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Make Psychology a Household Word
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM:
The Monitor
APA Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology)
APA Division 14 (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, (SIOP)
APA Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service)
APA Division 20, Adult Development and Aging
Maryland Psychological Association
National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology

Ron Levant's Responses to questions from The Monitor:

1.     Given that there is only so much that an incoming APA President can do during his or her 12-month presidency, state and then discuss the one issue about which you feel most passionate and will pursue with vigor if you are elected.

I want to make psychology a household word. As one of the learned professions, we have much to offer society. Building on the Decade of Behavior and Talk to Someone Who Can Help campaigns, I will focus on raising the visibility and perceived relevance of psychology to solving society’s most difficult problems. Public education initiatives will bring the best of psychological science and practice to the center of the public eye. Legislative advocacy will aim at significantly enhancing funding for psychological science and effectively positioning psychology to emerge as a top tier health profession in the coming integration of healthcare.

2.     The APA Council of Representatives has named Membership Recruitment and Retention as a major initiative for the association. What proposals do you have in this area?

I will focus on new initiatives that add value to APA membership. In addition, I support the approaches identified by The Task Force on Membership Retention and Recruitment for enhancing membership:
  • Reinforce identification with PSYCHOLOGY as a primary reason for membership.
  • Increase the conversion of student members to full members through targeted services for new psychologists.
  • Address the “dual-dues” issue, especially for new psychologists who want to belong to APA and another association.
  • Recognize and support the diversity of the discipline and profession through collaboration with divisions, state and provincial associations, regional associations and specialty societies.
3.      What specific psychological science initiatives would you promote during your presidential year?

There are different perspectives within the science community. Hence I believe that we should ask psychological scientists what their priorities are, and use that information to guide the APA science agenda. I also believe that we must all work together in these difficult times. Toward that end, I will set up a Blue Ribbon Commission of APA and APS members to seek to bring the two associations closer together. I will also work to enhance the stature of psychological science in the eyes of students, practitioners, and the public, and for the inclusion of psychological research in federal research agendas.

4.      How would you enhance financial resources for the APA Practice Organization?

The APA Practice Organization (APAPO) does not have sufficient resources to fully carry out its mission in this post-managed care era. As a psychologist who also holds the MBA degree, I will work with the APAPO to develop new business ventures in order to increase their ability to restore psychology's marketplace position, and to develop new opportunities for practice in such areas as psychological health care and psychopharmacology. One such venture might be a Practitioner Information Service Center, which would answer questions, provide tailored literature reviews, or summarize best practices, to help psychologists re-market themselves and develop new practice innovations.

5.      How would you work to increase the diversity of APA Council, states' leadership, and division leadership?

I am committed to enhancing the inclusiveness and the affirmation of cultural diversity not only of the profession but also of its leadership, and to promoting the multicultural competence of the membership. To be effective, we must make a bold move that would signal to the world of ethnic minority psychologists that we wish to be inclusive and that we value diversity. Specifically, I propose that discussions be held with the Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Issues, and its constituent groups, in order to determine what form such a bold inclusive move might take.

6.      Government officials and bodies, as well as the general citizenry, need to become more aware and appreciative of the contribution of psychology as a science and practice to their ongoing activities, as well as of our contributions to the promotion of health, education, and human welfare. How would you use the media to achieve that goal?

The central theme of my campaign is "make psychology a household word." Many Americans regularly see their dentists, physicians, and optometrists. I envision a media campaign that so normalizes psychology that people will come to see us for regular psychological checkups. To accomplish that we have to raise the visibility and perceived relevance of psychology to solving a wide range of personal, health, education, and family problems. We also need to include psychology in the "MODVOP" (medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, veterinarians, optometrists, podiatrists) acronym used to designate the health care professions that are automatically included in health legislation passed by Congress.

STATEMENT FOR THE BALLOT
During these uncertain times for our country, psychology is increasingly called upon for its professional skills and scientific knowledge. APA needs an experienced leader who has a history of working with all of psychology’s constituencies, and who can bring us together to effectively respond to these challenges. I have held many roles in psychology: practitioner, clinical supervisor, administrator, professor, research investigator. I have also had the good fortune to hold many roles in APA. Through this experience, I have developed a broad perspective on psychology. I know that our strength derives from our rich professional and scientific traditions, that the students in APAGS are our future, that our future will be affected by technological change in ways that are difficult to imagine, and that APA, despite all of our differences, is one family.

I have a vision for psychology’s future in which the growing integration of science and practice expands opportunities for professional service and scientific research aimed at society’s most pressing problems, and thus makes psychology a household word. . “Making psychology a household word” will be the central theme of my presidency. As one of the learned professions, we have a great deal to offer society. Many Americans regularly see their dentists, physicians, and optometrists. I envision a public education campaign that so normalizes psychology that people will come to see us for regular psychological checkups. To accomplish that we have to raise the visibility and perceived relevance of psychology to solving a wide range of personal, health, education, and family problems. We also need legislative advocacy aimed at including psychology in the “MODVOP” (medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, veterinarians, optometrists, podiatrists) acronym used to designate the health care professions that are automatically included in health legislation passed by Congress.

I believe that, due to economic pressures, behavioral health will be integrated into the healthcare system, and that this development is as inevitable as the industrialization of healthcare was 15 years ago. I am committed to positioning psychology to emerge as a top-tier health profession/discipline in this coming integrated health care system. By virtue of a history of political involvement, I know my way around Capitol Hill, and plan to use that knowledge to advance this and other psychology issues.

I am aware through my travels that many of our practitioner colleagues believe that the practice of psychology has been significantly degraded by managed care, and wonder why APA is not doing more. There is much more that APA could do, but unfortunately the APA Practice Organization (APAPO) does not have sufficient resources to fully and completely carry out its mission. As a psychologist who also holds the MBA degree, I will work with the APAPO to develop new business ventures in order to increase their ability to restore psychology's marketplace position and to develop new opportunities for practice in such areas as psychological health care and psychopharmacology. One such venture might be a Practitioner Information Service Center, which would answer questions, provide tailored literature reviews, or summarize best practices, to help psychologists re-market themselves and develop new practice innovations.

I am committed to enhancing the inclusiveness and the affirmation of cultural diversity not only of the profession but also of its leadership, and to promoting the multicultural competence of the membership. To be effective, we must make a bold move that would signal to the world of ethnic minority psychology that we wish to be inclusive and that we value diversity. Specifically, I propose that discussions be held with the Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Issues, and its constituent groups, in order to determine the form such a bold and inclusive move might take.

I believe that we should ask psychological scientists what their priorities are, and use that information to guide the APA science agenda. I also believe that we must all work together in these difficult times, and will set up a Blue Ribbon Commission of APA and APS members to seek to bring the two associations closer together. I will also work to enhance the stature of psychological science in the eyes of students, practitioners, and the public, include psychological research in federal research agendas, address problems with Institutional Review Boards, and bring scientists back to APA. I am committed to working with educators to create a voice for education in APA. I have long advocated for the ongoing, continued funding of the Educational Leadership Conference in the hopes that this conference might facilitate the development of education’s voice.

In addition, given the importance of accountability in higher education, I am committed to working with educators to address the need for reliable and valid tools to measure student learning outcomes, at all levels of psychology education. A good example of what is needed is the recently developed “Undergraduate Psychology: Learning Goals and Outcomes.” The need for this in professional psychology was clearly articulated at the 2002 “Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Psychology.”

APA finances are under pressure due to longer-term fiscal changes (such as the leveling off of membership growth, the decline in institutional demand for print products, and the lack of a compensatory uptick in the demand for electronic products). As a result I believe that APA has to closely examine its priorities in light of the available resources and make choices about how to use the more limited resources. If elected President, I will lead APA in a priority setting process, which will mean letting go of some lower priority items, in order to live within our means and accomplish our top priorities.

I love being a psychologist and have been deeply involved with APA throughout my career. I have strong ties with all of APA’s constituencies and I am optimistic for the future. If we proceed on a united front, as a good family should, the future of psychology is as bright as we dare to imagine it to be. I thank you for considering my candidacy and ask for your #1 vote.


Response to Questions from APA Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology):

1.     What are some specific initiatives you would support that are directly related to advancing the teaching and learning of psychology at all levels?

First of all, I am committed to working with educators to create a voice for education in APA. I have long advocated for the ongoing, continued funding of the Educational Leadership Conference (ELC) in the hopes that this conference might facilitate the development of education's voice.

Second, given the importance of accountability in higher education, I am committed to working with educators to address the need for reliable and valid tools to measure student learning outcomes, at all levels of psychology education. A good example of what is needed is the recently developed "Undergraduate Psychology: Learning Goals and Outcomes." The need for this in professional psychology was clearly articulated at the 2002 "Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Psychology."

2.     How would you provide funding for these initiatives?

As you know, APA finances are under pressure, due to some longer-term fiscal changes (such as the leveling off of membership growth, the decline in institutional demand for print products, and the lack of a compensatory uptick in the demand for electronic products). As a result I believe that APA has to closely examine its priorities in light of the available resources and make choices about how to use the more limited resources. If elected President, I will lead APA in a priority setting process, which will mean letting go of some lower priority items. I believe that in this process funds will be freed up for higher priority items, such as the ELC.

I would look for external funding, perhaps in concert with university departments, to develop reliable and valid tools to measure student learning outcomes at all levels of psychology education.

3.     In your opinion, what is the value of the Educational Leadership Conference sponsored by APA's Education Directorate? As APA President, would you continue to support the conference and its funding?

The Educational Leadership Conference (ELC) is a very valuable forum wherein organizations across all levels of education and training in psychology come together to address issues of mutual concern, such as the changing demographics of our society, the impact of advanced technology, and the increased public scrutiny of higher education. The ELC also addresses issues such as assessment, accountability, and advocacy. The ELC promotes a shared disciplinary identity among education leaders in psychology and, where indicated, impacts public policy regarding education in psychology and psychology in education. Over time, I think the ELC has great promise of getting psychology's foot in the education door. There are so many ways that psychology should be involved in education – principles of instruction, testing, classroom "discipline," and counseling, as examples. Considerable momentum was established after the first ELC meeting, which I believe can be re-established at the second meeting (albeit a year late). As APA President, I would certainly continue to support the conference and its funding. 4.     What specific things would you do to support APA's efforts to educate students about career opportunities with a bachelor's degree in psychology?

First, I think it is time to conduct another “Psychology Baccalaureate Survey.” The last one was conducted in 1992 by APA's Research Office. The last survey asked some good questions about where bachelor's-level graduates were employed, and provided useful information for students, faculty, department chairs, and APA.

Second, it is time for a revision of the booklet Psychology: Careers for the 21st Century. The first (and only) edition was published in 1996, and emphasized doctoral-level careers. I think that a revision should really be a re-conceptualization, and include more information on undergraduate and master's-level career options. It is well known that most psychology majors do not go on to graduate school in psychology. Such a revised booklet would provide APA with an opportunity to help this very large group of psychology majors, as well as graduate students at the masters level, and foster their identification with psychology. A revised booklet with a more general focus might be used by departments that are teaching "Careers in Psychology/Introduction to the Psychology Major" courses, and perhaps APA could make some money here.

5.     What do you see as the "next step" for the recently developed Undergraduate Psychology: Learning Goals and Outcomes?

This document, which came out of a BEA Task Force, is a great contribution to undergraduate departments of psychology. It articulates ten learning goals for psychology along with their respective learning outcomes. As well, there is a detailed companion document on how to assess all of these outcomes. I have been told by undergraduate educators that this is really a work of art that has put APA on the cutting edge of learning outcome assessment, and is proving to be quite useful to departments as they deal with program assessment and accreditation. I am impressed by the documents and would like to see them better publicized.

I gather that Division 2 is wondering whether this document should be moved forward for endorsement by APA Council (as was done with the high school standards). This document was endorsed by BEA in March, 2002. The Task Force and BEA decided not to move it forward at that time because BEA did not yet have in place its document on “Criteria and Procedures for Developing and Evaluating Standards and Guidelines Related to Education and Training in Psychology.” This latter document is now relatively far along in its development, but is going through one more pass of governance review. Once this document is approved (which is anticipated to occur in 2004), the “Undergraduate Psychology: Learning Goals and Outcomes” should be evaluated for compliance with the "Criteria and Procedures for Developing and Evaluating Standards and Guidelines Related to Education and Training in Psychology.” After making any revisions that might be needed, it then could be moved forward for endorsement by the APA Council (which, of course, would likely entail a pass through governance review).

6.     What are some specific ideas you have to recruit individuals from under-represented groups to teaching positions in psychology?

To recruit individuals from under-represented groups to teaching positions in psychology requires strategies aimed at both the short term and the longer term. In the short term, perhaps Division 2, in conjunction with APAGS and the Education Directorate, could develop a program to mentor ethnic minority graduate students considering a teaching career in psychology.

Over the longer term, our strategy must be aimed at increasing the numbers of ethnic minority individuals in psychology. As is well known, the ethnocultural diversity of the United States is exploding. A 100% increase in the proportion of ethnic minorities in the population is projected by the year 2050. This makes it imperative that psychology invest significantly in the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority individuals, and in the preparation of psychology students to teach, conduct research and provide service in a diversified society. I have and will continue to support CEMRRAT's plan for increasing the proportion of ethnic minority psychologists, as described in Visions and transformations ... the final report. Other efforts might involve: (1) Promoting interest in psychology through developing engaging, culturally-aware materials on psychology for secondary school courses in social studies and psychology; (2) developing programs like the Psi Beta Diversity Project 2000, which was aimed at enhancing ethnic minority recruitment and retention in psychology in two-year colleges; (3) Developing similar programs for the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority students at four year colleges and universities; (4) Developing improved methods and materials for career information, advisement, and mentoring in psychology for ethnic minority individuals; and (5) Improving the curriculum on ethno-cultural diversity in masters and doctoral programs in psychology.

7.     What are some specific ideas you have to recruit males to teaching positions in psychology?

In this area we are dealing with a declining percentage of males who go to college in the first place, and even smaller percentage who then major in psychology at the undergraduate level, and an even smaller percentage who then go on to graduate programs in psychology. As with ethnic minorities, recruiting males to teaching positions in psychology requires strategies aimed at both the short term and the longer term. In the short term, perhaps Division 2, in conjunction with APAGS and the Education Directorate, could develop a program to mentor male graduate students considering a teaching career in psychology.

Over the longer term, our strategy must be aimed at increasing the numbers of males in psychology. I think the declining percentage of males in college and graduate school reflects a masculinity crisis which is ongoing in our society. The masculinity crisis involves the collapse of the basic pattern by which men have traditionally fulfilled the code for masculine role behavior -- the good provider role -- and the resultant intensification of gender role strain. The solution requires the reconstruction of masculinity, a re-evaluation and re-definition of what it means to be a man in a post-patriarchal society, one in which traditional gender roles have been transcended. APA Division 51 (the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity) could probably help out in a collaborative project with Division 2. (As you may know, I was the co-founder and first President of APA Division 51).


 Responses to Questions from APA Division 14 (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, SIOP):

1.          A survey of SIOP members indicates that most are opposed to the licensure of I-O psychologists. At the same time, many of our members live in states where they are required to be licensed and are finding it increasingly difficult to meet requirements. For example, California requires course work in child abuse, which is not a part of I-O training or practice. Additionally, a number of states do not permit I-O psychologists to be licensed. What is your position on licensure and licensure requirements for I-O psychologists?

I think that SIOP’s “policy on licensure” (posted on the SIOP website), which indicates that SIOP members who wish to be licensed should be able to do so, is very wise. As was noted in the question, a number of states and provincial regulations make it difficult for I/O psychologists to get licensed. I strongly support amending current laws and regulations so that they are more appropriate for I/O psychologists, and so that they can be licensed if they desire. I have observed that some states require that candidates for licensure graduate from an APA accredited program or have an APA accredited internship. Because APA does not accredit I/O programs, this effectively “excludes” I/O psychologists from licensure. In many of these states, exclusion from licensure means that I/O psychologists cannot identify themselves as psychologists and are forced to use another title. I oppose such exclusion, and, in such states, would support amending state laws and regulations to “exempt” I/O psychologists from licensure, if this would allow them to use the title of psychologist and practice within their sphere of expertise. I would be willing to facilitate SIOP’s discussion of this issue with ASPPB and the Practice Directorate.

SIOP’s policy on licensure also notes that many, if not most, I/O psychologists practice in more than one state from time to time, and are thus affected by the lack of licensure mobility that characterizes all of professional psychology. I am co guest editing a forthcoming special section for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice that deals with the issue of licensure mobility and have included a chapter by a SIOP member that addresses the difficulties that I/O psychologist have in working across jurisdictions. Raising these issues in such a professional forum may be helpful in influencing policy.

2.     We have witnessed a spate of articles advising clinical psychologists to “enter the workplace” as a new practice domain. Many of our members are concerned about individuals who are approaching new practice areas without appropriate training/retooling (e.g., personnel assessment, team interventions). What, if any, types of additional training should psychologists trained in traditional psychology programs receive before practicing in workplace settings in non-clinical areas?

The APA Ethics Code requires that psychologists practice within their areas of competence. As in any retraining area, I would expect that clinically trained psychologists obtain appropriate training and supervision to prepare them to practice in the workplace. We need to educate those psychologists who wish to move into new areas about the complexities of practice in that arena. Although there are clinical skills that are transferable to the workplace, there are clear content areas concerning the workplace where clinicians need substantive training. I would encourage clinicians who are interested in practicing within the workplace to understand the limits of their competence. I would further encourage them to take continuing education programs (as offered at SIOP and APA or other venues), obtain post-doctoral training and/or obtain supervision from senior I/O psychologists when they contemplate moving into these areas. I would welcome input from SIOP about skill areas that would be important in such a retooling process.

3.     Our member survey indicates concern, particularly among our academic members, regarding the status of I-O psychology in the field of psychology and in psychology departments. For example, introductory textbooks provide little more than passing reference to our field, major departments treat applied fields as second-class, and so forth. If elected, what will you do to assist SIOP in promoting I-O psychology to other psychologists?

If elected President, I plan to represent all of psychology, science as well as practice. I know that psychology’s strength derives from its rich scientific and professional traditions. I have a vision for psychology’s future in which the growing integration of the science and practice of psychology will expand opportunities for knowledge generation and service delivery aimed at addressing society’s most pressing problems, and thus make psychology a household word. Hence I will do everything I can to enhance the prestige of all of psychology.

I understand that SIOP has developed an excellent brochure describing I/O psychology. As part of my initiative to make psychology a household words, I will do everything I could to enhance the distribution of this brochure, and to publicize the work of I/O psychologists in my work with the media and the public. I would welcome input from SIOP about promoting I-O psychology to other psychologists.


 Responses to questions from the APA Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service):

1.     In your opinion, what is the single most important issue facing public service psychology today.

The most important issue facing public sector psychology today is the emerging movement in health care to “carve in” mental health services and to offer them in primary care settings. Some have predicted that, due to economic forces, behavioral health will be integrated into the healthcare system, and that this development is as inevitable as managed healthcare was 15 years ago. The major question is what position will public psychologists occupy in the coming integrated health care system? Will we be replaced by primary care MD’s and subdoctoral personal or will we emerge as a premier health profession? I am committed to positioning psychology to emerge as a top tier health profession in this coming integrated health care system.

A very strong case can be made for public sector psychologists taking leadership in providing a psychological health care in primary care settings.
  1. Seven of the top health risk factors are behavioral, as are seven out of the nine leading causes of death;
  2. 50-80% of all visits to primary care medical personnel are for psychological problems;
  3. Over 90 studies have demonstrated that medical and surgical costs are reduced when behavioral health care is provided to medical patients;
  4. The vast majority of people receiving mental health treatment are cared for by medical professionals with minimal specific training in mental health;
  5. Empirical evidence supports the effectiveness of psychological interventions in ameliorating a wide range of physical health problems.
2.     Much of the treatment of patients with serious mental illnesses is provided by Division 18 members. What can we do –and what can APA help us do—to provide better care for patients with SMI.

Public sector psychology makes an extremely important contribution to the care and treatment of persons with serious mental illnesses. Empirical literature indicates that psychosocial rehabilitation—a range of recently developed techniques designed to access individual strengths and resources in order to build competencies for independent living, often used in combination with medication—actually holds out hope for recovery.

Psychology has led the effort to develop and evaluate psychological rehabilitation and recovery methods, and is the profession best qualified to designing, implementing, and supervising other staff members in providing them. Psychologists also provide other empirically supported therapies designed for these populations, such as family psychoeducation, DBT, and cognitive therapy for delusional disorders.

Additionally, psychologists can fill a needed role in the management of medications with this population, particularly in relation to medication compliance and medication side effects. Further, psychologists with appropriate knowledge can function as consultative psychopharmacologists, a role which has been specifically delineated for psychologists working with SMI populations by the APA Ad Hoc Task Force on Psychopharmacology.

APA can help by:
  1. Educating administrators of mental health systems about the effectiveness of psychologist-developed treatments for persons diagnosed with serious mental illnesses and how to identify psychologists well-versed in these approaches;
  2. Conducting legislative and regulatory advocacy to change those state Medicaid and Community Mental Health laws and regulations that have impeded psychologist’s participation in the public care sector;
  3. Continuing to support the advocacy efforts of the Association of Veterans Administration Psychology Leaders (AVAPL).
3.     Do you see public service concerns as underrepresented in APA and/or state and provincial psychological associations? If so, what should be done to remedy the problem?

Public service concerns are somewhat under-represented in APA but are much more so in SPPA’s. Pubic sector concerns are represented in APA by Division 18, the CAPP Task Force on Serious Mental Illness, the inclusion of public practitioners on both CAPP and BPA, the support of the APA Practice Directorate for the Association of Veterans Administration Psychology Leaders (AVAPL), and the creation of an award to recognize public practitioners. I believe that APA could do more, particularly with regard to providing national leadership for dramatically expanding psychology’s role in providing services to Medicaid beneficiaries. This is a critical issue, one that has relegated psychology to second class status in the public care systems in many states. The problems include fees and salaries more appropriate for subdoctoral personnel and the requirement in some states that psychiatrists authorize treatment. I sponsored a legislative item this year in APA aimed at addressing this issue, which was approved but then put on hold due to APA’s fiscal crisis.

SPPAs vary a great deal in terms of their recognition of and involvement in public sector issues. Some are very much on the mark, and some others may not even have the issues on their radar screens. I would urge that Division 18 give consideration to setting up a chapter system in SPPAs, based on our membership and the SPPA’s that they are involved in. This could also become a recruiting tool for both the division and the SPPA’s.

4.     On what other issues would you like Division 18 members to know your positions?

I am strongly in support of prescription privileges, de-criminalization of the mentally ill, forming alliances with consumers of mental health services, and enhancing psychologist’s involvement in public policy.

Prescription privileges
I believe that the prescription privilege agenda has the capacity to dramatically accelerate the evolution of professional psychology and to help us fulfill our potential of being a top tier health care profession. The major argument for psychologists prescribing is that it would improve public health. Most people with a mental health or substance abuse problem are receiving psychoactive drugs that are prescribed by a primary care prescribing professional who has minimal training in mental health. Clinical psychologists obtain more training in the identification of mental disorders and illnesses than any other health care practitioner. Allowing appropriately trained psychologists to prescribe will increase the public's access to comprehensive mental health care.

De-criminalization of Mental Illness
Deinstitutionalization, conceived in the humanitarianism and idealism of the community mental health movement, has been a stark failure because of an insufficient investment in community-based care and psychological rehabilitation. There was also an over-reliance on psychoactive medications, which proved problematic because of inadequate care systems designed to prevent relapses due to noncompliance. In the end, deinstitutionalization succeeded in emptying the beds of the state mental hospitals and filling the streets and jails with individuals with chronic mental illness. All of this has strongly reinforced the belief among the public and public officials that serious mental illness is hopeless and incurable, and –- even worse -- punishable by arrest and incarceration. I have been involved in the development of Mental Health Courts, which I believe can be an effective way to divert mentally ill individuals who commit minor crimes from the criminal justice system.

Alliances with Consumers
Public sector psychologists would be well advised to develop partnerships with recovering consumers and organizations that represent their interests (e.g., NAMI, NARPA). There is a growing cadre of people who have recovered from serious mental illness who serve as invaluable allies in the treatment process because of their peerless ability to relate to the consumers’ experience. Some of these folks have become psychologists and psychiatrists and are quite open about their past experiences with SMI (e.g. Ron Bassman, Fred Freese, Kay Redfield Jamison, Dan Fischer, to name a few ).

Psychology in Public Policy
While individual psychologists have long been involved in public policy in various ways, this has usually not been considered an essential aspect of being a psychologist. Public policy concerns include issues of health, education, welfare, crime and violence prevention, and other social concerns that affect the quality of human life. As a science of behavior, psychology has an extensive empirical foundation that is directly relevant to the solution of some of the most difficult problems that face our society. Yet, psychology’s voice has not been as influential as it might be. It is important that we develop ways of communicating more effectively with the public and with those who make decisions in the public interest.


 Response to APA Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging):

1.     Briefly describe your interests and any previous involvement in Division 20. Our members would be interested in knowing if you are a member or fellow of the division or have been active in any way in Division 20. Are you involved in any other professional organizations devoted to the psychology of adult development and aging?

I recently submitted my application for membership in APA’s division 20. I am also involved with other APA divisions that emphasize a life span human development perspective, particularly Division 17, Counseling Psychology, and Division 51, the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, which focuses on male development over the life cycle. I was the co-founder and first president of Division 51.

2.     Briefly describe any professional or scholarly interest you have in issues related to the psychology of aging. Naturally, we are interested in a wide range of professional activities including practice, consulting, supervising, research, and teaching.

I am an academic psychologist currently serving as Professor and Dean, Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University. I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice from Harvard University 30 years ago. I served on the faculty of the APA-Accredited Counseling Psychology Program at Boston University for thirteen years. Following a brief stint at Rutgers University with a joint appointment in the Graduate Schools of Education and Applied and Professional Psychology, I served for seven years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School at The Cambridge Hospital. I have authored, co-authored, edited or co-edited 13 books and over 120 refereed journal articles and book chapters.

As dean at NSU, I have worked to ensure that our students have opportunities to develop their interests in geropsychology. Two of our training clinics focus on the elderly. The Nova Community Clinic for Older Adults is an outpatient therapy program where students learn, under the supervision of our faculty, to assess and treat elderly community residents with mild to severe psychological problems; and, the NSU Geriatric Institute is a day treatment program where students learn, under the supervision of our faculty, to assess and treat older adults suffering from serious mental illness. I also raised funds to establish the Leonard Roth Memorial Endowed Scholarship for in Geropsychology, which annually awards funds to a promising student doing clinical or research work in geropsychology.

My major academic interest is the new psychology of men. I began in the late 1970’s investigating the adult development of men as fathers. I directed the Boston University Fatherhood Project from 1983-1988, which resulted in a number of empirical journal articles and book chapters, and a book (Levant, R., & Kelly, J [1989]. Between father and child. New York: Viking). In the 1990’s and beyond I have been developing the Gender Role Strain Paradigm as a framework for research and clinical practice. I have examined male emotional and relational development and masculinity ideology in multicultural perspective. Most recently I have looked at aging in men in collaboration with Professor William Kelleher, which has produced one dissertation and an article based on it (Berger, J.M., Levant, R.F., & Kelleher, W. [under consideration a t a refereed journal]. Impact of gender role conflict, traditional masculinity ideology, alexithymia, and age on men’s attitudes toward psychological help seeking).

Susan Whitbourne and I assembled a program for the APA convention, titled, “Toward the unification of psychology: The utility of the biopsychosocial model.” This program grew out of APA President Robert J. Sternberg’s Initiative on the Unification of Psychology. The speakers include two experts in the area of geropsychology.

3.     Is aging part of your platform or agenda for your presidential year? If so, please describe briefly.

As a candidate for APA President, I am committed to ensuring that APA develops and supports policies that promote the optimal development of older adults, facilitate psychological practice with older adults, expand scientific understanding of adult development and aging, and disseminate the best available information concerning older adults to psychologists, other professionals, policy makers and the public.

Specifically, if elected President, I will explore the development of an ABPP diplomate in geropsychology, as I know there is some interest in this. I will also urge that APA play a leadership role in developing a consortium on aging with other relevant organizations (e.g. the Gerontological Society of America, AARP, American Society in Aging, and the American Geropsychiatric Association), in order to provide a focused effort on dealing with issues and concerns related to aging.

As APA Recording Secretary for the past five years, I have strongly supported the development of what is now called “Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults.” developed by the Interdivisional Task Force on Practice in Clinical Geropsychology of Division 20 and Section II of Division 12, and currently on the agenda for the APA Council of Representatives meeting in August. This document was originally titled “Training Guidelines for Practice in Clinical Geropsychology,” when it was introduced in 1998. I plan to work to ensure that it is approved, and to help with any follow-up that is required after the August meeting.


Response to the Maryland Psychological Association’s Questions:

1.     Are you a member of your state psychological association? If yes, for how long and why do you consider this membership important? If no, why have you decided not to be a member?

I belong to the following State Psychological Associations: Fellow, Massachusetts Psychological Association 1975-present; Member, Florida Psychological Association, 1999-present. I consider membership in State Psychological Associations critically important because that is where the action is in terms of legislative advocacy for the profession. I came up through the ranks of my SPA (Massachusetts), and from there gained a seat on the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP).

2.     Describe your involvement in State or Provincial Psychological Association activities over the years and how you believe you have impacted their activities and initiatives.

I have very involved in state associations and think that my involvement has had a very positive impact. In Massachusetts, I was active in governance for almost 20 years (from 1978-1997). I served on nearly every Board and Committee and held the elective offices of Member-at-Large of Board of Directors, Secretary, President, and APA Council Representative for two terms. In Florida, I have served as Chair, Psychology of Men Committee; Member Legislative and Public Policy Board; Co-Point person, RxP Bill. I have received the Heiser award for state advocacy, and awards from MPA, FPA, NYSPA, Div 31, AAP, and CAPP.

3.     What do you see as the most important issues facing State and Provincial Psychological Associations today and in the future?

The most important issues facing state associations include:
  1. Retaining and building membership in the face of disaffection among psychologists due to the damaging effects of managed care;
  2. Legislative advocacy in the areas of mental health parity and expanding our scope of practice to include hospital practice, practicing psychological health care in primary care settings, and prescriptive authority;
  3. Developing continuing education programs organized into modules that would enable psychologists to develop expertise in emerging areas of practice in the courts, prisons, schools, health clinics, and corporations.
4.     How do you see APA addressing these issues if you are elected APA President and how do you see them fitting into APA’s mission and priorities?

APA has created a companion 501c(6) organization designed precisely to address state and federal legislative advocacy directly, without the constraints that a c(3) organization has. However, the Practice Organization, as it is called, cannot do as much as it would like to do to support legislative advocacy due to funding limitations. As a member of the c(6) Board of Directors since its inception, I have been very supportive of initiatives designed to generate revenues above and beyond the special assessment. I have and will continue to wear my MBA hat in the service of enhancing Practice Organization revenues.

5.     What role do you see for states in helping APA? What role can APA have in supporting the work of the SPPA’s?

For SPPA’s to help APA, and vice versa, all SPPA’s must be seated on the Council of Representatives. I have played a major role in seating SPPA’s on Council.
  • I Co-sponsored the Liaison-Observer legislation in the late 1980’s that took made it possible for state associations to participate in APA governance;
  • I helped expand state psychological association’s representation on APA Council through chairing the Task Force on Council Representation which developed the Wildcard Plan;
  • I helped seat all SPPA’s by co-chairing the Task Force on Council Representation II which developed the modified Wildcard Plan
6.     What specifically have you done to advance the prescriptive authority agenda for psychologists? What specifically have you done to help psychologists obtain prescriptive authority?

As Chair of CAPP I established a Task Force on Prescriptive Authority, which played a supportive role in the passage of enabling legislation in Council in 1995. While on the APA Board of Directors I initiated three special projects, obtaining over $120,000 in Board and Council contingency funds. These projects included a summit meeting of key states in 2001 aimed at getting one bill passed (which laid the foundation for the passage of the New Mexico bill in 2002). As dean at Nova Southeastern University, in collaboration with FPA, I launched a postdoctoral degree program in clinical psychopharmacology for psychologists.


Response to the National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology Questions:

1.     What are your views regarding training models in professional psychology (e.g., scholar-practitioner, scientist-practitioner)? What are the most pressing issues in the education of professional psychologists?

I favor a professional school model for educating practicing psychologists. Variably termed “scholar-practitioner,” “practitioner-informed-by-science,” and “practitioner-scientist,” the professional school model has more in common with the training models of other health care professions (e.g., medicine) and less in common with the academic model, which is more appropriate for educating future researchers. Further, the professional school model is often distinguished by offering the Psy.D. degree instead of the more academic Ph.D degree. I envision a future psychological health care profession that is truly responsive to the public’s most pressing needs. I believe that the public will be better served by psychologists who are prepared in a professional school model, who have the breadth and depth of education, training and supervised experience to respond to the public’s needs.

I see five pressing issues in the education of professional psychologists on the horizon. First, we have to find ways to address the myopia among some members of the APA Committee on Accreditation regarding the professional school model of training and their negativity towards toward it. Second, NCSPP, which has developed competency based models, needs to take leadership in the current discourse about competencies and measuring student learning outcomes, The need for this was evident in the 2002 “Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Psychology.” The remaining issues are addressed elsewhere in this response (health care, diversity and the post-doc trap).

2.     What should be the focus of APA's advocacy efforts in education and practice?

APA’s advocacy efforts in education and practice should be focused on expanding the public’s access to highly qualified professional psychologists, which, in turn, would support work for our graduates. President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (which included several APA members) just published its final report, which describes the current mental health system as a “patch work relic,” and calls for “a fundamental transformation of the Nation’s approach to mental health care.”

There is clearly a lot to be done. APA needs to expand training opportunities for psychologists through increased federal funding of such programs as the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program and the Graduate Psychology Education Act (GPE) funded by the Bureau of Health Professions of HRSA. GPE provided more than $2.7 million in grants to fund the planning, development and implementation of graduate education and training programs in behavioral and mental health. GPE trains health service psychologists to work with underserved populations, including children, the elderly, victims of abuse and the chronically ill or disabled. The program emphasizes an integrated approach to health care services that underscores the connection between behavior and health.

In addition APA needs to advocate for measures that would expand the public’s access to quality mental health care, such as the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act. This Act would promote better access to care for the public.

3.     What actions are needed to deal with the changing employment market for professional psychologists?

I think we need to expand and diversify the scope of psychological practice into new areas such as health psychology, neuropsychology, rehabilitation psychology, forensic psychology, child and family psychology, multicultural psychology, geropsychology, business and industry consultation, and psychopharmacology. I think that the future evolution of professional psychology will entail the development of roles that do not now exist or are just emerging - in health care, public sector care, the courts, the correctional system, schools, businesses, etc. - in the numbers that psychologists entered the role of outpatient therapist in the 1970s and 80s. Discussing all of these new pathways is beyond the scope of this brief comment, but I do want to discuss one area, psychological health care, to provide a flavor for how I think about these issues.

I think we need redefine psychology as a primary health care profession, rather than as a specialty profession of mental health care. In this latter role, we deal primarily with the people who self-identify as having psychological problems and who have access to a mental health specialist, which is just a fraction of those who need psychological services.

As a primary health care profession we would be able to serve the much larger group of people who do not have access to mental health care or who do not identify their problem as psychological. To grasp this potential, please consider a few facts about health care; (1) Seven of the top health risk factors are behavioral (tobacco use, alcohol abuse, diet, injuries, suicide, violence and unsafe sex); (2) Seven out of the nine leading causes of death have significant behavioral components; (3) At least 50% of all visits to primary care medical personnel are for problems with a psychological origin or for problems with a psychological component; (4) The vast majority of people receiving mental health treatment are cared for by medical professionals with minimal specific training in mental health; (6) Moreover, there is a growing body of empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of psychological interventions in ameliorating a wide range of physical health problems, including both acute and chronic disease affecting literally every organ system and encompassing pediatric, adult and geriatric populations. In addition to being clinically effective, these interventions are dramatically less expensive than alternative somatic interventions.

4.     What should be APA's next steps in addressing diversity issues in psychology education and practice?

As is well known, the ethnocultural diversity of the United States is exploding. This makes it imperative that psychology invest significantly in the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority individuals, and in the preparation of psychology students to provide service in a diversified society. I support CEMRRAT's plan for increasing the proportion of ethnic minority psychologists, as described in Visions and transformations ... the final report. Other efforts might involve: (1) Promoting interest in psychology through developing engaging, culturally-aware materials on psychology for secondary school courses in social studies and psychology; (2) developing programs like the Psi Beta Diversity Project 2000, which was aimed at enhancing ethnic minority recruitment and retention in psychology in two-year colleges; (3) Developing similar programs for the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority students at four year colleges and universities; (4) Developing improved methods and materials for career information, advisement, and mentoring in psychology for ethnic minority individuals; and (5) Improving the curriculum on ethno-cultural diversity in masters and doctoral programs in psychology.

I would also put forth as a goal addressing some of the "implicit" problems that hinder ethnic minorities in APA and in psychology. Practice needs to develop more culturally-aware approaches to assessment and intervention, based on the Guidelines for Multicultural Competence. Advocacy for practice must take into account the needs of ethnic minorities, as reflected in the Surgeon General’s report on health disparities. Education should incorporate scientific and professional knowledge about different cultural groups into our training programs, by which I mean we should integrate diversity issues into every course in the curriculum, and should work to increase the proportion of ethnic minorities in psychology.

5.     How do you conceptualize the "Supply and Demand" issues currently facing psychology? To that, what actions should APA take, if any, to deal with the shortage of pre-doctoral internships and post-doctoral fellowships?

I understand the internship shortage has improved of late, and is not the severe problem that it was a few years ago. Further improvement could come from supporting local models of internship training, such as the California Psychology Internship Council, consortium models of training such as the South Florida Consortium Internship Program, and providing more half-time opportunities for training.

On the other hand, I think that the shortage of post-doctoral fellowships and residencies is a disgrace to the profession. Many of our students emerge from their training with debt loads in the six figure range, only to find extremely limited opportunities to fulfill the requirement of one year of post-doctoral supervised experience needed for licensure in most states. I served as Co-Chair of the APA Commission on Education and Training Leading to Licensure, which attempted to address this problem, and I favor the solutions that it proposed.

In brief, the Commission reviewed the current state of education and training in professional psychology for the purpose of determining at what point basic readiness for independent practice is achieved. Of special note to the Commissioners were the changes in predoctoral supervised professional training that had occurred within the past decade. The Commission acknowledged that many students currently receive an increased amount of supervised professional training prior to internship and at the completion of internship these students may be ready to enter practice. Thus they endorsed a plan whereby students could complete the two years of supervised professional experience pre-doctorally.

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