Rehabilitation Psychology:

State of the Division

Gitendra Uswatte, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology & Physical Therapy

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Outline of Talk

Highlight important accomplishments by Division in past year.

Discuss priorities moving forward.

Share reflections on Hoffman Report findings.

Specialty Recognition by CRSPPP

On August 5, 2015, the APA Council of Representatives approved the recommendation by the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) that rehabilitation psychology be recognized as a specialty.

Specialty recognition completes the triple crown that marks an area as a specialty in psychology.

The two other members of this trifecta are:– Membership in the Council of Specialties in Psychology– Establishment of an American Board of Professional

Psychology (ABPP) Board, i.e., the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP)

Who Cares?

Specialty recognition is important because it helps to establish that rehabilitation psychology is an area of professional psychology that requires specialized knowledge and skills.

This distinction in turn will help rehabilitation psychologists to make the case that their skills are needed to address specific populations and problems and that their services require reimbursement at a premium rate.

Specialty recognition also helps with delineating the boundaries of our practice, i.e., establishing problems that should be addressed by rehabilitation psychologists and not by others.

Result of Work by Many Over Decades

CRSPPP Task Force 2.0 & 2.1– Bill Stiers (Chair), Lester Butt, Tessa Hart, Bruce Caplan,

David Cox, Kathleen Brown, Eun Jeong Lee, Michele Rusin (Ex-officio Member), Gitendra Uswatte (Ex-officio Member)

Literature Reviews– Bill Stiers, Bruce Caplan, Stephanie Hanson, Tom Kerkoff,

Janet Niemeier, David Hess, Cheryl Shigaki, Eric Johnson

Pioneers 2.0– Bill Stiers

Pioneers 1.0– Bernie Brucker, Bob Frank

Rehabilitation Psychology 2015

As in previous years, the program was met with an enthusiastic response by attendees.

Highest number of attendees to date: 292.

Largest surplus to date: $28,000.

What Made the Meeting Successful?

Issuing an open call for submissions

Generosity of Division members who contributed their time and money with abandon

Diligent work by multiple members of the Board of Managers and Program Committee to raise funds from academic institutions and private companies

Who Made the Meeting Successful?

Board of Managers– Michele Rusin, Terrie Price, Bruce Caplan– Gitendra Uswatte, Gina Signoracci, Aaron Turner

Program Committee– Gina Signoracci (Program Chair), Jennifer Jutte (Pre-

conference Chair) Eun Jeong Lee (Poster Chair), Kim Monden (Program Brochure Artist) Krystal Drake (Roundtable & ECP Program Chair), Julia Poritz (Student Program Chair), Joseph Rath (CE Chair), Kim Gorgens, Abbey Hughes, Marlene Vega, Gitendra Uswatte, Lisa Brenner, Kate Brown, Bruce Caplan, Dana Dunn, Pamela Fitzpatrick, Rhonda Franger, Jaqueline Kaufman, Trisha Kirkhart, Anna Kratz, Angela Kuemmel, Michelle Meade, Carrie Pilarski, Terrie Price, Michele Rusin, Marcia Sherer

New Website for Division

Our website is our most important communication tool.

Because of problems with APA staff posting material on a timely basis and other limitations, the EC voted to move to an independent website in February 2015.

New, eye-catching website is now up and running.

Prior to transition to new website, material on many pages that was incomplete since transition from old independent Division website to APA-hosted site was updated.

Webmasters

New website team– Kimberly Monden (Webmaster), Brent Womble

(Associate Webmaster), Coralynn Long, Joshua McKeever, Joseph Rath, & Jerrold Yeo

Other members of Communications Committee– Laura Dreer (Listserv Manager), Erica Johnson

(Social Media Team), Amanda Childs (Social Media Team), Zina Trost (Social Media Team), Coralynn Long (Social Media Team), Lisa Brenner, Kathleen Brown, Kim Gorgens, Jennifer Jutte

Talking About Science

Science Committee was revived this year.

Has begun series of listerv posts and podcasts featuring scientific advances in our field

Division listserv is an awesome community but this key piece for the health of our field has been missing.

Rehabilitation Psychology is on target to increase number of articles submitted from approximately 100 to 150. Impact Factor for 2012 was 1.7, which is close to high to date.

Who’s Talking

Science Committee– Lisa Brenner (Chair), Kier Bison, Teresa Ashman,

Chuck Bombardier, Dawn Ehde, Tessa Hart, Jim Jackson, Scott McDonald, Michelle Meade, Jan Niemeier, Robert Perna, Sarah Raskin, Jennifer Sanchez, Maria Schultheis, Timothy Shea, Connie Sung, Gerald Voelbel

Rehabilitation Psychology– Steve Wegener (Editor), Maria Schultheis

(Associate Editor), Beth Slomine (Associate Editor)

Student Leadership Network (SLN)

Assembly of campus chapters at graduate schools for students coordinated by a central student-led committee.

Founded formally at APA 2014.This year the Division, in partnership

with the Foundation for Rehabilitation, committed $2,000 to support the SLN.

This year the SLN grew to 10 chapters.

Leaders

SLN Central Committee– Abbey Hughes (EC Student Rep)– Marlene Vega (Past EC Student Rep)– Eun-Jeong Lee (Faculty Sponsor)– Meredith Williamson (Student Member)– Samantha DeDios-Stern (Student Member)

Mary Brownsberger, Past-President, nurtured development of SLN during her tenure.

Division 22 Membership: 2006-2015

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20151000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1409

1363 1367

1300

1227 1213

11751191 1178

1256

Nu

mb

er

of

Me

mb

ers

&

Aff

ilia

tes

Source: APA Division Services Office, August 2015.

What is Responsible for Growth?

Initiatives– Offer 1-year membership at no cost to APA

members who express interest in Division when they renew their dues

– Invite midyear conference attendees who were not already members of Division to join

– Invite authors of publications in Rehabilitation Psychology who were not members of Division to join

Who is Responsible for Growth?

Membership Committee– Jennifer Duchnick (Chair), Carey

Pawlowski (Co-chair), Sara Walters-Bugbee, Mark Pedroty, Theresa Ashman, Eun-Jeong Lee, Angela Kuemmel, David Patterson, Efrat Eichenbaum, Wanda McIntyre

Immediate Priorities

Support growth of the SLN.

Need to identify and take actions to reach out to members who are not listserv. Steps taken this year to synchronize listserv revealed that only about half of our members are on listserv.

Nurture growth of Science Committee.

Expand opportunities for rehabilitation psychologists to provide services in critical care settings.

Email: guswatte@uab.edu