A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
 
Randy White , Ph.D.

Dear Society of Consulting Psychology Members:

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as President of Society of Consulting Psychology this year and I have been very pleased with the numerous positive services and advances made in these first couple of months. Below are a few highlights about current and upcoming SCP business. All of these highlights directly connect to the three central pillars of the Society of Consulting Psychology: (1) Advancing our knowledge and skills; (2) Building our community; and (3) Advocating for the discipline.

The Annual APA Conference (past and upcoming):
Thanks to the diligent work of David Brewer and a number of other SCP members, Division 13's program at the 2007 APA Convention was a hit, featuring great main conference and hospitality suite programming and more CEs offered than at any time in our organizational history. [Thanks to Skip Leonard, Amy Owen, and David Brewer for the latter.] The 2008 APA convention, which will feature a new approach to programming, is being planned by the team of Skip Leonard, Billie Blair, and Richard Greentree. Individual theory and research presentations will be done as poster sessions. Student poster presentations are encouraged. Proposals for panels, roundtables, and symposia are welcome. The new programming initiative has been recognized by APA as a model for other Divisions to emulate.

SCP award winners for 2007 announced at APA were:

  • RHR International Award for Excellence in Consultation - Col. Frank Budd
  • RHR International Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award - Megan Leasher
  • SCP Service Award - Virginia Mullin
  • SCP Exemplary Impact Commendations - Harry Levinson
Stewart Cooper, Ph.D.

The upcoming Midwinter Conference on Consulting to Business and Industry:
Consulting at the Leading Edge: New Ideas, New Approaches, and New Markets, a conference focused on new innovative practice, skills and applications for psychologist consultants, is the theme for the 16th Division 13 annual conference. The conference will take place from February 8-10, 2008 at the Sheraton in Austin, Texas, and will feature exciting keynote speakers, including Bob Kegan (Harvard Business School) on The Real Reason People Don't Change, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., (Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration) on The Challenges of Driving Change in a Large Bureaucratic Organization, and E. Wayne Baughman (National Security Agency) leading a panel on Consulting in Intelligence Agencies. Pre- and post-conference workshops will cover organizational culture, "green" consulting, assessments within the National Football League, on boarding coaching, M&A, ethics, and more. Up to 20 CE Credits Available! Look for details on the early registration discount.

Upcoming Consulting Psychology Scholarly Books:
Harry Levinson on Consulting Psychology, edited by Arthur Freedman and Kenneth Bradt, is to be among the spring releases of APA Books. It is being officially sponsored by the Society. In addition to this offering, Ann O'Roark is shepherding a book series on a number of key topics in consulting psychology.

Distance Learning:
This fall, the Education and Training Committee is sponsoring two upcoming Distance Learning Seminars. On November 6th, Ben Dattner offered a program on Emotional Intelligence and Consulting Psychology. On December 4th, David Peterson will offer a program on Systemic Coaching. In addition, the committee offers distance mentoring groups. Another round of Harry Levinson providing case supervision to Early Career Professionals is in motion, as is the Mid-level group lead by Jim Kestenbaum.

Intellectual Advancement of the Field - the Consulting Psychology Journal:
Our journal's new editor, Rodney Lowman, will be advancing the journal to new areas starting in March. Be on the lookout for a series of special issues in the coming years. The first will be on Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Consulting Psychology with Fred Leong, President of Division 45, and Stewart Cooper, President of 13, as co-guest editors. Other planned special issues focus on leadership, forensic issues in consultation, atypical roles for consulting psychologists in government, and more. Both individual level submissions and proposals for special sections or issues are welcomed. Contact Rodney at rlowman@lssu.edu or make your submissions directly on the journal's website, located on the APA website, www.apa.org.

Communication - Website:
Our newly revamped website, including a members' only sub-site system, is serving as an excellent resource for our members and for the public. If you have not yet done so, check it out at http://www.apa.org/divisions/div13/. To access the members' only sub-sites, contact the website manager, Dan Fisher, at Dan@Fisher-Rock.com.

Communication - Listservs:
SCP maintains two main listservs for members: a voluntary entry listserv for active interaction and information sharing and an Announcements Only listserv that posts important Divisional news items. If you would like to be signed up for either or both listservs, contact Melanie Flanders at melanieflanders@mac.com. Being on these listservs is the best way to receive current information about the Society. I strongly recommend you sign on if you have not done so.

Communication - Newsletter:
Our newsletter, The Consulting Psychologist, has received very positive response from the readership. The Fall edition of TCP is scheduled for December. Previous editions of TCP are available on our website at: http://www.div13.org/Update/2007Spring/Spring2007.htm.

Special Initiatives & Projects:

  • Healthy Workplace - We continue to be a major contributor to APA's Psychologically Healthy Workplace awards and other initiatives.
  • Katrina Relief Effort (KARE) - We continue to partner with SIOP (APA Division 14) on KARE and are forming a task force to look more broadly at emergency response in the future.
  • APA Model Licensure Act - An SCP representative attended the ASPPB annual meeting where this proposed act was discussed. The Executive Board, along with other interested parties, has drafted an official response to the current version.

I appreciate all the support I am receiving and look forward to a greatly successful year of growth and development for the Society of Consulting Psychology.

Sincerely,
Stewart Cooper
Stewart Cooper, PhD, ABPP
President - Society of Consulting Psychology