Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 10. Source pages: 6.
CURRENT LITIGATION/LEGAL [R.S. 42:17(A)(2)]: The Board received a status and discussed legal strategies in the following cases:
1. Richard A. Marksbury, Ph.D. vs LSBEP, Petition for Judicial Review, 19th JDC, EBR Parish, State of Louisiana, No. C-682294 Sec. 21/D – LSBEP’s Opposition – No Cause of Action to be heard on August 26, 2019 before Judge Janice Clark.
2. Frank Ford Cosey, vs. Darrel Vannoy, Warden LSP Angola LA; State of Louisiana 19th JDC EBR Parish No. 07-90-0596 Sec. VII (Amicus Brief RE Practice of Psychology/Licensure) – Opposition to LSBEP’s Amicus Brief filed. The Board reviewed the opposition and approved funding for Ms. Newton to file an answer.
3. Glenn W. Ahava, Ph.D. v. LSBEP, On Appeal from September 18, 2015, Opinion and Order of the LSBEP 19TH JDC; Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, Div. D, No. 643,369, pending final order from Judge Janice Clark in the 19th JDC.
Executive Director Report – Ms. Monic reported that the Board’s mandated contribution to LASERS increased from 37.5% to 40.7% not optional, will substantially impact the budget. Ms. Monic has been meeting with LBAB Director to discuss staff sharing and development.
Long Range Planning – Dr. Gibson reported the LRP Meeting was scheduled for October 10-11, 2019 at the LSBEP Office.
Continuing Professional Development – Dr. Henke reported that continuing education reviews were wrapping up; she granted 5 extensions this renewal period; and the more prominent issues with every paper review she conducted was that no one properly coded their CPD report correctly.
Jurisprudence Examination – Dr. Henke reported that she continues to work on revisions and it is her goal to see that this gets developed as an online examination.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS 1. RULEMAKING –
a. Dr. Moore presented objectives for developing guidelines to enable supervision via telepsychology. The Board discussed the objectives and Dr. Moore will continue to investigate the matter to address functional authority; the appropriate settings and application of tele-supervision (practicum, internship, postdoctoral, unlicensed assistants); limitations/restrictions; differentiating tele-supervision from that of a consulting relationship; and, supervision conducted by out-of-state psychologists; preapproval.
The remaining rulemaking items were tabled due to time, and assigned for oversight to as follows:
Complaint Adjudication and Definitions (Henke); Continuing Education (Henke and Moore) 2. EPPP-2 – The Board reviewed information provided by ASPPB regarding the EPPP2 and Validity, Early Adoption, Why is EPPP needed? Henke voiced her concerns about limiting individuals applying for licensure through Louisiana to only the EPPP1 and not allowing them to take the EPPP2. 3. Attendance at ASPPB 59TH Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota October 16-20, 2019 and Voting Delegate. The Board discussed and affirmed the approval of funds for registration, travel, hotel and meals for Ms. Monic and Dr. Gormanous to attend this meeting.
4. ASPPB Survey Regarding Issues the Board has faced – The Board discussed this survey and by motion of Dr. Boggs, delegated authority to Ms. Monic to provide answers as discussed. 5. PPM: Sexual Harassment Policy- The Board reviewed the final draft of the Sexual Harassment Policy mandated by the legislature. Dr. Henke moved in favor of accepting the policy as drafted. The motion passed by unanimous roll call vote as follows: Boggs- YEA, Henke – YEA, Moore – YEA.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 10. Source pages: 8.
The City of Baton Rouge will receive a federal, Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI) grant through the U.S. Department of Justice, announced Congressman Garret Graves last month. The $699,831 reward will help Baton Rouge law enforcement implement new tactics and emerging technology to fight crime and improve safety across our community.
“Right now in Baton Rouge, the statistics show you have a 1 in 96 chance of becoming the victim of violent crime compared to 1 in 180 statewide, and a 1 in 17 chance of becoming a victim of property crime – that’s not okay,” said Graves. “This funding is going to provide the Baton Rouge Police Department additional resources to help enhance their operations, allow them to use new, strategic and data-driven approaches and social media to prevent and fight violent crime, and support our law enforcement in the work they do every single day to make Baton Rouge safer.”
The City of Baton Rouge will use award funds to test the utilization of risk terrain modeling as a mechanism for reducing violent crime risks in Baton Rouge; utilize emerging social media technology to engage the community, enhance community/police relations, and elicit investigative support by residents.
Project Description:
Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI), Purpose Area 1: Innovative Approaches provides resources to support projects to implement and test innovative approaches to operational challenges and violent crime reduction. SPI grant recipients will develop innovative, data driven approaches to challenges currently confronting law enforcement agencies. Recipients must: 1) describe the innovative, data-driven approach to be implemented; 2) create an action plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach, for which an applicant may engage a research partner to create the plan; 3) identify a specific violent crime problem to address; 4) develop a prevention, mitigation, or response strategy to address the problem; 5) evaluate the project; and 6) assess and report the results to BJA for public availability.
The evaluation design must include outcome measures capable of informing a credible assessment of the effectiveness of the strategies.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 2.
by Julie Nelson Born in 1918, my Aunt Lee will turn 101 this month. Last year we celebrated with her for her 100th birthday, joining the multitudes of relatives and friends that gathered at her home on Sibley Lake in Natchitoches, where she lives 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. She thinks nothing about her age, she said, or death for that matter. Her key to a long life is living it in "a wholesome way."
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 shares 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, these people 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."
Happy birthday, my beloved Aunt. I think you have it right!
[Julie Nelson is a licensed psychologist, journalist, and organizational consultant, and publisher of the Times. She also holds other various positions in the community. However, her opinions here are those of her own, and do not represent any group or association. She and the Times receive no compensation other than paid advertising. Email her at drj@drjulienelson.com, ––she welcomes feedback.]
Leola Loftin (seated) at her 100th birthday last September. Julie (L), Mike, aka, Archimedes (Center above) and kid-brother, Kevin Nelson (R).
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 4.
John Warner Smith has been named Louisiana Poet Laureate for 2019-2021, the Governor announced in August.
Smith earned his undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Accounting from McNeese State University. Smith earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans, and also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette,
"John Warner Smith's writing captures the human experience through meaningful, passionate poetry that moves your emotions. John is not only a talented and gifted poet, he is a trailblazer who devotes himself to education and the greater good of the community," Gov. Edwards said. “He is making history today as the first African American male appointed as Louisiana Poet Laureate, and I'm confident that John will serve our great state well. I want to thank the LEH for leading this search, and I congratulate all of the nominees whose writings tell the unique stories of Louisiana, the place we call home."
A fellow of Cave Canem, Smith has four published collections of poetry: “Muhammad’s Mountain” (Lavender Ink, 2018), “Spirits of the Gods” (ULL Press, 2017), “Soul Be A Witness” (MadHat Press, 2016) and “A Mandala of Hands” (Kelsay Books – Aldrich Press, 2015). His fifth collection, “Our Shut Eyes: New & Selected Poems on Race in America,” is forthcoming this year from MadHat Press.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 5.
Fewer Louisianans report they have to put off seeing a doctor or are unable to take their medications as prescribed thanks to Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion, according to a Tulane University study released July 31 by Gov. Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health. Among the results, the study found that the number of people who report they were unable to see a doctor in the past year due to cost dropped by 26.6% and emergency department visits per 1,000 Medicaid expansion enrollees decreased from 115 visits per month to 90 visits per month between 2016 and 2018.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 8.
On August 13, Gov. Edwards joined state leaders and veterans at the National WWII Museum to launch the Louisiana Veterans First Business Initiative. The program will promote veteran-owned businesses through certification, in-business displays and an online database that encourage consumers to do business with Louisiana’s veteran-owned firms.
The Initiative recognizes firms that are majority-owned by veterans, military reservists, active-duty personnel or Gold Star family members. Following a certification process, the program will promote their businesses through a public database at LAVeteransFirst.org. To support a veteran-owned business, visitors to the site may search by business name, region, and industry. Approximately 250 businesses are certified on the site already.
The Initiative was created through House Bill 391, by Rep. Franklin Foil who served 28 years in the U.S Navy. It was unanimously approved during the 2019 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Edwards.
Gov. Edwards said, “The Louisiana Veterans First Business Initiative provides an opportunity for us to give back to our veterans and their families by purchasing goods and services from these businesses. As a former Army Airborne Ranger, I encourage all veterans, active- duty personnel, Gold Star families and reserve-military business owners to sign up for this program today and connect with new customers and clients. And I encourage everyone to make use of the Veterans First database by patronizing these businesses, and remember to thank them for their great service to our state and nation as well.”
To register as a veteran-owned business, or to learn how to support Louisiana Veterans First businesses, visit LAVeteransFirst.org.
U.S. Army Pfc. Bittner, left, and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley North tape a detonation cord during explosives training in Afghanistan. The Governor is putting in place more opportunities for returning Veterans to start their own businesses. (Navy photo by Lt. Chad A. Dulac.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 13.
On August 9, Gov. Edwards announced his appointments to the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board, Erin R. Bendily of Baton Rouge. Ms. Bendily is the assistant superintendent of the Office of Policy and Governmental Affairs within the Department of Education. Her position on the Board will represent educational support programs including secondary vocational education.
The Children’s Cabinet serves as the governing body responsible for coordinating funding and programmatic services at the state and local level related to children and their families. It consists of a cabinet secretary from each state agency and is chaired by the executive director of the Children’s Cabinet, who is appointed by the governor. The Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board provides information and recommendations from the perspective of advocacy groups, service providers and parents.
On July 31, Gov. Edwards announced his appointments to the Central Louisiana Human Services District, Laura N. Jolly of Pineville. Ms. Jolly is an operations manager at Midstate Supply Company, LLC and a licensed Notary. Her seat on the board will represent a parent, consumer, or caregiver of a consumer of services.
The District provides mental health and addiction-related counseling and treatment for adults, children and adolescents in the parishes of Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Rapides, Vernon and Winn parishes.
Also on July 31, the Gov. announced his appointments to The Louisiana Emergency Response Network Board (LERN) which serves to defend the public health, safety and welfare by protecting the people of the State of Louisiana against unnecessary deaths and morbidity due to trauma and time-sensitive illness.
Dr. Charles A. Nassauer of Bogalusa was reappointed to the LERN Board. Dr. Nassauer holds a license in optometry and is a former parish councilman for Franklinton, Louisiana. He will represent The Optometry Association of Louisiana.
Schielanda S. “Schaun” Chevis of Baton Rouge was appointed to the LERN Board. Ms. Chevis is the emergency preparedness coordinator for the Office of Behavioral Health and the past public health emergency response coordinator for Public Health – Capitol Region. She will represent the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Behavioral Health.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 9. Source pages: 13.
Dr. Brittany Joslyn and husband, Dr. Peter Joslyn, welcomed son, Samuel Thomas "Sam" Joslyn into the world on Sunday August 25, weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and at 18.5 inches long. "We are having a great time with our bundle of joy," Brittany said.
Dr. Joslyn is a Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach, with offices in New Orleans. She owns Joslyn & Co. and focuses on leadership assessment, development, and coaching. She has a background in HR consulting, counseling psychology, and career development, and has served as an executive coach in leadership development programs for Fortune 500 companies. She is a member of the Louisiana Psychological Association and is on the Leadership Council for the Society of Consulting Psychology, Division 13 of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Peter Joslyn and Dr. Brittany Joslyn with their new baby boy, Samuel Thomas. (courtesy photo)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 8. Source pages: 2.
Everybody thinks they're an expert when it comes to psychology, a factor that makes it hard to maintain our brand as the elite providers in the science of human behavior.
One reason for this, explained Scott Lilienfeld when he was here last year, is because of the "little psychic psychologist" that everyone already has built-in from birth. We have evolved an automatic analysis of the inner emotions and motivations of other humans to help us adapt. We trust that inner psychologist a lot more than an expert. So, notwithstanding that we seem to do our best to make things even worse for ourselves, psychologists are up against serious odds in our branding efforts.
Once upon a time, the banner for psychology was carried by scientific minds like Eysenck. It is demoralizing now to watch standards in the public forum drop to modern lows, and it is also wretched to watch others take a swing at an analysis of human behavior with no clue as to how flawed their efforts are, at the core.
After watching 10 minutes of the nightmarish group process and testimony by Robert Mueller before Congress, I decided to stop procrastinating and read the report. I've never needed confirmation that Russia and the U.S. spy on each other every chance they get, at least as far back as Goldwater. What is From Russia with Love or Bullwinkle's Boris & Natasha about after all? It would be news if Russians hadn't found a way to goof with us. So that leaves Volume II and Trump's emotions and motivations.
The Mueller report is as bad as the Hoffman Report, which was paid for by APA to deal with internal conflicts. In neither of these analyses is there any quantification of data, or frequency tables or collapsing of themes. There are no methods for coding or use of standardized measures––but of course without themes, what is there to measure? The “process” amounts to reviewing millions of documents and interviewing thousands of people, which of course is not a process or method, but a list of actions. In short, there is no quantitative reasoning.
In the Hoffman report, observations were mixed with opinions, opinions mixed with conclusions, and unproven hunches about inner motivations and personality characteristics. The Mueller Report is not quite that bad but is still full of vague ideas and anecdotal scenes that seem more like teenager gossip than actual "evidence" of something.
Psychologists have been trained to guard against intuitions, even in qualitative research, that sneak ad hoc into our explanations. We know that a couple of solid categories and a 2 X 2 table can help us avoid what our minds naturally do––which is to truncate, delete, and distort, which make our final judgments no better than dart-throwing chimpanzees.
It concerns me that these attorneys who have no training in the science of human behavior, and no understanding of the pitfalls of observing human behavior, have so much power and influence.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 8. Source pages: 3.
The Trump administration proposed a rule Monday that would require hospitals to post online the health-care prices they have negotiated with insurers, reported the Washington Post. This comes one month after President Trump's executive order requiring medical services and especial hospitals, give more information about the cost of health services.
"Health insurers and providers have fiercely opposed having to publicly reveal their negotiated prices, which they say would stifle competition," noted the Post.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
Dr. Jordan Peterson, the Canadian clinical psychologist and psychology professor from the University of Toronto who rocketed to fame after opposing legislation that would have criminalized a person's use of certain unwanted gender pronouns, disclosed in a recent interview how much money he is making. According to Peterson, he is making approximately $80,000 a month on YouTube, $120,000 a month in book sales, $35,000 to $50,000 per lecture, and in his small business and other sources of income, he makes $225,000 a month. So depending on his tour schedule he makes between $600,000 in $800,000 a month, totaling somewhere around $8-$10 million per year.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
Last year, Dr. Ronny Jackson, then the White House physician, gave Donald Trump a standard test to detect early signs of dementia — and said the president had scored a perfect 30. “There is no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues,” Jackson said at the time in front of TV cameras.
Trump’s team embraced the result, with Donald Jr. boasting on Twitter: “More #winning.” The publicity sparked a wave of interest in the screening tool. Much was written about what the test showed — or didn’t — about the president’s mental acuity. A media outlet even posted its questions online, suggesting readers could measure whether they were “fit to be U.S. president.”
Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, the creator of that test, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, went with it. Within weeks, the Lebanese-Canadian neurologist and his colleagues were working on “mini-MoCA,” an online exam for anyone to take who was worried about his own cognitive decline. Nasreddine said at the time that he might charge the masses $1 or $2 per test.
Now Nasreddine has changed course. He says growing worries about the validity of test results — and possible liability for errors — have pressed him to require those who administer the test to pay for mandatory certification to make sure the results are accurate.
Further examination of the results called into question even perfect scores. “I’ve seen so much variability, which might make us reconsider some of the decisions made based on the MoCA score,” said Nasreddine, who has reviewed hundreds of exams administered to patients in recent years.
Training and certification have been voluntary for years. But starting Sept. 1, most clinicians who administer the MoCA will be required to complete a one-hour, $125 online course, said Nasreddine, who holds the copyright to the test.
Nasreddine, director of the MoCA Clinic and Institute in Quebec, Canada, wouldn’t speculate about whether Trump’s test was accurate. Officials with the White House and the Navy, where Jackson is a rear admiral, did not respond to questions about the issue. Jackson did not reply to an email seeking comment.
The move to require certification — and particularly to charge for it — sparked outrage among geriatricians like Dr. Eric Widera of the University of California-San Francisco. He accused Nasreddine of creating a “pay to play” scenario that profits from a growing need and the test’s ubiquitous use.
“It raises huge red flags,” Widera said. “This is a growing issue, the monetization of tools that we promoted as the standard.”
It’s a controversial change for an exam that is used by doctors and other health professionals in nearly 200 countries to screen people for potential problems with memory and thinking.
In the U.S., the MoCA is a go-to tool used in about 8,000 visits each year to the 31 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers funded by the National Institute on Aging. The 30- question test assesses various cognitive domains through exercises that include drawing a cube, drawing a clock with hands set at a specific time, naming certain animals, memorizing a series of words and calculating numbers in a certain way.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 8. Source pages: 9.
The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts announced in its July news that Leslie Todd, LCSW, ACSW, will again serve as the President of its Louisiana Chapter. Todd is a founding member of the state chapter, along the husband, psychologist, Dr. Alan Taylor.
Todd has been in private practice since 1990. She been a child custody evaluator for 20 years and has served several times on the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners’ Custody Evaluations Task Force, said the report.
In 2007, she rallied Baton Rouge professionals to start an AFCC Chapter and served on the Louisiana State Law Institute’s Parenting Coordination Committee to enact the law, making Louisiana the 13th state to have Parent Coordinators. Except for a two- year hiatus, she has been on AFCC-LA Board since its first planning meeting in 2009 at the 46th AFCC Conference in New Orleans.
In addition to her work as a Parent Coordinator, mediator, custody evaluator, and therapist, Leslie travels the state offering Family Court-related workshops, encouraging young mental health professionals to enter the field, said the report from AFCC.
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts is an interdisciplinary, international association of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict.
[See related story page 1 and 10-12.]
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 7. Source pages: 10.
Excerpts from March 22, Approved May 23, Posted in June:
Dr. Gormanous requested to amend the agenda item entitled “Request for Ethics Opinion regarding Dual Office Holding” and change the name to “Request for Ethics Opinion regarding Conflict of Interest”; add an item for discussion entitled “Inquiry from Marc Zimmermann regarding Neuropsychology”; and add an executive session item for discussion under Complaints […]
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Executive Director Report – Ms. Monic updated the board on the following:
• The 2018 Audit has not been initiated due to being short staffed;
• The LSSP Meeting was held on March 19, 2019;
• No update in the matter: Nineteenth Judicial District; Parish of East Baton Rouge, State Of Louisiana, Division D, No.: 643,369: Glenn W. Ahava, Ph.D. v. LSBEP, on Appeal From September 18, 2015, Opinion and Order of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists;
• In the Matter Eric Cerwonka vs. Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists: On March 21, 2019 Judge Caldwell signed an order for suspensive appeal, a $10K bond is required prior to the suspension of Judge Caldwell’s order of February 20, 2019.
• Liaison to Professional Organizations and Boards – Dr. Gormanous reported that Margo Adams from FARB reached out to discuss conducting a Comprehensive Regulatory Training for the board. Since the last board training was conducted in 2015, Dr. Gormanous suggested this was something the board may want to consider. Dr. Lambert requested that Ms. Monic explore the opportunity and report back to the board.
• Supervision and Credentials Review Committee – Dr. Crouch reported file reviews would be conducted this date in Executive Session. Ms. Monic reported on the closing of Argosy University and potential impacts on students going through their doctoral training program. The board discussed the matter and determined that there would be no impact if those students transfer to a university that is APA accredited.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS
4. LSPA Fall Conference November 2019 – Ms. Monic reported that the LSSP Committee had again been invited to present at the LSPA Fall Conference. Dr. Boggs moved in favor of the Committee’s participation with an emphasis that the presentation be educational and not advocating. The board unanimously approved the motion.
6. Board Approved Evaluators – The Board received, reviewed and discussed the credentials of the individuals who submitted their vita and redacted evaluations to be included on the Board Approved Evaluator list. The following individuals were approved to provide evaluations in their area of practice as follows: Darrel V. Turner, Ph.D., Keith Westerfiels, MP, MSCP, Erica Meyers, Ph.D. Irving A. Arevalo, Ph.D., Michael Chafetz, Ph.D., ABPP, Raphael Salcedo, Ph.D.
7. Inquiry from Diane Franz, Children’s Hospital regarding Psychologist Informed Consent – The Board discussed the inquiry from Dr. Diane Franz regarding the requirement for psychologists to maintain a separate informed consent from that of a hospital institution. The board determined that it would be prudent to document informed consent where the generic hospital consent falls shy of covering the ethical obligations of licensed psychologists. L. Crouch moved in favor of developing and advisory opinion relative to informed consent and documentation thereof. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by unanimous roll call vote as follows: Lambert – YEA, Boggs- YEA, Crouch– YEA, Gormanous – YEA.
8. ASPPB, Board Nomination; Fellow Nomination and Ming Fisher Award Nomination – In response to the board’s directive in February 2019, Ms. Monic reviewed potential nominees for ASPPB’s Ming Fisher Award. Ms. Monic suggested the Board support the nomination of Mr. Darrel Spinks, Executive Director from our neighboring state of Texas. Ms. Monic stated that Mr. Spinks, is very active in ASPPB, has been very receptive to communications and sharing information with the LSBEP and has faced quite a few challenges in regulation during this period when legislative goals do not match the goals of professional associations. The board discussed the matter and by motion of Dr. Gormanous, unanimously accepted the recommendation to support a nomination for Mr. Darrel Spinks for the 2019 ASPPB Ming Fisher Award.
9. Contract Amendment – Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips – The board discussed a contract amendment for Taylor Porter. […]WHEREAS the BOARD is currently in a multi-year contract with Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips, LLP to provide these services; and WHEREAS the funding for the current contract has been exhausted due to litigation in the following matters: 19TH JDC, EBR Parish, Eric Cerwonka v. BOARD, No.656,587 Div. I; 1ST LOUISIANA CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS No 2017-CA-1199, Appeal from the 19th JDC; and La. Supreme Court Case No. 2018- C-760, requiring an amendment to the total amount of the contract. WHEREAS an increase of $15,000 has been approved to be added to the contract amount, increasing the total amount of the three year contract to $83,000 for the remainder of the contract through Fiscal Year June 30, 2019; and […]
10. Contract Review and Considerations for 2019- 20FY
The Board reviewed and discussed a contract amendment for Sasha J. Lambert, Ph.D. […] and WHEREAS the current hourly rate of pay by the Complaints Coordinator for the review of a Request for Investigation, which is capped at $200 per case is not sufficient for the amount of documents reviewed per case. […] be amended and increased to a maximum amount of $300 per case. […]
The Board reviewed and discussed continuing a contract with Erin Skaff Vandenweghe, Psy.D. for the 2019-20 FY: The following Motion and Resolution was offered […] The Board reviewed and discussed continuing a contract with Mark P. Vigen, Ph.D.[…]
The Board reviewed and discussed continuing a contract with Tony McCoy d/b/a Statewide Surveillance & Investigations. […] contracted with Board to provide investigative services to Board to their satisfaction; and WHEREAS the hourly rates shall be $60 per hour for investigative work; […]
The Board reviewed and discussed continuing a contract with Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips, LLP. […] does hereby retain and employ the legal services of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLC through a multi-year contract beginning July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the hourly rates shall be $225 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 10 years or more; $175 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 5 to 10 years; $150 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 3 to 5 years; $125 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of less than 3 years; $60 per hour for paralegal services; $40 per hour for law clerk services. A total amount not to exceed $45,000 for the term of the contract; […]
Dr. Gormanous moved in favor of contracting with Deborah Harkens for an amount not to exceed $1900 though the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 3019) and if needed continuing through FY 2019-20 for assistance with legislative matters, […]
The following Motion and Resolution was offered […] and WHEREAS the BOARD currently contracts with the Louisiana Office of the Attorney General […]does hereby retain and employ the Office of the Attorney General as special counsel; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the hourly rates shall be $225 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 10 years or more; $175 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 5 to 10 years; $150 per hour for services […] A total amount not to exceed $5,000 for Fiscal Year July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020; […]
The following Motion and Resolution was offered […] requires the services of an attorney who specializes in administrative law to serve as an administrative law judge or hearing officer in matters adjudicated by the board to fulfill this function and in order to ensure the proper conduct of the proceedings in accordance with the law; and WHEREAS the BOARD currently contracts with the Law Office of Gray Sexton (Attorneys Grey Sexton and Alesia Ardoin) […] that the hourly rates shall be $225 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 10 years or more; $175 per hour for services of partners or associates with experience in the practice of law of 5 to 10 years; […]
12. University of New Orleans – The Board had a follow up discussion regarding the meeting with representatives from the University of New Orleans, Developmental Program. Dr. Boggs recommended that going forward in revising the regulations, that the board define procedures for verifying non-APA Accredited Programs and training requirements for licensure of individuals who will not be engaging in clinical practice, but who are qualified to offer services which are considered the practice of psychology to groups or organizations. Dr. Gormanous offered a motion in favor of this recommendation.
The motion passed by unanimous roll call vote as follows: Lambert – YEA, Boggs- YEA, Crouch– YEA, Gormanous – YEA.
14. Request for Ethics Opinion regarding Dual Office Holding – Dr. Gormanous sought input from the members of the LSBEP regarding his proposed participation in the American Psychological Associations, Division 52 – Division of International Psychology as Vice President for Initiatives. The Board discussed the matter and agreed that it would be appropriate for Dr. Gormanous to request an Ethics Opinion related to potential conflicts.
15. Rulemaking Initiatives – 2018-19 – The Board discussed rulemaking initiatives and continues to work on the following proposed amendments: a. Proposed Rules: Continuing Education Requirements, Exemptions and Fees (LAC 46:LXIII. 601, 603, 803, 805, 811, 905 and 4001) b. Chapter 15. Rules for Disciplinary Actions c. Reciprocity Applications d. Applied Health Care Specialty/Applied General License e. Telepsychology
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 7. Source pages: 2.
Growing up in a newspaper family, the vacation week was preceded by a manic––even more than usual––effort to produce what we called, “The Farm Edition.” My father would send me out to take photos and gather the soft news from around the rural life setting of Red River Parish. I’d find out which livestock farmer had a new prize bull (and take a picture), how the cotton fields were holding up to the drought (and take a picture), and which vermin had found their way into the corn crops (and take a picture).
This filled up the back of the paper so that right before we took off for vacation, my parents would write up the hard news for the front page. The back-shop, a production team composed of two great young fellows named Johnnie and KP, would run the press and get the paper to the post office across the street when the deadline arrived.
Mom and Dad were free for seven days, unheard of the rest of the year for publishers of a small weekly. So, after this mad-dash, frazzled sprint to produce the Farm Edition, my Dad piled us in the car for a mad-dash, frazzled sprint to some beach where we fought sand, surf, and sunburn until we returned home to recover.
When I was 11, my father got it into his head to see Hemingway’s home. So this time he piled us (four kids and mom) into his new Buick Skylark and we drove from Coushatta, Louisiana, to Key West, Florida.
My father was a drive-a-holic, and could put 100,000 miles on a car in one year. But obviously ignoring the fact that time passes faster for adults than children, he set out on a four-day round trip of 2,600 miles to Key West.
I remember the Banyan trees, eating lobster for the first time, and driving along the Keys. I remember the salt scented air, the warm beach sands and how the road through Florida narrowed until the land dropped away to nothing but the endless turquoise ocean on both sides.
Mostly, however, I remember the eternity of staring out a car window for mile after mile, after mile, after mile, and hour after hour, after hour. (Surely this is what they do to you in Hell.)
The trip to the Keys was my last. The next year I put my 12-year-old foot down and refused ever again to go on another family vacation. My vehemence seemed to break open the groupthink and my older sister, a very accommodating, sweet, and cooperative sort, amazingly broke ranks too. My younger brothers joined the revolt. I think my father would have exercised his authority except for the fact that my mother amazed us all and agreed, announcing that she would instead spend her time, by herself, fishing for Bream in Black Lake.
Psychological science tells us we like to be busy. We’ll try and stay busy, even if we don’t really have anything to do. That’s the hard part about summer vacation.
In their research, “Idleness Aversion and the Need for Justifiable Busyness,” Hsee and his colleagues point out that people dread idleness, and people who are busy are happier than people who are idle. So, even a specious justification can motivate people to be busy, they found. This idea is contained in the adage about work expanding to fill the time allotted, even if it is meaningless.
For me, summer might be a time to stop some of the busyness, lay back a little, do a few reruns, and try some mindfulness. One good thing about the summer––the legislature goes home and stops, at least for a time, making new laws and dreaming up things for the rest of us to have to do. I don’t have to worry that they’ll pass a law that says I have to drive four days, in order to spend three days on vacation, at least not right now.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.