February 2021

Published

February 1, 2021

Welcome to the February 2021
American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) Newsletter.

Our monthly Newsletter provides information about activities, upcoming events, and resources to connect the psychology-law community.
AP-LS aspires to excel as a valuable, effective, and influential organization advancing the science of psychology-law and the translation of psychology-law knowledge into practice and policy.


NEW SPA PARTNERSHIP

TheAP-LS PracticeCommitteestrives to meet thedistinct needs of forensic clinicians who are members of AP-LS.To that end, the Practice Committee is excited to announce anew partnershipwith TheSociety for Personality Assessment(SPA), the largest organization dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of personality assessment for the betterment ofsociety.

This partnership affords all AP-LS members theSPA Member ratefor all fifteen of theirvirtual workshops, as well as theSPA Virtual Convention, which includeslive presentationsfrom March 17-20, and a plethora ofpre-recorded sessions. AP-LS members save $15-$50 dollars depending on the length of the workshop and AP-LS membershiplevel and $30-$46 for the virtual convention.

Although the member rate is available for all workshops and the full convention, AP-LS has identified the following three SPA virtual workshops as being particularlyrelevant to forensic clinicians.

SPAis approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. While SPAmaintains responsibility for this program and its content,the PracticeCommittee is pleased topartner with SPA for the aboveworkshops. Many of the live presentations and pre-recorded sessions also have the opportunity for CEs through APA. Specific sessions and hours are still being finalized.

Registrationis now open; please select the AP-LS member option to receive the member rate for your category. If you have any questions or problems registering, please reach out to info@spaonline.org.

If you are interested in discussing other ways the Practice Committee can meet the needs of forensic clinicians within AP-LS, please contactantoinette@drkavanaugh.com.


A.D.D.R.E.S.S.I.N.G. CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN FORENSIC ASSESSMENTS

Presenters: Sheila Santiago Schmitt, PsyD; Monique Mendez-Timmons, PsyD; Yenys Castillo, PhD

Friday, March 26, 2021 01:00 to 04:30 PM (ET)

CE Credits: 3.5

Intermediate skill level: Ethnic minorities have historically been overrepresented in the criminal justice system: yet, consideration of cultural and individual differences is seldom incorporated in forensic assessments. This lack of attention to cultural differences creates an unnecessary burden on the criminal and mental health system, as ethnic and individual differences are often pathologized as mental illness, and people of color are unnecessarily institutionalized. The purpose of this workshop is to provide an overview of how to incorporate cultural and individual differences in forensic assessments in order to enhance the efficacy of these evaluations, in accordance with forensic and diversity guidelines provided by the American Psychological Association. The workshop involves how to incorporate intersectionality using the “ADDRESSING” model by Pamela Hays (1996, 2008, 2016) to facilitate the understanding of individuals’ complexities. Examples from various types of forensic assessments (e.g., competency, risk, and death penalty assessments) will be reviewed to demonstrate how the ADDRESSING model can be used to consider cultural factors in informing the process of forensic evaluation, from the onset of the data collection process to providing the final psycholegal opinion.

Registration is required, register here.

The deadline to register is March 21, 2021. You will receive an email with a link to join the webinar one day before.

We look forward to you joining us! For questions, please email bethcaillouet@gmail.com.


LEGAL UPDATE: EXPANSION OF READILY IDENTIFIABLE VICTIMS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE DUTY TO PROTECT

After the California Supreme Court decidedTarasoff v. Regents of the University of Californiain 1976, courts have taken myriad approaches to defining a therapist’s duty to protect a potential victim from a potentially violent client. In July 2020, inMaas v. UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court broadened the definition of “readily identifiable victim” under Pennsylvania’s version ofTarasoffto include an unnamed neighbor in a 40-unit apartment building. TheMaasdecision demonstrates the need for clear statutory definitions regarding the duty to protect.

To read the column, please click here.


APA UPDATES

The American Psychological Association (APA) will hold a virtual town hall at 12pm ET onFebruary 4. Led by APA President Dr. Jennifer F. Kelly and CEO Dr. Arthur C. Evans, Jr., the town hall will focus on what lies ahead for APA in 2021, including discussions of strategic priorities and policy and advocacy decisions. There will also be a live Q&A session. You can register here.

The APA Board of Educational Affairs invites nominations to a Working Group to revise the 2011 APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology. We encourage AP-LS members to apply. Nominations and supporting materials are dueFebruary 8, 2021. You can find additional details postedhere.

The APA Council of Representatives will meet virtually February 25-27, 2021. Your AP-LS representatives are Jason Cantone and Margaret Bull Kovera. More information will be made available in a future newsletter.


CAREGIVING GRANTS FOR AP-LS 2021

The AP-LS Professional Development of Women committee (PDW) is pleased to offer Caregiving Grants for virtual conference preparation/attendance for the 2021 Virtual Conference and webinars. The committee plans to award grants of $100-$500, with priority to first authors and presenters.

Eligibility: Open to AP-LS student and non-student members, women and men.

DEADLINE: Rolling, but on a first come, first served basis.

For applications proposing to use the funds for virtual attendance, proof of attendance is required before the funds are dispersed. Click here to apply.


AP-LS PDW PANDEMIC PARENTING WEBINAR

In August 2020, AP-LS members, Drs. Amanda Zelechoski and Lindsay Malloy launched Pandemic Parenting, a web platform designed to share science-based resources with parents in a free and accessible way, with the overarching goal of helping to mitigate some of these consequences for families. Since then, they have hosted 12 webinars on a variety of relevant and urgent issues for parents who are navigating this ongoing and unprecedented crisis, as well as developed additional resources, blogs, videos, and media appearances to translate and disseminate information to parents in real time. In this webinar, brought to you by the AP-LS Professional Development of Women Committee (PDW), the co-founders of Pandemic Parenting will discuss the self-doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty that often accompanies pandemic parenting, especially for women, and strategies for overcoming it. They will also discuss some of the benefits and challenges associated with "giving psychology away" directly to parents and those who care for children. As a critical aspiration of many American Psychology-Law Society members and the field generally, they will share what they have learned about knowledge translation in less traditional formats through this Pandemic Parenting endeavor. This FREE webinar is eligible for 1.5 Continuing Education credits.

Time: Feb 18, 2021, 1:00 PM (ET)

Registration is required, register here!

The deadline to register is 2/13/2021.

Note: The day before the presentation, you will receive an email with the link to join the webinar

We look forward to you joining us! For questions, please emailgottfrem@musc.edu

SALEEM SHAH EARLY CAREER AWARD

On behalf of AAFP, AP-LS, and theSaleemShahEarly Career Award Selection Committee, it is my pleasure to announce this year's recipient of theSaleemShahEarly Career Award:Dr. Maaike Helmus.

SaleemShahwas one of the godfathers of our field. In 1968, he established law and mental health studies as a formal program priority for the National Institute of Mental Health and became the guide and mentor for a new generation of scholars who, through their empirical and theoretical work, transformed the field of law and mental health studies – among them Tom Grisso, John Monahan, Loren Roth, Bruce Sales, Henry Steadman, Linda Teplin, and David Wexler, to name but a few. GivenSaleem’s history of support and mentorship for so many in this field, AAFP and the American Psychology-Law Society established this award to focus on one of his major interests - nurturing the careers and talents of young forensic psychologists.

This award is given for demonstrating significant early career achievement in forensic psychology or related fields of law. Its recipients demonstrate a broad range of qualities, including the passionate development of relevant research and its application to public service, practice, and mentoring.

The selection committee was incredibly impressed by the accomplishments of this year's recipient, Dr. Maaike Helmus. To read the full award announcement, including Dr. Maaike Helmus’ accomplishments, please click here.

Congratulations Dr. Helmus!


CALL FOR BOOK PROPOSALS

The American Psychology-Law Society invites proposals for new authored and edited volumes on psychology-law topics for its book series (APA Publishers). If you are considering authoring or editing a new volume, please reach out to a member of the editorial team. We would be glad to discuss your ideas with you and provide you with the guidelines for proposals.


BRIDGE AWARD APPLICATIONS FOR 2021!

In order to ensure receipt of submission materials for theAccess Path to Psychology and Law Experience Award(AP Award) and theDiversity in Psychology and Law Award(Diversity Award), we encourage all applicants and potential applicants to contactAP AwardChair, Dr. Anthony Perillo (aperillo@iup.edu) or Diversity Award co-Chair, Dr. Jodi Viljoen (jviljoen@sfu.ca). This includes those students who have already submitted materials, as well as those who wished to submit materials.


LAW & SOCIETY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the2021 Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, focused on the theme ofCrisis, Healing, and Re-imaginingfrom May 27-30. Due to the pandemic, we are currently planning for a meeting with a mixed format, with some events taking place in Chicago in-person, and many panels likely to take place virtually through an online platform. We will be monitoring the situation and follow the guidance of local, national, and international public health authorities in the months leading up to the conference.

For more information, please click here.


ON THE JOB OR POSTDOC MARKET?AP-LS JOB POSTINGS

Check out AP-LS's Job Postings Page for up-to-date information on available psychology-law positionshere.


AP-LS CONTACTS

Email addresses for all current EC members and Committee Chairs can be found here.


NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

Archives of the newsletter are available athttps://ap-ls.org/newsletter.


Newsletter Editorial Board

Editor Meg Ternes meg.ternes@smu.ca
Associate Editor
Leah Georges
leahgeorges@creighton.edu
Student Assistant Editor
Sarah Shaw
sarah.shaw@smu.ca
Content Editors -
Research Briefs
Kelly McWilliams & Veronica Johnson

kmcwilliams@jjay.cuny.edu vjohnson@jjay.cuny.edu

Content Editor -
Legal Update
Christopher King kingch@mail.montclair.edu
Content Editor -
Expert Opinion
Melinda Wolbransky melinda.wolbransky@gmail.com
Content Editor -
Teaching in Psych &
Law
Christina Riggs Romaine
Content Editor -
Career Corner
Emma Marshall aplsstudents@gmail.com


MembershipServices

AP-LSseeks to advance the science of psychology - law and the translation of psychology-law knowledge into practice and policy. Our mission is to enhance well-being, justice, and human rights through science and practice of psychology in legal contexts.