About Us

PRACTICE DIRECTORATE

The Practice Representative represents Connecticut’s community of practicing psychologists (as well as students) who work in diverse settings and are in all phases of their career development. The primary role is to help CPA educate, advance, promote and advocate for practicing psychologists’ professional interests on a state and national level, particularly in this complicated, intricate and ever-changing behavioral health care delivery system.

Fortunately, due to the make-up of CPA’s constituency and the board (the majority of members are practicing psychologists), these interests are monitored and represented by just about every person who serves CPA. Most assist in a voluntary capacity on the board. We are also extremely fortunate to have a few tenacious and exceptionally nimble individuals who serve as daily hawks and are in contacted positions on our executive or legislative teams.

The recent pace of proposed or actual changes to healthcare delivery has been dizzying. CPA has worked diligently to inform its members in “real time” of these changes so that they can continue to adapt and succeed.

Most recently these initiatives have included:

• Protecting the interests of psychologists in the CT Health Insurance Exchanges
• Sponsoring training for the New DSM-5
• Preparing psychologists to comply with the HIPAA Final Rule by September 23, 2013.
• Alerting psychologists about the use of the new Psychotherapy CPT codes effective January 1, 2013
• Developing a workshop aimed at preparing psychologists to understand healthcare reform

For information on the national level, please follow these links: www.apa.org/practice/www.apapracticecentral.org.

THE BUSINESS OF PRACTICE NETWORK

The Business of Practice Network (BOPN) is a group that concerns itself with the interface between psychology and business. One of the primary activities of the network is overseeing the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Program. The program recognizes Connecticut organizations that demonstrate a commitment to balancing efforts to promote employee health and wellbeing with organizational performance. The BOPN works closely with the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence.  More broadly, the BOPN is interested in considering innovative ways to advance psychology’s presence in the marketplace.

For information about the business of practice on the national level, please follow this link: http://www.apa.org/practice/index.aspx.

For information about APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program: http://www.apa.org/practice/programs/workplace/index.aspx.

For information about APA’s PHWP Awards:  http://www.apaexcellence.org/.

CHILDREN & YOUTH COMMITTE

Coming soon…

PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE & CAMPAIGN

CPA’s Public Education Committee has two related roles. The first is to carry out public education, providing resources to Connecticut’s citizens, on behalf of the Connecticut Psychological Association whose mission includes furthering the usefulness of psychology as a profession, science, and means of promoting human welfare. The second is to help implement APA’s Public Education Campaign at the local level and to act as a liaison between APA and CPA with regard to public education initiatives.

For more information, help locating resources for your own public education use, or to become involved with CPA’s PEC, please contact Elaine Ducharme, PhD.

APA Public Education Campaign

APA’s Public Education Campaign is a multiyear initiative that consists of several social marketing initiatives and targeted public awareness campaigns intended to accomplish specific objectives that support the association’s strategic plan. The overarching goal of the campaign is to educate the public about how the science and application of psychology benefits society and improves lives.

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

·         Encourage access to psychological services

·         Increase understanding of psychology as a behavioral science

·         Demonstrate the value of the psychology profession in a variety of settings, including research, clinical and organizational

·         Raise awareness of psychology as a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discipline

As part of this initiative, the American Psychological Association (APA) and YMCA of the USA are partnering to provide families with resources for healthy living. The partnership was created because of the complementary aspects of APA’s Mind/Body Health Public Education Campaign and the YMCA’s Healthy Family Home initiative. It is intended to help parents and caregivers better understand how to provide emotional support for their families in ways that encourage lifestyle and behavior change and to help them understand how their home environment impacts these changes. The partnership specifically addresses the impact that individual behaviors such as eating healthy and regular physical activity can have in reducing risk factors for chronic diseases. From: APA and YMCA of the USA Partnership.  See this video link as well.

For a look at the 2012 Campaign highlights, including Connecticut’s activities and partnering activities with local YMCAs, please see the Public Education Campaign activities report.