www.redwoodpsych.org 1
RPA DIALOG
MARCH/APRIL 2014 VOLUME 21 NUMBER 2
REDWOOD PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
A Chapter of the California State Psychological Association
P.O. Box 15209 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Calaveras Big Tree State Park Arnold, CA
www.redwoodpsych.org 2
RPA Executive
Committee officers and
support staff
President:
Greg Thigpen, Psy.D.
(707) 494-6462
Vice-President:
Jeannie LeMesurier, Ph.D.
(707) 326-5666
Secretary:
Linda Baggett, Ph.D.
(707) 321-3604
Treasurer and CPA Chapter
Rep: Michael Pinkston,
Ph.D. (707) 575-7230
CE Coordinator:
Carol Weser, Ph.D.
(707) 526-2288
Newsletter Editor:
Joe Puentes, Psy.D.
(707) 583-9663
Disaster Response Committee
Chair: Richard Zimmer,
Ph.D. (707) 526-7720 x326
Ethics Committee:
Ann Strack, Ph.D., Jeff Kahn,
Ph.D., Michael Pinkston,
Ph.D., & Juliet Dantin, Ph.D.
President’s
Column Greg Thigpen, Psy.D.
Over time, it has become clear to me that many of us in the field
of psychology are challenged by all the changes we need to keep
up with, and by the many roles we must occupy. For many RPA
members, being in this profession means dealing in some fashion
with record-keeping, computer security, phone calls, marketing,
billing, and compliance issues, to name a few roles and tasks we
take on in order to maintain a thriving practice. All of this before
we’ve met with or evaluated a single client or patient.
This need to “wear many hats” professionally reminds me of a
conversation I had years ago with an executive at a major
corporation. He explained that (colloquially speaking) his
specialized role was to look down the road and over the horizon,
and help his company and prepare for future trends. Other
specialists were in charge of lobbying and engaging with various
entities, while still others were tasked with taking care of
employee needs.
Speaking personally, I sometimes find myself wishing longingly
for the sort of support and guidance provided in that
corporation…until I realize it’s available to me, and to all of us.
This came to mind for me when reflecting on the recent
presentation on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), co-sponsored by
the Marin Psychological Association, Napa Psychological
Association, and our own Redwood Psychological Association.
A large contingent of RPA members attended the presentation,
given by Michael Ritz (representing CPA’s Division 1, Clinical
and Professional Practice) and Amanda Levy (Director,
Government Affairs). By way of analogy to the corporation
referenced above, one could say that Michael Ritz took on the
“looking down the road” role, while Amanda Levy provided
details on both the ACA/Covered California rollout, and on the
advocacy that CPA provides, and that members can provide
themselves.
(cont. p. 3)
www.redwoodpsych.org 3
(President’s Column, cont’d)
Since many RPA members asked (on this listserv and elsewhere) for details of the presentation, I will
briefly present them here in bulleted form. (For informational handouts on this event in Marin and more on the impact of ACA, you can go to http://aca.cpapsych.org.)
Among the highlights of Amanda Levy’s talk (and audience comments) were:
The projection that there may be as many as 5 million newly insured Californians through the
Covered California program, all of them with mental health benefits
The possibility that some of the insurance plans created to accommodate the new enrollees may not
offer the same payments to psychologists as previous plans did, or may not have drawn many
providers, resulting in “skinny panels” and long waits before enrollees can get in to see someone.
Psychologists were encouraged to report problems with insurance to either of the two state agencies that regulate insurance practice in California: Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Care. Ms. Levy also encouraged CPA members to report these issues to her since CPA has an ongoing relationship with both of those agencies and is in a stronger position to use multiple complaints from its members to advocate for us, our profession, and our clients.
Ms. Levy underscored the need for psychologists to advocate with their legislators for their professional future, quoting former APA President Kathleen Nordal, who said "No one else is fighting the battles for psychology.....and don't expect them (legislators) to."
In his portion of the presentation, Michael Ritz pointed to the need for psychologists to be aware of
trends in the field, and to use existing or attainable competencies to broaden practice opportunities.
Among the point he covered were:
The movement toward Accountable Care Organizations (groups of doctors, hospitals, and other
health care providers, who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high quality care)
The opportunity for psychologists to help organizations to evaluate effectiveness
The opportunity for psychologists to integrate themselves into a medical setting
The importance of matching oneself (stage of career, willingness to work in a new way) with the
opportunities coming down the road
In all, the presentation (and the opportunity to socialize afterward in a sunny courtyard with fellow
RPA members) provided a heartening reminder that we psychologists are not alone in our practices. I
want to give thanks to the presenters, to the other chapters who co-sponsored the presentation, and to
the many psychologists around the state whose CPA dues support people like Amanda Levy, Michael
Ritz, and the many other sources of support we have at the CPA.
www.redwoodpsych.org 4
RPA Calendar of Events
April 16th
, 2014: April CE Event NEW TIME: now 6:30pm at Union Hotel on Mission Blvd in Santa Rosa, 1.5 CEs
optional. All are welcome to arrive at 6 for socializing and networking. $27 for
dinner if registered by April 14, $35 after pre-registration discount date. Online
registration at: http://redwoodpsych.org/calendarDetail.asp?eid=128 Questions?
Contact Carol Weser at [email protected].
Presenter: Shoshana Bennett, author, Pregnant on Prozac , Postpartum Depression
For Dummies , Co-Author, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Kids, Co-Author, Beyond the
Blues, A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression.
“Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and Postpartum” Clinicians will gain a working knowledge of the six mood disorders which occur in
pregnancy and postpartum (depression, panic, posttraumatic stress, obsessive
compulsive disorder, psychosis and bipolar), will learn how to successfully screen
their clients, assess their needs and provide appropriate intervention. Etiology of the
disorders, risk factors, barriers to treatment, and collaboration of the professional
team will be discussed, as well as conventional and alternative treatment modalities.
May 7th
, 2014: Annual Spring Networking Social Event TIME: 6-7:30pm, Riviera Ristorante at 75 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, CA
Come to meet and reconnect with other RPA members at our annual spring
networking social event. Appetizers and wine will be provided.
www.redwoodpsych.org 5
New member introductions:
Hon. Patricia A. Gray (Ret.) J.D. M.A.
I am a pre-doc psychology intern and also a trained
professional mediator. I have 30 years experience
as a lawyer and judge. I returned to school to better
understand the psychology of relationships and
communication. I work primarily with couples that
are divorcing and want an alternative to expensive
long-term litigation and attorneys. I have two
offices, Santa Rosa and St. Helena.
Sylvia Shirikian, Psy.D.
Hello everyone! I am a forensically trained
psychologist, new to the Santa Rosa area. I have spent
the majority of the last ten years working within court
ordered and correctional settings with a small non-
forensic private practice. I am exited to be in beautiful
Sonoma County and look forward to developing a
collegial network.
www.redwoodpsych.org 6
I occasionally have a member ask me why we
still need an RPA Ethics Committee if our
committee stopped censoring members for
unethical behavior over 15 years ago. I
assume that those of you who are CPA
members know that the CPA Ethics Committee
also no longer censors its members for ethical
violations although the APA Ethics Committee
still does so for its members.
My first response to this question is to say that
when a psychologist is in trouble with the
Board of Psychology (BOP) or is charged with
illegal behavior, it is very important that the
psychologist who finds themselves in that
situation is able to say that they were aware of
potential ethical issues, thought about those
issues sooner rather than later, and had in fact
documented that they sought our members of
an ethics committee to discuss those issues and
receive consultation.
As a CPA member you can of course choose to
seek that consultation from CPA Ethics
Committee and/or your RPA Ethics
Committee. The RPA Ethics Committee
includes myself, Dr. Juliet Dantin, Dr. Ann
Strack, and Dr. Jeff Kahn. Our newer RPA
members may not be aware that all 4 of us have
been members of RPA for many years where
we have each served in several leadership
positions including President. We have also all
worked in a wide variety of clinical settings
including private practice.
Ethics Corner
By Michael Pinkston, Ph.D. (RPA Ethics
Committee Member)
We regularly consult with each other on ethical
issues that members bring to us or that we
encounter in our own practice.
We rotate every 2 months as the primary
member who is offering consultation to RPA
members and you can find that rotation
schedule in your most recent newsletter
available on the website or on the Ethics Page
which is also on our website.
I also like to tell people that the other main
reason we need an RPA Ethics Committee is to
occasionally bring up ethics issues to the
membership since the BOP is expecting us all
to stay well informed on ethics if we want to
keep our license. During the last year members
of our committee have discussed two ethical
issues that we have seen come up frequently
and this has resulted in articles in our
newsletter or posts to our listserv. If you do
not recall seeing them, we encourage you to
revisit those posts on those issues by using the
links associated with them below.
(1) How we identify ourselves and our
credentials when we promote our services to
the public -
http://www.redwoodpsych.org/RPANewsletter/
april2013web.pdf (page 9) - this issue was later
incorporated into a larger policy adopted by
the RPA Board in fall 2013 related to the way
individual members identify themselves and
promote services on our website.
(cont. p. 7)
www.redwoodpsych.org 7
(Ethics Corner, cont’d)
(2) How we protect privacy of clients and others when we make comments on our listserv - The
RPA Board has had a Listserv Guidelines for many years that was most recently updated in fall 2012
and can be found on the Listserv page of our website. Although some of our guidelines can be
considered etiquette common to most listservs that is likely to cause more members to want to
continue using the listserv, others are related to liability protection for RPA, and one in particular
relates to the ethical issue of protecting privacy of clients or potential clients. The following link is
actually the CPA Ethics Committee Guideline related to protecting privacy which we have shared on
the listserv several times this past year since we believe it is so clearly written:
http://www.cpapsych.org/associations/13260/files/files/ethics/EC(2013)Guidelines_for_Client-
Patient_info_listservs.pdf
Some of us had been attending workshops on the subject of digital ethics since at least 2010 and at
those events we would hear that APA had a task force working on APA Telepsychology Guidelines.
Those guidelines were finally adopted and published by APA in December 2013. If you have not
seen them, I want to refer you to an excellent summary and introduction by Dr. Keely Kolmes found
at http://www.cpapsych.org/associations/13260/files/files/ethics/2013-n6-Kolmes.pdf in CPA’s The
California Psychologist. Dr. Kolmes is a member of CPA Ethics Committee and I have seen her do
an excellent all day workshop on this topic. The full version of the APA Telepsychology Guidelines
is at: http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/telepsychology.aspx
RPA Ethics Committee Offers Consultation
Our Ethics Committee welcomes questions about ethical issues in your practice. Juliet
Dantin, Ph.D., is available during the month of April to consult with you about any
ethical concerns you may have. Ann Strack, Ph.D., is your consultant for the months of
May and June.
Juliet Dantin, Ph.D. (829-5355) – Mar./Apr.
Ann Strack, Ph.D. (762-6216) - May/June
Jeff Kahn, Ph.D. (546-4349) - July/Aug.
Michael Pinkston, Ph.D. (575-7230) – Sept./Oct.
www.redwoodpsych.org 8
Announcements and Ads
SONOMA OFFICE FOR RENT: Professional
office available with other health care
professionals (Psychotherapists, Physical
Therapists, Body workers). Handicap
accessible. Ample off street parking. Ideal
location in downtown Sonoma next door to
Wells Fargo Bank and across the street from
Safeway. Includes waiting room with water
feature and music, staff and client bathrooms,
small fridge and microwave. Office with both
own private external entrance as well as internal
entrance into hallway. WiFi and high speed
internet available. $550.00/month. (707) 938-
0226. Contact: Dr. Jerry Silver
PETALUMA OFFICE SUBLET: 1 to 2
days/week. This is a spacious and charming
office in an historic Petaluma house. Nicely
furnished and comes with a semi-private waiting
room. Located just a block from old downtown.
Days/times are flexible. Call Jeffery Martin,
Ph.D. at 707-544-0345 or email at
CO-ED PROCESS GROUP IN
PETALUMA This is a long-term group for
people who share the goal of building and
maintaining close relationships. Thoughts and
feelings in the here and now of weekly sessions
are the basis for insight, interpersonal
exploration, and authenticity. Wednesdays,
3:00-4:30 in Petaluma, $40/session. For more
information, call or email Rebecca Stadtner at
707-227-6511 or [email protected].
HANLON MEDICAL BILLING: Specializing
in Behavioral Health billing, HIPAA compliant
protecting your sensitive patient information.
Extensive experience dealing with Medicare.
References available. 707-695-3596
Directions/address sent out in November
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need volunteers to help with
the Holiday Party (set-up and clean-up teams). I f you are
i n t erest ed i n volun t eer i ng t o help wi t h t h i s year ’s
par t y , please con t act Peggy O’Toole, Ph .D., At
rpanewslet t er@redwoodpsych .com or any of t he RPA
of f i cers.
Directions/address sent out in November
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need volunteers to help with
the Holiday Party (set-up and clean-up teams). I f you are
i n t erest ed i n volun t eer i ng t o help wi t h t h i s year ’s
par t y , please con t act Peggy O’Toole, Ph .D., At
rpanewslet t er@redwoodpsych .com or any of t he RPA
of f i cers.
COUPLES & FAMILY LAW MEDIATION:
Hon. Patricia A. Gray, (Ret.) JD, MA, Couples
& Family Law Mediation. Phone: (707) 889-
4066 & (707) 595-0141. Email:
[email protected]. Two Locations: 1335
Main Street, Ste. 103, St. Helena CA 95474 &
149 Stony Circle, Ste 210 Santa Rosa CA
95401.
DREAM TRAINING FOR
PSYCHOTHERAPISTS: Meredith Sabini,
Ph.D., 2 Fridays 2–5pm: April 4 and 18 , 6
CEs, $150. Fee includes CE certificate. Open to
licensed therapists of any theoretical/clinical
orientation. Graduate students welcome at half
price. Registration: You may register by phone
or email. You will receive confirmation. The
Dream Institute, 1672 University Ave,
Berkeley, CA, phone: (510) 845-1767, &
email: [email protected]. Meredith
Sabini, PhD, is an analytically-trained
psychologist in the field since 1972. She
practiced individual psychotherapy 1977-1997,
then became a CE provider and Dream
Consultant. She directs The Dream Institute of
Northern California.
NOVATO OFFICE FOR RENT: Available for
Rent: Therapy Offices in Northern Novato.
Three-office suite with friendly, collaborative
therapists. Rates start at $207/full day. Half-day
rates: $111 a.m., $116 pm. Available most
weekdays and weekends. Terrific location for
wide geographic area; two minutes from Hwy
101, San Marin/Atherton exit. Professionally
soundproofed. New paint, carpet, furniture.
Accommodates moderate-sized groups. To
visit or photos, please contact Diane Harnish,
PhD, at 415/924-4252 or email
[email protected]. (Cont. p. 9)
www.redwoodpsych.org 9
Announcements and Ads
EMDR TRAINING FOR CLINICIANS:
Complete training over four weekends in
Alameda. Saturdays and Sundays: March 8 and 9,
April 5 and 6, May 3 and 4, May 31 and June 1,
2014. Non-profit, agency and pre-licensed
discounts available. BBS and CPA approved for
47.5 CE Credits. This all inclusive training meets
and exceeds EMDR International Association
standards. Sonoma Psychotherapy Training
Institute, Andrew M. Leeds, Ph.D. Director of
Training, EMDRIA and EMDR Europe
Approved Trainer. Full details at
http:/www.sonomapti.com/basictraining.html or
call (707) 579-9457.
EMDR CONSULTATION GROUP: Face to
face consultation group sessions with Andrew M.
Leeds, Ph.D. EMDRIA Approved Consultant
meet EMDRIA standards for group consultation.
We discuss case formulation, treatment planning
issues, and how to enhance outcomes during the
reprocessing phases of treatment. We meet the
first (or occasionally the second) Thursday of the
month from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM at my office in
downtown Santa Rosa. For more details
http://www.andrewleeds.net/training/EMDRconsu
ltation/localgroupconsult.html or call (707) 579-
9457.
MI CONSULTATION GROUP: Starting a new
Motivational Interviewing (MI) consultation group. The
aim of the group is to provide a space for clinicians to
discuss the use of MI across a broad range of clinical
issues. Clinicians working with populations that tend to
be highly ambivalent/resistant to change are especially
invited. All levels of expertise in MI are welcome.
Hope to meet one evening per month in Santa Rosa.
Please contact Joe Puentes, Psy.D. by email at
Submitting Ads and Announcements to the
RPA Dialog:
Items are free to members and cost non-members
$40. Each item is limited to 100 words or less.
Our next newsletter will be delivered in
September. Deadline for submissions is August
25th
, 2014.
Send your ad in the body of an email (no
attachments). Submissions will be acknowledged
with a return email.
Please submit items to the Newsletter Editor: Joe
Puentes, Psy.D., at [email protected]
www.redwoodpsych.org 10
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
April 16th
, 2014
“Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and Postpartum”
6:30pm at the Union Hotel, Santa Rosa, CA
Presenter: Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D.
May 7th
, 2014
Spring Networking Event
6-7:30pm at Riviera Ristorante, 75 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, CA
Redwood Psychological
Association
P.O. Box 15209
Santa Rosa, CA 95402