MCPA President’s Note
by Barbara Nova, Ph.D.
Hello, MCPA Members! Whew! It has been a whirlwind start to the year in terms of “behind-the scenes” activities! As far as our more public presence: Thanks to all who attended both our Annual Meeting in February and the Meet & Greet at Wipeout Grill in March! I very much appreciate all the feedback – both positive and negative – from all of you and will continue to try and be responsive to your requests.
A special thanks to those who attended CPA Leadership & Advocacy (L&A) in Sacramento – Mark Kamena, Meghan Harris, Beth Tabakin. This was my second time and I really feel inspired to be more active in government affairs in general. More specifically, I want to urge all of you to voice your opinions via letters to our local legislators about the issue of sunsetting the Board of Psychology. We learned at L&A that without this Board, we licensed psychologists would no longer be able to practice in CA, no longer be able to obtain malpractice insurance (having lost our licensure), and no longer be able to care for or make recommendations for care to our clients and patients. While some seasoned practitioners may see this as an opportunity for early-ish retirement (ha-ha), those of us who are recently licensed or soon-to-be licensed may be in a state of shock & awe that our years of study and training stand the chance of being dismissed (not to mention all those unpaid student loans!!).
Another important issue is fondly referred to as “parity.” The parity bills will make CA law equivalent with Federal law, so that our clients’ access to mental health treatment is more equitable and is not limited to certain specific diagnoses. Our GAC representative, Beth Tabakin, will be emailing requests to send letters and we are studiously looking for ways to make it easier to complete this task – stay tuned to your emails for updates!! If any of you would like more information about these very important issues, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Several of our board members recently attended CPA’s annual conference in Monterey. In addition to the beautiful setting and weather, we had ample opportunities to connect with old friends and colleagues and have some fun, as well as earn a lot of CE hours in very well-planned and presented seminars! Congratulations and thanks to our very own Mark Kamena who coordinated CPA this year – it was a huge success.
The rest of our year is shaping up with a few changes. Dates for the Marin Baroque Concert & CE event and Dr. Lonnie Barbach’s presentation on “Sex After 60” have been changed to the Fall – check the website and future emails for specifics. We welcomed a presentation on parenting young adults by Dr. Kenneth Perlmutter – thank you, Kenneth! Next up we have our own Dr. Keith Sutton with a much-needed update on diagnosis & treatment issues of ADHD. Hope to see you there (Mind Therapy Clinic) on Saturday, June 2 from 10-12. Thanks for liking us on Facebook!!
-Barbara Nova, Ph.D., MCPA President
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Please visit http://www.marincountypsych.org for more information about our association and membership benefits or to locate a licensed clinical psychologist in Marin County.
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Blog Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed by the authors are their own and do not reflect the opinions of the Marin County Psychological Association. The information posted on this blog is not intended as, and is not, a substitute for professional mental health services.