Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 4.

Psychology Board

March: Investigations of Dual Licensed Psychologists – Ms. Monic and Dr. Zimmermann brought this issue to the Board where the Board currently has information concerning potential violations of two Licensed Psychologists who are also licensed with the Board of Medical Examiners. Ms. Monic requested direction from the Board on any history of dual investigations/ cooperation in investigations against dually licensed psychologists. The Board was not aware of a past precedent and directed Ms. Monic to proceed with an investigation under the current procedures.

March: RULE: Unlicensed Assistants to Psychologists – The Board continued to discuss the current requirements for supervision of unlicensed assistants and establishing a requirement to register assistants to psychologists. The Board agreed to continue its study and investigation of this potential.

April: “Finance Committee Report: “The Board reviewed Financial Statements for March 2016 prepared by Ms. Valerie Dominique. Ms. Monic summarized Ms. Dominique’s written report that the boards “…financial status remains steady. We budgeted to have a net loss (Revenue – Expenses) of $112,351. With 3 months remaining in this fiscal year you have a net loss of -$36,920…It appears that you are on track to stay on budget for FY ending June 30, 2016…” Ms. Monic further reported that although the board will report a deficit, funds were available to cover LSBEP expenses through the end of FY 2016.”

Executive Director’s Report: “Office operations are stable and the staff is current on all state reporting requirements. Ms. Monic continues to implement and/or reinstate proper procedures to address adequate segregation of duties and financial oversight on accounting procedures.” And, “Ms. Storer is doing excellent with the additional duties.”

“LSBEP Education & Outreach: Dr. Griffin discussed producing a webinar or online training for continuing professional development requirements for psychologists. Ms. Monic agreed to assist with investigating options to facilitate this. Dr. Burnett also discussed the potential for an online no-fail jurisprudence and/or ethics course that the board could offer annually for continuing professional development credit.”

Behavior Analyst Board

March: Policies and Procedures Committee: Ms. Bellaci prepared an example of scenarios for adhering to the Supervision Guidelines to be posted on the website.

Questions regarding exempt students, supervision record retention, and approved CEU’s were discussed and answered.

Ms. Bellaci will work on modifying the Change of Supervision Form within the Same Company form. Rules state it can be requested once a year, not multiple times a year.

April: Discussion Items: A question from an LBA regarding insurance providers using out of state BCBA’s, not licensed in Louisiana, to review and make recommendations on treatment in this state was discussed. Board members plan to attend a training workshop where this may be addressed. Board may also refer question to AAG to see if there is previous precedent to require out of state BCBA’s acting in this capacity to be licensed in the state where they are giving opinions.

LPC Board

April: Board members discussed SB 210 regarding Act 23 of 2015 session; HB 252 regarding Act 809 of 2014, and SB 239 regarding the proper venue for administrative hearings.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 4.

Dr. Seth Kunen, PhD, MP, met with the state medical board in December, along with his colleague Julie Alleman, M.Ed, LPC, LMFT. Both represent the Physicians’ Health Foundation. Dr. Kunen and Ms. Alleman reviewed the participants in the Physicians’ Health Program for the medical board.

According to the minutes, the participants in the Physicians’ Health Program are those who are either appearing before the Board or had matters before the Board for review and discussion, relating to the character and professional conduct, and allegations of misconduct of a licensee, was the topic. This pertains to La .Rev. Stat.§ 42:17A(1) and (4), according to the minutes.

In February Dr. Kunen again met with the board and reported on similar matters regarding impaired professionals for the Physicians Health Program. Kunen was accompanied by Michael Ellis, MD, Chairman, Board of Trustees. Dr. Kenun reported that the PHP has changed its name to the Health Care Professionals of Louisiana, according to the minutes.

According to state records, Physicians’ Health Foundation has an ongoing consulting contract with the medical board, listed from August 2013 to July 2016, for $1,348,720.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 5.

Opposition to Same-sex Marriage Still Strong in La

In a survey of 1,001 adults in Louisiana, the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs found that while the law has changed, public opinion has not, in regard to same-sex marriage.

The Reilly Center, part of the Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication published it 2016 Report in April. The researchers found that just over half, or 53 percent, of Louisiana citizens “oppose legal recognition of same sex marriage, despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling a year ago that states cannot refuse to recognize such marriages.” Forty-one percent support same-sex marriage.

The Louisiana Psychological Association, under the umbrella of the American Psychological Association, submitted an Amicus brief in 2014, when officials in the state were involved in a lawsuit about same-sex marriage: Robicheaux, et al, and the Forum for Equality Louisiana, v. the Louisiana Attorney General, State Registrar and Center Director of DHH, Secretary of Health & Hospitals, Kathy Kliebert, and others.

Also listed as Amici Curiae were the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, National Association of Social Workers, and the National Association of Social Workers Louisiana Chapter.

The Reilly Center also found that about half of residents (53 percent) believe that businesses providing wedding services should be allowed to refuse service to same- sex couples.

The Reilly Center found Louisiana citizens to be consistently conservative; 55 percent would like all abortions to be illegal in most or all cases, while 40 percent think it should be legal, a mirror image researchers say, when compared with national norms. About two-thirds (68 percent) are against allowing refugees from Syria to settle in Louisiana, 61 percent oppose a ban on assault weapons, and 73 oppose removing monuments of those who fought in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 5.

Dr. Darla Burnett, current Vice Chair of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, known as the LSBEP, told attendees at a recent meeting of psychologists that they may use either the October 2013 Rules for Continuing Professional Development, or the proposed Rules published this March in the Louisiana Register.

Psychologists with even-numbered licenses are to submit their continuing education requirements when renewing their licenses in the next month or two. Many new categories are available for training activities, and details are set out in both the current Rules and the set of guidelines that were proposed in March this year but not completed.

After the board received public comments about some of the March changes, the newest edition of Rules for Continuing Professional Development were held for consideration.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 5.

Names for BA Board at Governor’s Office

The Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board and the Louisiana Behavior Analysis Association (LaBAA) worked together earlier this year to conduct an election to fill two positions on the LBAB, explained current LaBAA Secretary, Ms. Janice Huber, BCBA.

Huber said that both the state board and the Louisiana Behavior Analysis Association sent letters and emails to those in the state alerting the community to a Call for Nominations.

The election resulted in four individuals’ names being submitted to the Governor in early March, noted Ms. Huber. These were Richmond Gregory Mancil, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, Alfred Tuminello, Jr., MA, BCBA, LBA, Scott Williamson, MA, BCBA, LBA, Kimberly Ray, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA. In April Dr. Mancil moved to New Mexico and his name was withdrawn.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 6.

ASPPB Announces Plans to Install Another Step in Licensing Exam for New Psychologists, EPPP – 2

The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) has announced their intention to develop an additional examination for licensing psychologists, called EPPP Step 2. In a May letter, Emil Rodolfa, PhD, Chair of the EPPP (Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology) Step 2 Task Force, said he was writing to inform the psychology education community “…of an exciting new development in the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards’ (ASPPB) examination program,” the addition of a skills test.

“This skills-based examination will be designed to augment and complement the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), which assesses the core knowledge deemed necessary for the practice of psychology,” Rodolfa wrote. He also said that psychology has been moving towards a skills assessment component to the EPPP for several years. And he said that the goal is to “measure the functional skills related to the competent practice of psychology.”

The target date for the EPPP Step 2 is January 2019, he said.

Rodolfa also said that ASPPB has a competency framework, outlined in a publication titled, “ASPPB Competencies Expected of Psychologists At The Point of Licensure.” In this document, authors list a number of competencies: 1) Scientific Orientation such as selecting evidence-based interventions, 2) Professional Practice such as effective interviewing skills for assessment or consulting skills, 3) Relational Competence such as communication and conflict management skills, 4) Professionalism such as defining limits of competence, 5) Ethical Practice such as recognizing when services are not necessary, and lastly 6) Systems Thinking such as interdisciplinary collaboration.

Rodolfa said that ASPPB realizes that adoption of this new exam by the licensing jurisdictions will require involvement of state and provincial licensing boards, state associations, and training associations.

The notice did not explain the reasoning behind the change, or what problems require an additional exam. The Times emailed Dr. Rodolfa to ask this an other questions, but no reply has been received as yet. Rates of problems in the Louisiana community fall at about .002 or .003, according to data on disciplinary actions.

The news of the new EPPP Step 2 Exam was met with concerns by some members of the Louisiana Psychological Association. Dr. Amy Henke posted to their list, “It worries me that as a profession, we continue to add cumbersome requirements and hoops to jump through for our ECPs [Early career psychologists]. Where is the data supporting that this will make future psychologists better/more effective?”

“Not only might this deter young clinicians from entering the field,” she wrote, “but it continues to align us with physicians.” She noted her concern about psychology following the medical model and asked where is the evidence that the model is superior. A number of psychologists posted on the list in support of her concerns.

Dr. Henke is currently one of the two names on a list for appointment to the state board. She is also serving on the Louisiana Psychological Assn Executive Council.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 9.

Dr. Salcedo and Beth Salcedo will present “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking” for the attendees at this year’s Summer Symposium, organized by Professional Training Resources and Dr. John Simoneaux. The presentation is Friday, July 29, at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana.

The Salcedos will cover the estimates of incidence, prevalence, and the issues related to tracking victims. The couple will describe in detail their experiences with helping the girls, the intensive program and setting, and the bio- psycho-social circumstances that are associated with Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 10.

Psychologists Speak at Louisiana Primary Care Assn June 3–4

Dr. Melissa Bonnell, Dr. William (Gig) Costelloe, and Dr. Karen Slaton will present at the 3rd Annual Clinical Summit of the Louisiana Primary Care Association, this week. The summit will be hosted in collaboration with the Louisiana Rural Health Association and held June 3-4, in New Orleans at the Downtown Marriott Convention Center.

Drs. Bonnell and Slaton will present “Three Behaviors = Four Disease Processes = 50% of All Mortality: How to Help Patients Change the Big Three.”

Dr. Gig Costelloe will present at the ummit on Friday, speaking on “Creating Effective Teamwork and Collaboration in Integrated Settings.” Dr. Costelloe is president of Costelloe & Associates in New Orleans and a licensed Industrial-Organizational Psychologist.

Dr. Melissa Bonnell is with the Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans, and also a member of the Southern Pain Society.

Dr. Karen Slaton is also a health psychologist at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. She is currently the Program Manager for Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology and serves as Health Behavior Coordinator in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention program.

The theme is “Big Ideas in the Big Easy: Uniting Rural and Urban Providers.” The Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) is a non-profit state trade association whose purpose is to promote accessible, affordable, quality primary health care for the uninsured and medically underserved populations in Louisiana, noted Shannon Robertson, Clinical Education Coordinator. The LPCA represents 34 organizations with over 170 health care sites, private non-profit and public FQHCs across Louisiana that serves more than 300,000 patients annually, she said.

Psychologists speaking at the conference are coordinated through the Speakers’ Bureau of the Louisiana Psychological Association, serving the public interest through psychological science.

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

Article archive / June 1, 2016

Originally published: June 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 6. Source pages: 10.

Todd Presents at Assn of Family and Conciliation Courts in Seattle

Leslie Todd, LCSW, will present at a preconference Institute at the Annual Conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts in this month in Seattle, helping attendees understand that while settling the divorce used to be Family Court’s primary function, today it is “defining families.” Todd is founding president of the Louisiana Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Family Courts are inundated with cases that require the assistance of forensic mental health professionals, Todd explained in an interview last week. Same-sex partners and grandparents are requesting recognition as parents. Gestational surrogacy has created another generation of familial and legal dilemmas. There are more living-together than married parents, and there are huge numbers of young parents who have never even lived with their co-parent, she said. Since 80 percent of families are now non-nuclear, the majority of modern families will pass through Family Court doors at some point for clarification of roles at the very least, Todd said.

While the need for these services is pressing, the cost is often prohibitive, Todd said. She is one of four presenters for “Cadillac or Chevy? Providing High Quality, Affordable and Trustworthy Processes,” where she will present information to judges, attorneys and mental health professionals from across the U.S, Australia and Canada.

Todd joins international mediator/psychologist Arnold Shienvold, PhD, Brent Cashatt, JD, Hon. William Fee, to examine the spiraling costs related to child custody disputes as well as alternative models which address the issues of quality, jurisdictional expectations, comprehensiveness and cost in various geographic regions and across socioeconomic strata.

The presenters will discuss the sources of tension between the need of the Court and the ability of mental health professions to provide necessary information to the parents and the Court, and the issue of finances, Todd explained. They will discuss a spectrum of services, ranging from collaborative divorce models and mediation ranging from early- stage to child-inclusive mediation.

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 5.

A measure to exempt the LPC Board from a law that authorizes entities issuing licenses for certain fields of work to issue provisional licenses to ex-offenders, has passed the Senate floor in a 37 to 0 vote.

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 11.

“Passed away”, “kicked the bucket”, “gone with the wind”, “in a better place,” and “in heaven now.”

“No longer with us”, “didn’t make it”, and “not here anymore.”

These are some of the more common ways we talk about the topic of death, that Dr. Brook Breaux and her student researchers from psychology at the University of Louisiana Lafayette have found. The group conducted studies to learn more about the words we use, and don’t use, when we talk about, or don’t talk about, the big one.

Mark LaCour is one of the students conducting the research. He explained that terms like “passed away” were by far the most common. But there were some unusual ones, too.

“The faiths got ‘em” and “in the sky” were examples, LaCour said. There were also references to murder or suicide, “which we did not mention in the instructions,” he said.

Very few studies have directly examined the idea that people tend to avoid using direct and literal words to describe death, but rather express facts about death in symbolic and figurative terms.

The University of Louisiana Lafayette researchers found that our language has many words for living, but many fewer words for death. The authors wrote, “The results suggest that although speakers of American English use words related to death (106,633) and dying (113,757), they do so at a noticeably lower rate as compared to words related to life (379,285) and living (201,323).” The authors presented their results at the Southeastern Psychological Association meeting held in New Orleans recently.

Breaux and her students asked participants to provide examples of how they, or their friends or family members, might say that someone had died, without using the word died. On average, participants produced six words, with the most common being “passed away.” A full 75 percent of the participants produced this as their first response. And 93 percent produced at least one response referring to the afterlife.

What else did they find?

“While women didn’t generate more phrases compared to men overall,” said Mark LaCour, “they did generate more phrases that were categorized as involving continuation, the afterlife, of positive affect compared to men,” he explained.

The researchers asked participants if they experienced the death of a family member or a close friend as well as their rating of how many deaths they have experienced compared to the average person.

“Strangely enough,” said LaCour, answers to these questions were not predictors of any of the variables we looked at (e.g., number of metaphors generated, number of metaphors within a category).”

“Even stranger,” he noted, “some individuals were highly discrepant with their answers. For instance, people who said they had not experienced the death of a family member or close friend would rate themselves as having experienced more deaths than the average person while another participant would report that they had experienced the death of a friend and family member, yet still rate themselves as having experienced fewer deaths than the average person.”

Dr. Breaux’s group has an ongoing research agenda in this area, and they hope to uncover information that helps with managing fears and coping with mortality.

Dr. Brook Breaux (R) and her student researchers from University of Louisiana Lafayette presented at SEPA this year. Back row (left to right): Kylie Garber, Iesha King, Dylan Richard, and Dustin Dronet. Front row (left to right): Mark LaCour and Dylan Harrell.

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 6.

After significant changes caused by Act 441 in 2015 regarding investigations, the state medical board is again looking at more changes, this time in how its members are chosen. Senate Bill 429 would restructure the process for board nominations. The move prompted a comment by the board’s president to ask that law- makers give the board time to adjust to last years reforms, which included a new Executive Director, separating investigations from the Director’s duties, reorganizing the staff, and new rules relating to complaints and investigations, before another set of changes are imposed.

However, at the Senate Health & Welfare Committee, author Senator Regina Barrow felt that the additional changes were needed.

SB 429 would cause potential board members come from districts and be elected, rather than originate from the three associations. Current law specifies that the medical board be composed of four physicians from the Louisiana State Medical Society, two from the Louisiana Medical Association, and one the Louisiana Academy of Family Practice Physicians.

The measure directs the secretary of the board to issue ballots and conduct counting of votes. The proposed law would also establish specific qualifications for appointees.

At the Senate Health & Welfare Committee meeting on April 27, author Senator Barrow said, “At the end of the day, […] I think this provides fairness and parity as it relates to this particular discipline, as it relates to the make-up of the board.” She said that she had concerns about the board being heavy with those placed by their associations, and none were elected.

Senator Dan Claitor asked, “Who does the medical board supervise?” And the current Executive Director, Mr. Eric Torres, explained that the board includes 16 categories of licensees. He listed acupuncturists, athletic trainers, clinical exercise physiologists, clinical laboratory personnel, medical psychologists, midwives, occupational therapists, and others.

Senator Claitor said, “I appreciate that and understand the way the board’s put together. Its physicians and consumers but none of these other folks that are supervised by the board. Do they have any feelings? Or are they completely comfortable with being the subjects of the physicians?”

Mr. Torres said, “We currently have 10 advisory committees and its my understanding that everyone’s satisfied with how that works, currently.”

Senator Claitor asked Senator Barrow if she had “Heard anything?” She said she had not.

Representatives from the Louisiana Medical Society opposed the measure, but declined to speak. Dr. Jim Taylor, legislative affairs for the Academy of Louisiana Family Physicians did testify, saying that he was concerned how the individuals would be vetted. He also noted his concern that the timing of the bill was “curious,” and noted his concern that it could be it could be “retaliatory.” He did not explain further.

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 14.

The salience of concerns about belonging in literary classics, especially children’s stories, from The Ugly Duckling and Pinocchio to Harry Potter tell us that worries about adoption and alienation abide in human psychology. These concerns are central to Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book, both in its original form and in its transformation in the 2016 Disney film by that name.

The basic story in both tellings is that of an orphaned child, Mowgli, who is raised by wolves, and the issues of belonging that arise because of his situation. Mowgli begins by thinking about himself as a wolf, a creature of the wild, and struggles with the problems of being accepted in that context, only to face problems in being human as well.

The Disney decision to adapt a classic invites comparison of the two versions. The major characters remain the same, Mowgli, the adopted child; Akela, the leader of the wolf pack; Raksha, Mowgli’s foster mother; Shere Khan, the man-killer tiger; Bagheera, Mowgli’s black panther protector; Baloo, the wolf- boy’s mentor; Kaa, the boa, an ambiguous ally.

The movie adds a new character, King Louie, a giant simian who fosters a plot to have his monkey subordinates kidnap Mowgli. His purpose is to persuade Mowgli to bring him the “scarlet flower,” fire, which the simian sees as the key to sharing, or maybe overthrowing, human domination. The riff on Prometheus seems heavy handed, and the incongruity is emphasized by the King’s breaking into a jazzy aria about wanting to be “…like youu…."

Missing in the Disney version is the hyena, Tabaqui, a sly trouble-maker who conspires with Shere Khan. Not missing, but greatly changed, is Baloo. In Kipling’s tale Baloo is the strict mentor who drills Mowgli in the Law of the Jungle and the Words of Power. The film presents Baloo as manipulative but bumbling conman with a heart of gold. An interesting character, to be sure, but one that mars the mood of grandeur and mystery in the wild that Kipling presents.

Mood and atmosphere differ in Kipling’s tale and Disney’s film. Disney, using special effects, creates an impressive virtual jungle of great beauty; Kipling, relying on lyrical language, helps us imagine and feel an exotic and mysterious locale.

In the film, Shere Khan menaces the wolf pack and Mowgli out of sheer evil and a lust for power. In Kipling’s tale, the tiger kills cattle and men because he is born crippled. His malice and hate are rooted in a physical defect.

The film has Shere Khan killing the aging leader of the pack and usurping his power until Mowgli lures the tiger to his death, permitting his foster mother, Raksha to become the pack’s leader.

In Kipling’s tale Akela, the aging pack leader, is not killed, but deposed when he fails to make a required ritual kill. He survives to help Mowgli in luring Shere Khan to his death. We know from Shere Khan and Mowgli’s first encounter that it is fated for one of them to kill the other. When Mowgli fulfills an early vow by bringing the slain tiger’s pelt to a meeting of the pack, the aging leader is restored to power.

The differing outcomes with regard to pack leadership is not a central point, but one suspects that Raksha’s becoming the pack leader is an attempt to modernize Kipling’s tale by avoiding gender stereotypes.

The more important and arguably more tragic outcome issue is that Mowgli does not have a home among wolves nor among humans. In both tellings, Kipling’s and Disney’s, the story ends with Mowgli, Baboo and Bagheera pictured as united, a group in the wild, one belonging neither in the pack nor among humans.

In the film, the trio is pictured as almost on a carefree vacation at a resort. In the book, the outcome is more ambiguous: the three remain together in the wild, but only for now. Mowgli will find it necessary to become more fully human in the future.

The Jungle Book provokes profound questions. To what degree does social identity depend upon group acceptance? To what extent is tool-using, Mowgli’s “tricks”—using of fire and the like— essential to our human nature? Are there social bonds that transcend utility?

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 6.

The March “Notice of Intent” for changes to the psychology board’s rules for continuing education, also called continuing professional development, are being reviewed. The board received 23 comments about issues in the proposed rules. Current Executive Director, Ms. Jaime Monic, noted, “We received 23 comments via email prior to the deadline to submit comments. At this time, the Board will give consideration to those comments, make a decision on how to proceed, respond to the comments and provide a report to the respective oversight committees.” Monic said the issue is on the Board’s agenda for its May 13 meeting.

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

Article archive / May 1, 2016

Originally published: May 1, 2016. Volume 7, No. 5. Source pages: 15, 16.

The Louisiana Psychological Association will hold its Annual Convention and business meeting May 20 and 21, at the Doubletree Hotel in Kenner, Louisiana. The theme will be “Psychology Across the Spectrum.” The program is designed to address current issues and science matters for psychologists, and programs are structured for continuing education level credits, including options for Ethics/Forenics. Attendees can enjoy lunches, a cocktail reception, the state board presentation, vendor presentations, and interest area chat groups.

Gerald LaHoste, PhD, University of New Orleans Biopsychology and genetic researcher, will deliver the keynote address on epigenetics in health and behavior. LaHoste will discuss how science shows that while our genes are our health blueprints, the genes are in ongoing communication with the inner and outer environments of the individual. Psychological, social, and physical environments can all work to switch genes on or off – a process called epigenetics. These multiple feedback loops show a direct influence on health outcomes, for better or for worse. Psychology finds a warm welcome in emerging epigenetic science. Backed by his discoveries of the link between the dopamine D4 receptor gene and ADHD, and also of the novel gene, Rhes, he will describe the foundations of epigenetics related to psychological health.

This is followed by panel on current issues in psychology: “New Directions in Health Service Psychology.” Chris Leonhard, PhD, from the Chicago Professional School at Xavier, will review the new training model of the American Psychological Association (APA) for Health Services Psychology and blend with new challenges for healthcare practitioners under the Affordable Care Act and other advancements.

Mary Lou Kelley, PhD, Professor and Director of Pediatric Psychology Service at Baton Rouge Clinic will discuss the role of the consulting psychologist; Sarah Moody- Thomas, PhD, Professor at the LSU School of Public Health and director of the Community Health Program, will review public health and the Tobacco Cessation Initiative; and Deborah Palmer-Seal, PhD, with the Health & Education Alliance of Louisiana will present the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The panel will engage in candid discussions about the roles and opportunities for independent psychologists and options in their careers as the healthcare landscape changes.

Also on Friday, Kristopher Kaliebe, MD, will present: “ADHD Overdiagnosis in Louisiana: A Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist’s Perspective.” Dr. Kaliebe will discuss the high degree of variation in ADHD stimulant prescribing within Louisiana and multidisciplinary strategies that ensure appropriate use of stimulant medications.

“Advances in Psychological Testing in Legal and Scientific Arenas,” looks at current issues for assessment in medical and legal areas. Presenters are Michael Chafetz, PhD, Kevin Greve, PhD, and Alan Taylor, PhD. This roundtable presentation, moderated by Dr. Chafetz, reviews recent advances in forensic psychological and neuropsychological assessment, with applications for those working in health, disability, custody and other areas of neuropsychological and psychological evaluation.

“Ethical Considerations in the Treatment of Transgender and Gender Variant Individuals Across All Facets of Psychology,” will be presented by Bobby Kizer, PhD. Dr. Kizer will discuss recent developments in gender identity theory, gender dysphoria treatment and political climate, and how these developments affect all types of psychological practice.

“Professional Standards for Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessments and Acceptance in the Courts & Dealing with Opposing Expert Evaluations,” will be presented by Richard Ivins, PhD. Dr. Ivins will outline an approach to help inoculate an expert’s report from being discredited and having a Daubert challenge. He will review a fixed vs flexible battery, court rulings, and standards for transferring information to other experts.

“The Katrina 10 Project: Individual & Community Resilience,” will be presented by, Darlyne Nemeth, PhD. Dr. Nemeth will review stress and resilience, and how psychologists can promote well-being using the Katrina 10 Wellness Workshops as examples.

Devi Miron-Murphy, PhD, will present, “Youth PTSD: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children. Dr. Murphy will provide an overview of Youth PTSD Treatment (YPT) – a theory-based, 12- session, manual-driven protocol for individual cognitive-behavioral treatment for children and adolescents with PTSD.

Darlyne Nemeth, PhD, Fernando Pastrana, PhD., Jennifer Volz, PhD., and Julia Hussey, BA., will review “Interventions for Children with Neurological/ Neurodevelop- mental Disorders including ADHD, LD, BD. & the 504 Process.” The panel will review medication management and behavioral interventions that may benefit children with neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, including, but not limited to, ADHD, LD, and Behavioral Disorders.

“It’s Just Not that Simple: Why a DSM-5 Diagnosis is Never Sufficient for Special Education Eligibility,” will be presented by Jennifer Maynard, PhD. Mental health professionals providing evaluations to schools and school administrators who are required to judge the compliance requirements of evaluations must adhere to the requirements of Louisiana Bulletin 1508. If an evaluation is not 1508- compliant, schools find the information largely useless. Participants will leave the session with a clear understanding of the role of a clinician in adjusting their evaluation to assist with 1508 compliance when their report is being submitted to schools.

Early Career Psychologist Panel, with Moderator, Amy Henke, Psy.D and panelists Michelle Moore, PhD., Sarah Gray, PhD., Chavez Phelps, PhD., Courtney Lewis, PhD., Elizabeth Carey, PhD., Corrin Johnson, PhD., Aaron Armelie, PhD. and Alyssa Lee, MA, will look at practical advice for students, interns, postdocs, and early career psychologists. Topics such as transitioning from pre- doctoral intern to post-doctoral fellowship, developing and marketing a private practice, negotiating the first job, and life in academia, will be covered. A Q&A time will also be available and attendees are encouraged to actively contribute to the discussion.

More information and registration can be found at louisianapsychologist.org.

Dr. Michelle Moore (back left, speaking) guided psychologists in the fun and therapeutic use of stuffed animals in therapy with youngsters at a previous year’s convention.

Psychologists at a fall conference last year. Left to right, Dr. Beverly Stubblefield, Dr. Kim Van Geffen, Dr. Charles Burchell, and Dr. Constance Patterson (facing away.).

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