rate was 6%, and the budget situation we inherited was a mess. My administration has worked across party lines to fix our state's finances and invest in job creation and workforce training, and that hard work is paying off."

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 4.

More than half a million Medicaid recipients diagnosed with opioid use disorder did not receive medication to treat it in 2021, according to a new report released Friday by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, DNYUZ and the NY Times said last week.

The inspector general's report examined the use of addiction treatments that almost all Medicaid programs are now required to cover, and found major disparities in medication rates across states, ages and racial groups.

The authors noted, "Nearly 81,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the United States in 2021, an increase of 17 percent from the previous year. Treating opioid use disorder with MOUD [Medications for Opioid Use Disorder] is essential to reducing overdose deaths; however, many individuals in need experience difficulties accessing this potentially life-saving treatment. For example, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that fewer than one in five Medicare enrollees with opioid use disorder received MOUD in 2021. Individuals seeking treatment often face barriers such as difficulty finding providers who are authorized and/or willing to prescribe or dispense MOUD and stigma surrounding its use. For example, until recently, only providers with a Federal waiver could prescribe or administer buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in an office setting. Research also suggests that particular demographic groups, such as adolescents or people of certain races, may be less likely to receive MOUD."

The authors said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the Health and Human Services Department, should work to close the gaps.

“Medicaid is uniquely positioned to achieve these goals given that the program is estimated to cover almost 40 percent of nonelderly adults with opioid use disorder,” the report said.

The half-million people who did not receive treatment amounted to about one-third of all Medicaid recipients with opioid use disorder.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 12.

Louisiana School Psych Association Annual Conference this November 8-10

The Louisiana School Psychological Association will hold its annual conference this November 8, 9, and 10 at the Lafayette doubletree by Hilton on Pinhook Rd. in Lafayette. The theme for this year's conference is "Seeking Wisdom, Filling Needs."

The keynote speaker for the opening day will be Andrea Clyne, PhD, LP, President of the National Association of School Psychologists for 2023–2024. She is a licensed school psychologist with over 30 years of experience as a school-based practitioner in Colorado.

According to her bio, she "has spent many years working with her educator colleagues to advance safe and welcoming school environments, equitable practices, and multitiered systems of support (MTSS). Her leadership experiences include serving as district lead school psychologist; leading her school's special education, PBIS, and MTSS teams; and serving on her district MTSS team."

Keynote speaker for the second day is Dr. Byron McClure, author of Hacking Deficit Thinking: 8 Reframes that Will Change the Way You Think About Strength-Based Practices and Equity in Schools. Dr. McClure is a National Certified School Psychologist, Founder of Lessons for SEL, speaker, and best-selling co-author of Hacking Deficit Thinking.

"With over a decade of experience working as a practitioner in Maryland and Washington, D.C., Byron has consistently put in the work to shift mindsets from what’s wrong to what’s STRONG!" notes his bio. "His mission has been the same since day 1 — to improve outcomes, especially for youth and historically marginalized communities."

In his book, he and his co-author "show teachers, administrators, and support staff how to unlearn student blame and reframe thinking to focus on students' strengths."

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 12.

"There's Something Out There…" Presented by Jung Society this Friday

The C. G. Jung Society of New Orleans will present, "There's Something Out There…and In Here!" at St. George's Episcopal Church, 4600 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, this Friday, October 6, 7:30 pm.

The presenter will be Mike Box, LPC, Jungian Analyst.

According to the program materials, "In the 1950s, Jung wrote an essay addressing the highly popular idea of UFOs from the perspective of analytical psychology. When viewed as an image, Bigfoot lends itself to understanding 'splitting' and 'projection.' It also serves as a mirror, allowing us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world, our place in it, and some of what may have been lost in our continual movement away from the natural world. We will explore this phenomenon psychologically and imagine what it may suggest about our relationship with the world around us."

Mike Box is a Jungian Analyst practicing in Jackson, Mississippi. The focus of his practice has been assisting clients in working through their addictions and overcoming trauma. His interests lie in the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and Nature. He completed graduate work at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California, and received analytical training from the Inter- regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He is a faculty member of the Memphis-Atlanta Jung Seminar.

1.5 CE credit hours for LPCs and Social Workers. For information go to jungneworleans.org

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / October 2023

Originally published: October 2023. Volume 14, No. 10. Source pages: 12.

The Louisiana Psychological Association will hold their fall workshop on Friday, November 17, 2023, at the Lake House Reception Center in Baton Rouge.

The association will host the The Trust Professional Liability Insurance Company who will present a six-hour ethics continuing education workshop on ethics, risks, and vulnerabilities in the practice of psychology, titled, "Ethics, Risk Management and Vulnerabilities: Yours, Mine, and Ours."

Dr. Leisl Bryant, clinical and forensic psychologist and consultant with The Trust, will present an updated review of decision science and its implications for bias and vulnerability in clinical, ethical and risk management decision-making. She will discuss strategies for reducing the impact of these vulnerabilities, issues arising in remote services beyond the pandemic, boundaries in advocacy by professionals on behalf of their clients/patients, and the risk- management implications of self-care (or its absence) for psychologists.

Dr. Bryant is a licensed New Hampshire and Massachusetts- based clinical and forensic psychologist, with board certification in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She received her B.A. from the University of West Florida, her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duquesne University, and completed a forensic postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Law and Psychiatry Program.

Working in both criminal and civil arenas, Dr. Bryant has maintained a private practice in clinical and forensic psychology for nearly two decades and has provided psychological services in a variety of forensic and therapeutic settings.

A continental breakfast and lunch is included with registration with an optional networking happy hour after the workshop, according to the announcement.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 2.

"Rich Men North of Richmond"– A Large System View by J. Nelson

Like most good art, Oliver Anthony’s song about wealthy elites in Washington, D.C., highlights a system dynamic. The simplicity and resonating theme explains why it went viral.

“Rich Men North of Richmond" is a song about the current political establishment and the plight of the middle class and working poor.

The populist theme is soulfully captured in the performance, but it is also supported by straightforward facts.

The cost of living is now $5000 more than the average family income. Inflation, caused by Government irresponsibly printing dollars, has ushered in a 50–75% rise in food and groceries. The housing market, juiced by inflation and corporate monopolies, is now almost completely out of reach for an average family. The goal of home ownership destroyed by the economic devastation. The national debt is over $30 trillion and we're pouring money into an undeclared, proxy war that could lead to WWIII. Robert Kennedy, Jr., an antiestablishment, often censored, outsider candidate, says both political parties are tone deaf to the populist themes.

"Nobody’s even talking about what’s really going on in this country, which is this corrupt collusion between state and corporate power, that’s strip-mining the wealth from the American middle class, and destroying the lives of the working poor, in this country where you do not have a chance anymore. The whole system is rigged against you," he said. "And those corporations, because of government collusion, these rich men north of Richmond, have their boots on the neck of every American."

Where does psychology fall in this? Do the rich men north of Richmond have their boots on the mental and psychological health of the American public? Does psychology oppose the populist theme or embrace it?

Health statistics on suicide and other “deaths of despair” point to a wholesale failure of psychology to have made an impact in the trajectory of chronic disease in the country, the mission we were given 50 years ago. Our vision was of an alternative to the medical model, not a facilitator of it.

Is the vision of an independent, scientific psychology being consumed by the establishment elites that run the health corporations? Are we blocked from creating real changes for the American citizens, citizens that rank at the bottom in health when compared to similar nations?

You can't see clearly from inside a system––the system will mindlessly generate ideas that profit the establishment, it will restrict information flow to profit its own agendas, and it will lack all ability to innovate new solutions. To offer a clear diagnosis of this system we must step back and think about the whole landscape.

The reason why we’re in this situation right now is there is a large segment of people that for 30 or 40 years has been increasingly disenfranchised and ignored for a variety of reasons.

Oliver Anthony's song steps away from the issues of race and sexuality, the main ways they currently divide us–the oldest trick in the book–and draws the boundary instead around the middle class and working poor.

The populist view of this is something bigger than typical politics. It’s not about Trump anymore–it's about the wealthy elites that run the country and that have cannibalized the American middle class.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 5.

Gov. to Pray for US Rep. Scalise

Gov. Edwards released a statement following U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise's diagnosis with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.

"Donna and I ask the people of Louisiana to join us in praying for United States Rep. Steve Scalise as he begins chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, a treatable, non- aggressive blood cancer. We know that Steve doesn't back down from a challenge. His toughness, his faith, and the love of his family will carry him through this. And the entire state will be by his side supporting him."

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 5.

FEMA Approves Grant for Vernon, Rapides Parishes

On August 31, Gov. Edwards and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced that FEMA has approved Louisiana’s request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration to help with wildfire fighting efforts for the Highway 113 Fire in Vernon and Rapides parishes.

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 6.

From the Minutes Selected Items from Agendas of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP)

[Editor's Note: The state psychology board met in April and in July, however no minutes have been published as of our September deadline. We review some of the agenda topics below.]

LSBEP – Friday, April 21, 2023

Review status of outstanding consent orders a. Legal Status Update and Review: Ahava – court proceedings: P12-13-10C, P13-14-04C, and P13-14-05C – General Counsel Amy Lowe. b. Update: P15-16-03C, P16-17-14C, and P17-18-11C – debt owed to the Board is in excess of $100,000.

DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS 1. LSBEP Election Results for the Seat 2023-2028/report to the Louisiana Psychological Association 2. La State Archives: Records Retention Schedule Renewal – Recommendations for revisions (JM)

3. POLICY DISCUSSION: a. Review and discuss current Board Meeting Schedule including impacts on application workflows and licensing b. Plan & vote on Awards recognition c. Next meeting dates and location d. Committee Delegations under quarterly meeting schedule e. Scheduling Procedures for Oral Examinations and Committee Meetings f. Election Policy Review g. PPM 49 – Travel Policy/Exemption Request: Denied h. Special Meals (including working lunches) – Delegation Required i. Accept/Discuss ethics Attorney Letter: ASPPB CE’s for Board Members

7. 2023 Regular Legislative Session a. Bills Impacting Practice/Regulation b. Bills Impacting Agency c. LSBEP Proposed Legislation

8. LDH – OCDD: Request for exceptions to Registration of Assistants. 9. La Department of Education – Recertification of School Psychologists

10. Masters Level Licensure (TSam): a. APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (Aug 2013) b. APA Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology: Master’s Programs (Feb 2021) c. APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology (Feb 2023) d. APA Master’s Work Group and the CoA webpage 11. 2023 Regulatory Update and Training for Licensees a. Part I: Continuing Professional Development b. Part II: Registration of Assistants c. Part III: Supervision Toward Licensure/Telesupervision

LSBEP Friday, July 21

a. Report from Dr. Michelle Moore regarding APA Commission on Accreditations proposed changes to tele supervision requirements b. Dr. Shavaun Sam report on Supervision and Credentials Meeting on June 16, 2023 c. Election Policy Review d. Delineation and clarification of roles- board officers and committee chairs versus board employees' authority, duties & responsibilities.
e. e. Attorney: IN-HOUSE Executive Counsel (Prosecuting Attorney) – Consideration of adding policy to allow reimbursement/ reimbursement limits on licensing fees and/or continuing legal education f. Referrals to the District Attorney g. Motion by Dr. Sam that LSBEP adopt a policy regarding length of time between various meetings and the receipt of an initial draft of completed minutes by LSBEP staff to ensure that timely recording is given to reduce the disruption of progress and increase follow-up of tasks and assignment.

3. Potential Revision to Opinion No. 002: Clinical/Counseling Experience, for clarification and based on a revision to the LAC:46:LXIII.§305. Specialty Areas

6. Legislative Considerations a. Removing the requirement for oral examination to allow for other assessment of skill (e.g. EPPP (Part 2). b. 2022 Performance Audit Louisiana Legislative Auditors recommendations: i. Criminal background checks for license renewal/ reinstatement– to require all currently licensed psychologist to have a criminal background check with the board. ii. Impose Civil Monetary Penalties and Fines

CPD COMMITTEE Friday, March 17, 2023 at 1:30 PM DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Status of proposed Chapter 8 revisions. b. Discuss recommendations for implementation of Section 806.B. pertaining to preapproval of applications by individuals to sponsor CPD activities, which discussion will include but may not be limited to: recommended application format, policy and procedure for receiving, reviewing and approving individual sponsor applications.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, Saturday, June 10 a. Consideration of a Recommendation by the Complaint Committee for Summary Suspension in complaint no. P22 – 23–12P pending formal hearing before the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. b. Review complaint no. NP22 –– 23 – 17C

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 6.

Researchers published, "COVID-19 Excess Deaths in Peru’s 25 States in 2020: Nationwide Trends, Confounding Factors, and Correlations With the Extent of Ivermectin Treatment by State," in the journal Cureus, in August.

Juan J. Chamie, Data Analysis, Independent Data Analyst, Cambridge, USA, Jennifer A. Hibberd, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, CAN, and David E. Scheim, Commissioned Corps, Inactive Reserve, United States Public Health Service, Blacksburg, USA, found a 74% reduction in deaths in the geographical areas that had the most intensive ivermectin use against Covid-19, in Peru.

The researchers noted, "Reductions in excess deaths over a period of 30 days after peak deaths averaged 74% in the 10 states with the most intensive IVM use. As determined across all 25 states, these reductions in excess deaths correlated closely with the extent of IVM use (p<0.002). During four months of IVM use in 2020, before a new president of Peru restricted its use, there was a 14-fold reduction in nationwide excess deaths and then a 13-fold increase in the two months following the restriction of IVM use. Notably, these trends in nationwide excess deaths align with WHO summary data for the same period in Peru.

"To evaluate possible IVM treatment effects, excess deaths as determined from Peruvian national health data were analyzed by state for ages ≥60 in Peru’s 25 states. These data were compared with monthly summary data for excess deaths in Peru for the period 2020-2021 as published by the WHO in 2022. To identify potential confounding factors, Google mobility data, population densities, SARS-CoV-2 genetic variations, and seropositivity rates were also examined."

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Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 8.

Sixty years ago a man said …

“I have a dream… … that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King

August 28, 1963

This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.

Article archive / September 2023

Originally published: September 2023. Volume 14, No. 9. Source pages: 15.

10 Years Ago! What the Times was reporting on in September 2013

Reality Series from West Monroe Breaks Records The Psychology Behind

A&E’s Hit, Duck Dynasty

Duck Dynasty follows the rags to riches, duck-hunting, family and faith-oriented, Robertson clan of West Monroe. The show is a combination of wholesome clowning around, with dashes of humor and life philosophy that cause you to think twice. A little silly at times, it doesn’t matter. These bearded, duck-hunting, Robertson men are likable, funny, and on occasion surprisingly profound. We asked some of our experts in the Louisiana community for their thoughts.– Dr. Mkay Bonner, Dr. Suzanne Chabaud, Dr. David Thomason, Dr. Susan Dardard.

New LSBEP Member Now Listed as MP

In late June, the state medical board listed Dr. Jessica Brown as qualifying for the medical psychologist certificate. This comes as a surprise to some in the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA), where Brown had served as Legislative Chair during 2010 to 2011. Dr. Brown was recently appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP).

LSU I/O is “Gone for Good”

Says Psychology Chair

The Louisiana State University Industrial-Organization Psychology program is, “Gone for good,” current psychology chair Dr. Bob Mathews told the Times last week. “The official end of the program,” he said, “came at the end of last semester.” He said that the decision to narrow the overall program was a necessity. Dr. Tracey Rizutto, who along with Dr. Russell Matthews, led the specialty area at LSU psychology, told the Times, “The psych department has been a very difficult environment for the I/O program for the last 10 years or so.” Last year Rizutto moved to the LSU department of Human Resource & Leadership Development in the new School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development, College of Human Science & Education. “The Human Resource and Leadership Development program is ecstatic to adopt the I/O training program,” Rizutto told the Times.

Psychology Gumbo

COMMENT: John W. Pickering, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in

private practice in Baton Rouge, serves on the teaching faculty of the Southern Louisiana (Psychology) Internship Consortium and the LSU-OLOL Psychiatric Residency Program, co-presenter of “A Day of Mindfulness for Mental Health Professionals." COMMENT: Yael Banai, PhD, South East Regional Resource Center, Juneau, Alaska. Employed by the Ascension Parish School Board where she had been a practicing school psychologist for 21 years, School Specialist Discussion Taking

Shape After Survey

The psychology board received 186 responses from licensed psychologists and school specialists for a community survey about opinions regarding multi-level licensing for the specialist in school psychology, board Executive Director Kelly Parker told the Times last week. The survey was developed by the School Specialist Task Force, a group formed following the 2013 Long-Range Planning meeting in March, 2013. The task force, led by school psychologist and psychology board chair, Dr. Rita Culross, is addressing the issues of multi-level licensing for the school specialist in psychology.

BP Programs in 2nd Year; Vulnerabilities

In Coastal Residents

It has been over 3 years since BP

officials finally capped the well that killed 11 men and dumped 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. […] The oil spill catastrophe generated a number of projects to help those impacted, including projects funded by the legal settlement with BP. One of these is the “Mental and Behavioral Health Capacity Project," led by Drs. Howard and Joy Osofsky, from LSU Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, now in its second year.

Violence Prevention Group Teams Up

With Louisiana Tech’s Dr. Igou

The Louisiana Coalition for Violence Prevention is teaming up with Dr. Frank Igou and his group from Louisiana Tech to design valid training systems for the Coalition’s program, the Coalition leaders said last week. Dr. Igou is Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in the LaTech Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. John Simoneaux, a Coalition steering team member, said that the group will be working with Dr. Igou to develop ways to ensure that the training proposed by the Coalition will be scientifically designed. […] Along with Simoneaux, other steering group members of the Coalition include Yael Banai, PhD, Bryan Gros, PhD, Bobette Laurendine, LCSW, and Cindy Nardini, LPC.

APA Accredits LAS*PIC While

Funding Struggles Continue

Amid funding cuts in June that seriously endanger the future of Louisiana's premier training internship for school psychology, the American Psychological Association has renewed the accreditation of the LAS*PIC program for seven more years. The Louisiana school psychology internship consortium, called LAS*PIC, is a program of the Human Development Center of the LSU Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Weyand President-Elect China-

American Psychoanalytic Alliance

Carolyn Weyand, licensed psychologist, psychoanalyst, and

faculty member with the New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Institute, is taking on the duties as President- Elect for the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance. The Alliance, called CAPA, is a non-profit organization with professionals from all over the world, including Mexico, Canada, Australia, France, Great Britain.

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