KansasPsychologicalAssociation
Join KPA for our Fall Conference, December 9
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM– Session 1- APA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework
Presented by Dr. Maysa Akbar
During this presentation you will learn about the structure and context needed to create systemic change and promote collective accountability – leading with the principle that we are all responsible for supporting and contributing to a culture that fully promotes EDI. We’ll cover how the work of State Associations align with the EDI Framework and how APA’s Executive EDI Office can collaborate with you to enhance efforts internally, across the field of psychology, and within society. Members of KPA will learn whether they are using the current EDI principles in their work. If so, how? If not, what is the path to incorporating these principles?
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Session 2- Improving Effectiveness with Latinx Immigrant Populations: Understanding Trauma in the US Asylum Seeking system
Presented by Dr. Alfonso Mercado
The population of Latinx individuals in the United States (U.S.) continues to grow rapidly, making the mental health of this population a significant public health and scientific concern. Indeed, the Latinx population in the U.S., grew from 14.5% of the U.S. population in 1980 to 59.9% in 2018 according to the Pew Research Foundation (2019). Further, there has recently been rapid growth in a unique group of Latinx migrants, individuals from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S. This group has grown quickly, with an estimated increase of 131 percent in immigration from Central America between 2015 and 2016 and high rates of growth have continued in recent years despite increased immigration enforcement activities in the U.S. (U.S. Custom and Border Patrol, 2016). This group of Latinxs has garnered attention from scientific and mental health communities because exposure to adverse childhood events and traumatic events are common in this group (Venta & Mercado, 2019), and have serious consequences for physical and mental health (Mercado, Venta, Henderson, & Pimentel, 2019) as well as adaptation to the U.S. (Venta, 2020). Indeed, unlike other generations of Latinxs in the U.S. or other immigrant groups, recent Central American migrants do not appear to demonstrate the paradoxically low rates of mental health problems outlined in the Hispanic Health Paradox and Immigrant Health Paradox (Mercado, Venta, Henderson, & Pimentel, 2019), underscoring the critical import of identifying risk and protection mechanisms underlying Latinx mental health (Venta, 2019). This workshop will address the existing barriers and identify strategies to effectively working with this population in clinical and research settings. Learning objectives are: Participants will identify recent research addressing trauma and health with recent immigrated families seeking asylum in our southern borders.
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM - Session 3- Ethical Considerations in Telepsychology: What has Covid Taught Us?
Presented by Dr. Sarah Getch
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM - Session 4- PSYPACT: A road trip
Presented by Ms. Janet Pippin Orwig
The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) is an interstate compact designed to facilitate the practice of telepsychology and the temporary in-person face-to-face practice of psychology across state boundaries. This presentation will take the participant on a “Road Trip” of what a compact is, how PSYPACT came to be and what PSYPACT means for Kentucky psychologists.
Maysa Akbar, PhD, is a respected scientist-practitioner, best-selling author, and serves as the chief diversity officer at the American Psychological Association. Her expertise in racial trauma combined with her sustained commitment to dismantle systemic racism within various sectors such healthcare, education, and the criminal justice system, demonstrate her relentless pursuit of racial justice and accessible and equitable mental health care. Her previous work includes founding a clinical practice based in New Haven, Connecticut, that specializes in race-based trauma. Akbar has developed cutting-edge programs anchored in EDI for city governments, public schools, and court systems, among other entities. Dr. Akbar’s research and written publications illuminate racial trauma approaches as a mechanism by which clinicians and other health professionals can humanize the experiences of people of color. She advances racial justice work through the creation of her Ally Identity Model, which details the stages of allyship in dismantling systemic oppression. Dr. Akbar is a board-certified clinical psychologist and held a faculty appointment from 2004 – 2021 at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center as an assistant clinical professor. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University, a MS in community psychology from Florida A&M University, and a BA in psychology and woman’s studies from State University of New York at Albany. She is the CEO and founder of Integrated Wellness Group, psychotherapy practice specializing in treating race-based trauma since 2008.
Dr. Alfonso Mercado is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science and Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and a Licensed Psychologist. His research focus is on Latino mental health, including immigration, personality, substance abuse, and multicultural interventions. He is President-Elect of the Texas Psychological Association and elected to the American Psychological Association Committee on Rural Health. In 2019, Dr. Mercado was named Psychologist of the Year for his research, clinical, and advocacy work with recently immigrated families along the U.S. Mexico border and in 2021 received the Faculty Excellence Award in Psychiatry at UTRGV’s School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Mercado has shared his research and clinical experience with national and international media outlets and on July 31, 2020, Dr. Mercado spoke to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on the mental health needs of Latino children.
Dr. Getch earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and completed both her pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital/Feinberg School of Medicine. While at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, she worked on several NIMH R01 and R21 projects focused on affective processing as well as perinatal anxiety and depression. After deciding to pursue a career in academia, Dr. Getch worked as an Assistant Professor at Midwestern University in the Department of Behavioral Medicine. In addition to teaching and mentoring Psy.D. students, she served as Director of Admissions, Education Chair, Co-Chair of the Self-Study & Accreditation Committee, and was a founding member of the Interprofessional Education Committee. More recently, Dr. Getch joined Kansas City University (KCU) as the Program Director of the Clinical Psychology program and Assistant Provost for Accreditation where she and her team have built an APA accredited PsyD program. She continues to build IPE curriculum both within the PsyD program and at a university-wide level by assisting in the creation of the university-wide IPE Committee, serving on the IPE steering committee, and through the creation of IPE coursework as well as multiple IPE student experiences.
Janet Orwig, MBA, CAE in her position with the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) serves as the Associate Executive Officer for Member Services and PSYPACT Executive Director. Janet plays an integral part in the development of new services and programs, securing and managing large government grants and furthering member relations. She is responsible for monitoring state regulatory and legislative actions and overseeing member services for ASPPB including mobility initiatives, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), the Psychology Licensure Universal System (PLUS), the Disciplinary Data System (DDS), model documents, and the ASPPB website and listservs. Her 25-year career in association management includes experience in customer service, communications, public relations, advocacy, strategic planning, leadership development and project and program management. Janet earned her Paralegal Certificate and Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Huntingdon College and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Association Executive.
Kansas Psychological Association
Executive Director: Sherry Reisman, CAE
Phone: (866) 860-7313 Fax: (800) 784-9034
Email: admin@kspsych.org