Dear Esteemed Colleagues,
We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to you for the Connecticut Psychological Association’s (CPA) Annual Convention, taking place on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 at the welcoming Yale West Campus. This year’s event promises to be an inspiring and enlightening gathering of professionals in the field of psychology.
We are honored to announce that our distinguished keynote speaker for the convention will be Dr. Jan Owens Lane, presenting Transformative Leadership And Strategic Advocacy In The Field Of Psychology. Dr. Owens-Lane is a renowned psychologist, business management consultant, and an esteemed member of our profession. She holds the distinction of being CPA’s first President of color and is also the Founder of CPA’s Ethnic Diversity Task Force. Dr. Owens Lane’s insights and expertise in these areas have had a powerful impact on the field of psychology and beyond, making her an ideal speaker to address our community.
During the convention, Dr. Owens-Lane will delve into the core concepts of transformative leadership, empowering attendees with the tools and knowledge to create positive change within their professional practice. She will also highlight the importance of strategic advocacy, urging psychologists to take bold and courageous steps to address critical societal issues and contribute to the betterment of our communities. The Keynote Address will also feature Nadi Paranamana, M.A., a mentee to a Transformative Leadership In Action to speak about her personal journey to mentoring, leadership & advocacy.
CPA’s Annual Convention will feature a broad range of workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities, including a Diversity Track specifically addressing diversity and/or social justice education. Engage in stimulating discussions, share your valuable experiences, and exchange ideas with esteemed colleagues from across the state and beyond. This convention is an excellent opportunity to expand your professional network and stay at the forefront of the latest developments in the field.
Yale West Campus, located in Orange, CT, provides an ideal setting for our gathering. Immerse yourself in the academic atmosphere of Yale University while enjoying the facilities that will enhance your convention experience.
We invite you to mark your calendars for Friday, November 3rd, 2023, and join us at Convention. We will be offering a Pre-Convention Virtual Session the evening before for a total of 5.5 CE that can be acquired. Together, we can inspire each other, learn from one another, and create a positive impact on our profession and the communities we serve.
Early registration is highly encouraged, as spots are limited and demand is expected to be high.
We welcome your presence at this exciting event. Join us for a day filled with learning, inspiration, and camaraderie, as we strive to shape the future of psychology together.
Warmest regards,
Stephanie Pennington, PhD.
Convention Chair
Connecticut Psychological Association
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Pre-Convention Virtual Workshops (Virtual Only)
1.5 CE credits available
7:45 am – 8:45 am: Registration & Networking Breakfast
Meet Division Representatives
7:45 am – 3:00 pm: Poster Session
9:00 am – 9:30 am: President’s Welcome – Derek Fenwick, Psy.D.
Annual Business Meeting
Presentation of Lifetime Achievement Award
10:30 am – 10:50 am: Break
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Luncheon 1:00-1:30 Awards
2:40 pm – 3:00 pm: Break
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm : Workshops – Session III (1 CE)
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Social Hour
Dissociation is a common symptom of PTSD; therefore, proper techniques must be readily available for clinicians treating these symptoms. This presentation demonstrates techniques used by therapists of different backgrounds and approaches to respond to dissociative episodes, using films of therapy sessions with actor clients produced by the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
2. Weight, Let’s Review: Assessing the American Academy of Pediatrics New Obesity Treatment Guidelines.Presented by Elizabeth Rathbun, Psy.D., & Joy Zelikovsky, Psy.D.
In January, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) presented revised guidelines of treating obesity in youth. Suggested are the use of weight loss medication and bariatric surgery for those as young as 12 years. Many eating disorder advocates note concerns as guidelines could contribute to weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors.
3. Diagnostic Assessment Using the Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders (DIAMOND) and DIAMOND-KID for children and adolescents. Presented by Kimberly Sain, Ph.D.
The Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders (DIAMOND) and Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders for children and adolescents (DIAMOND-KID) are promising semi-structured diagnostic interviews for DSM-5 disorders. This workshop will discuss administration and psychometrics of these new interviewing tools.
4. Keynote Presentation: Transformative Leadership and Strategic Advocacy. Presented by Jan Owens-Lane, Ph.D. featuring, Nadi Paranamana, M.A., a mentee to a Transformative Leadership In Action.
Dr. Jan Owens-Lane will define and give examples of transformative leadership with organizational and community focus. Effective strategic advocacy approaches will be highlighted as well as emphasis on development of allyships, partnerships, networking, mentoring and the power of role-modeling to graduate students and early career psychologists. The presentation will feature: Nadi Paranamana, M.A., a mentee to a Transformative Leadership In Action to speak about her personal journey to mentoring, leadership & advocacy.
5. Psychologists as Medical School Educators: Opportunities to Impact Future Physicians.Presented by Cassandra Holinka, Psy.D.
With medical students’ interest in psychology and focus on person-centered medicine, psychologists have unique opportunities to contribute to the development of future physicians. This talk reviews the wide variety of roles psychologists can play in medical schools with specific case examples, and will elicit discussion of suggestions for future directions.
6. Mis-use of Fire: By Children and Adolescents. Presented by Anthony F. Campagna, Ph.D.
Mis-use of fire by children and adolescents is universal, injuring and killing people, pets, and wildlife, and damaging property. This presentation will describe the scope of the problem, explore the causes, and present a widely used typology. A promising screening tool for case-identification will be presented.
7. Targeting Racial Trauma & Stigma in Psychosis: Findings from Community-Based Participatory Research (Diversity Track).Presented by Joseph S. DeLuca, Ph.D.
Most minoritized youth report experiencing racial discrimination, which can cause or exacerbate psychosis-spectrum experiences. However, few clinicians are trained in how to identify and target racial trauma & other stigmas. We report on the development of a provider training program in this area, co-developed with three young people who have experienced psychosis (supported by an American Psychological Association Early Career Service Grant).
8. Transformative Leadership Practices in School Counseling: Emerging Model for Social Justice and Academic Excellence (Diversity Track). Presented by Mkpoikanke Sunday Otu, Ph.D.
The study explored how the eight principles of transformative leadership support social justice, and academic excellence. Also, the study demonstrated how an all-inclusive school counseling program would use the eight principles of transformative leadership to achieve social justice and academic excellence. Fully integrated mixed methods design use is explained.
9. Bringing Vulnerability into the Supervisory Relationship. Presented by Kathryn A. Patterson, Psy.D., & Chelsea R. McIntosh, Psy.D.
This workshop will review recent literature on the role of vulnerability in the supervisory relationship and barriers that trainees or supervisors may experience in bringing vulnerability into the supervisory space. Presenters will facilitate a discussion on participants’ experiences with supervision and how they can address concerns in this area.
10. Clinical Considerations for Affirmative Care for Neurodiverse Populations. Presented by Sarah Hardy, Ph.D., and Leanne Price, Psy.D.
This workshop provides a balanced perspective on the characterization of neurodiversity and autism and addresses traditional and complementary approaches to the clinical treatment of autism spectrum disorders. This workshop describes various approaches for mental health providers unfamiliar with neurodivergent patients to understand better how to approach neurodiversity-affirming care and work within this population.
11. Moderating the Link Between Discrimination and Adverse Mental Health Outcomes: Examining the Protective Effects of Cognitive Flexibility and Emotion Regulation (Diversity Track). Presented by Yutong Zhu, B.S.
Discrimination affects mental health. The study investigated the role of cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation in discrimination-related anxiety among sexual/racial minorities. Participants (N = 221) completed an online questionnaire. Results revealed that emotion regulation difficulty (ERD) mediated the relationship between discrimination and anxiety, and cognitive flexibility moderated the relationship between ERD and anxiety. Findings suggest the importance of enhancing cognitive flexibility with emotion regulation training to mitigate the impact of anxiety on marginalized groups.
12. Psychology, Soul, and God: Integrating Psychology and Spirituality. Presented by Steven Prasinos, Ph.D.
Thoughtfully studying experience reveals that persons are subjectivity fields (souls) residing in transpersonal subjectivity fields. Souls seek harmony. Mental health is the soul’s degree of harmony. Love, a learning receptivity, harmonizes souls. Love promotes connection with the grand subjectivity field which can be personified as ally or God.
13. A Multidimensional Model of Well-Being. Presented by Traci Cipriano, Ph.D.
This workshop provides an overview of a science-based framework for understanding the many intersecting individual and organizational factors which influence well-being, and how they are all related, yet separate and distinct, with particular attention given to: 1) Why do we care about well-being?; and, 2) The role of leadership in influencing organizational culture as it relates to burnout, trust, commitment and motivation. Psychologists will be introduced to the utilization of psychological science outside of the therapy room to promote well-being and healthy work environments.
14. Learning From Lived Experience: A Guided Visualization to Increase Empathy Around Experiences of Psychiatric Hospitalization. Presented by Rebecca Miller, Ph.D and Erika R. Carr Ph.D.
This session provides an experiential learning exercise designed to increase awareness and better understand the experience of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Using a guided imagery exercise, the session focuses on personal reflection and building empathic bridges with a description of the process of admission onto a psychiatric unit. A brief introduction to the historical context of psychiatric hospitalization will be followed by an experiential exercise, a written reflection, breakout group discussion, and looking at possible implications and recommendations for further use of this modality in supporting advocacy work in behavioral health.
15. Abortion Access and Reproductive Care in a Post-Roe Era: Racial/Ethnic Disparities (Diversity Track). Presented by Sarayu Iyengar, LPC.
Historically, marginalized individuals have faced more obstacles in their fight for reproductive rights. With Roe v. Wade being overturned, access to reproductive care and abortion for these individuals has become more limited perpetuating racial/ethnic disparities. This presentation highlights post-Roe implications, socio-economic barriers, and impact on mental health for marginalized individuals.
16. Working with LGBTQ+ Adolescents, Young Adults, and their Families : A Systems Approach (Diversity Track). Presented by Derek A Fenwick, Psy.D., and Laura M.I. Saunders, Psy.D., ABPP.
This workshop will give anecdotal evidence to potential barriers when working directly with families and their gender diverse adolescents and young adults. In addition, key concepts will be presented to help other professionals and/or caregivers develop skills needed to foster support and resilience within this population from a systems perspective.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Social Hour