WSPA Newsletter | April 2022 |
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WSPA 75th Anniversary
This year, the Washington State Psychological Association is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Formed in 1947, WSPA has been a key player and a champion for change in the field of psychology. WSPA’s mission to support psychologists and psychologists-in-training, promote the practice of psychology, and to ensure continued education and advancement of knowledge within the field of psychology is still relevant today. WSPA has helped redefine the field of psychology in the public eye through advocacy, and continues to work with the same vigor today.
In celebration of this milestone, WSPA will begin to collect stories of some of its longest-standing members. Some interviews will be posted online, while some interviews will be recorded online. A blog is also planned to allow members to share their stories about WSPA For current members, a commemorative membership certificate will be sent out upon renewal, whereas a new primary members who join are offered a $75 discount and student members a $7.50 discount through the end of December 2022. WSPA staff is also exploring possibilities of an in-person celebration in the summer/fall. We would love member input at this survey link.
WPSA remains nationally respected and admired at American Psychological Assoc for its continued membership growth and financial stability, being one of 20 state/provincial psychological associations that provides members with practice consultation through a Director of Professional Affairs, a strong commitment to social justice issues, and forwarding the field with state legislative achievements of such has healthcare parity, PSYPACT and push for RxP.
Cheers to many more years! |
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Colleagues,
Our Spring and Eve of Summer have a sober note, with the horrific mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, at Tops Market, and in Uvalde, Texas, at Robb Elementary School. Although these heinous acts may be differently motivated, they share in the ripples of pain and terror they have created throughout our communities. Clinical language cannot adequately capture the devastating pain of these events, and the larger context of fear and suffering that has been generated going forward.
The poet laureate of Buffalo, Jillian Hanesworth, said via media,
As a poet, I see my role as a way to bridge the gap between what we know and what we need. So we know that racism exists. We know white supremacists are real. We know that we have been targeted. Now we need change… We need you to talk. We need you to stop sitting around the dinner table acting like everything’s great because it’s not. Just because you weren’t experiencing it doesn’t mean it's not happening. Your role in this is to help change the system.
Words from the brilliant young poet, Amanda Gorman, speak to the school experience: Schools scared to death. The truth is, one education under desks, Stooped low from bullets; That plunge when we ask
Where our children Shall live & how & if
As psychologists, we will help others process and bear the grief, anger, and hopelessness, that is felt by our patients regarding these too frequent tragedies. In our roles as parents, family, and friends, we too despair over the unimaginable losses, and hold our loved ones tighter. As agents of social change, we seek to disseminate science illuminating the causes of gun violence as systemic, rather than simply expressions individual psychopathology and alienation. However expedient to focus outrage on the shooter alone, these uncomfortable systemic issues – racism, profit, fear-mongering, special interests, and political pandering - are the real fingers on the trigger.
There are unjustifiable systematic inequities as well. WSPA is alarmed by pending erosions in women’s healthcare and the efforts in some parts of the country to withdraw services from vulnerable people, especially LGBTQ+ and transgender youth, who are in need of support, services, and love rather than further marginalization and oppression. Withdrawal of care flies in the face of science and our clinical experience. In closing, we are reminded by our poets, and our children, that our role in this world is to take action; to better the systems we live in; to embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion; to make the world a safer place for all. Christen A. Carson, PhD, ABPP drccarson@mac.com |
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Preparing to Practice with PSYPACT
The Washington State Psychological Association is proud to announce the passage of SHB1286, adopting the psychology interjurisdictional compact, better known as PSYPACT. The bill was signed by Governor Inslee on March 4, 2022. The Washington State Department of Health will choose the effective date, which is tentatively scheduled for June 9, 2022, but this date may change. While you may start the application process now, you will not see Washington State on the list of available jurisdictions nor are you eligible to participate in PSYPACT or to use Washington State as your home state until the bill is officially in effect.
The following information comes from Janet Orwig (jorwig@asppb.org), the Executive Director of PSYPACT. Per Ms. Orwig, the application process has two components: you can apply to practice telehealth and/or you can apply to temporarily practice in-person. Each component has separate application procedures.
Telehealth Practice: You must apply for and receive an E.passport from ASPPB* and then complete the Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) application through the PSYPACT Commission. E.passport application Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) application Temporary Practice In-Person:
For in-person practice, you must apply for and receive an Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate (IPC) from ASPPB* and then you must complete the Temporary Authorization to Practice (TAP) application with the PSYPACT Commission. Ms. Orwig indicated that the current wait time from the submission of a completed application to finalization of the process is approximately four to six weeks. She added that the number one barrier to application completion is the delay in receiving transcripts. She said that you may choose to send in transcripts prior to completing the application, but if you do this, she strongly suggested you make a note on the application that transcripts were sent ahead of time. She stated that the system is not perfect and without this note, they may not connect your application with your transcripts.
Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate (IPC) application Temporary Authorization to Practice (TAP) application
*IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all psychologists qualify for an E.passport or IPC. Psychologists are eligible for an E.passport and/or IPC if they were licensed prior to January 1, 1985, or graduated from a degree program accredited by the American Psychological Association/Canadian Psychological Association or designated by the ASPPB National Register Joint Designation Project at the time the degree was conferred. The specific language of this requirement is available on the PSYPACT website in the FAQs. WSPA and other state associations have been and will continue to advocate for ALL licensed psychologists in good standing to be eligible for the E.passport.
PSYPACT FAQs ASPPB National Register Joint Designation Project |
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A top priority of the WSPA Board is to work on social justice advocacy informed by psychological science. Part of that work necessitates self-reflection and review of our own processes. The Board has been working with a Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) consultant to improve processes and organizational issues, including working on opening pathways to leadership, and creating safety and a welcoming place for members with marginalized status.
Advancing these and other initiatives are newly elected Board Members. Vice president responsibilities will be shared by Dr. Megan Wagoner and Dr. Jenna Del Ventura. Our new Federal Action Committee Chair is Dr. Nora (Kris) Marks. These extraordinarily capable psychologists bring fresh energy and perspectives to the Board, and we are grateful for their leadership as they serve WSPA. I encourage you to support our advocacy, for psychology and our community, by renewing your membership.
With the passage of PSYPACT legislation, psychologists throughout Washington State have the opportunity to apply for interjurisdictional practice. If you are interested in learning more about the application process, please join the free CE Webinar offered by WSPA on June 3rd at 12pm https://mms.wspapsych.org/Calendar/moreinfo_responsive.php?eventid=38170&org_id=WSPA.
Looking forward, please place the Fall Convention on your calendar. This will be conducted online over two weekends - November 4th and 5th and November 11th and 12th, 2022. We have commitments from an impressive workshop faculty but still have flexibility to add topics, so please make suggestions. We plan (hopefully) to combine the 75th Anniversary of WSPA with an in-person conference in 2023. As part of the Diamond Jubilee, the office of our Executive Director has hired additional staff to gather memories and stories of long time WSPA members and others who have been influential in shaping the organization. If anyone would like to volunteer a memory or story, please reach out to the WSPA office.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to support Washington psychologists by volunteering for WSPA. Christen A. Carson, PhD, ABPP
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| New WSPA Staff
Ben Flours (He/They/Any) has joined the staff at Thinking Cap, WSPA’s management company, and will be working the 75th Anniversary stories and interviews. A graduate of EWU from Central WA, Ben is a Communications and Screenwriting major. Ben is looking forward to using their on-campus journalism experience to see what stories and triumphs WSPA’s most experienced members have to share.
A short list of members has been created for Ben to begin interviewing, but if you have a story to share of your WSPA experience, please feel free to email Ben at: wspa-staff@wspapsych.org. |
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