Statement 1

We the members of the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) wish to express our opposition to Texas Senate Bill 17 and any other legislative efforts that restrict how public higher education institutions can promote equitable access to higher education and cultivate diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.  

SB17 requires state universities to close their DEI offices, ban mandatory training on diversity, and restricts hiring departments from asking for diversity statements for job applicants. While legislators claim that DEI offices promote discrimination, the contrary is true. Research suggests that a lack of diversity and inclusion can promote discrimination. Closing DEI offices and eliminating mandatory training would have the unintended consequence of increasing discrimination on college campuses. Moreover, removal of DEI offices would make it harder for universities to receive research funding from federal agencies and private organizations that consider commitments to diversity when awarding funds. Faculty research is vital to keeping a university competitive and driving its growth, as well as supporting important scientific discoveries in the state of Texas. Removing DEI offices could therefore have the unintended consequence of curtailing institutional growth and scientific inquiry, leaving Texas universities at a competitive and financial disadvantage. 

Texas is one of the states with the poorest mental health access in the country due to the low number of mental health providers relative to the general population. Both the American Psychological Association and American Counseling Association have mandatory cultural competency standards that must be met in order for an academic institution to be accredited which allows for licensure within the state. Under SB17, it is nearly impossible for Texas Universities to meet these requirements, jeopardizing the institutions that produce mental health providers that the state so sorely needs and affecting the prestige of our state universities. Furthermore, as the state of Texas becomes increasingly diverse in its ethnic and linguistic representation, it is essential that Texas universities prepare a culturally competent mental health workforce who will provide effective care to its diverse citizens. DEI offices and their programming attract and support competitive students from diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, and linguistic backgrounds who are the future mental health workforce in Texas.  

Finally, as Texas universities seek to enhance the diversity of their student bodies to match the growing diversity of Texans, seeking diversity statements from applicants may help hiring committees to identify faculty that have expertise, knowledge, and interest to meet the educational needs of a diverse student body. Diversity statements are not ideological or political statements. Rather, these statements help to illuminate the skills and competencies of an applicant and are just one component of a rigorous application process. These statements are therefore a practical, efficient, and informative tool in recruiting faculty that have the knowledge and skills to teach the next generation of Texas leaders and its workforce. 

The principal aims of diversity and inclusion offices, training, and recruitment tools are to make progress toward making college campuses representative of the state’s population, make people from underrepresented groups feel a part of the campus community, and generate innovative thinking and research. SB17 jeopardizes these aims.The politicization of diversity and inclusion efforts has the potential to increase discrimination, reduce diversity on college campuses, and make Texas universities second rate institutions on the national landscape.

Statement 2

We the members of the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) wish to express our opposition to Texas Senate Bill 18 and any other bills that would bar schools from granting tenure to newly hired professors. Psychology as a social science is taught at every major academic institution within our great state, and almost every university student is required to take a psychology course as part of their general education. Therefore, psychology faculty represent a significant portion of those impacted by shifting state policies in higher education. We, as representatives of the psychological community of Texas, are strongly opposed to any legislation or policy change that would alter the established tenure process for those currently pursuing tenure or for new faculty hires who would be tenure eligible.

Ending tenure for all new hires would have the unintended consequence of making Texas universities an undesirable destination for the nation’s best faculty. Currently, Texas universities are world renowned for state-of-the-art research and high-quality education, and generate over 144 billion dollars in economic value according to an Economic Modeling Specialists International Report. Tenure as a practice allows for the recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty through the promise of job security in exchange for years of public service through research and teaching. If Texas eliminated the tenure system, faculty recruitment and retention would become untenable. Additionally, tenure is an attractive recruitment tool for new hires who may otherwise pursue employment in the private sector where they can earn much higher wages. In turn, ending tenure for new hires could have a negative effect on the quality of state universities, thereby encouraging students to seek their education outside of the state due to the perceived discrepancy in faculty quality.

Bills like SB18 have the unintended potential of jeopardizing the stability of tenured positions and undermining the academic freedom that tenure was designed to protect. In conclusion, we charge our legislators with protecting this process, which is of clear benefit to our state. The politicization of tenure is irresponsible, ill informed, and potentially dangerous to Texas university systems.  

International wars and conflict heighten our sense of danger and may cause worry about what will happen in the days and weeks ahead. Those with families in the region may be concerned about the safety of their loved ones as well as with how their children may be impacted in their own communities. Some may be hearing about the death of their loved ones or finding out that they are missing or in direct danger. Others have seen the disturbing images and videos online or when watching the news. This region is diverse with a long and complex history. As a result of these recent events, many may experience additional pain, heartbreak, feelings of disbelief, anxiety, and outrage. The NCTSN has resources to help parents and caregivers talk about the current situation with their children, including ways to support them and ways to support others who may be impacted. We also have resources for those who have loved ones who were killed or injured by the conflict, those who have a family member involved in the conflict and those who may be in danger. We also know that many families in the United States have roots in this region and are worried about their children's exposure to escalating verbal aggression, hate crimes, or threatsat school or in their communities. The NCTSN has resources to help adults talk with children if they experience hate or verbal aggression and to explain why additional safety measures might be in place at religious institutions or schools. Finally, we recognize that many professionals who do this work are not only parents and caregivers but may also be personally impacted by these events. Check in with your colleagues, discuss ways to support them and provide them space to reflect on how these events have impacted them without judgement.

General Child Trauma Resources

·           Talking to Children about War

·           Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event

·           Assisting Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Trauma

·           Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen

·           Talking to Teens: When Scary Things Happen

·           Creating Supportive Environments: When Scary Things Happen

·           Psychological First Aid for Displaced Children and Families

·           Traumatic Separation and Refugee and Immigrant Children: Tips for Current Caregivers

·           After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal

·           Understanding Refugee Trauma: For School Personnel, For Mental Health Professionals, and For Primary Care Providers

·           Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Parents, Youth, and School Personnel

·           Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tip for Educators

·           Helping Children with Traumatic Grief: Young Children, School-Age Children, and Teens

·           Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing (for providers)

Psychological First Aid

The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. PFA Mobile and the PFA Wallet Card provide a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online training course is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center. PFA Handouts include:

·         Parent Tips for Helping Infants and Toddlers

·         Parent Tips for Helping Preschoolers

·         Parent Tips for Helping School-Age Children

·         Parent Tips for Helping Adolescents

·         Tips for Adults

·         When Terrible Things Happen

Military and Veteran Family Resources

·           Working Effectively with Military Families: 10 Key Concepts All Providers Should Know

·           Understanding Child Trauma & Resilience: For Military Parents and Caregivers

·           Traumatic Grief for Military Children: Information for Families

·           Honoring Our Babies and Toddlers: Supporting Young Children Affected by a Military Parent’s Deployment, Injury, or Death (Zero to Three)

·           Sesame Street for Military Families (website)

·           Community Support for Military Children and Families Throughout the Deployment Cycle (Center for Study of Traumatic Stress, CSTS)

·           Strengthening Military Families to Support Children’s Well-Being (CSTS)

·           Helping Children Cope During Deployment (CSTS)

Additional Helpline Resources

·           SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline – call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.

·           Military OneSource – call 1-800-342-9647 for eligible DOD service members and their families.

·           Veterans Crisis Line – call 1-800-273-8255, press “1” or text 838255 for all service members.

·           PTSD Consultation Program – for providers who treat Veterans. Ask a question by calling 866-948-7880 or emailing PTSDconsult@va.gov.

These scholarships are supported by Deer Oaks - The Behavioral Health Solution. Deer Oaks provides psychological services in nursing homes and assisted living centers. Deer Oaks values diversity, advocacy and supporting the aging population. For more information on Deer Oaks, please visit their website at www.deeroaks.com.

The TPA AHEC Deer Oaks Excellence in Social Justice & Advocacy Award will honor a doctoral student, intern or postdoctoral fellow who has a demonstrated interest in advocacy and social justice and has an interest in continuing such in their career.

The TPA AHEC Deer Oaks Excellence in Geropsychology Award will honor a doctoral student, intern or postdoctoral fellow who has a demonstrated interest in geropsychology and/or working with older adults and has an interest in pursuing a career with older adults.

For application requirements and criteria please read here. The application deadline has been EXTENDED to Monday, October 16th, and the notification date to award recipients is Friday, October 20..

Please reach out to Deborah Theis, Ph.D., dtheis@deeroaks.com, 832-265-6028, if you have any questions. Thank you!

Academic and Higher Education Committee (AHEC)

&

Deer Oaks - The Behavioral Health Solutions

CLICK HERE TO ACT NOW!

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issues an annual proposed rule – the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule – that has serious implications across the health care field. It sets the benchmark for how other insurance programs cover and reimburse for specific services. It also sets the standard for what kind of services are covered, including new and emerging forms of treatment. We are weighing in because this year’s proposed rule includes promising provisions that need your support to become a reality (e.g. supporting telehealth in clients’ homes), and provisions that need improvement (e.g. the current proposal is not sufficiently inclusive of psychological testing services). You can learn more about those provisions in our action center.

This proposed rule is coming at a time when federal agencies – including CMS – are facing Congressional pressure to reduce spending. Now more than ever, it is important that psychology be represented in the public response to this proposal, to stress the need to preserve funding and strengthen access to mental and behavioral health services. Please do not sit this campaign out – take action today!

Sincerely,

Thema Bryant, PhD
APA President, 2023

TPA MEMBERS, in order to submit nominations, you must first log-in to your TPA member account. If you need assistance, please respond via email to this message.

TPA needs passionate and committed volunteers to serve as Trustees and guide the association’s focus and strategy - Submit a nomination for yourself or someone else! Nominations are open and will close Friday, August 4th.

NOMINATE NOW                           Current Board of Trustees

Texas Psychological Foundation and PSY-Public Action Committee 

BOARD NOMINATIONS OPEN August 7 - September 6

Dear colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Robin McLeod will serve as the inaugural Senior Director for Strategic Relations and Leadership for the American Psychological Association (APA) in the Practice Directorate.

Dr. McLeod will lead the Association’s efforts to strengthen relationships and align strategies between APA staff and governance, practice communities, and practitioners. These efforts are ultimately expected to advance the work of psychologists, advocacy for the profession, policy and leadership development, and member engagement and belonging.

Dr. McLeod brings her experience and understanding of APA, affiliated groups (Divisions and SPTAs), and the practice and regulatory communities to this new role. She is a licensed psychologist, a well-known and respected leader, and an expert in psychology regulations and practice. She has recently served as President of Division 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice), member of APA’s Council of Representatives, 2022 Chair
of APA’s Board of Professional Affairs (BPA), member of the Minnesota Board of Psychology and Chair of this licensing board for the past four years (2019-2022), 2016 President of the Minnesota Psychological Association, member of the PSYPACT Commission, and several other roles.

Dr. McLeod received her PhD from an APA-accredited program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Minnesota, where she also completed her clinical internship at University Counseling & Consulting Services.

Dr. McLeod’s career has been dedicated to developing and implementing innovative business and practice strategies that enable psychologists to maintain viable practices within the evolving health care industry. Over the past 20 years Dr. McLeod grew her solo, independent practice into a group practice that served clients in six locations across the Twin Cities. Her practice set leading-edge standards of care for pediatric and immigrant
populations, built strong relationships with payers to meet measurement-based quality standards, and embedded practicum, internship, and postdoctoral fellowship training experiences. These extensive, realworld experiences will help Dr. McLeod appreciate and give voice to the perspectives of practicing psychologists and trainees in order to collectively prepare the profession for the future.

Dr. McLeod will begin work in APA’s Practice Directorate on July 10, 2023. In anticipating how she will connect with psychologists, trainees, and groups such as APA Divisions and SPTAs and others, Robin reflected that, “As our profession evolvesin response to the demands of a changing world, it is vitally important that psychologists work together and lead the way to have even greater impact on improving peoples’ lives. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with and support psychologists as we prepare the profession for the future.”

Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Robin McLeod to her new leadership role in APA.

Best Regards,
Jared L. Skillings, PhD, ABPP
Chief of Professional Practice, American Psychological Association

TPA President Dr. Jennifer Rockett and the TPA Convention Committee are pleased to announce our 2023 Annual Convention, Meaningful Impact. Submissions are encouraged from all settings representing psychology. This year, we are excited for a broad scope in training opportunities for attendees
Workshop & Discussion Proposal Deadline: May 11

Poster Deadline: May 31

Submit Your Proposal Idea Here.

2023 TPA Convention Sponsorship & Exhibit Info – View Here 

“If we resort to a medical model that doesn’t offer a treatment that alleviates and helps with mental health, you could just imagine the impact it’s going to have on children and families,” said Alfonso Mercado, a licensed psychologist and associate professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He’s also the immediate past president of the Texas Psychological Association, which has publicly opposed the legislation. Click here to view entire article, published May 1^st, 2023.

To maintain access the new community, your dues must be paid by February 28, 2023. Thanks to all members who have already renewed for 2023! Questions or issues with your member renewal? Contact us.

If you've been hesitant to sign up for the new Connected Community, have had trouble signing on, or just want to learn more, please join us for an informational webinar on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, from 5:30 – 6:30 PM Central. A recording will be available afterward for anyone unable to participate in the live session.

Register here for Webinar

Connected Community Instructions

Connected Community FAQ

Jeanette Mayse, PhD, ABPP was awarded the2023 APA Award for Distinguished Contributions in Independent Practice award by the American Psychological Association Board of Professional Affairs. This nationally competitive award recognizesoutstanding independent practitioners in psychology.Dr. Mayse is a TPA Board of Trustees member and current Chair of the TPA Reproductive Psychology Task Force. She has also been a member of TPA’s Racial Justice Task Force and Chair of TPA’s SB8 Task Force.Dr. Mayse has previously been recognized nationally by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) with their Early Career Service Award. As a committed change agent and ally for equity of access to behavioral health treatment and culturally responsive care, Dr. Mayse supports TPA in disseminating psychological science and facilitating organizational change focused on inclusivity, equity culture, and social justice. She also trains independent practitioners in strengthening their clinical skills related to sustainability, anti-racist work, and culturally responsive/ humble care. Congratulations, Dr. Mayse!

Background

APA will be filing an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court on August 12 which would support the validity of the Indian Child Welfare Act from an Equal Protection Clause challenge that it is an impermissibly race-based statutory structure. (For more details about the consolidated cases arising out of Texas, Louisiana and Indiana, see SCOTUS Blog.) Working closely with experts from SIP and APA’s Children Youth & Family Committee, and with outside counsel at Covington & Burling, we have developed the argument outlined below and more fully developed in the attached draft brief. We would be pleased to have Texas Psychological Association join the brief as a signatory if you can alert us by August 9. The brief explains that in 1978, Congress enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”) “to promote the best interests of Indian children” as well as the vitality of Indian Tribes. (Note that the language used in the statute related to Indians and tribes is not consistent with APA Inclusive Language Guidelines, which we will explain in the brief, but we do need to use statutory terms in our discussion in the brief.) Congress adopted this Act, in part, through providing for preferences to govern placement of certain children in adoptive and foster care—namely, those children who are or may someday become members of an Indian Tribe. ICWA requires that, in the absence of good cause to the contrary, an Indian child should be placed with the child’s extended family, members of the child’s Tribe, or another Indian family. On the evidentiary record before it in 1978, Congress determined that—all other things being equal—it was in the best interests of an Indian child to be raised in a home where he or she could develop a strong sense of identity as a member of the Indian community. Congress also acted based on evidence demonstrating that, in the absence of ICWA’s placement preferences, the vast majority of fostered and adopted Indian children were living in non-Indian homes. (In 1978, when ICWA was adopted, a 16-State survey had shown approximately 85% of Indian children placed in foster care resided in non-Indian homes.) In the intervening decades, considerable psychological research our experts helped us to amass has confirmed Congress’s determination that Indian children generally do best when they are placed with Indian families. Researchers have found that the formation of an Indian identity through enculturation—i.e., the process of learning about and adopting features of one’s cultural heritage—provides Indian children with substantial mental health benefits, including increased self-esteem and resilience. Research also confirms that Indian children realize these benefits more readily when they are raised by Indian parents. By contrast, Indian children who lose their traditional cultural identity (or never adequately form such an identity) often suffer worse outcomes, tending to lose resilience, resorting to risky coping mechanisms, and suffering significant emotional distress. In essence, the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Indiana challenge ICWA’s placement preferences as unconstitutional “race-based hierarchies for Indian-child-custody proceedings” that interfere with States’ rights in child custody proceedings. Instead, our brief shows that the research demonstrates that ICWA’s placement preferences further the best interests of Indian children, and therefore—consistent with due process and equal protection principles—are, at a minimum, “rationally related to a legitimate state interest,” which is a key basis for finding the statute constitutional. The research we detail in the brief confirms that ICWA’s placement preferences directly advance that strong interest by facilitating the development of Indian children and their associations with the
broader Indian community.

Significant rule changes being proposed -- TPA and TSBEP wants to hear from you

Resources:

https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/coping-community-violence-together

Self-Help: Resources for Survivors

Talking to Teens When Violence Happens

For Teens: Coping After Mass Violence (En Español)

Talking to Children about Mass Violence

Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen (En Español)

Rebuild your Community: Resources for Community Leaders

First Responders, Emergency Workers & Volunteers and Exposure to Human Remain (PDF | 192 KB)

Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers

Dialogue on Community Violence (PDF | 6.8 MB)

Coping with Grief After Community Violence

Coping with Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event 

As TPA celebrates 75 years of service to the psychological community, your
volunteer board has been working to ensure our association’s continued success in the years to come by identifying new staff leadership to provide operational and strategic support and guidance for our association.

On behalf of the TPA Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce that TPA has named Mary Beth Kiser, CAE, as the association’s new Executive Director, effective July 1, 2022. With careful consideration for the association’s continued growth, TPA has engaged Mary Beth to serve as our Executive Director through a partnership with Strategic Association Management (SAM). 

Mary Beth is a seasoned and accomplished association executive with more than 21 years in association and nonprofit management. She earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2009 and the Texas Association of Nonprofits Certificate in Leadership and Management in 2014. Her professional experience includes executive leadership, fundraising and business development, board and volunteer management, legislative support, and program development through her roles as the President and CEO of Beyond Batten Disease Foundation and the COO of Texas Land Title Association. Mary Beth is a graduate of the University of Texas and has lived in Austin with her family for more than 30 years.

SAM is a well-regarded Austin-based association management company and provides a dedicated team of experienced professionals, including talented association executives, like Mary Beth, who can help us continue to move our mission forward. SAM partners with and manages the operations of more than 18 associations, including other Texas statewide associations of significant size and scope. We are excited to experience the successes of these associations who have found that through long-term partnerships with SAM, organizational sustainability, growth, and, ultimately, transformation have occurred.

TPA would like to thank Angie Guy with Association Management Consultants, who has served as our Interim Executive Director over the last 6 months and will continue with TPA as the Operations and Conventions Manager.

It’s my honor to serve as your president during this exciting time of growth. Thank you for your commitment to TPA and our profession. We are confident that with Mary Beth’s leadership and our partnership with SAM, TPA will continue to grow and identify novel strategies to accommodate the needs of our membership. 

Join me in welcoming Mary Beth to TPA. 

Sincerely,

Alfonso Mercado, PhD
TPA President

In the wake of the recent SCOTUS decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion and in light of the previous Texas Senate Bill 8, we wish to affirm that TPA’s mission is unchanged and our commitment to promoting human welfare is unwavering. To that end, we will continue to work to advance psychology as a science, profession, and as a means of promoting public welfare.

We acknowledge that abortion invokes complex diversity in perspectives. The SCOTUS decision has generated many questions regarding the application and practice of psychology as well as amplified  concerns regarding provider liability and patient access to care. TPA is currently working to explore the implications of this decision and develop support resources for our members and the public. It is our goal to gain a richer understanding of the legal and ethical consequences of the SCOTUS decision and to gain clarity on how we can continue to engage in practice, research, advocacy, and legislative effort that promotes human welfare. We are committed to supporting our members and the public as we all navigate the post-Roe landscape of practice and patient care. We invite you to explore the valuable collection of organizational responses/ resources listed below:

 
American Psychological Association (APA)
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/06/scotus-abortion-decision?fs=e&s=cl
 
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/09/news-facts-abortion-mental-health
 
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
https://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/news-and-research/announcements/the-dobbs-decision-a-statement-from-asrm/?fs=e&s=cl
 
American Psychological Association / American Psychiatric Association/ National Association of Social Workers (APA/ APA/ NASW)
https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/2504/Major-Mental-Health-Associations-decry-US-Supreme-Court-decision-overturning-Roe-v-Wade
 
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)
https://blog.aamft.org/2022/06/statement-on-roe-v-wade-.html
 
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/aap-statement-on-supreme-court-decision-in-dobbs-v.-jackson-womens-health-organization/

Texas Psychologists stand ready, once again, to offer those in distress the comfort, guidance, and support they need to maintain resilience in the midst of shock and profound grief. To that end, TPA is compiling a list of licenses psychologists to provide ongoing recovery services in Uvalde. The service request is for pro bono virtual support mental health services beginning this summer. When this list is shared, we will notify those on the list of next steps. 

TPA received a request from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Catholic Charities is pleading for in-person help to support those traumatized after the massacre in Uvalde, TX.  Catholic Charities will fund travel and lodging costs.  The volunteer opportunity is a 10-day in-person commitment.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES SIGN-UP